Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride..

"Buy the ticket, take the ride.. And if it occasionally gets a little heavier than what you had in mind, well.. Maybe chalk it off to forced conscious expansion"
- Hunter S Thompson


Sunny the Rocket and I left Queenstown, stopped in St Bathans, and drove through to Dunedin. I had been there the previous weekend, but hadn't had ample time to soak up the city. With our van of three people, sleeping in a neighborhood had been no problem. But when a solo girl tries to do it in the pouring rain, people start knocking earlyyy to make sure you're okay.

I'm fine, thanks, apart from being awake now. Kiwis: too friendly for their own good? I suppose it's all a part of the ride.

Their concern did allow force me to get an early start on the day, and I was able to navigate the entire Otago Peninsula before 2 pm. A stunning drive.. you get to Pilot Beach at the end and realize just how isolated NZ is from the rest of the world. Killer coastlines and creatures - swarms of albatross, puddles of seals, and whispers of penguins - dropped in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. A humbling realization of how small we are.

Back in Dunedin, I walked around the city for nearly five hours just to make sure I had seen and captured it all. The previous weekend, I had opened a bottle just before heading to the rugby game. Realizing I couldn't take it in and I didn't want to scull (chug) anything, I re-capped it and hid it in some bushes. Days later, my beer was still there and tasted just as sweet. Win! That night I enjoyed my brew in a real bed at a Backpackers downtown.


Driving north, I stopped at Moeraki Boulders to see the oddity of spherical rocks strewn about the beach. Dozens of these perfectly round boulders dotted the area. I'm still not convinced whether they are natural or manmade. I took plenty of freakin pictures, tell me what you think?

I ended the day with a familiar face.. Queenstown friend Marek had offered a place to crash with he and his roommates in Christchurch: the "Lion's Den", as it was dubbed. It was nice to be in a real dwelling.. No hostel, no lodge, no car seat. A real apartment with friends and passions and inside jokes. And academics! Sometimes I forget how stimulating the conversations within academia can be. I've downplayed that aspect of my life for many years, but discussions and debates I shared in the Lion's Den have encouraged me to refocus my priorities when I get back home. Funny how 'vacation' can motivate you to work even harder. Stefan Sagmeister explains the concept well in his TED Talk The Power of Time Off.

After an evening right at home as one of the guys, Marek made a delicious breakfast of properly cooked bacon (he is from Canada and totally gets it) to send me on my way. I was looking forward to my drive through Arthur's Pass - the famed mountain road between the East and West coasts of the south island. It was hailing and raining and it was magnificent. Beautiful, eerie bridges with immense amounts of water cascading powerfully over the top. Winding roads allowed me to find out just how Sunny liked to ride. As I would be driving back across the same way, I figured I would save any extra hikes for better weather the following day. A welcome tasting tray at Monteith's Brewery proved to be the only worthwhile reason to visit Greymouth on the West Coast. I ended at a very cute and eclectic Global Backpackers to escape the downpour for the night.


Back across Arthur's Pass. When stopping to get gas (in NZ you never pay for gas until after you've filled up. This honor system would never fly in sketchy, greedy America..) I noticed weather signs that called for snow. As I drove towards the pass, multiple signs told me not to carry on without snow chains for my tires. Warning! Snow! Carry Chains!

First thought? Honey, I'm from Michigan.. I can handle the snow. Second thought? This is a rental car! I don't have chains! How am I supposed to cross without getting stranded in the mountains? Final thought? Shrug. I'm going anyway.

And it was fine. It was snowing and hailing, yes. But it was mid-morning, which meant no accumulation yet, and some warmth had arrived to prevent slippery pavement. It was, however, much too windy for those extra hikes I'd saved.. Guess I'll just have to come back to NZ. Bummer.

Stopped about halfway through for coffee, and as soon as I said hello and was prepared to ask for "a Long Black for Takeaway", the lady immediately asked if I wanted proper drip coffee. Whaat?! Classic, North American drip coffee does not exist in NZ. You can get a Short Black (one shot espresso), a Long Black (two shots espresso with hot water, and my personal fave), or a Flat White (which includes milk, so I've never tested it). Apparently the nice lady's daughter lives in NY and she recognized that someone with my accent might appreciate a taste of home. To be fair, I have grown so accustomed to the bitter espresso that the drip coffee was completely underwhelming. The thought counted for a lot though, and my gratitude added extra flavor to the cup.


