Cave Stream and Narnia

Dec 27: We went back to Castle Hill because my friend Erin had never been there. On the way we passed through Springfield. Yes, they used to have a giant Simpson's Donut, but someone thought it was ugly and burned it down. So Erin and I took pictures with the giant tire that the town put up in its place. The plaque below the tire said that it was the baby donut and would remain unnamed until the Mom donut came back. We climbed around and I banged my knee so hard that it pooled blood underneath the bandage. Then we drove to Narnia. Well we drove to the place where they filmed the big battle in the huge field against the White Witch. We couldn't see the area because it's on private land but we could barely make out the edge of the valley. I took some pictures in front of the valley where I was pretending to hold a sword.

Then I donned a wetsuit, my vibram five finger shoes, a headlamp and my camera in a dry sack. Erin and Gordon just put on old shoes, old clothes and headlamps. We wandered down to the entrance of the Cave Stream. This is the under a mountain walk where you enter one side and walk all the way through a 362m cave. The water was a little chilly, but I would have been fine even if I hadn't been wearing a wetsuit.

When we first entered the cave it was a little intimidating because the stream drops down a waterfall. You have to crawl along the edge with a chain to hang onto and then you get to a ledge. There are metal bolted rungs that you have to climb down and then slide into the pool at the bottom of the waterfall. It's pretty dark at this point, but you still have a little light from the entrance. Then you can follow the stream to the other end of the cave. The water level varies from ankle to knee high. There are pools in some some areas that are about waist deep. You can also climb into different caves that shoot off in all directions like left, right, up and down. Every now once in awhile I'd lose everyone and mildly freak out by myself. Once their light is gone and your headlamp is the only thing you see, it's a little eerie and makes you feel completely alone even if they happen to be just 5 feet around the bend. It's pretty loud and sounds like rushing water and you have to almost yell to hear each other because the rushing water just echoes on the cave walls.


At one point there was a tiny little opening that Gordon said Leyla, our other housemate, had climbed through and gotten out at another point along the stream. So of course I decided it would be brilliant if I tried it. This was a very tiny hole, just small enough to fit my shoulders through. Erin decided it was too small for her to get through. I really should have thought a little more about the situation before I literally dove head first down the cave. Leyla is super small and skinny and very flexible. She does yoga and has been climbing for 6 years. I contemplated all of this while I was worming my way through a cave that seemed to be growing smaller and smaller as I moved forward. After climbing into the hole, I made Erin wait at the entrance while I crawled forward in case I had to back my way out. This would have been nearly impossible because at one point I had to crawl down a 1 foot drop. I can't imagine trying to crawl back up it backwards. At the end I saw Gordon's light and was slightly relieved until I realized that I couldn't move. There was a really tight spot that pinned both my arms to the sides of my body. I had to hold my camera/dry bag in my teeth like a pirate as I shimmied forward. There was also a build up of mud and sand which freaked me out because it made the end of the tunnel very very tight. Then the crux of the crawl came after I had wiggled my arms free. The very end required you to crawl forward and follow the tunnel in a complete 180 around a thin rock wall. So at one point my feet and arms were pointed in the same direction with my torso bent in a U shape around a rock barrier. I yelled to Gordon and Erin a lot while I was crawling through this tunnel because my biggest fear was getting stuck and having them not know I was stuck. Eventually I made it through, completely covered in mud and slightly shaken. I decided not to go solo caving anymore after that. We all climbed up a bunch of different tunnels and explored as many as we could reach. 

We made it to the end and had to wade through water up to our chest. It was really shocking and cold so I yelped. Outside was a rock valley and a continuation of the stream into a river. The wind had picked up and kept us made us cold so we turned around and went back through the Cave Stream. On the way out instead of climbing up the metal rungs we decided to climb up the waterfall. It was scary, but it was a more challenging and more interesting feat. The Cave Stream was a lot of fun and a unique experience. Every now and then we'd all stop and turn off our headlamps   in the hopes of seeing glow worms. We didn't have any luck, but it made me feel like an intrepid explorer. I didn't see anyone else in the caves nor did I see any evidence of humans other than the metal rungs and chain at the entrance of the cave.

