Glowworms and Kea-aggghhhs

Today was a long day. We got up early and had breakfast in the old bath house on the lake front in Queenstown. It was a lovely place, with friendly service (it was cold though) and I got porridge! so I was happy. We saw black backed gulls, black shags and grebes swimming on the lake while we ate breakfast. There were some young girls feeding the ducks and gulls. They had two dogs with them, a black and white collie and a Jack Russel pup. The birds would cluster around the girls for bread and, when there were loads of them, the girls would set the collie on them. It was a bit mean, but the birds were fine and the dog just barked at them and stole their bread. After breakfast we collected the Monsters photos of rafting and then we went on our way because we had a long drive ahead of us. The Monster took the first leg, which was about 2hrs drive to Te Anu. We arrived just in time to catch the 2pm boat to the glow worm caves. I will as little nervous getting on the boat, as usual (might slip between that narrow gap you know) but the boat trip was very pleasant with lovely views of the lake. The Takahe, a large flightless bird lives in the hills around the lake. There are only about 300 left in the wild. (I want to put in a correction here. I'm always calling a weika a moorhen, it is actually a woodhen). We arrived at the glowworm caves and there was a long metal walkway over the sea to a little hut in the forest. I found it very scary and raced along it. Once in the hut we were split into groups and sent into the caves in 10 minute intervals. I've never been in a cave before and i didn't know what to expect. We were the third group into the caves. We had Curtis, a trainee on this 3rd day on the job, and Peter, a grey haired veteran. Going into the caves the ceiling got really low, but I didn't mind that so much because it didn't go on for very long and I didn't have to bend as low as the Monster. I didn't like the metal walkways above the roaring water, however, or the feeling of all the rock above me and I wanted to turn back. The thought of seeing the glowworms spurred me on though. After a short walk along terrifying platforms and up scary stairs, we arrived at the glowworm cavern. They have dammed the fast flowing river and made a quiet pool where the guides pull flat bottomed boats through the cavern with ropes. The boat shook a lot when I got on, but once I found my seat I was OK. They turned off all the lights and it was dark. I found it really peaceful. The glowworms were incredibly beautiful. I thought they were like Christmas lights shining specially for God. The awesome nature of creation overwhelmed me. I don't know if it was the ordeal of getting to this cavern, of the sheer beauty, but I was close to tears. I would have quite happily stayed there staring at the lights for the rest of my life. They really did look like the stars, clustered together in constellations and throbbing with different intensity. The fact that they are essentially a maggot, pulsing to attract prey, didn't diminish their beauty in the least. All too soon the boat ride was over and I had to make my way back to the surface, which was even scarier as I could now see where I was going! The walk back to the boat was no problem after the dangers of the cave. We played brain train on the boat ride. We had lunch in Te Anu, the weather was lovely. I drove on the second leg of the journey, to Milford Sound. The scenery was totally spectacular. Snowy, icy mountains stood out from flat land turned purple with lupins. I don't think the Monster was that taken with it, but I was blown away. I was very disappointed when we reached Milford Sound, it didn't look like much and you had to go through a mountain to get to it. There were two lodges and a cafe bar and that was it. We got the emergency room in one of the lodges, which wasn't too bad, and ate dinner at the cafe, which I didn't like. The highpoint of Milford Sound was a pair of wild keas nesting in the trees right outside our room. They called throughout the night - KEa-agggggh! Tonight I got brain age 20 for the first time! I am thrilled.

