Friday, April 11, 2014

Crossing Over

So yesterday (Thursday, since it's Friday here already), we woke up in Nelson and stopped in at a few quick shops before heading out of town. One thing I did not realize about New Zealand is how prone it is to earthquakes. Of course people are still talking about the one which hit Christchurch in February 2011, but there have been many others as well. I found this display of "Quake Hold!" products quite interesting. It's a way to keep your artwork from falling off of shelves during a quake. Supposedly it works quite well.
We also stopped in at the jewelers who designed The One Ring To Rule Them All. It was pretty cool to see the different rings just sitting out on display.

If you click and enlarge on the above picture you will see the ring labeled according to "Cate," "Viggo," and "Sir Ian" to name a few.
I've also decided to document interesting signs I see, which you likely wouldn't find in North America. I found this one about Rugby boots in Havelock, on the way to Picton to catch the ferry, quite funny!
In other news, I DROVE!!! On the highway! Yes, not only did I get the honour of driving our car (a Toyota Rav 4) from Nelson to Picton, but I also had the dubious honour of piloting us through some of the worst hairpin curves we've encountered thus far on our journey. Various phrases which escaped my mouth during the drive were, "This is thirteenth level of hell," "This is like the super-hard version of the driving exam," and "This is like the worst amusement park ride ever!" Even Dave, who never gets carsick was feeling a little nauseous by the end. I was so grateful for the Ginger Beer (like ginger ale) pictured above, when we finally stopped for lunch.
But New Zealand wasn't finished tossing us around just yet. We then caught our Interislander ferry from the South to the North Island and Cook Strait wasn't feeling particularly friendly. According to the Wikipedia article I linked to, the strait has some of the most unpredictable waters in the world. Um, yay? The waves were considered moderate, which meant only 2-3 metres (6-9 ft) high. By the end, I could feel every one. I have to say, I don't tend to get car sick or sea sick but New Zealand is really testing that theory :)

I thought it was hilarious that these cows were crossing the strait in these semi trailers. They must have been so confused. I wonder if cows get sea sick... By the way, these pictures were all taken when we still dared to venture outside. Once the ferry left Queen Charlotte Sound, I didn't leave my seat much.

By the time we reached Wellington, we were more than happy to exit the ferry and make our way to the place where we are staying. Our hosts, the parents of friends of Donny and Marika, took us out to a Thai place for supper and then we found our beds and slept, still trying to regain our land legs :)

*To read about Day 8, go here.

6 comments:

  1. I haven't commented much, but I'm loving this trip journal! Glad y'all are having fun!

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  2. Ha! Our ride was rough too - did the crew go around offering people ice cubes to help with the sea sickness? When we asked a crew member what the ice cubes do to help stop people from feeling sick she said "Oh they don't do anything at all. Sometimes if you just tell people that it'll work, it does for them" - too funny!

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    1. No. Either we were on a different ferry line or our crossing wasn't "rough enough." I can't imagine how much scarier (and nausea inducing) this crossing could have been!

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  3. I am so proud of you for driving those curvy roads. I would not have been so brave. You know, I see cows every day living in OK, but I can say that I've never seen them in a shipping container. ha!

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  4. ACK! I do not think I could have driven...well maybe I could....I don't know. Neal complains about how my driving HERE makes him sick...so he probably would not let me drive there! The cows...too funny. Poor things!

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  5. So I thought I would share an interesting tidbit about myself here...I kind of have a love affair with the Lord of the Rings ring. Seriously, I loved it so much that when I was picking out a wedding band for Eddie, I wanted a simple gold band with an inscription around it. I finally decided on one with interlocking circles going around it for a similar effect, and I still love his ring! Ha! I'm not sure he loves it as much as I do though. Sigh. I am beginning to think I could not handle New Zealand with its curvy roads, rough water traveling, etc. Way to go on the driving! :-)

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