It was cool to have a new sensory experience. My hearing was overwhelmed by the sound of rushing water and my sight was limited by the strength, direction of my headlamp and my feet were slightly numb from cold. Even with a headlamp it's difficult to see the rocks under the swiftly moving water so every step was little adventure. After we exited the cave, we ate a bunch of food. We had apples, cookies, crumble bars and Gordon had salami. It was a good way to recharge because the physical activity and dealing with the cold had taken a lot out of our bodies. My whole body was pretty sore the next morning. I give the Cave Stream two thumbs up.

Christmas in the Antipodes

Dec 25: Christmas was a low key affair. Gord and I went into town and found an open Chinese food place and bought a ton of food. Then Briony, Colin and Warric came over. We all ate food watched X-Files, played cards and hung out on the back deck. It was nice, but it didn't feel like Christmas and we don't have a tree or any decorations. Christmas day was warm and sunny. Eventually Sam and Erin stopped by and then we watched movies and The West Wing until it was about 3 AM in the morning. For some reason Erin was confused on the time difference and ended up calling her family at about 3:30 am USA time. It was pretty hilarious. This was 9 am back in the states so Gord, Erin and I all called our families and wished them a Merry Christmas. That was about it. I think New Year's Eve is going to be low key as well.

So if you must spend a major holiday away from family and friends: I say get together with some people you like, have a meal, play some games or watch a movie and just have a chill time.

Hector's Dolphins

Dec 24: Christmas Eve day we decided to hitchhike to Akaroa and swim with the dolphins. We caught a bus to Halswell which is on the other side of Christchurch towards Akaroa and began walking/limping with our thumbs up and our smiles out. Our first ride was from a guy from Holland who had moved here several years ago. He had a really nice and spacious car and he took us to Taitapu. We chatted about NZ, Holland and being American. Then we got picked up by a Kiwi named Chris who was in a hurry and late for his job as a chef in Akaroa. Chris drove a lime green truck. He was very talkative about his partner, her kid, the traveling he wanted to do and his life in general. He said the secret to life was to "drink a little, don't smoke and [find someone to be with]." He was a really nice chap who was interested in interior design. Chris even offered us a place to crash and suggested a job opportunity in another part of NZ. Once in Akaroa we wandered around and I got my first flat white, which is steamed milk and a shot of espresso. It was tasty and we got it from a shop where Chris said the owner was "bent as bent can be."

Then we suited up into full body 5mm wet suits. Getting my suit over my knee bandage was a difficult project. There were 8 swimmers total on a little Blackcat boat with two guides and the one who spoke the most was named Hamish. We slowly puttered out of Akaroa Harbor and then took off leaping over waves. Hector's dolphins are the world's smallest and rarest dolphins. We weren't allowed to touch them, but just swimming near them was fantastic. Hector's Dolphins hang out in pods of 2-4. We were told if they were feeding or had calves with them, we couldn't stop and would have to find more. In the end it wasn't a problem. We lucked out and had about 4 pods of dolphins, about 12-16, swimming around us. When I first got in the water, my breath caught because it was so chilly, but soon the thin layer of water in my suit warmed up and kept me feeling quite warm. The dolphins were playful and seemed to be having a lot of fun surfing the waves and investigating us. They would catch a wave and flash by us, but turn around and come right back. They really seemed to like the back of the boat. The dolphins would swim in 2's and 3's around us. Every so often Hamish or the girl would call out to us to turn around and there would be a dolphin right there. After we got out of the water another boat of swimmers came and we had a chance to take pictures and movies while the dolphins played with the new people. I have always loved dolphins so this was an amazing experience.

