The Unwelcome Sunset

I wish I had a recording for you all to listen to of the sound I wake up to in the morning. Actually I don’t; it’s terrible. I have failed to mention that 2 weeks ago I got 2 new roommates. This terrible noise I speak of is one of their alarms. The sound of it resembles monkeys but rather than an ooooahh it’s OOOOAHHH!!!! Terrible I tell you. Not a sound I enjoy waking up to every morning.

Please let me tell of the events that have occurred in the past week leading up to the present.  

I spent Saturday morning atop a horse. One of the girls from church works with a horse trekking stable and was able to get us a discount. Not only was this something I wanted to do, but it also allowed me to check something off the list of “22 things to do when I’m 22.” A van picked us up in town and we drove 20ish minutes out of town to the stable. The horse which was to escort me for the day was given the name Slug. In hearing the name, this was my thought process: Slug=bullet=fast. This was not the case. His pace was similar to that of the animal, not a bullet. There were 6 of us and although Slug and I started out in the middle, it didn’t take long before we were the caboose of the train. He is a good horse mind you, but liked to lollygag. The ride was pleasant but my tailbone was sore by the end of it. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing before being picked up to go to a house warming/birthday get together.

Jess, Raquel, and I ready to go

A beautiful trail ride

Good ole Slug

Sunday I woke up to snow on the mountains. Although beautiful, I was not to keen on the cold. Therefore, after working a few hours in the morning, I spent the rest of the afternoon inside before church.

Monday. Work. Town. Rugby field. Youth group.

Raquel and I before youth group

I worked on Tuesday morning yet again. I should probably mention that the past few days I have been battling a cold; sniffles and congestion. Not fun. After lunch, the weather was decent, so I wanted to make the most of my day. I wasn’t going to let my health stop me. I hiked up nearby Queenstown Hill. It was a nice hike and I made several stops along the way to enjoy the view, think, and take pictures.

The view of Queenstown from the top

Upon finishing work at 10am yesterday, I made myself two tacos, packed my backpack, and as I walked out the door of the hostel, said to Kent, the hostel owner, “I’m hitch hiking to Arrowtown, if I don’t make it back by tomorrow morning, be concerned.” Off I went. After walking about 15 minutes to get out of town, my thumb went up. Cars zoomed by but after a short bit, a car slowed and rolled to a stop. After inquiring where the driver was going, I hopped in the car with a fellow traveler. Within 5 minutes, his journey came to an end while mine continued. Fourteen kilometers remained between myself and my destination. My thumb went up again and within two minutes, I had yet another ride. Thanks to my hitch hiker’s thumb, I successfully made it to Arrowtown. En route, the thought crossed my mind that I hadn’t let the girls that normally pick me up for things know that I didn’t need a ride. That being said, when I arrived in Arrowtown I popped my head in a small shop and asked if they knew the location of a business of a friend that could text the girls. The shop owner hadn’t heard of the business so on her own accord made a few calls. Of course the first call she made was to the local hairdresser. The hairdresser put her in contact with someone else and before too long, I had the address and phone number to my destination. After walking 10 minutes I arrived, and caught some of the guys from church just as they were going off to lunch. I politely asked them if they could let the girls know I didn’t need a ride and they were happy to oblige. I also got a lift back into town with them before departing for a day of hiking.

Before beginning at 12:45pm, I scanned the map of the hiking trails contemplating which trail I should take. As I departed, I was still unsure of my exact route. Some of the trails are connected and the map gave times indicating the approximate time it takes to complete a trail; but from my experience, they are often quite generous in their estimates. I knew my beginning route and figured I would just go from there depending on how I was doing for time. As I was leaving, I snapped a picture of the map with my camera. It was a beautiful afternoon for a walk; the sun was out and the leaves were beginning to change colors as fall is approaching. Although I enjoy the company of others, I find it very enjoyable and relaxing to hike by myself. It allows me to think while going at my own pace. I have noticed that it is quite different to when I hike with others. How so you might ask? When hiking with others, I often feel the need to go at a quicker pace to either keep up or to prove that I’m not a wimp. Also, to take a water/snack/rest break with others normally takes a minimum of 5 minutes; whereas, when I am by myself I take “breaks” which usually consists of stopping, standing for 30 seconds to a minute, and then continuing on. It may sound strange but as I am hiking along, I can often be found breaking up a stick, tearing a leaf, or wrapping a weed around my finger as I go. An odd habit, I know. Moving on.

