My friend went Zorbing (TM) today--he had a blast! It was almost $50 for one run down the hill, and I'm REALLY claustrophobic (especially where water is concerned!), so I opted out. Tres fun to watch, though!
We then went to a geothermal area in Rotorua. I got in for $20 (split the $40 entry fee with my friend) since I actually work there sometimes with my job and have a security pass. We rented a car for $100 each for the week, and ate dinner with my friend's parents' best friends, who happen to be in NZ at the same time as my friend and have known him since he was a wee babe ($17). I also bought a Coke and put it in the drink holder in the car, opened for easy access during the drive. It then proceeded to spill all over my left foot after hitting the first sharp left turn (ugh...$3 wasted).
In other news, I'm very seriously considering outing myself to a good friend who is a new mom and could use some vicarious living through me in NZ. I trust her completely (she'd be the one I ask to be executress of my will, if I don't opt for a bank to do it), but...yeah. I'm still thinking. :)
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
I Miss The Out of Doors
It's only been one day since my epic road trip ended, and now I'm sitting here longingly staring out of my window at the sunny, blue sky with fluffy white clouds, the breeze swaying the treetops I can see from my bedroom window. I wish I were back out on the NZ countryside, no set itinerary, just ending up wherever we end up.
Instead, I'm stuck inside working and cleaning up the mess made from unpacking my suitcase and from my guests' leftover belongings.
I still haven't gotten back into the groove of the internet thing. Everything is boring me. So far, I've only wanted to check facebook, the most recent entries of a few favorite blogs, and watch Chuck and The Office. Everything else is just meh.
Luckily, I have another road trip coming up in 3 days!! I am so lucky to live NZ, where vacation days come in seemingly bottomless packages.
Immediately upon returning from a holiday, I unpack, do laundry, and put everything away. Then I check all of my email accounts, my bank accounts, and open my snail mail. Only after all that is done can I relax. It's a psychological need to sort everything out and put things in their proper places. I think it comes from travleing so much on my last job--a few days here, a week there--I needed my home to feel like home as soon as possible to maximize the short time I had in my home base.
What do you do first when getting home from a vacation? Check email? Laundry?
Do you automatically unpack everything, or do you let it sit for a few days?
Instead, I'm stuck inside working and cleaning up the mess made from unpacking my suitcase and from my guests' leftover belongings.
I still haven't gotten back into the groove of the internet thing. Everything is boring me. So far, I've only wanted to check facebook, the most recent entries of a few favorite blogs, and watch Chuck and The Office. Everything else is just meh.
Luckily, I have another road trip coming up in 3 days!! I am so lucky to live NZ, where vacation days come in seemingly bottomless packages.
Immediately upon returning from a holiday, I unpack, do laundry, and put everything away. Then I check all of my email accounts, my bank accounts, and open my snail mail. Only after all that is done can I relax. It's a psychological need to sort everything out and put things in their proper places. I think it comes from travleing so much on my last job--a few days here, a week there--I needed my home to feel like home as soon as possible to maximize the short time I had in my home base.
What do you do first when getting home from a vacation? Check email? Laundry?
Do you automatically unpack everything, or do you let it sit for a few days?
Tunage
Suggestions for music for a road trip? I've just got back from a trip and tired of all my music. What are some good singles or albums?
thank yas.
thank yas.
Trip Costs
For my 14 day trip around the South Island, I budgeted:
$490 for food
$422.50 for the rental cars and interisland ferry
$350 for accomodation
$665 for activities
$200 for souvenirs
$175 for gas
$150 for flights
for a total of $2,463.
I actually spent:
$401.03 on food ($185.73 on groceries, $215.30 on eating out)
$538.39 for the rental cars (including ferry crossing fee)
$227.50 on lodging (including internet fees, laundry, showers)
$455 on activities (glacier hot pools, helicopter-hike, puzzle world, and murchison swingbridge zip line)
$232.67 on souvenirs (magnet set for mom, a ring, lavender, camp stove and fuel which I can use again and again, camping pan, and lots of wall art)
$255.62 on gas
$105 for flights
for a total of: $2,215.21.
