SHEEP (and other creatures)

I spent a largely uneventful last day in Chch, visiting the Gondola in the morning. The expected fantastic views over Littleton Harbor didn't really materialize, although the journey up and down was still nice. I saw my first 100% NZ sheep dotting the landscape under the lift on the way up. The rest of the day I spent wandering around before again visiting Dux de Lux for dinner. The seafood chowder wasn't the best choice, but they definitely redeemed themselves with dessert (something called Buffoni pie, which is basically a banana creme pie, but so much better).

I was up quite early this morning to catch the bus to Queenstown, the "adventure capital" of the South Island. Actually, I was up much earlier due to the loud disruptive snoring coming from the bed across the room. I think they should have separate dorm rooms for snorers so they can keep each other up and see how it feels :)

The bus ride was actually quite nice. The bus driver was quiet and polite, and we didn't make any unnecessary stops: one bathroom break and another for lunch. I did sleep for a couple hours in the beginning, but awoke to see plains of grass backed by the snow-covered peaks of the Southern Alps, which form the backbone of the South Island. These plains were dotted with what looked like rocks, but soon turned out to be sheep, thousands of sheep. I have heard that NZ boasts ten times more sheep than people (40 million of them, sheep that is) but it is quite another thing to see them with your own eyes. The landscape was also dotted with horses, cows (both dairy and beef), alpacas, and what look like deer. I need to ask about them.

We also passed lake Tekapo and Pukaki, both of which are truly stunning. They remind me a great deal of Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies, since all these lakes were formed by the same process: glacial melt. The striking blue-green water is framed by mountain peaks on all sides, and the road winds around giving you uninterrupted views across the water. The unique turquoise color of the water is again due to rock flour, particles of finely ground silt from the mountains suspended in the water.

I've arrived in Queenstown, which is quite a happening place. I was able to arrange everything for my hike of the Routeburn track at the tracks and info office. It'll be a three day hike, starting Wednesday. At the end on Friday, I'll catch the bus to Te Anau and then go on Saturday for a cruise on Milford Sound and then back to Queenstown. I'm so happy at how easy it was to coordinate all the logistics. But then again, many people hike the Routeburn each year.