After swimming with the dolphins we were given hot chocolate on the ride back and then hot showers. I had to dress my wound after the shower because I promised my doctor and I didn't want an infection. Then we began our trek back to Christchurch. The first ride we caught was from a man and a woman from the UK. The woman did research on the dolphins and the man was just visiting over the holiday. They drove us to Barry's Bay where they were stopping for cheese and wine. Then we were picked up by a nice old kiwi man named Stewart/Stuart. He drove us all the way to Christchurch. I had to fight to keep my eyes open. Gordon was sitting in the front so I didn't really need to stay awake, but I felt that I should because it's polite to talk with your driver. Don't worry, Gordon and I were safe while hitchhiking. If it was a male driver, Gordon sat in front and if it was a female driver, which it never was, I was going to sit in front. Stuart was a plastic surgeon who was fixing up one of his rental houses in Akaroa and needed a part from a hardware store in Christchurch. We had a nice ride with him because he had a very spacious 4 seater truck. We spoke of his life in the army, his kids, our college careers and pretty much anything that came to mind. It was a lovely ride because he dropped us off near the bus centre and the number 12 was just about to pull away. This is a bus that goes right by our house so we can get it to literally drop us in front of our house.

It's Hanmer Time

Dec 23: Our plan was to travel to Hanmer Springs, mountain bike for a couple of hours, then soak in the hot springs for a few more, eat some dinner and then drive back to Christchurch.

I traveled to Hanmer Springs with Erin, Sam and Gord. Hanmer Springs is famous for its thermal pools and drug addiction center. After falling asleep in the car on the way to Hanmer, I woke up just in time to watch us roll into town. It was a gorgeous, hot and sunny day. We changed into our biking gear and went off to rent some mountain bikes. Each of us saddled up on a mountain bike with decent suspension, snapped our helmets into place and took one last look at the trail map. Then we all took off down the road towards what we hoped was the start of the Dog Stream Trail. Apparently none of us can read a map and we weren't sure if we were heading the right way for the first 10 minutes. The gears on my bike were a bit cranky at the start, but eventually I showed them who was boss. When we got to the head of the trail we were surprised that it was at a 45 degree incline. None of us could ride up it so we had to push our bikes up a serious hill. There were actually a lot of really steep points where I'd be riding and come to a halt because the incline became so intense. We were also trucking it because Gordon and Sam were leading. Erin and I were somewhat less enthusiastic about the ascent. Once we reached the end, I was unsurprised to note that the 1 hour ride had taken us 34 minutes.

The ride down was a lot more fun because we got to go fast! Flying down the rocky hills popping up over roots and protruding rocks was exhilarating. Stopping wasn't an option because your back tire would spin out and then you'd skid down a steep rocky decline. Every now than then we'd lose sight of each other and then the leaders would wait for everyone else. After awhile they stopped waiting which was bad for me because I have a terrible sense of direction and I didn't have a map. I went down several wrong trails and biked for a a good 20 minutes up and down different trails trying to find my way back to the Dog Stream Trail. I stopped and took a picture of myself in case I got lost and died. Later they would find my camera and see that at least I died seemingly happy. After awhile I thought I had lost my sunglasses at the end of the trail so I was going to backtrack and see if I could get back to the end of the trail and then bike correctly back down it. However on my way back I found where I had diverged from the trail because there was a big honking sign with an arrow saying dog stream trail that way. At the same place, I took off my helmet only to discover my sunglasses were on top of my head and under my helmet the whole time.