The trail was nice with beautiful views. On the first part of the trail I saw four people. The trail than split; to go right which would take me back into town or go left which would take me to the saddle of Big Hill. Time was still in my favor and I took the path that led to the saddle. By the time I made it to the top of the saddle and ate a muesli bar it was 3:20. Then came the next decision. The sign to the right indicated that it would take 2.5 hours to get back to Arrowtown while to the left it would take 2 hours to get a Macetown, an old gold mining town. I weighed my options. If I took the trail back to Arrowtown, I would arrive around 5:30 (pardon my math, I figured it wouldn’t take me as long as the time suggested), and Bible study didn’t start until 7ish or I could go to Macetown. Thanks to my thinking ahead skills, I pulled out my camera and looked at the picture of the map I had taken before I left. Thinking that I wouldn’t need it, I had failed to take a picture of the whole map so I was unsure of the distance to Macetown and then back to Arrowtown. I decided to go to Macetown; why not?! The trail leading down the saddle was poor, with areas of unevenness and mushiness. Upon reaching the valley, the path that I was on lead me to the river. There was no bridge. I backtracked wondering if I had missed something. I hadn’t. It was either turn back the way I had come or cross the river. If you know my family, you know that if there is more than one way to get somewhere you don’t take the same way twice. This meant I had to cross the river. On this particular day, I had to decided to wear my Chacos, which I was thankful for when it came time to cross the river. I walked up and the bank of the river looking for a good place to cross. It was inevitable; my feet were going to get wet. Cold mountain water. I had to cross the river two more times before I made it to another turnoff. It wasn’t clear which direction each path went but I assumed the one led to Macetown and the other to Arrowtown. Not knowing how far it was, I took the one I thought led to Macetown. I figured, I’ve walked this far already, I may as well keep going. Little did I know that this would mean I would have to ford the river several more times! Hold tight, I’ll give you the final count in a bit. It had been a good 3 hours since I had seen life of another human being. Although I love the feeling of being alone on the trail, after some time it gave me a small feeling of unease because the trail had not been clearly marked and I was unsure of the time it would take to get back to Arrowtown from where I was at. At 5:10, I caught sight of two cyclists. They assured me that I was going in the right direction towards Macetown but based on their expressions, they seemed concerned about the time it would take me to get back to Arrowtown. It had taken them just under 2 hours to bike which meant it would probably take close to 3 or 4 hours on foot. I walked the additional 10 minutes to the edge of Macetown, read the sign, and then abruptly turned around knowing that time was no longer on my side. If I was going to make it back before dark, I was going to have to book it. The brilliantly painted sunset was not welcome this night. I walked hastily, crossing the river several times yet again. When all was said and done, I forded the river a total of 23 times! 23 times!!! Too many if you ask me. Although I was thankful I was wearing my sandals to cross the river, when it came time to pick up the pace, jogging in wet sandals is not pleasant. I tried not to think about it. I went back and forth between walking and jogging. At 5:40pm I came upon a couple who was staying in a hut in Macetown. They told me it had taken them about 3 hours to get from where we were to Arrowtown. Oh boy, that meant getting back into town at 8:40pm! Before I had left, I had told the guys lightheartedly that if they didn’t see me before 9 or 10 to send a search party. At that time, I wondered if it would come down to that. Although I didn’t panic, I was definitely conscious of the time over the next few hours. Several times, I looked at the picture of the map on my camera trying to guess where I was at and how far I had left. I soon became aware of small markers indicating the distance back to Arrowtown. Although unaware of what it meant at the time, it began at 14km back in Macetown. The countdown began; 13, 12, 11, 10…. A few times I timed how long it would take me to go 1km and than use that time to figure out how long it would take me to get back. It is at these moments that I am very thankful for the metric system because it gave me a better sense of accomplishment. As the numbers went down, so did my nervousness. When I reached a part of the trail I had been on a couple of weeks ago, I knew I was getting close. The sight of town in the distance was oh so sweet. After a full 7 hours of hiking, at 7:45pm, I made it back. I went back to the trail map and did an approximate calculation of the distance I had gone; 30km (18.6 miles). Whew! I got my workout for the day! I walked an additional 10 minutes to Bible study where I wearily yet happily sat down to eat pizza and retell of my day.