There are these funny little mischievous birds called Kea. They are the world's only alpine parrot, mostly olive green with hints of bright orange underneath, and have been dubbed "the clown of the mountains". Marek's roommate Alex had warned me about them.. that they were becoming a bit of a nuisance, but as a protected species there is nothing you can really do. Sure enough, I braved the snow for a moment to snap some photos and suddenly I had a tail. This inquisitive Kea hopped right on top of my car! He poked his head down over the window to check me out, and I assumed he was looking for a way into the vehicle. Scared shitless turned into totally fascinated, as I realized he was intelligent and bored, so he and I played a quick game of hide and seek before I carried on. Cheeky little fellow.

After clearing the main pass, I explored the Castle Hill area that features large limestone boulders used by early Maori as shelters during their migratory days. Can you imagine that ride? People get so excited and worried about travel these days, but what a joke it is compared to real traversing. Life-threatening, eye-opening, culture-forming travel. New Zealand was one of the last places on earth to be inhabited in 1250 AD and it shows in the best and worst ways possible. There are very obviously still hundreds of square miles that no human foot has touched. The terrain too uneven, the bush too thick, the weather too unpredictable. Untouched beauty. God's virgin earth. So little of it remains on our globe, it is worth celebrating. The cons of being so far down the colonization line is that your internet sucks and you are essentially a combination of everyone else's cultures. But the good outweighs the bad. You learn more by being in a place like this than you would in a big, nondescript city. Which might be why I appreciate broken Christchurch and zany Wellington more than anonymous Auckland..


If you're looking to learn, don't fluff the pillows and click the remote. Buy a ticket. Get on the plane. Find the bus. Go exploring! Back in Abel Tasman, our Stray skydivers got phrases written in thick black marker on their forearms, to display during freefall. Much to my mother's disappointment, I wasn't able to jump out of a plane this trip. But if I had, I know what I would have written..

BUY THE TICKET - TAKE THE RIDE.

Otago Peninsula

Otago Peninsula

Otago Beauty

Dunedin, for my mother.

Dunedin, for Ingrid, my typography mentor.

Moeraki Boulders

Moeraki Boulders

Moeraki

Monteith's Tasting Tray

The lineup. I substituted an IPA for that shitty Radler shandy. 

Balsamic treat.

Castle Hill. Early Maori shelters.

Kea on my sideview!

Kea flying away. Beautiful.

The Guide

We pause from your regularly scheduled programming to bring you a breaking news story..

THE GUIDE


He was short and stocky, hiding in the shadows. He sat by the edge of the road, watching my car slow down as I neared him. Black, middle-aged.. visibly male. My Mom made me promise not to pick up hitchhikers, but I felt like he was going to pick me up whether I liked it or not. He said nothing as I slowly walked towards him, he simply rose and began to trot beside me. This sweet black lab was offering to guide me through his world, and I couldn't say no.


I arrived in St Bathans on a tip from Kiwi Craig. Situated right exactly in the middle of nowhere, this tiny village was once the landmark of the gold rush in NZ. After years of mining, the original hill was flattened, leaving nothing behind but a stunning mineral lake and a few authentic storefronts. The rich ultramarine waters of Blue Lake are surrounded by a unearthly landscape dotted with rusty remnants of settlers past. I anticipated a nice, leisurely 50-minute loop beside the lake. The Guide* had other plans.

I made a bee-line to the toilets and was surprised to find the Guide waiting outside when I emerged - he hadn't wandered back to the car park (parking lot) as I'd expected. He wasn't impressed when I tried to pet him on the head, though he did accept a good hip/butt rub. He wasn't a lost, sad puppy dog, and he wasn't hoping to attract one either. He was there because he wanted to travel. He'd made this trek alone many times I'm sure, but was excited at the prospect of sharing these moments all the same. We just have an affinity for wandering, and love finding someone with whom to share our adventures. Did I type we? Weird.


The Guide was loyal. He was dedicated. And he was patient. He never got too far ahead without looking back to check on me. He excitedly showed me all the best lookout spots, far beyond the official track. I followed him up the rocky dunes to find breathtaking views I would have passed by, and he waited patiently while I captured the moments on film (er, memory cards). He was fearless and feisty. At one point, he climbed gingerly down a steep bank, and I watched as he took a relaxing dip into the serene blue lake. He knew all the best spots. He appeared again from another bank looking refreshed and invigorated.

I had seen him sniffing the hundreds, maybe thousands, of rabbit holes that littered the area. He had made a lazy attempt to chase one full-size hare, but I hadn't thought much of it. After losing sight of him for a few minutes, I scanned the horizon to see the Guide on top of a tall ridge, digging excitedly into the ground. Quite a noble sight really.. Ancestral wolf shining through big time. I knew immediately that he had found live critters, and I watched curiously to see how he would handle it. Finally, one tiny bunny squealed past him, over the edge and PLOP! into the water below. Before I could process, I realized that the Guide had another one locked between his jaws, still flopping about. It didn't flop long before the Guide was gnawing off its head, crunching as he went. I thought he would pick around the fur and bones, but he soon proved me wrong by gulping down the entire rest of the creature.. those lucky rabbit feet hanging out like toothpicks. By now, I was trying to find a respectable distance from which to photograph. The man was clearly enjoying a hard earned dinner, and any dog owner knows the dangers of getting too close during meal time. As he eyed me in range, I told the Guide out loud, "I don't want to disturb you. I want to honor you."

