Getting Situated and Going Tramping

Hello again! I'm obviously really bad at blogging, or else I'd have written about 5 entries between this one and the previous one...SIGH. I've been keeping very busy indeed. To break this long entry up a bit, I'll make 2 parts.

CHAPTER 1.

The first couple of weeks here were fairly uneventful. I met many people and got oriented with the lab/building layouts, went through orientation programs, filled out paper work...etc. Not too interesting! I also began to "break myself in" to the daily 1.6 mile walk from our house to the university (and then back again). Doesn't sound like too big a deal, until you stare at the ginormous hill you have to climb. I've never lived somewhere so hilly (being a flatlander living in the Midwest!). I suppose a happy side-effect will be firm calves? haha. I don't know. But anyways, the only bummer about it is that I haven't been running at all. I just don't have energy after shifting my bulk up that giant hill in the evening :P I should toughen up!

I've begun working in the lab, mostly dissecting fish called "common bullies" for Kristin's postgrad research. I've learned a lot of new parasites and am finally starting to get better at my dissections! In addition, I went out on the peninsula to collect small limpets (related to snails) to look inside them for parasites as well. I've found some neat parasites that have been sent out for genotyping. The first one I found wound up matching a species already in the database, which meant that my limpets were possibly the next host in the life cycle. I'd like to do a project while here, but it's a lot of work coming up with one and executing it in a timely manner! Hopefully something pulls together for me. Sometimes I feel like maybe I should have been an accountant or a coffee shop owner. Science can be so rewarding but more often it's just frustrating.

CHAPTER 2.

So last weekend, Kristin and I went on our first trip since my first weekend here. We drove out to Wanaka, in Central Otago. Basically, Wanaka is in the middle of the South Island. It was a cool little town. We stayed at a Backpacker's Lodge called The Purple Cow which was only $28.00/person/night. For that fee, we had access to a room with two bunk beds (and we had 2 [drunk German] roomates filling the other empty beds), a bathroom, and a huge kitchen with stoves, fridges, etc so we could cook our breakfast the next morning. It was a cool experience, since I've never stayed in a hostel-type place before. You just use the bowls, silverware, etc. in the kitchen to make your food and then when you're done you just wash them and put them on the shelf for the next person to use. Pretty cool. Like a Co-op with a constantly changing suite of tenants.

The Purple Cow Backpacker's Lodge in Wanaka.

Our quad-room at the Purple Cow. Too bad we both got stuck with top bunks and sick/drunk ppl below us.

Also while we were in Wanaka, we meandered all over town going to little tourist shoppes and generally putzing. We went to a Mexican restaurant called "Amigos". Apparently decent Mexican food is difficult to come by in NZ, usually being really bland and generally weird. For example...on what planet does your enchilada platter come with a side of fries? Planet New Zealand. That's where. Anyways, we ordered a chimichanga and steak fajitas. They were both delicious! I was thrilled :) Oh, but here's a new spin: You know the baskets of chips and salsa you get at Mexican places in the States? Well, here...you get none. Usually. But at Amigos they brought out this little pudding cup with about 7 chips shoved in there and some tomato-ish salsa dribbled around them. Delicious...but that was all we got. However, we felt lucky, because a table of 6 girls next to us were seated and they got the exact same pudding cup except they had to share it among the 6 of them. Oh frugal Kiwis.

Well, from Wanaka we headed south to the trailhead for Roaring Meg Pack Track. We went there on a recommendation from our flatmate Rachel. Rachel is a very tall, very fit Kiwi. Kristin and I were about to embark on our very first "real" tramp (hike) complete with overnight stay in remote hut. The hut was a mere 6km (3.7 miles) away from the trailhead we parked at. The trail was a good way to test the tramping waters, because it was an easy one (according to tall,fit,kiwi-Rachel). Experienced, fit trampers could reach the hut easily in 2 hours, while newbies might take more like 3...we were told.

