Needless to say, I spent 2 months prior being totally brain bashingly, feet stompingly excited. I overpacked my luaggage 2 months in advance, the 'seasoned' traveller that I am and realised I had absolutely no clue on how to check in my luggage, what to show to the customs and where I should look for my flight gate. Thank the moon for frequent travelled boyfriends!
I have to admit that one of the exciting parts of this holiday was the sneaking around. Eddy and I had to keep our trip a secret from our parents and it was absolute subterfuge. I felt like an espionage when i realised his parents sent him to the airport. I walked past them pretending to be another member of the public while my boyfriend's eyes widened in alarm upon seeing me and his eyebrows did a little jig. I was forced to end up smoking outside like a chimney while hiding from them. Afterwards, I had to wait for him to check in first and reserve a seat for me. Once I was through the departure gate, everything was safe! Eventually were were late for the flight and they were announcing our names while we stampeded through the metal detector.
20th July 2006
Upon arriving in Christchurch, after an agonising 12 hour transit flight, I bragged to Eddy about my immunity to the cold weather (a whole 2 degrees celsius). 15 mins later in the car park, I whined that couldn't feel my fingers.
We had decided to rent a campervan for our week in New Zealand. It was a home within an ambulance and comes equipped with:
- A toilet and shower
- A stove
- Microwave
- 2 beds
- Dining table with sofa
- Heater
- Lights
- Utensils
- A sink
If you want to check out the varities of campervans and their seasonal prices you can check this link http://www.tourism.net.nz/transport/rental-campervans-and-motorhomes/
Having rented the campervan, we drove over to wait for Eddy's friends outside their beautiful home. We waited for over 2 hours when Eddy said, "What if actually, all this time they are actually inside the house, just that we don't know? Ha ha ha!" Forty five minutes later, we realised how true his words were...
21st July 2006
After buying NZ$300 worth of groceries, including halal beef and a whole ginormous sausage, lots of coffee and hot chocolate, tons of instant noodles, snacks and lots of other food to last a company of scouts for a week, we were ready to embark on a journey to first Hanmer Springs and then to Mt. Hutt ski field in Methven.
Firstly, I would like to take some time to mention how the weather was like. REFRESHING! The day that we reached Christchurch, it snowed a little. There were reports of hurricanes and terrbile weather in nothern New Zealand earlier that we read about, it was perfect for us tropical natives! We were more than a little delighted to have snowflakes floating around. Soon the floating snowflakes turned into a torrenting rain which i realised wasn't rain afterall, but hail.
The drive to Hanmer Springs took about an hour and half. The view was splendid and the snow helped. Everywhere I turned, there were snow tipped mountains very much resembling ice kachang and large pastures with grazing sheep (which I announced too loudly looked like termites after looking down from the domestic plane). So breathtaking was the view that I couldn't stop smoking! Whoa!
Lush greenery. So fine!
Isn't it gorgeous
Snow covered hills, like marshmallows
Eddy driving all the way.
If you could see, it was snowing
We arrived about noon in Hanmer Springs, kinda explored the small town a little finally rented a campsite. Then we made our biggest mistake in our little holiday, we decided to drive up to Hanmer Springs ski field to take a peek at 4pm. After going a little way up the single laned mountain, we noticed a sign ' chains essential' and we ignored it. Now, when we rented the campervan, we were shown how to put on snow chains should we encounter snow covered roads, being tourists we didn't really take much notice since we didn't count on being in a blizzard. So up we went. After about 100m from the sign we hit on snow covered tracks, being so heavy and the tyres not having any traction, we skidded! Holy moley! I forced my eyes not to look down the steep never ending cliff and I gave in to stage 3 of panic. My instant impulse was to scream and think of my insurance, but being in an occupation that required high risks and heights, my boyfriend camly put the vehicle into first gear, handbrake up and turned the wheel away from the drop (not before swearing). Let me enlighten you on how i felt while we were anxiously figuring out how to put on the fecking snow chains. It was bloody mind numbingly, balls shrinkingly scary! Here's the reasons why:
- absolutely no clue on the first things about putting on snow chains
- freezing wind determined to blow us away
- no cars coming down or going up, which means no help
- the sun rapidly going down
- no street lights
- little traction in the snow meant that the vehicle occasionally emitted squeaking sounds threatening to race us to the bottom (stage 4 panic)
- the beginning of a blizzard (f**king hell)
- did I mention that it was freezing?
It was only after about half an hour of fiddling that we finally figured how to fix up the chains with the help of a one page guide. We had to poke around without gloves and my new cream coloured jacket got stained with grease and mud. At one time, a squeak came when my boyfriend clambered up the car looking for my gloves and I stupidly put my hands up on the side, heroically thinking that I could stop it from skidding down.
My eyes smarted, my fingers felt like rubber, my hair was all over the place and I couldn't and wouldn't stop giving in to blind panic. In the end we had to reverse all the way down, slowly navigating around sharp bends and turns. Never again will I attempt to drive up a mountain I told Eddy. He claimed that he was calm all through it, but he was more afraid of not getting the $200 insurance back if we had really crashed. I smoked till my lungs burned all the way back to the campsite.
22nd July 2006
Nothing beats waking up to a cold breeze while drinking a cup of hot choclolate and inhaling your first cigarette of the day. I met my first friend on this trip that day, a lumbering four legged creature that looked like a cross between a sheep and a dog.
Eddy refused to have me help him cook. "Disaster with Sharon in the kitchen," he said
The 'sheep-dog'.
We decided to go for the adventure rides today. Unfortunately, we could only get time slots for off-road go-karts at Thrillseekers Canyon Adventure Centre
Whoopee!!! It's a MUST try.
Bumping over rocks, water and mud. Down and dirty!
Definately not suitable for pansies.
We had to wear this orbit (ugly) overalls and a smelly helmet that was too big for me. Eddy complained that he has to wear overalls for work and here is he wearing them on holiday as well. There were two other ladies who joined for the trip. I overheard one lady telling her companion that she looked like 'Top Gun'.
To be noted:
- great caution should be taken that none of the thick mud gets into your hair, especially if it is long. It is literally unwashable.
- wear thick clothes and water-proof shoes and sunglasses
- do not expect to come out of this expedition clean and dry
- you won't feel the cold water when you dive into the spring, it hits you after you get out of the kart
- close your mouth when you speed over rocks or your teeth will rattle
- do not brag to the guide that you're dry and clean. You'll get a surprise
- don't be a pansy and move like a snail when encountering mud, step on it!
- prepare your bathing essentials and at least 2 fifty cents coins for a hot bath later
We're definately going to do it again next year!
Come night, we happily indulged in 'home-cooked' food of steak and chips while watching "Eight Below" on our portable DVD player. The shops close around 5pm so be sure to bring along some books or anything to occupy yourself in the nights.
Note: Smoking is bad for your health
Being cute is the consequence of having a heavy dinner
Tomorrow will be another fun day! But for now, a good sleep is required for bloody tired bones.
Not before a fag or two..
No comments:
Post a Comment