Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand

Our journey up the west coast with Phil and Tanya culminated in an epic day at the pinnacle of the south island: the Franz Josef Glacier.  The glacier’s blue crystal ice accumulated between two towering cliffs as it slowly progressed out towards the Tasman Sea. 

While the majority of tourists could only gaze upon the frozen mass from afar, and a few lucky ones had the opportunity to hike to the edge, the slim minority had the fortunate chance to HELICOPTER onto the peak and CLIMB through it’s ice formations.  That’s right, with the generous sponsorship from Margie and Mryon, we couldn’t turn down the phenomenal opportunity.  Forgetting the irksome sandflies, we screamed with glee as the chopper transported us for major aerial sightseeing followed by a snow landing atop the awe-inspiring glacier.  

Our experienced guide, TJ, then led us through blue ice caves, moulins (active rivers flowing deep into the glacier), and remarkable surface formations caused by rain and wind.  With crampons securing our feet to the ice steps (hand-made by TJ’s pick ax), we marveled at the glacier for three hours.  Our obsessive picture taking and claustrophobia-inducing climbing were brought to an end as we flew off the glacier in pure happiness.

Here are the highlights from our superb glacial adventure.  For more pics, check out the New Zealand (South Island) folder on the Galleries tab

Wanaka, New Zealand

The two and a half hour drive from Te Anau to the Milford Sound matched our expectations from fellow travellers: overwhelmingly high reviews.  The ever winding road led us between walls of steep rock cliffs (watch out for tree avalanches), up and over rolling rivers, past tranquil “mirror” lakes, alongside rushing waterfalls, and through a mountain tunnel where we reached the famous waterway.  

We leisurely cruised around the sound for an hour - and especially enjoyed sidling up to a waterfall (free shower!) and surreptitiously gawking at the Gucci-clad Japanese entourage that spent the entire cruise taking self portraits.  However, we had to concede that the spectacular car journey to the sound overshadowed the actual destination.

The next day a tour agent sweet talked us into a second cruise, this time an overnight on the Doubtful Sound (ten times larger than Milford with significantly fewer tourists).  With high hopes, we embarked upon a one hour jaunt over Lake Manapouri to the hydro power plant (or in the words of Ken, “that’s the end of the dam(n) tour”).  We then boarded a 45 minute bus ride over a desolate mountain pass to the sea channel.  The sandfly infestation (those blood-sucking pests) would have gotten the best of us had it not been for our high priced, non-toxic spray and the ever fashionable “pants-rolled-into-our-socks” look.

About 50 guests then clamored onto the larger cruise ship, which ferried us out to the Tasman Sea.  We weren’t sure how Phil maneuvered it (charming lawyerly persuasion?), but the staff upgraded us from a four-person, lower deck room to two double rooms overlooking the sea.  Ken and I twirled around our spacious 160 square feet of freedom, basking in our good fortune (not that we didn’t want to bunk with our loving family members, but after living in Big Green... our own room was pure extravagance).

Phil, Tanya, and Ken delighted in kayaking along the calm water’s edge and watching fur seals, “whilst” I played paparazzi (just had to throw that term in somewhere).  Our relaxed evening proceedings included penguin sightings, substantial overeating (it was a cruise after all), and a rousing game of Uno con White Wine.  The following morning we returned safely to civilization (Queenstown) where we polished off gluttonous Fergburgers before journeying north.

Lessons learned in Fiordland:

1. Tanya can pop a squat anywhere
2. Hillary’s driving is just bad enough to make Tanya nauseous but not enough to vomit
3. Duck is to water as Phil is to kayak
4. Ken is the Captain of his own ship
5. Big Green maxes out at 30 km/hour when transporting four Altmann’s up the mountain
6. And for those trivia junkies: there are 60 million sheep, 20 million possum, and four million people in New Zealand!  Sweet as!

Te Anau, New Zealand

They made it!  Phil (Ken’s brother) and Tanya (sister-in-law) joined us for ten days of excitement, which kicked off in Queenstown - the adventure capital of New Zealand.  We began by hiking to a peak overlooking the town (we gave each other accolades for taking the “difficult route” as 99% of the tourists rode the gondola to the summit).  The weather cooperated so we caught a panoramic view overlooking Lake Wakatipu and city below (pop: 11,000).

We purchased three rides on the hilltop “luge” - essentially a three wheel go-cart type track near the top of the gondola.  The “advanced” track was far superior because we could gain speed on our mini carts as we sped around the banked corners.  To reward our efforts we opted for the easy route down the hill - the gondola.

The drive through the local wineries in Gibbston Valley gave us views of the autumn-colored foliage (remember it’s fall here in the southern hemisphere). We sampled a range of excellent wines (the region is known for pinot noirs but we actually preferred the whites).  Our favorite was a sauvignon blanc flavored with feijoa, a local green fruit similar to a guava with a tart apple flavor.