Jet Boating, Kiwis and a Kea encounter

I went jet boating in Queenstown! Joining such illustrious company as Robet Patrick (and family), George Lucas, Ian Botham and Peter Jackson. In the literature, the Shotover River Jet promises the most thrilling jet boat ride in the world, where you will receive a cocktail of oxygen, adrenaline, sugar and cortisol in response to the exciting 360 spins, which makes you feel alive. I can't say it had that effect on me. I was really nervous about getting on the boat, you had to jump down onto the seat, but I managed it. I have realised that I have this ridiculous idea of myself. I must think I am so tiny I can slip down through the narrowest gaps - like between boats and in the gaps between stairs. Anyway, I was really proud that I could fit into the life jacket without a struggle and that I got onto the boat. Of course, once on the boat I kept on thinking about having to get out again! Our driver was Mike, a friendly guy who, like many Kiwis, was growing a moustache for November to bring awareness to Men's Health issues. I think the unshaven look suited him better (after reviewing the before and after photos). We got photos taken before we got on the boat and then another two when the ride started. There was a camera on the front of the boat, but it wasn't working today. There weren't many in the boat; the monster and me, two guys from Oz who had done all the extreme adventure things in Queenstown and a few from Holland (or Germany, can't remember). We were a quiet bunch and didn't scream during the spins and when Mike drove the boat so near the rocks it looked like we were going to crash. Another boat passed us at one time and everyone was screaming on it. I imagine they are the more fun boats to drive. Anyway, Mike took us down a canyon on the shotover river, which was very scenic, and subjected us to many 360 spins, which showered us with water and made me crash into the Monster like a 3 tonne elephant. That wasn't so pleasant, especially for the Monster (she was sitting at the side of the boat, so it was only a matter of time for I pushed her in). Luckily I learned to stabilize my position by sticking my knees into the seat in front of me. Apparently there is a lot of gold in the shotover river. Only a few years ago a snorkeler found a $30,000 gold nugget in the river. I was tempted to go looking, but the water looked cold. After about 20 minutes the ride was over and I managed to climb back out of the boat. Mike hit the side of the boat against the jetty, and the satisfying thunk of fiberglass meeting metal reassured me that I wouldn't slip through the gap and go gold hunting in the water.

After the jet boating, the Monster and I parted ways for a while. She went on to go white water rafting (I will leave that to her to describe) and I got the bus back into Queenstown. I went back up to the Gondola. I was going to do the luge, a gravity assisted race track, but it was closed because of the weather (it was windy on the mountain. It is always windy in Queenstown) so I went to the Kiwi and Wildlife park instead (I had a discount voucher for it as well). I had seen Kiwi before in captivity (in Christchurch and Willowbank) but third time is the charm, as they saw. The bird park is a small family run affair, with native animals and plants, sighted on an old land fill/rubbish dump. An audio guide and map were included in the admission price and they run conservation shows a couple of times a day. The kiwis are fed at1.30 and I arrived at 2, so they were still really active and I got a great view of one of the kiwis drinking. They are amazing birds. Their body temp is around 38 degrees, 2 degrees lower than other birds, they have nostrils on the end of their beak, their feathers are more like hair, their bones are filled with marrow and they have both ovaries functioning in the female (unlike most birds that only have one functioning). They had a collection of Tuatara as well, and I saw a largish one basking in the sun. I learned lots about them as well. They can live for 200 - 300 years (the oldest recorded is still going strong at 120 years), slow their heart beat to 10 bpm, only reach reproductive age in their 20's and produce a clutch of eggs every 4/5 years. There were plenty of other birds in the park - Moreporks (a type of owl), NZ Falcon (apparently a wild pair are nesting by the gondola, no wonder the captive guy looked a little nervous, they are very aggressive birds), Black Stilts, Scaup, Blue Duck, Yellow Crowned Parakeet, Tui, Weike, NZ Wood pigeon, and loads of others including some of the rarest birds in the world. My favourite were the Kea though. They had three Kea in an enclosure and you could go in and sit with them. They were hopping from rock to rock like little mountain goats, eating their dinner of fruit, and mumbling softly to each other. They didn't pay any attention to me until I looked away and then one hopped up on the fence that separated me from the eating area and starting peeling a stick while he examined me. He obviously didn't think much of me, because he went back to eating the fruit. My heart was racing at the prospect of a Kea encounter. I searched my belongings, but I didn't have anything to give him. He liked sticks though, so I left the enclosure and collected a stick and some pine cones. I came back in and held the stick out. Immediately the kea hopped over to me and held out his beak for the stick. I gave it to him and he started to tear it to pieces. That gave me a adrenaline rush I can tell you! Because I stayed so long with the Kea I had to race through the rest of the park to be in time for the conservation show. They a little yellow crested parakeet called Terrence through the crowd and got it to pick up litter, showed a 7 year old Tuatara called Bruce to the audience and flew a NZ wood pigeon called Bex. They also had rats scuttling along a branch into little huts behind the man giving the talk. It was really good. After the talk they had a maori show, and they did the haka and some songs. They were good performers and they had a tough crowd.