Take home message: I way underbudgeted money for gas and rental cars, and overbudgeted how much I would pay for activities and lodging. We spent the first two nights sleeping on a friend's couch in Lake Tekapo, which were free. We spent 5 nights in our tents, 4 nights in a proper hostel, and two nights in a campavan. The DOC (Department of Conservation) campsites were only $6 each, while the campgrounds were $13-17 or so to pitch a tent, and $20 and up for a campavan. The hostels ranged from $22 to $34 each. Why would anyone ever stay in a $120+/night hotel when these hostels and campgrounds are so cheap, easy, and usually provide a freezer, fridge, and equipped kitchens and bathrooms?? (Note: DOC campsites provide bathrooms and maybe a cold shower if you're lucky...most don't even provide treated water, which is why they are so cheap. But they are fine for long-term camping if you bring in water and food and aren't worried about the state of your hair for gorgeous photo opps, like we were. We usually only stayed at the DOC campsites for one night and then moved to a camp with a shower.)
That leaves me about $1,285 to spend while Friend #2 is here. I will have to use some of my February budget money to cover the difference. Luckily, for the first two weeks of Feb, I essentially only spent money on rent thus far! I should have money from the groceries and Misc budget funds ($700 or so) to cover some of this fun.
Itinerary: Christchurch-->Lake Tekapo-->Wanaka-->Mt Hooker-->Fox Glacier-->Franz Josef Glacier (2 nights)--> Punakaiki-->Karamea-->Murchison-->Poponga-->Motueka-->Picton (with day hikes and stops in between, like the road to Mt Cook and Mt Aspiring)
Activities with cost: $12.50 Puzzle World; $400 helicopter-hike on Fox Glacier; $30 Murchison Buller Gorge Swingbridge and tandem zip line; $17.50 Glacier hot pools
Wish I could do again in better weather:
Hokitika Gorge. It started pouring as we were walking down the trail and we were going to camp that night in a DOC site and so I knew I'd never get warm again if I stayed too long. The water is just this gorgeous blue and there is a photo opp I really want to take advantage of in better weather.
Karamea Operara Arch. The rain had washed out a bridge on the trail and I deemed it unpassable with my short legs. I swear I would have died trying to navigate over the roaring waterfall. We saw Moria Gates Arch instead and it was beautiful.
Would not do again: I wasn't impressed with the northern beachy portion of the South Island (Poponga to Picton). Everyone raves about it, but I think the North Island has beaches that are even more gorgeous and spectacular. I really wasn't seeing what everyone was talking about, but maybe that's because the weather turned gray and drizzly while we were there. We didn't have time or the weather to swim or kayak up there, as planned. Maybe I'll go back one day.
Jackson Bay. We wasted time going south from Haast down to Jackson Bay, to eat a sandfly infested lunch and then turn around. Waste of gas and money!!
Lake Matheson. You are supposed to do a hike around to see the reflection of Mt Cook in the water, but it isn't worth it unless you are sure that there is absolutely no ripples or wind to mess up the picture. Not worth it if you can see Mt Cook over Lake Pukaki.
Loved: Wanaka, Westport, all views of Mt Cook, Mt Aspiring, the glaciers, Sandy Beach on Bruce Bay. Sandy Beach is awesome. We were sad that the West Coast beaches are unswimmable, though--rip currents and rough beach breaks make it dangerous!
$490 for food
$422.50 for the rental cars and interisland ferry
$350 for accomodation
$665 for activities
$200 for souvenirs
$175 for gas
$150 for flights
for a total of $2,463.
I actually spent:
$401.03 on food ($185.73 on groceries, $215.30 on eating out)
$538.39 for the rental cars (including ferry crossing fee)
$227.50 on lodging (including internet fees, laundry, showers)
$455 on activities (glacier hot pools, helicopter-hike, puzzle world, and murchison swingbridge zip line)
$232.67 on souvenirs (magnet set for mom, a ring, lavender, camp stove and fuel which I can use again and again, camping pan, and lots of wall art)
$255.62 on gas
$105 for flights
for a total of: $2,215.21.