We enjoyed a luxurious lunch on the winery’s sun-filled patio, but the eatery winner was the perennial favorite “Fergburger,” where we gorged on ginormous “best burgers in town.”  What a great first day!  

The following morning began with a thrilling ride on the “shotover jet,” a hover-craft-type speedboat ride along the shallow and rocky Shotover Canyon.  The wet and wild ride included 360 degree spins and near cliff swerves.  The guys definitely rated this as a highlight as we all screamed and threw our hands in the air (the blistery wind nearly froze our faces but we didn’t care).

After driving an hour along the lake towards Glenorchy we found a recommended  nature hike.  Tanya and I power walked while the guys took a slower “photographers pace” (we later learned their slow pace was because they got lost).

We drove south to Te Anau and walked a brief hike along the Kepler Track - or as we called it: Moss Mania.  Moss blanketed the trees and ground like a soft layer of green foam and wild mushrooms grew abundantly.  Later that evening Tanya and Phil visited the glow worm caves, but Ken and I declined as we had our worm experience earlier in the trip.  And now... we’re off to the raw wilderness of the Milford Sound!


Special thanks to Mom for sending us her camera to get these shots!

Wanaka, New Zealand

The manager of a campervan park where we stayed, “Big Mike,” highly recommended a scenic hike that would provide us summit views of the two nearby lakes - Hawea and Wanaka.  “Perfect!” we thought, as we anxiously set off for the nature walk.  Four hours later after a grueling climb through sheep pastures and logging trails we summited over the 4,000 foot ridge line to a magnificent view of the valleys below on either side of the ridge.  We joyously pointed and waved at the tourist-filled helicopters that were flying in and out of the ravines BELOW us.  

We bemusedly found out later that night, after pressing Big Mike about how he could have possibly completed the vertical climb he so vehemently recommended, he confessed he “summited” the mountain via his 4-wheeler... hmm... why didn’t we think of that ?!?!

As we drove off into the sunset towards Queenstown (to pick up Ken’s brother and sister in law)... we sang (and Ken took it literally)... “On the road again, Ken just can’t wait to get on the road again.” 

Lake Hawea, New Zealand

Nelson Lakes National Park

Our national park field trip carried on as we progressed south through:

Nelson Lakes National Park: appreciated a serene winding jog around the lake;

Poparoa National Park: watched gleaming sunsets over the ocean (very PCH); also saw unique pancake-looking rocks but missed the spurting blowhole due to the timing of low tide and... out the corner of our eye we caught the quickest glimpse of a kiwi bird (score!); and 

Westland National Park: climbed to a lookout above the Okarito Lagoon, gazed upon a cloud covered Mt. Cook, and yes, observed the stately Fox glacier.  (Sidenote: we hope to return to the Franz Josef glacier in a few weeks with Ken’s brother and sister-in-law, so more pictures to come).

The drive along the west coast of the south island - rated as one of the top ten in the world - was unforgettable.  After racking our brains through various drives we had taken, we had to agree with it’s ranking.  The weather turned chillier and rainier as we traversed south, not surprising as we were appropriately cautioned by the locals - the west coast of the south island is infamously waterlogged.  The last few mornings we awoke to windows of condensation, shivery extremities, and the classic “look, you can see my breath it’s so cold” routine.  

On another note, a pop quiz.  This picture taken in Ross, NZ is:


a)  a microwave
b)  a mailbox
c)  awesome
d)  all of the above

Abel Tasman National Park, New Zealand

We queued up with hundreds of cars, vans, and tractor trailers to board the massive Interislander ferry in Wellington.  Cautiously driving Big Green onto the lower deck of the giant cruise liner (think six stories high), we embarked upon the three hour ocean crossing from north to south island.  

We arrived in Picton, a tiny village in the Marlborough Sounds (a maze of inlets, headlands, and islands), and then drove along the coastal hillsides west towards Nelson.  Darkness fell and not wanting to drive the scenic winding road at night, we pulled into the next available campervan park.  It was one of our most scenic evenings yet with mountains looming in the backyard and livestock roaming in the fields near the wooden cabins (very Montana-esque).  

Still on our Paleo eating kick, we cooked up a very untraditional meal for Passover/Easter: liver and onions.  Yum!  (We’re breaking all kinds of mental barriers from childhood: liver, sauerkraut, coconut, meatloaf...).  We then jaunted along the Queen Charlotte’s Track, a scenic coastal walk, for a few miles before moving on.

Driving west through the rolling hillsides, we passed through Nelson and then on to Abel Tasman National Park, NZ’s most visited park -- we could understand why with its gleaming turquoise waters and native green bush (however, no cars allowed).  We stayed in Marahau where the tides were so extreme (20 feet difference between low and high tides) that tractors had to pull the boats out half a mile to the sea.

