See y's

We leave New Zealand shortly. A good job, because if we hang around I may be in danger of becoming a Kiwi and not returning.
Three months of holidays now and no developments on the new person front. I've turned up the heat a little by changing my hair. Still nothing. Australia next.

Rules of making long-distance phone calls

1. You have to make them, always.
2. Jumping up and down just before doing them is essential.
3. Have serious debate on how to 'get out' of current country and 'get in' to your home one. No one will remember off the top of their heads.
4. Always speak in a high-pitched voice
5. Make sure you call at the wrong time. You will inevitably. This is because (as with Rule 3) no matter how many times we're told the time difference, no one can ever remember what it is.
'It'll be about 8am there,' someone will say.
'No. We're never that far ahead!'
'That's what it said at the airport.'
'But what about daylight saving?'
And so on.

Picture: with the Kiwi Adkins.

This week: the mighty Mount Cook, New Zealand's tallest peak. Yesterday we climbed partway up one of Cook's smaller friends. A glut of glaciers greeted us at the top, making the nasty climb worthwhile.

We're now heading for a place called Kaikoura, where I've heard swimming with dolphins is all the rage. I don't think I'll be joining the queue. I've done some ridiculous things but 'swimming with dolphins' is where I draw the line.

Also pictured: the mysterious Moeraki Boulders on the East coast, so out of place with their fellow rocks.

-There are many theories as to how they came to be, but as with most things, no one really knows.

Cultural similarities #1

Yesterday we were on a scenic drive and we came across a town that called itself 'the sausage capital' of New Zealand. I thought I'd pick up a few, fry them up for dinner, keep R quiet for a while. But the shop in question was all locked up.
'So the er, sausage department is closed?' I asked the lady in the adjoining store.
'It's the weekind,' she said sourly.
'Sorry! I forgot- the shops don't have weekends back at home,' I said, laughing gormlessly. She answered by slamming my change into my hand, at the same time ridding herself, I noticed, of some euros she'd acquired from a previous customer. That's more like it, I thought. All that nice waitress business in America was just a passing dream.
In additional news we've been enjoying seeing lots of nice penguins and things, just there, in their own habitat, cages not included.

I hate bungy jumping

Queenstown: population around 10,000 +tourists
I've just tried some odd local dark chocolate...a treat! R has hinted that my interest in wine-tasting and chocolate may be getting out of hand. He talks about it like it's a bad thing. There's no mention of his tobacco stash, because when people smoke it doesn't count.
NB Chocolate is very costly here; sometimes double what it is in England. My feeling is that there is a tax on chocolate to stop people eating it. Other cultural differences include clean water, bizarre empty beaches and an interesting lack of road signs- we've been lost several times. Rivers and creeks must be highly prized because each one is clearly signposted, right down to the tiniest trickle. Should you visit, forget road names- look at the map and plan your journey by stream.

Bergschrund

Hokitika, mid-afternoon. This morning we were high up in Arthur's Pass, watching bits of cloud tease around the mountain tops. I've been to lots of new places and to some I've visited already, through other people. I'm not sure if I even need to see a glacier.
It's good to travel in a van with a man. Some nights, when I'm half asleep, he says 'who do you love?' just to make sure. I always say him. Last night I asked him the same question. He said, 'Mr Kipling.' Next episode: Franz Josef

Cone you see it

I'm living out of a van. Recently things over-ran and we ended up 'freedom camping' beside Lake Taupo. I was unsure about this because I like sticking to the rules. R said 'so what? We're just hanging.' I evened things by picking up all visible rubbish from the other freedom campers. I picked up some non-visible rubbish as well.
Also today: we've done the Tongariro Crossing, a 19.4km walk over volcanic terrain. You are advised to allow 5.5-7.5 hours to do the crossing. So how did we do?
Start: 08:50 Finish: 14:30 Lunch -15 mins. Various breaks -20 mins. I threw a wobbly at the Red Crater -25 mins. So, all done in well under 6 hours
Facts: Mounts Ngauruhoe and Mt Tongariro are active volcanoes. You can see fumaroles (steam vents) in action as you trudge up the track.
Mount Ngauruhoe played 'Mount Doom' in The Lord Of The Rings, bringing 10 times the usual volume of hikers to the area. If I were Ngauruhoe I'd have erupted in protest.
Picture: the Emerald Lakes, made green by minerals seeping in from nearby volcanic er, stuff