New Zealand March 11 and 12

Wednesday March 11

I woke just in time to see a beautiful sunrise. The sun came up over the mountains in a blaze of orange that was reflected in the lake. I went a lovely trail run on the trails at the campsite, and then dragged Rory out of bed for a swim. We had the lake to ourselves and it was cool, but lovely. The water was perfectly calm and as I swam I looked out to the blue mountains in the distance.

 On the road, we couldn't get over the color of the rivers and streams. We were in glacier country, so the water coming out of the mountain was the prettiest shade of turquoise and just so clear.

Our first stop was in Franz Joseph. We had a picnic by the river and I got my chance to stick my feet in one of those pretty rivers. It was freezing!

 Then we hiked up to see the Franz Joseph gacier. The hike was hot, as we were in a river valley with the sun reflecting off the rock.

They do not let you cool off under the waterfall

A lot of the rocks were really smooth and in neat shapes from being compressed under the glaciers from so long. 

The glacier was worth the walk. As we moved, and as the sun shone through in different areas, it changed in color from an opaque white to a translucent blue.

It was really disheartening to see the pictures of how much the glacier has retreated in just the last 10 years. In 2008 the glacier reached nearly to the town and you couldn't easily walk up on it. Now it is a 4k drive and then a 45 minute walk just to get 250 meters away from the terminal end. The only way onto the glacier now is by helicopter.

After we climbed down from the Franz-Joseph glacier and hit the road, we passed by Fox glacier. 

Then we headed down a narrow, curvy, dirt road to Gillespie's beach, where there is a seal colony. Unfortunately, when we got out there 40 minutes later, we discovered the seal colony is a 3.5 hour walk!

So we walked down to the beach, admired the giant, gnarled driftwood, tried to play with some sheep that were wandering, and then reluctantly left without seeing the seals.

We continued south along the west coast, stopping in Haast for dinner. We went to a very funky placed called "The Hard Antler," where we were the only patrons. So we had a really nice chat with the bartender and Rory finally got his New Zealand steak. We had several DOC campsites in mind, all about an hour away, and we were worried that it might take much longer, since we'd be passing through the Southern Alps. Luckily, it turned out there was a lovely, mostly flat pass along the river right in the middle of the mountains. We spent the night right in the middle of the pass in Mt. Aspiring National Park. To the right of our van was a river and to the left were the towering mountains.

However, we were not able to walk around and enjoy the view because we finally found one thing we don't like about New Zealand. These horrible, little, vicious, biting bugs called sand fleas that are out in swarms! I guess no place can be perfect!

Thursday March 12

After a few days with a lot of driving, we took it a little easier today. I managed to outrun the bugs on my run in the morning, but I definitely noticed the altitude. I also had a run in with a possum. We both yelped and ran away. This is a runner's paradise because there are trails everywhere. Really everywhere. This morning I ran right into a possum. We both jumped up, yelped, and ran in opposite directions. We headed towards Queentown on rt 6 and it was a spectacular drive. There were immense lakes on both side, both of which were perfectly calm, reflecting the Alps towering above them.

We both just kept saying "Wow." As we came into the Otago region we came into a fertile valley with the fruit stands and vineyards on both sides of the roads. We stopped to restock our fruit supplies (this endless supply of ripe, fresh fruit still excites me) and then I cashed in some brownie points with the hubby to stop at a couple vineyards. The region is famous for their Pinot Noir, my favorite wine, so I couldn't wait. The first place we stopped Gibbston Valley had good wine (and cheese). But, since it was right on the road, and pretty fancy, it was both pricey and crowded. The second place we went, Chard Farm Vineyard, really stole my heart. It was at the end of a narrow, dirt road, that had a long drop-off to the river, so not many people braved the trip.

That meant that I got a basically private tasting and got to talk a lot with the wine maker. I even got to whip out my Italian and chat with an Italian couple that came in. I ended up getting a bottle to bring home. We had a picnic on their grass, looking out over the vineyards to the river and the mountains on the other side.

Next we headed into Queenstown. It was strange to see so many people, buildings, and cars after being in the complete wilderness for much of the past few days. Queenstown was nice, with pedestrian streets lined with cute shops and cafes. The city is right on Lake Wakatipu and we got some ice cream and admired the view as we ate.

We headed to our DOC campsite, 12 Mile Delta, on the Lake mid-afternoon. We settled the van and then headed out on a hike along the lake that ended with a very steep climb up to a look-out. I still can't get over color of the water here. It is just the prettiest shade of blue!

Hot from hiking for a couple hours, we were motivated the brave the chilly lake. These mountain fed lakes are so much colder than the ocean! The good news is that the bugs are not nearly as bad here (plus we bought industrial bug spray), so we were able to sit and have a glass of local wine while admiring the lake and mountains before dinner. 

A Sweet Ending

Growing up we rarely had a dessert. However, in college I got into the habit of eating dessert after most meals because it was there and free and tasty. It was an easy habit to get into, but boy has it been a tough one to break! I want something sweet immediately after every meal, and that often then leads to me having a second helping of something sweet, and sometimes even thirds.

Occasional sweets = OK
Multiple servings a day = Not OK

So when I had the chance to try MealEnders through FitApproach, I was curious.  MealEnders are low calorie, drug and stimulant-free lozenges designed to help you stop overeating.