We kayaked four hours along the coast avoiding rocks and stopped for lunch on a secluded beach.  Maxing out after a long day of sea kayaking, we abandoned our kayaks on the beach and then hiked eight miles back to the beginning of the track.

Our venture continued to (literally) the end of the road (up and over Takaka Hill to the Golden Bay) where we stopped to see the clearest - they claim in the world -  fresh water springs.  We had to concur as it was so transparent we could view 30 feet down to the bottom of the pond.  

On the furthermost edge of the landmass we traipsed across the Wharariki Beach with looming dune formations and jutting rocks.  It was home to a huge bird sanctuary with fearless peacocks and arctic-type migratory birds (we swore they looked like mini penguins). 

Confession: while this blog portrays us as nature-loving fiends, I failed to mention that Ken purchased several seasons of “The Wire” and we’ve had a few too many TV-marathons in the evenings: seriously, how can you not become addicted to characters like Bubbles, Omar, and McNalty?  You know you’re engrossed when you start unconsciously talking Baltimore ghetto slang in New Zealand.

Wellington, New Zealand (continued)

After nine months on the road with our eating habits in the gutter (think: Oreos and Snickers), we desperately needed an intense intervention.  The Canadian couple we met in Thailand planted an idea in our heads (thanks Ken and Crystal) and by the time we reached New Zealand we were ready to put it to the test.  NZ seemed an ideal location for our lifestyle experiment.  We knew the campervan would provide us ability to cook our own meals and the grocery stores would be stocked with the quality ingredients we required.  So what have we ACTUALLY been doing in Wellington for three weeks?

Part 1: Eating “Paleo.”  Some might call it a fad diet, but after 30 days of eating this way, we are feeling healthy and are joining the Paleo bandwagon (as in Paleolithic... or eating what our ancestors ate... apparently they did not know that Snickers really satisfies - we had a lot to learn).  We were skeptical at first too.  For the official scientific version, you can check out the book “The Paleo Solution” by Robb Wolf.  The abbreviated version is this: we have cut the following from our diet: grains, dairy, processed sugars and legumes (beans).  What we have kept are: meat/fish, vegetables, fruits, and nuts/oils.  Oh yeah, and lots of eggs (sidenote: it is freaking us out that eggs are not refrigerated here).  

Sounds extreme, we know.  It surprisingly has been straightforward because we controlled what we ate by cooking our own meals.  Since our fridge is so tiny, we have been frequenting the grocery store about 4x/week ... p.s. new lingo: “trundler park”.   

Ken’s biggest craving when we started eating this way?  Crunchie bars.  Yes, those delicious honeycomb chocolate bars.  (Thanks to Ken’s stepdad Roy for hiding the chocolates in the freezer and only selectively allowing them into Ken’s hands when he was a child).  My biggest craving?  Ice cream.  (Thanks to my grandpa Gutknecht for giving me unlimited bowls of ice cream as a child.  Yes, he had a freezer stocked with 20+ flavors of ice cream).  Thankfully as a replacement, our favorite “bad” foods are back en vogue: bacon, avocados, cashew and macadamia nuts.

Our results: Ken’s back problems are gone (who knew diet influenced back pain?), which has improved his sleep (he would always wake up to stretch his back).  We are both feeling higher energy levels (instead of swings of high and low) and we are not hungry between meals.  My hair is growing faster than ever and we have both lost a few kilos (yeah, we weighed ourselves on the scales at the NZ-equivalent of Target).  Plus, Ken’s memory has improved from non-existent to mediocre... some things just can’t be fixed :)           

Part 2: Joining a Crossfit gym.  We were fortunate enough to find the best gym in Wellington: Mad Crossfit.  The first ten days of our challenge we did our best to exercise on our own (running, hiking, doing basic stretching exercises) but we quickly realized we needed to enlist professional expertise to fix our technique.  Donna, the owner of the gym, welcomed us into the gym for a six session introduction course.  

Being campervanning nomads, this was awesome because Donna didn’t require us to join the gym.  In our one-on-one sessions with our trainer Lou, we learned basic workout techniques and had a blast in the process (picture me trying to do pull ups and Ken inventing his very own “leaping burpee” exercise).  The gym had such a supportive vibe that we decided to stay in Wellington for an extra week, delaying our trip to the south island.  So while we only intended to stay for three days, we ended up lingering for three weeks!  The Crossfit International competition is in LA this summer so we can’t wait to meet up with the Wellington crew there.  (Until then, we will be practicing how “to skull” liquor... yeah, that’s Kiwi for “pound it!”)

Our results: While we are not exactly gym rats now, our form is better (well my rowing technique couldn’t get worse, could it Donna?), we’re feeling stronger (Ken is an amateur rope climber now), and we’re stoked to use what we learned at Mad Crossfit on the rest our journey.