Take home message: I way underbudgeted money for gas and rental cars, and overbudgeted how much I would pay for activities and lodging. We spent the first two nights sleeping on a friend's couch in Lake Tekapo, which were free. We spent 5 nights in our tents, 4 nights in a proper hostel, and two nights in a campavan. The DOC (Department of Conservation) campsites were only $6 each, while the campgrounds were $13-17 or so to pitch a tent, and $20 and up for a campavan. The hostels ranged from $22 to $34 each. Why would anyone ever stay in a $120+/night hotel when these hostels and campgrounds are so cheap, easy, and usually provide a freezer, fridge, and equipped kitchens and bathrooms?? (Note: DOC campsites provide bathrooms and maybe a cold shower if you're lucky...most don't even provide treated water, which is why they are so cheap. But they are fine for long-term camping if you bring in water and food and aren't worried about the state of your hair for gorgeous photo opps, like we were. We usually only stayed at the DOC campsites for one night and then moved to a camp with a shower.)
That leaves me about $1,285 to spend while Friend #2 is here. I will have to use some of my February budget money to cover the difference. Luckily, for the first two weeks of Feb, I essentially only spent money on rent thus far! I should have money from the groceries and Misc budget funds ($700 or so) to cover some of this fun.
Itinerary: Christchurch-->Lake Tekapo-->Wanaka-->Mt Hooker-->Fox Glacier-->Franz Josef Glacier (2 nights)--> Punakaiki-->Karamea-->Murchison-->Poponga-->Motueka-->Picton (with day hikes and stops in between, like the road to Mt Cook and Mt Aspiring)
Activities with cost: $12.50 Puzzle World; $400 helicopter-hike on Fox Glacier; $30 Murchison Buller Gorge Swingbridge and tandem zip line; $17.50 Glacier hot pools
Wish I could do again in better weather:
Hokitika Gorge. It started pouring as we were walking down the trail and we were going to camp that night in a DOC site and so I knew I'd never get warm again if I stayed too long. The water is just this gorgeous blue and there is a photo opp I really want to take advantage of in better weather.
Karamea Operara Arch. The rain had washed out a bridge on the trail and I deemed it unpassable with my short legs. I swear I would have died trying to navigate over the roaring waterfall. We saw Moria Gates Arch instead and it was beautiful.
Would not do again: I wasn't impressed with the northern beachy portion of the South Island (Poponga to Picton). Everyone raves about it, but I think the North Island has beaches that are even more gorgeous and spectacular. I really wasn't seeing what everyone was talking about, but maybe that's because the weather turned gray and drizzly while we were there. We didn't have time or the weather to swim or kayak up there, as planned. Maybe I'll go back one day.
Jackson Bay. We wasted time going south from Haast down to Jackson Bay, to eat a sandfly infested lunch and then turn around. Waste of gas and money!!
Lake Matheson. You are supposed to do a hike around to see the reflection of Mt Cook in the water, but it isn't worth it unless you are sure that there is absolutely no ripples or wind to mess up the picture. Not worth it if you can see Mt Cook over Lake Pukaki.
Loved: Wanaka, Westport, all views of Mt Cook, Mt Aspiring, the glaciers, Sandy Beach on Bruce Bay. Sandy Beach is awesome. We were sad that the West Coast beaches are unswimmable, though--rip currents and rough beach breaks make it dangerous!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
One More Thing
I know I just got back, but I really enjoyed my time without a computer or even cell service. I'm planning to cut back my time on the internet by heaps...what that means for my blog, I'm not sure, but I hope I can start making some changes round here.
Back for a Spell
I just got back from my 2 week vacation late last night. I have 3 days and then another friend comes to town and the whirlwind starts again and lasts another 2 weeks. Thank goodness there is a weekend in between!
I will be working very hard to catch up on the happ'nings in the blogosphere. I am so very sorry that I didn't have extra posts lined up while I was away.
P.S. My trip was Awesome! We camped in some absolutely spectacular places, saw gorgeous night skies and sunsets, met some interesting people, and only had 3 or 4 rainy/gray days. That is a record for NZ weather!! I would say that the highlight of my trip was taking a helicopter over and then landing on Fox Glacier, then hiking all around it. My February budget (and probably March's) is totally blown. I'm ok with that...money is for spending, after all.
I will be working very hard to catch up on the happ'nings in the blogosphere. I am so very sorry that I didn't have extra posts lined up while I was away.
P.S. My trip was Awesome! We camped in some absolutely spectacular places, saw gorgeous night skies and sunsets, met some interesting people, and only had 3 or 4 rainy/gray days. That is a record for NZ weather!! I would say that the highlight of my trip was taking a helicopter over and then landing on Fox Glacier, then hiking all around it. My February budget (and probably March's) is totally blown. I'm ok with that...money is for spending, after all.
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