Getting settled in Nelson

We took the ferry to the South Island last Saturday, and are starting to get settled in Nelson. The ferry was super packed and we couldn't even find two seats together. The waters were actually pretty rough and the ship was rocking a lot... poor Steve felt so seasick and started to look very pale. We found some floor space and he felt better after laying down for awhile. There were 'sick bags' all over the ship though, so I suspect this is normal!

So far, the South Island is more mountainous, but there is a lot of forestry, so the hills are often covered in Pine trees or bare land. We've learned that Pine trees can reach maturity here in 30 years, and often have to be eradicated from hillsides where native forests are being fostered. There are lots of tourists, backpackers, and campervaners around here, so it will be interesting to see what the winter is like. 

Finding accommodation has been a lot harder than in Wellington. We stayed in our tent for 5 nights, and are now staying in a single bedroom in the old Nurses' Residence. It is being renovated into rooms and apartments, but won't be complete for another month or so. There are not that many flats for rent, but a lot of houses, which tend to cost a bit more. The other option is to get a flat that is out-of-town, but that would mean relying on our car more than we would like. So, we continue to hunt. 

There is free wireless internet at the local public library (a great way to get a very full and busy library!) so we will post more news and pictures once we have more regular internet access. 

Tramping on Mt Taranaki

We did a four day hike (or 'tramp' as they say here) around Mt. Taranaki, a dormant volcano 5 hours north of here. The track was a loop around the circumference of the mountain, some parts at higher elevation, some at lower levels. For more pictures, check out our web album. We drove up on Thursday morning and did a 3.5 hour hike on that day. The national parks here have many huts that provide shelter and some even have fireplaces and bunkbeds. But they cost about $15 per person each night, so we brought our tent and stayed for free outside the huts.

The first night it poured rain and we discovered that our attempts to waterproof our aging tent had not worked that well. We packed up in the rain, ate breakfast in the hut, and just seconds before we left, the rain stopped! The track was a bit muddy, but not too bad. We hiked through forests, across riverbeds, down into gullies and up the other side; it was a longer day than we expected, but very beautiful. 

We made lots of extra stops to try and fix my failing boot - apparently my boots are quite a bit older than I remembered, and by the end of the second day, the sole of my right boot had come apart from my boot at the toe and heel and all the cushioning between the last and the sole was falling out. Thankfully, Steve had an extra pair of shoelaces, so we strapped the sole on the best we could. This kept it from flapping around and gave a bit more protection and traction. Still, definitely not ideal.

We had a beautiful view of the mountain from our campsite on the 2nd night, and no rain. We met some other trampers who told us that instead of going around the mountain, we could spend the 3rd day hiking to a hut at a higher elevation, and then on the last day go up to the summit on one side, and down the other side.  We thought this sounded like a great idea - it was supposed to be faster, and also gave us a chance to do the summit.

The 3rd day was also long, and my boot continued to be a problem - the shoelaces were always moving, the middle section came loose, and my knee was sore from no padding.  Still, we started to climb the slope leading to the high-elevation hut. The slope was all loose rock, and the track went straight up! We got 1/3 of the way - maybe 400m - and could see that the track up to the summit would likely be similar. The rocky ground was wearing away the shoelaces holding on my rubber sole, and the steep grade was constantly pulling my sole off, leaving me with little grip. Time to turn around...

We hiked back down and had to go further than planned to find water and a place to camp for the night.  The last day, we continued along the side of the mountain, constantly gazing up at the clear and sunny summit that we wished we could have climbed.  But, seeing how my boot fell apart even through the forest on the last day, we agreed that it had been a wise decision not to do the summit. 

We're back in Wellington for the week, and are starting to pack up our things. We have decided to move to Nelson, a smaller town on the northern tip of the South Island. We'll take the 3 hour ferry there this Saturday (imagine that - a cruise across the Cooke Strait for Valentine's Day!) and start looking for an apartment and getting settled all over again.  Our main reason for moving is so that Steve can do more night sky observing - Nelson is supposed to have better weather and less light pollution.  

Steve continues to do work for his boss in Ottawa, designing and drawing telescope parts using computer software. They have virtual meetings over Skype and so far, it's working quite well. Since we knew we might be moving, I held out on starting work right away (not hard to do!). Although Nelson is smaller, there is a hospital there with quite a few job postings for nurses.  

We'll keep you posted!