From the Big Hill Saddle

The orange line indicates the path I took

After my long day yesterday, my body was sore which meant that today was a lazy day. The only thing I would like to share is this: I was sitting in the food court in the “mall” when I saw a man strolling along. He took one step past a trash can before back tracking and rustling through the trash. The next thing I know, he opens a half empty bottle of coke and starts drinking it and walks on. Hmmm.

Ben L.

Ben. Let me introduce you. He is quite tall and very handsome. He is quite likable. On Tuesday, I had the privilege of spending all afternoon with him. Let me show you a picture so you can get a better idea of what my afternoon was like.



Ben Lomond (zoomed in picture so doesn't accurately portray the hike)

Ben Lomond Summit from a distance

That’s right, Ben Lomond is a mountain. Quite a large mountain at that, standing at 5,735 feet (1,748m) above sea level. I had a short work shift on Tuesday ending at 10am. After preparing some pasta for lunch and getting myself ready, I headed out the door. The first hour of the trek followed the same path as the Fernhill hike that I had done the previous week. My journey to the top of Ben Lomond continued after making a quick bathroom stop at the top of the first mountain where the gondola ends. Within a few minutes I came across something lying on the ground. Money! $3 to be specific. That now brings the amount of money I have found up to $7. It pays (literally and figuratively) to pay attention to your surroundings. The weather was gorgeous; the perfect day for a hike. The next couple of hours were spent gradually going upwards in the direction of Ben Lomond. When I reached the saddle, I was able to see the mountains on the other side. Boy, were they beautiful! As I stopped for a water break, along came a young Swedish man and we continued on our journey to the summit together. The last hour of the trek was the most treacherous. It was quite steep and the path was a bit rocky. But we made it to the top! What a splendid view it was! Although views from most mountains are wonderful, this was unlike many that I have climbed. Because we were at the very top point of the mountain, we had a 360 degree view. Seriously, stunning. Although pictures were taken, none can compare to the actual view. I sat there, periodically changing positions to get a different angle. I could have easily sat up there for hours but in order to make it back to town before dark, 45 minutes would have to do. Anton, the Swedish man, and I made our way down the mountain. We conversed the entire way down which made time go by quite quickly. Along the way, I came across my second find of the day; sunglasses. They maybe wouldn’t be my first choice but they will do. When we arrived in town, Anton and I parted ways and I walked with legs that felt as stiff as boards back to the hostel. Although sore, it was well worth it. The hike took a little over 7 hours in total. When I arrived back at the hostel, the last thing I felt like doing was making dinner. There were two places in town that were on my list of places to eat; Fergberger and Hell’s Pizza. To Hell’s Pizza I went. I treated myself to a pizza entitled “Lust” which consisted of several kinds of meats. After a long day of cleaning and hiking, I turned in early.

Thanks for informing me

The view that most people get from the top of the gondola.
Great. But it is definitely worth the extra effort to
 go to the top of Ben Lomond.

Queenstown is getting smaller

Ben Lomond Saddle. Stunning.

I made it!

Check out that view

I had a day off on Wednesday so I slowly got ready and bummed around the hostel in the morning before walking into town. I began by going to the European bakery where I purchased a large loaf of Italian bread for $2. What a steal! I then spent the rest of the afternoon in the park by the lake working on uploading pictures to the previous blog for your enjoyment. I made my way to the rugby field where I sat for a short time before I went back to the hostel and then back into town where I met Jenna who took me to Arrowtown. Before Bible study, I went on an hour and a half walk along the river. It was beautiful. The leaves are starting to change colors as Fall is coming and the weather was great. It was a fairly level walk which was quite nice for my still sore legs. I then made my way to Bible study before Raquel brought me back to Queenstown. We ended up sitting in her car talking until midnight. It was so good. I have been so blessed by the people I have met here. 

Need I say more...

