I'm Moving to New Zealand

[Blake]

It looks like I'll be living in New Zealand (South Island) from Feb-June of '06. I'm really excited for the flyfishing, skiing and climbing. Anyone have any specific routes, climbing areas, or other NZ advice to give? Thanks a lot.

[robert_Nielsen]

Say "Tramping" instead of hiking, "Choice" instead of cool, "you reckon?" instead of you think? Be prepared to enjoy huts everywhere. Be prepared to hike hard (tramp), really hard, if the sign says '6 hours to wanga mora hut'. Be prepared to meet the nicest people in the world, see some of the most awesome mountains in the world, some of the worst maintained trails........Go check out Mt. Aspiring. Climb it for me. Go check out Mt. Cook, hope it's not in a cloud. Never wear long pants, especially not in rain, mud, or sand flea country. Try to fall in love with a beautiful Kiwi climbing women, casue you are not going to want to leave.

I know you already heard my rap on all this Blake, while thrashing around on Tupshin, and you know I'm jealous as hell. Good on ya.

[JosephH]

I'm totally jealous - fabulous surfing and windsurfing there too...

[griz]

. excited for the flyfishingand climbing.

 

i just wanted to be the first to say how much you suck...

 

 

i'll be the second though to get on the "i'm jealous" bandwagon.

 

edit: okay...third

Edited November 9, 2005 by griz

[EWolfe]

fourth. Have fun!!!

[foraker]

ah, yah bastard. spent a total of 3 months there myself. the hut system in Mt Cook park rocks. There's even one at the base of Aspiring. Don't bother with the 'standard' route on Aspiring, it's dull (at least in my opinion). Actually, the standard route on Cook (Linda Glacier route) is pretty interesting. Your time in the PNW will have been good training since the weather there is equally dodgy. Only about a 150 people or so a year climb Cook, mostly because you have to be there, ready to go. Invest a pittance and join the NZ alpine group for cheap use of their hut in Mt Cook NP (and possibly elsewhere). A good place to stay when the poor bastards in tents in the campground are getting flooded out by the rain. Buy all the gear you need before you, climbing stuff there is stupid expensive (last I checked). Wanna copy my alpine route guide? :-)

 

Regarding tramping, the huts there vary from Category 1 to Category 3. The cat 1 huts are plush and full of Japanese tourists and are on trails that are maintained almost like roads.

The cat 3 huts are very basic and the trails are more challenging. I did nothing but cat 3 tramps and was happy for it because of the lack of people.

 

Things you will learn to hate:

sand flies

sheep poo

sheep

more sheep

 

Things you will learn to love:

Moro bars (yum, drool, send me some!)

Kiwis (hands down the coolest people around, better than Canadians)

 

You poor fool. You'll never come back. If you do, you'll never be able to climb here.

 

Things to avoid (if you can):

sheep poo

meat pies (and their derivatives)

 

I still say things like 'bloody', 'petrol' instead of 'gas', 'post' instead of 'mail', and 'ya reckon?' (see above), etc etc.

[Dru]

"Aw, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah"

Don't forget to bring a pad and hit up the Quantum Fields. And Wanaka. Wanaka is cool.

Go cragging south of Mount Cook in the Twin Stream area. Solid rock and no tourists just locals.

[Dru]

Ignore Foraker, the meat pies rock

[foraker]

Oh. Fly-fishing. Go to Lake Wanaka (on the way to Aspiring). God damn. Such a beautiful place. It's hard to believe it even exists. I met some Japanese dude in the hostel there who'd spent a month or two there just fishing. Even if it's not the place for fly fishing (not sure) it's bloody gorgeous nonetheless.

[foraker]

I guess I just never found one Dru...

Unless you have to brought up on poutine and vegemite to like such dreck. Believe it or not, I even found a place there that had horrid fish and chips.

[cj001f]

Oh. Fly-fishing. Go to Lake Wanaka

The stream running through the middle of the town park has 20" trout. N-Zed is a fun time, and a good pissup.

[goatboy]

 

New Zealand is the place I'd most like to move -- or at least re-visit!

 

I love the people, the fish and chips, the keas, the beer (pronounced, "beeeah!"), and the mountains...

[glm]

never been there but it sure sounds good. What is that a picture of?