All done, right? As I moved away down the hill, having gotten my snapshots and not wanting to overstay my welcome, I realized that something or someone was squealing behind me. Four more tiny victims came bounding down the hill, kicking and screaming but unable to do so with actual purpose. As each one finally came to a fatal halt, I (naturally) moved closer to investigate. Very curious.. each of the bunnies was clearly dead, but with no visible wounds. No blood, no bite marks. The Guide had managed to end their lives.. in the most gentle way he knew how.

As the Guide finished his affairs, I pointed my finger at the four he had left strewn about the hill. I asked him what he planned to do with them. Leave them, he seemed to say.. Leave them for someone else who will be hungry. A later traveller suggested that he was offering them to me. Regardless, he took another quick dip in the lake, literally washing his face and hands after dinner. As he trotted along in front of me, I was unable to wipe the awe, appreciation, and sheer excitement off of my face. What had I just witnessed? For a few moments, I truly wondered if I had imagined the Guide, this mystical guardian angel that appeared at my feet, and perhaps none of this had ever happened. I've now checked my camera a few times to disprove this fear.


The Guide continued to lead proudly while I followed in elated disbelief. When we came to the end of our loop, he laid back down in the same place I had met him. We shared a long gaze. I started to pet him, to show my thanks.. but then I stumbled upon a better idea. Camera still in hand (actually, I used up my memory card during the Bunnie Battle, and had to run to the car to grab a new one), I audibly asked the Guide if he wanted to keep exploring. He was hesitant, not sure what I had in mind. Could my adventure live up to the one he had shown me? Probably not.. Definitely not. But I showed him my intentions by doing a quick skip-step towards the opposite end of town. He leapt up and came bounding past me, thrilled to see that I wanted more.

We carried on for another hour or so, this time it was I who dictated the route. The beautiful ruins of the old schoolhouse stood next to the long-active cemetery, and the Guide playfully sniffed around in the long grass while I read the headstones. At one point I heard a rustling while the Guide was not right beside me. I whispered, "What was that?" and he quickly came over to investigate and protect. After a few minutes, we agreed it was most likely a bird and kept going. I swear he looked at me to make sure I was comfortable before he moved on. I didn't see another person while I was in St Bathans, but I did share my afternoon with another soul.


If you think that I am fabricating the emotional capabilities of the Guide, then you have missed the sincerity of this experience. If you have never experienced the wisdom and understanding of a canine, then you have missed out on a life-changing connection. The Guide taught me a lot of things in a short afternoon.. not because I was humanizing his behavior, but because I could analyze my own on a more basic level. I didn't want the Guide to be like me, I wanted me to be more like him.. Never being afraid to wander from the beaten path. Always taking the challenging, yet more rewarding route. Having patience while your companion finds a reason to linger. Not being afraid to go off on your own, but always remembering to include those behind you. Staying loyal.. Even when a car full of new strangers arrived at the car park, the Guide stayed by my side and didn't seek to pursue the next best thing. I have a lot to learn from this whole experience, and I hope by putting it on paper I can find greater success in those areas.

The Universe knew I would benefit from a companion on my adventure, and not just any companion. Maybe the Guide needed one too, and I was able to provide him some comfort. I hope so. It was only a short-term connection, but the Universe provided me with the most wonderful Guide for both inner and outer exploration.


I will never forget the Guide from St Bathans. Without question, the most memorable part of my trip thus far.


I CAN'T WAIT TO SHOW YOU THE GOOD PHOTOS!! Gahhhh.. I even got the end of the Bunnie Battle on video. So good. I took a few photos of my camera screen just for kicks. And yes, I took a photo of myself laughing in disbelief, cuz I really did laugh the whole way back.
~~~~


PVs
Not shoving him in the car with me as I drove away.


*The Guide. Ryan Gosling's character in Drive is never referred to by name. Even in the script, he is simply referred to as The Driver. I thought about this as I tried to 'name' the dog during our walk.. But it seemed much more fitting to allow this creature to serve selflessly as the Driver of my experience, without me selfishly wanting to label it.
- If you haven't seen Drive, I highly recommended it. Actually, Mom.. it might be a bit too gory for you. ;)

Wow look! An update with real photos!