Once I was back on the Dog Stream Trail I quickly ran into the group. They had started to backtrack wondering where I was. My first thought was to justify that I had gotten lost and was not that slow. After that Erin and I kept changing positions behind Sam and Gordon. One of us would do something silly and have to slow down and the other would just pop by. I was flying through the woods on a track that had become dirt instead of rocks. When I charged through a left curve in the trail and my left foot and pedal were in a down position. It was here I clipped a rather large rock in the ground and flew off my bike in a huge crash. Erin was behind me at the time and heard me yell "AGGGHHHH." I knew she was coming up fast behind me and I couldn't move myself or my bike fast enough so I yelled "DANGER!" This was really effective because Erin came up really slowly until she found me lying on the ground. It turns out that she hadn't known if it was a good yell or a bad yell. Once Erin got there, I pulled myself together and freaked out because I thought I broke my camera. We tested it out and took a picture of my leg to make sure everything was copacetic. I ripped up a bunch of my knee and packed in a bunch of rocks during my skid. My hand and thigh were a bit scrapped up, but were doing a lot better than my knee. Erin was worried about the leg and wanted to go back to the village, but I wouldn't have any of it. We still had a good half and hour of mountain biking time so by golly we were going to have a good time. So after I pulled a few rocks out of my knee we took off again to fly down the mountain. Except right after we got on our bikes, I ran into a tree. Not so much with my bike but literally my left upper body, chest and shoulder ran into a tree. I ignored Erin's suggestion that maybe I shouldn't be biking and I went flying down the trail a little more reserved and less cavalier than before. So we rocked the Dog Stream Trail for awhile longer and then went back to the village. After finishing the ride, we realized that we had approached the Dog Stream Trail the wrong way and had ridden it up the back way. So not only did we ride it the wrong way, but we did it in 34 minutes. Erin was fairly certain that I would need stitches and I was holding in the negative position. The lady at the bike shop was helpful and dialed the local medical centre for us and I was given their professional medical opinion "I should come in so they could clean it and take a look." So we went to the library to print out my insurance information which turned out to be useless. We met up with Gordon and Sam on our way to the library and they didn't realize anything was amiss and continued riding around town. Then we walked to the medical centre.

I filled out my forms and eventually got called back. Erin came with me to film and document the medical process. My doctor, Gina and nurse, Sharon gave me a local anesthetic directly into the wound. I also had to get a tetanus shot which in NZ comes with the Diphtheria vaccine. Erin had to interject and say "ahh, the tetanus shot is my least favorite shot." However, I was happy to have her in there for comic relief and for documentation purposes. At one point Sharon started singing Christmas Carols. She removed a lot of the debris, scrubbed the bejeebus out of the wound with a special sponge. If I hadn't been anesthetized, I would have been screaming, passing out or throwing up. Then she used a bunch of syringes and irrigated the wound. After that it was a cake walk and she sewed it up with three mattress sutures. The whole time we were all chatting and I was trying to cajole them into giving me a medical okay to go swimming with the dolphins the next day. I was given antibiotics, a little tool to cut the stitches after 12 days and a green light on the dolphin swimming. At one point the front desk lady came in because Gordon and Sam were enquiring about me and I told her to say that I had passed out. I'm not sure why I thought that was a good idea. Erin and I were in good spirits during the whole ordeal. Afterwards I got to spend $2.00 for the spectator fee at Hanmer Springs. Erin said "that's farther than I've come" when she meant to say that's "nearer than I'm come." I don't know why, but at the time I could not stop laughing. I might have been suffering from loss of blood or something. Everyone else got to have a lovely time soaking in the waters while I sat in a lawn chair and fended off black flies/sand flies. Sand flies are the bane of New Zealand. They look like a cross between a gnat and a fly and bite the heck out of you. They are worse than mosquitos. The bites are itchy and if you itch them, they get infected and will fill with pus. So this is why I were I got my first stitches and a Diphtheria shot.

Spiritual Center of the Universe

Dec 21: Briony, Colin (her father), Gord and I went to Castle Hill or as his Holiness, the Dalai Lama, called it, the "Spiritual Center of the Universe." Castle Hill is a breathtaking place. This is also a place with world class bouldering. These rocks are gigantic and insanely fun to climb on. We didn't do any real bouldering, mostly we just clambered up rocks. There is a bouldering problem rated v -1 that's just a hole in one of the rocks. The challenge is to climb through it, so naturally we all had to give it a shot. After Castle Hill, we stopped for some award winning fish and chips. It was a really nice and low key day.