We started out all smiles and ambition. Loaded packs full of delicious foods and drinks for dinner. Sleeping bags and mats stuffed down tight. Water bottles filled. Hopeless naivete. We found the track easily enough. It was more like a 2-track from a truck. Packed down quite well and wide. Unfortunately for us, we were about to begin a rather grueling ascent to the top of Tuohy's Saddle. We didn't even know for sure what a "saddle" was. But we were game. Besides, it was less than 4 miles! How hard could it be? Well, to make a long story short: HARD. It took us nearly 4 hours and we were exhausted. We got passed by two ladies in their 50's who not only started after us, but arrived at the hut easily an hour before we did. So much for youthful vigor.
It was pretty much a bitch-fest on the way up for us (my feet hurt, kristin's legs were tired, this isn't worth it, I hate boring mountains with no animals, I can see nature from my car just fine, etc. etc.) But in the end, we made the sharp descent down to the hut totally alive. Go figure.

Me at the top of Tuohy's Saddle. Success!

We shared our hut with 3 guys and the 2 ladies we met on the track. We cooked dinner over a miniature stove, boiled water from the river to make into tea or coffee, and ate a LOT of chocolate. The hut had no electricity, but a nice fireplace that kept us toasty warm (warmer than our house, but that's another story altogether...). There was a pit-toilet nearby that was remarkably serviceable, considering it was miles from civilization. Just BYO-TP and you're good to go. It was a good night. The sunset over the hills was AMAZING and the stars were great.

Meg Hut.


Sunset over the tussock hills in Pisa Conservation Area.

Unfortunately for us (and our bunkmates who were trying to sleep), Kristin and I had to get up and make the hike back to the car the next morning early in order to make it back to Dunedin for a 5pm seminar in the zoology department. That meant getting up and making breakfast and then rolling out before 8am. So we did just that. We went faster on the way out since it was almost all downhill. We saw many sheep and cows, but not much else. Even so, the views we got that morning were gorgeous. I was beginning to think it had all been worth it. That was before Kristin's knees started hurting and I started getting blisters. I'd had no problem with the climb up the hills, but downhill was another story. The constant pushing of toes in boots and my naturally screwy feet meant that I was destined to form not one, but 3 blisters. Eh...they happen. Next time though, I'll definitely know what parts to preemptively cover with blister strips :o By the time we got back to the car I could not have been happier to rip those boots off my aching feet!


Merino sheep in the high country of Pisa Conservation Area against the stunning backdrop of the Southern Alps in Central Otago.

At the time, I thought "This tramping crap is maybe not for me. It hurts. It's sweaty. It's rough." But for some reason, looking back now, all I can think is how fun it was and how much of a badass I felt like after surviving the climb (even though we took lots of resting breaks! Shhh!) It really was beautiful up there. It was a cool experience. Blisters or no. Maybe I'll do it again. Anyone want to join me? I promise I'll only complain a little ;)

We made it back to Dunedin just barely in time for the seminar. Mostly, this is because we stopped here and there on the way to enjoy the finer points of the trip. Oh, did I mention I was driving? I am slowing acquainting myself with driving on the opposite side of the road. It felt wrong and weird at first, but I settled in. Kristin looked nervous for the safety of her car though!

Anyways, we stopped at some fruit stands. It's autumn here, so loads of fresh produce...MMM. We stopped at a place that mixes real fruit into vanilla ice cream. That was so great that we got it 2 times on our trip :) We also stopped at a Cheesery and a Winery. At the Cheesery I bought a block of delicious cheddar. Cheese is insanely expensive here, but I love good cheese. I had a block of Tillamook that Aaron bought me before I left Oregon and I had been hording it for weeks, only eating the littlest bits at a time. Buying new (equally good) cheddar here gave me license to devour my remaining Tillamook! At the Vineyard we stopped at I bought a bottle of "Otago Gold" which reminded me of a sweeter Reisling. Kristin bought 2 bottles of 2001 Reisling that she apparently loves to death. I guess it's time for a wine and cheese party. The cheese house and vineyards were worthy stop-overs. Hell. It was a worthy WEEKEND.

For my next installment (maybe if I write it like a goal, I'll actually follow through!): Life in NZ and this coming weekend's roadtrip to the southern tip of the South Island.

~Emily