Queenstown and kiwi hunting

We are now in scenic Queenstown (so named because it is 'fit for a queen') and have enjoyed a sunny and breezy afternoon of walking around the city, lake Wakatipu, and some surrounding hills. This picture is the view from the back of our hostel, where you can see the clear blue water of the lake and the Remarkables mountain range, with a top peak reaching to 7600 feet. We went on a luge course (think small motorless go-cart going down a cement track with switchbacks) and I manage to crash and put a hole in the pants I need to wear for the next 10 weeks. No injuries for either of us yet though, either on this or doing anything else.

There are deer farms all over on the south island and we are trying some venison sausage on our spaghetti tonight to take in some more local food. Annie ordered a lamb's fry meal a few nights ago thinking it was lamb, and just learned today that it was lamb liver. It wasn't great.

We had a nice second day on Stewart Island, with more fishing and then birdwatching on Ulva Island, which has a thriving bird population since predators (rats and possums) were eradicated 15 years ago. There is a species of robin found only on Stewart Island that is curious and bold and which landed on our feet soon after we got off the boat. We also saw parrots, parakeets, New Zealand wood pigeons (large and colorful) and many songbirds.

But, we didn't see any kiwis. Kiwis are a national symbol and New Zealanders are referred to as kiwis. Kiwi merchandise is everywhere. Kiwis are nocturnal and skittish, and it is rare to see them even if you go out late at night to look for them. One of the people at our hostel (a Danish student named Jacob) was talking late one night about going out kiwi hunting at a beach where he'd heard they might be. I joined him and the 2 of us set out at midnight. After 30 minutes of hiking in the dark and hearing possible kiwi sounds in the distance, we stopped to wait and see whether any were closer. 5 minutes later we heard a low, angry-sounding grunting from 10 feet away in the bushes, along with some rustling. Jacob said he was sure this was a kiwi, though my subsequent google searches of bird sounds have yet to confirm this.

We hiked for another hour without seeing or hearing much, then all of a sudden saw a small, dark object on the path in front of us. At first I thought this was an Australian possum (they are pests and there are 70 million in NZ) but as it turned it's head we could see a beak in the light of our headlamps. We excitedly whispered 'kiwi!' to each other and stood perfectly still to not frighten it. It walked awkwardly, and then as it hopped up a stair in a distinctly penguin-like manner, it became clear that this was not a kiwi, but instead a very scared little blue penguin. It hopped down a few more stairs, falling once, but as we tried to sneak by it kept getting in front of us. As we finally got by I thought about how strange it seemed seeing a penguin in the woods, 100 yards from any beach or water. So, no kiwi sighting, but I learned a lot about life in Denmark.

Tomorrow we fly back to Auckland via Christchurch, as the airport there has reopened since the quake. Sunday we make the 12 hour flight to Bangkok, where our college friend Gob will meet us at the airport. This will be some culture and climate shock, as we'll leave a place where everyone speaks English and temperatures have ranged from 60-75 degrees, to Thai language and humid temps in the 90s. We will welcome the cheaper prices, as the daily costs of eating and sleeping in NZ seem to add up. A bed in a hostel dorm room has consistently cost $28 and a small sandwich runs maybe $10. Even with the exchange rate ($1 NZD equals $0.76 US), the country seems expensive. We'll have much less access to clean water, and likely to the internet as well, though we will post when we can. Glad to hear people are following us on our travels.