After working four hours on Thursday morning, I had chili and bread for lunch before Susanna picked me up. We had made plans the previous night to hang out. It would be her and Alena’s last day in Queenstown. They were staying with another girl from church so Susanna and I watched a movie and than made a cake together. It was a relaxing and enjoyable afternoon. Those that lived in the house and others visiting arrived and Jess cooked up a wonderful dinner. Shortly thereafter, Alena brought me back into town.

Susanna and Alena

It is 9pm at the moment. I have been outside for a total of 5 minutes today. I worked for 5 hours this morning before showering and making crepes for lunch. (I keep crepe batter mixed up in the fridge so all I have to do is heat up a pan.) I then went to sit in the lounge with the intentions of blogging and working on pictures. After sitting there for a short time, the power went out. Quite strange and still unsure of the cause. Apparently, power was out all over town which meant there were people stuck in the gondola going up the mountain. That must have been fun. There were several others in the lounge with me as well. It reminded me a bit of my childhood when it was fun and exciting to have the power go out. I began talking to Edward, a man from Belgium, who is cycling around New Zealand for 5 months. Not knowing when power would be restored, Chris (Scotland), Lizzie (Germany), Edward (Belgium), and I pulled out good ole Monopoly (World Edition). Ironically, just as we got it out, the power came back on. We played anyway. As with most Monopoly games, it lasted a couple of hours ending by me getting the most money and properties. I then heated up some chili for dinner. My supply of chili is quickly diminishing with only one bowl worth remaining.

Kiwi culture: Most people air dry their clothes. 

I have some catching up to do

After having hives on Friday and Saturday, I have been hive free for the past few days! Praise the Lord! The most frustrating thing is not knowing what cause them but thankfully they are gone.

Let’s back track a bit. I will only give you a brief summary or it would take a significant amount of time to retell. I will warn you now though, because so much time has passed, this will probably be a long post so sit down and buckle your seat belt.

My current place of residence: The Flaming Kiwi

Friday: I worked for a few hours on Friday morning before going on a hike for 5.5 hours in the afternoon. The weather was great and the scenery was beautiful. Surprisingly, there weren’t many people on the trails which made for a quite afternoon. Along the way, I stopped at a waterfall and sat for quite some time to enjoy the sun and think. The journey also included the sighting of a dead and alive goat. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing at the hostel.

A great place for thinking

nature at its finest

DEAD GOAT!

At the top

check out that view!

LIVE GOAT!

Saturday: My morning began early as I ate breakfast and packed some stuff before Raquel picked me up at 8:30am. The church that I have been attending here was going to the Catlins for the weekend and I had been invited along. After less than a week in town, I was already being treated as family. There were probably 25-30 of us going from Queenstown. The purpose of the trip was to encourage the town of Owaka.  We met some others and carpooled to the Catlins. I enjoyed a 4ish hour car ride with Felix (England), Alena (Germany), and Suzanna (Germany). The international car as I like to call it. We arrived in Owaka where we met up with others that were already there and then carried on to a confidence course. The confidence course consisted of various stages involving rope, wood, and balance. From there we drove a minute to a beach where we hung out for a bit and some people played rugby. Throughout the course of the day no one really knew what would be happening next. The soggy weather put a dampener on having a BBQ outside so we went to a nearby Christian Convention center where the BBQ would be held and we would be spending the night. Before things got started, Suzanna and I went on a walk next to the water and through the bush. The rest of the evening consisted of fellowship and food. It was great. As night came, people started tapering off to bed but those of us that remained enjoyed hearing some testimonies. When everyone else had gone to bed, Jess and I remained awake talking until 1 am.

The beach

Jenna and I

Stunning view

Suzanna and I

Hmmm

Who wouldn't want to do a handstand in the
middle of a barren highway in NZ?

Sunday: We were all woken up to the sound of one of the guys playing guitar and singing at 8 in the morning. Although Jess and I would have liked to get up in peace, that was not the case. We were constantly interrupted by a few guys determined to annoy us and get us up by jumping on the bed and other such notions. After a quick breakfast, we cleaned up the center and then went to the church we were there to encourage. After the service, we made our way to the youth leader from Queenstown’s house for lunch and then made our way back to Queenstown. We went to church and then I called it a night by going back to the hostel.

