January 19, 2024
Our magic chariot that has taken us thousands of kilometers the length and breadth of New Zealand, started making some interesting noises as we pulled into Dunedin. The best diagnosis by the Hill brothers was the brakes. Given that we were soon headed to the mountains, it warranted checking out. After a quick check in with Gordo, the Hill brother who actually owns the car and was back in Aukland, and with the help of his daughter Tess, we ended up with a 7:30 am appointment the next morning with Midas in Dunedin…Yes, it is the same company that handles mufflers in the U.S. but in NZ, it is a full repair shop.
Almost as soon as we hung up from Tess and Gordo, the owner of the Midas shop called us (it was 8:30 at night!) to see what the issue was. Nick clarified and we explained that we had to be in Queenstown in a day. Typical of the generosity we have consistently found in NZ, the owner (who had been working late) offered to take the car that night, figure out the problem, get the parts ordered in the morning and have the whole deal done by the next evening. And he did. New brakes and we were back on our way on schedule.
Nick belly’s up to the tasting bar at Speight’s Brewery in Dunedin. Note the many taps available at the far end of the room. Open bar…at least for 20 minutes!
In the meantime, during our day in Dunedin, now that Mark is a part of this journey, we needed to catch him up on the local brews. We started with Speight’s which has been a South Island favorite for more than 145 years. The brewery has been part of the Dunedin skyscape since the beginning. We took the full tour which ended in a tasting which then allowed everyone to hit their favorite taps (think open bar!) until tour guide called “taps.”
A very civilized wine tasting, stories, and history at Wet Jacket wines in Queenstown. We were taken in and bought several bottles.
Once again, Nick and I, now with Mark, headed back across the lower part of the South Island to make it to Queenstown. Our first order of business was a wine tasting at the Wet Jacket tasting room just a few kilometers from Queenstown and situated on Lake Wakatipu. The young tasting room expert gave us the full history of the area and the winery.
Queenstown is, most definitely, set up for the jet-setters. As our Airbnb was on the take-off flight path, we became quite familiar with how popular Queenstown is. Again, Nick and I, and now Mark, felt like we were at least a couple of decades older than most of the tourists. Given that Queenstown is the extreme sport capital of the world, we felt a little out of place, but also a little pride, that we were there to hike. OK, not me, but I had work to do!
The wind, which was very warm, was whipping up the lake behind us. Later that evening, when we took the ferry we were buffeted around enough that the ferry driver decided to take things at top speed, much like the jet boats that are ubiquitous in NZ.
The most popular restaurant, by far, was Fergburger. Up until now, we had mostly stayed away from hamburgers while in NZ, but we were told that Fergburger was the best in the world. Hard to fathom that title going to a non-U.S.A joint. So we had to check it out. The line went halfway down the block, but we were assured by others waiting for their burgers, that it went fast. And it did. We were sitting on a park bench eating our burgers within 45 minutes.
A Fergburger…great bun, great everything, great bacon, great cheese, except the sweet tomato relish and sweet pickles.
Perhaps I am the wrong one to judge a Fergburger as I have never been a fan of sweet and savory. In NZ that is the #1 flavor combination…on pizzas, on sandwiches, on eggs…and they have some interesting flavor combinations, but they are all sweet at the base. Had the Fergburger been devoid of the tomato relish (sweet) and the dill pickles (sweet), it would have been a really good burger. The NZ need for sweet and savory has infiltrated even Macdonald’s: they have a Kiwiburger which has a couple of slices of beet (sweet) and a fried egg, plus the sweet tomato sauce.
One of the main purposes of our stop in Queenstown was for Nick and Mark to meet with the tour company for last minute instructions for their hike. We attended a meeting with the 50 folks who will be on their hike. Although there were a few from Oregon, it seemed to be a very international group with a couple of young teens along. By our reckoning, Mark, at 75 seemed to be the oldest.
Mark is checking out Nick’s trekking form in anticipation of their Milford Track hike.
The boys (Nick and Mark) went home that night and exploded their suitcases to make sure they had everything. It was very much like going off to summer camp with their list that got checked every few minutes. From Queenstown we headed to Te Anau where I would hole up to work while Nick and Mark were hiking over the mountains. They had one night in Te Anau where they once again exploded their suitcases and packs and started combining resources to save space and weight. They would be carrying their own clothes, etc. for 5 days. Fortunately, they had their meals cooked and sleeping accommodations with bedding. A blessing.
Nick is officially ready and about to board the bus that will take him (and 49 others) up to the top of Lake Te Anau where the Milford Track begins.
Tuesday morning I drove them to the cafe where the bus would pick them up and deliver them to the beginning of their hike at the other end of Lake Te Anau. They were as excited as young boys off to camp and I knew that excitement would be there when I picked them up on Saturday.
The view from the dining room table in Te Anau where I am working on the magazine while the boys go out and play (and hike 33.5 miles).
I came back to the Airbnb, looked out my window at the Southern Alps and went to work on the final parts of the Spring 2024 Humboldt Historian. It will be quiet around here!
~Wendy (all alone!)