[Blake]

Say "Tramping" instead of hiking, "Choice" instead of cool, "you reckon?" instead of you think? Be prepared to enjoy huts everywhere. Be prepared to hike hard (tramp), really hard, if the sign says '6 hours to wanga mora hut'. Be prepared to meet the nicest people in the world, see some of the most awesome mountains in the world, some of the worst maintained trails........Go check out Mt. Aspiring. Climb it for me. Go check out Mt. Cook, hope it's not in a cloud. Never wear long pants, especially not in rain, mud, or sand flea country. Try to fall in love with a beautiful Kiwi climbing women, casue you are not going to want to leave.

I know you already heard my rap on all this Blake, while thrashing around on Tupshin, and you know I'm jealous as hell. Good on ya.

 

Thanks Bob, I think i'll be up [to Stehekin] in January for some skiing.

[IceIceBaby]

Thanks Bob, I think i'll be up in January for some skiing.

some good summer skiing...remember it is all in reverse

[robert_Nielsen]

If you were old enough, you could sample the Double Black. I think that was the beer of my choice after trampin. Cat three huts, for sure. More awesome wilderness, no people, only locals.

I think the rugby team are the All blacks, and the beer Double black...Love the beer, impressed by the dudes who do that rugby- makes NFL look like pre school- but could never get into rugby, or cricket, for that matter.

Definetly bring all the geat you can. Extra stuff will make good gifts for your new friends, and everything is very expensive. You'll think you're back at the upper end of lake Chelan at Wanaka, and at Cascade Pass, enjoying the views of Aspiring, I could have sworn I was at our Cascade pass, up the valley here. Offical BS factor is very low; people there expect to take responsiblity for their actions.

 

When hitching, don't find a place where a car could pull off safely, that's viewed as a slacker's approach. Just keep on hiking up the road, no matter how narrow and winding. they like to see sweat equity. Expect to go home with most of the poeple who give you a lift.

Cadburys! they taste different there! Mo'better, somehow.

cheers, bob

[Ducknut]

Don't know if you'll like it, it is not quite the PNW.

 

Not quite Cascade Pass

 

Not quite the Columbia Gorge

 

Not quite a raven.

[goatboy]

never been there but it sure sounds good. What is that a picture of?

 

S Ridge of Mt Dixon, Southern Alps (near Cook)

[chelle]

I was only there for 9 days about 5 years ago and stayed in the area around Lk. Taupo on the N. Island. I thought the food was amazing. Most places we ate at were healthy and organic just because that was normal there. I thought is was kinda interesting that the deer they had on venison farms behaved a lot like our cattle herds.

[Rad]

Caves, wetas, glow worms, oh my!

 

Get into some caves while you're there.

 

There are tourist trap caves, including Aranui and black water rafting, but you can ask locals to show you around some more pristine caves.

 

'Tis a beautiful country to explore.

 

Have fun!

[EWolfe]

Ex-Pat?

 

Or are you coming back?

[Blake]

Ex-Pat?

 

Or are you coming back?

 

who?

[sweatinoutliquor]

Have fun dude, I'm jealous. Or, as the locals there say, "jealous"

[MPaul_Hansen]

Speaking from the perspective of one who was unsuccessful in making a permanent relocation to NZ some time ago:

Read the NZ history of the last 200 years, especially since

WW II. And perhaps the James Michner book - 'Until They Sail'[Return to Eden]. And the movie based on the book of the same name, with Paul Newman. Yank men in the past were not always looked upon with favor, though times have changed attitudes, at least to some degree.

 

Since 1965 or so, wages were not what they once were.

But NZ is arguably, indeed a more elegaritan society.

But personally I always wear a Canadian MapleLeaf lapel pin when travelling overseas, eh ??

[Blake]

Speaking from the perspective of one who was unsuccessful in making a permanent relocation to NZ some time ago:

Read the NZ history of the last 200 years, especially since

WW II. And perhaps the James Michner book - 'Until They Sail'[Return to Eden]. And the movie based on the book of the same name, with Paul Newman. Yank men in the past were not always looked upon with favor, though times have changed attitudes, at least to some degree.

 

Since 1965 or so, wages were not what they once were.

But NZ is arguably, indeed a more elegaritan society.

But personally I always wear a Canadian MapleLeaf lapel pin when travelling overseas, eh ??

 

eh.. if people want to start judging me on where I'm from rather tha who I am, that's too bad. I'm not going to start pretending I'm someone else though. Maybe if they meet an American that they'd like, those stigmas would be gone. Then again, maybe this is all idealist B.S.