Monday: Monday could be summed up in one word; cleaning. I had a 5 hour shift at the hostel and then had a quick lunch before Jess picked me up and we went to some of the guys from church’s flat. They were moving out and it needed to be cleaned. I spent the afternoon taking down curtains, doing laundry, and washing walls. Jess was there for a bit before she needed to go. She was kind enough to do my laundry at her house. From there I went to Arrowtown for youth group.

Tuesday: I didn’t work at the hostel on Tuesday which meant I was able to have a lazy morning. In the afternoon, I went to the nearby rugby field to enjoy the beautiful weather. I had passed Suzanna on the way and she and Alena later joined me on the field. It was great; very relaxing. They invited me to join them for dinner at their hostel so I went back to my hostel, made some bread, and then walked up the street to their hostel for dinner. When I arrived, they told me about a women’s Bible study that was happening that night. We ate quickly before Jenna picked us up. It was a great evening.

Wednesday: I cleaned at the hostel in the morning and then if I remember correctly, spent the rest of the afternoon at the hostel. I also took a scissors to my hair. Don’t worry, I didn’t cut off that much; just a trim. I must say, I have grown quite fond of cutting my own hair. It saves time, money, and adds a little adventure to life. It turned out well if I do say so myself. Around 4:15 I made my way in to town, sat by the lake for a bit, and then walked to meet Jenna who was taking me to Bible study. I am very grateful for those at the church who do a good job of making sure I get from place to place. Truly amazing. We drove to Arrowtown where Jenna had band practice so I went on an hour or so long hike. It was beautiful. The colors of the leaves on the trees are starting to change as fall is coming. I then walked to Allistair and Adrianne’s, the pastor and his wife, where Bible study was held.

the hairs that are no longer on my head

hiking in Arrowtown

Thursday: I worked for a few hours Thursday morning. If I remember correctly, I then went to the grocery store to restock my food supply and then made a double batch of chili in order to freeze some. I then enjoyed the beautiful afternoon by going to the rugby field again. Although unplanned, Suzanna joined me. Things like that happen when you are in a small town. As we were sitting there, some club rugby teams were practicing. Felix, from church happened to be playing as well. He has a puppy so Suzanna and I played with her while Felix practiced. I than went back to the hostel. It was that night that I woke up several times itching all over.

Friday: I woke up to find hives all over my body. This caused some concern. After contemplating what to do, I went and saw my friend at the pharmacy who gave me something to take. I spent the rest of the day in town, getting bread at the European bakery and sitting by the lake to enjoy the sun and watch people, before heading back to the hostel for a relaxing evening.

Saturday: At 3am I woke up with severe itching to my neck, the palms of my hands, and soles of my feet. Although annoying, I was able to fall back asleep. In the morning they were still there but had vanished by the afternoon. After lunch I walked towards town, stopping to watch a rugby game for a while. It was a beautiful day. The sun was out and it was warm. When I arrived in town, I sat in the park for a short time before deciding to move on. It was St. Patrick’s Day and there was already an abundant amount of people in town, many of which had started drinking in the early afternoon. I moved to the gardens which was much more peaceful. I laid on a bench for a little bit before Korey, a guy from New York who was staying in the hostel, came along. We ended up talking for a while about traveling, culture, education, etc. It was a great conversation. He went back to the hostel and after the sun had gone down, I went that way as well.

Sunday: After Saturday’s festivities, many people slept in which meant it was a quite morning of cleaning at the hostel. I don’t really recall what I did in the afternoon so it must not have been much. At 6:30pm I walked the two minutes to the school where church is held. Church was good and afterwards, there was fellowship over food.

Monday: I worked again Monday morning and after talking to my parents for a bit about possibilities for the future, I enjoyed a sunny yet brisk afternoon on the rugby field dreaming of all the things I could do. Around 5:30, my ride for youth group arrived. We drove about an hour before we ended in Cromwell. We had gotten there a bit later than the others so after a quick bite to eat and one jump on a giant bouncy thing, the 4 cars caravanned up a mountain. The car I was in was unable to make it all the way up, which tells you a little about the grade of the hill/condition of the road/lack of 4 wheel drive in the car. By hopping in another car and walking, we all made it to the top in one piece. The sun was going down and the view was amazing. We sat enjoying the view and listening to Suzanna share before heading back down the mountain. Back to Queenstown we went.