The lozenge has 2 layers: a sweet, outer reward layer and a cooling/tingling inner core. The outer layer provides a measured dose of “dessert," usually associated with the end of a meal. The inner core engages the trigeminal nerve (the nerve that senses “taste” sensations in the mouth) with long-lasting cooling/tingling sensations to cue the end of eating and clear the palate. I had to keep reminding myself not to chew the inner layer!

I got to try all 4 flavors: Chocolate Mint, Cinnamon, Mocha, and Citrus. The citrus and cinnamon were okay, but since those aren't usually flavors I crave for dessert, they weren't as effective. However, the mocha and chocolate mint were really tasty and definitively satisfied my sweet cravings.

While these aren't the same as savoring a nice bowl of ice cream after dinner, the taste is good, they satisfy that desire for something sweet, and mostly, they keep my mouth and mind occupied during that window after a meal when I am most likely to overindulge.

Now it is your turn, want to win a 4 pack of MealEnders (one in each flavor)? Just leave a comment below! Let me know if your family ate dessert regularly while you were growing up and if you think that influenced you. Which flavor of MealEnders sounds best to you? I will choose a winner on 3/21.

**Disclaimer: I was given this product free of charge to review. However all opinions are always my own. I'd never lie to you guys**

New Zealand March 8-10

Sunday March 8

My level of appreciation for the campervan reached new level this morning. It is the best thing ever for a person with post marathon legs: everything I need is within 2 steps! Today we headed south along the western side of the North Island. The first half of the drive was very hilly farmland, and like most drives here, we saw way more sheep and cows than people. Our first stop was a berry farm outside of Waverly. Food here is very expensive, and the best deals are the tiny produce stands on the side of the road. We've pulled over to buy avocados, kiwis, apricots, oranges, tomatoes, peacharines, and blackberries. Everything is so fresh and flavorful!

This alpaca lived at the berry farm. I named him Brownie.

We stopped in Wanganui for lunch and had a picnic on the riverside. We really liked the town: it had a lot of pretty historic buildings and artist studios. We took a nice stroll on a boardwalk along the river and watched kids swimming and men fishing. Back on the road, we made a quick U turn for a honey place which was a great choice! We tasted so many types of honey, mead, honey liquor, and honey wine. We also got giant scoops of honey ice cream. In Otaki we stopped for a walk on the beach. Like most beaches on the Tasman Sea, the surf was wild. In fact, the beach had been closed for most of the day because of high seas and debris. As we walked we could see whole trees that had washed ashore with the high tide.

Then we headed out to our camp site for the night, which turned out to be quite an adventurous ride. It was a very narrow dirt road, with washed out sections, and a good 100 ft drop off on one side down to the river. As the passenger, looking straight down the drop off I was terrified.

yep, that's a waterfall across the road 

Luckily, my brave husband forged on ahead and we eventually came to a beautiful, remote campsite, nestled in the mountains.

After a glass of pinot noir to calm my nerves, we hiked down to the river and waded around a bit. Only I was brave enough to dunk myself. It was quite invigorating to say the least.

We cooked up a tasty chicken dinner on our little stove, made a dog friend, and admire the view around us. It was a great end to our adventures on the North Island.

Monday March 9

We went for a nice tramp (aka a hike) in Otaki forks, climbing through the dense, junglelike forest before heading down to Wellington. We arrived with time to spare, so we headed up Mt. Victoria to see the view.

Wellington is the windiest city in the Southern Hemisphere and you could certainly tell! Then it was ferry time! It was a huge boat- and it took quite awhile to load and get underway. We were surprised (although we shouldn't have been given that it is NZ) that there were so many sheep being shipped across. We made up stories about the sheep heading south for a family reunion. We were lucky and got a calm day for the crossing and the views were absolutely stunning.
The trip took a little more than 3 hours and we were on the top deck the whole time because it was too pretty to go inside. I really don't think I even have the words to do it justice.

We unloaded in Picton and headed south to camp for a night at a DOC site on Rarangi Beach. The ocean was so much calmer than it was on the west coast. There was still some surf though, and I loved the sound of the rocky beach being tossed in the waves. We took a short walk up and over a cliff and found a very cool cave that echoed and boomed as the ocean rushed in. We ended the night sitting on the beach, sipping wine, and reading.

Tuesday March 10

Another morning waking to the sound of waves and the cheerful chirps of birds!

We went for a hike that started right next to our campground. It was way more challenging than we planned for- it basically headed straight up! We kept going and going hoping to find a vista for pictures, but the trees were always in our way! Nothing reminds you that you just ran a marathon more than trying to hike straight up a mountain. Then we headed out towards Nelson on the northern coast. Along the way we passed though the golden mile of wineries. Marlborough is famous for wine, so I was very sad that it was too early in the morning for any to be open!

The drive to Nelson was very rural, mostly through grassy, hilly farmland. Nelson itself was a cute little city, and we wandered around, got some lunch, and found free wifi (a miracle!). On the way out of town we passed a gorgeous sandy beach with turquoise waters and I wished we had spent our time in Nelson there instead of in the city! Then we headed into the mountains! We are finding it takes much, much longer to get places than we expected because the terrain is so mountainous. The roads are so curvy that the route on the GPS just looks like a giant squiggle.

We stopped at a couple vistas and then in the little town of Murchinson for some ice cream. The towns on the South Island are much farther apart and most of them are teeny-tiny. Luckily, even though they are small, they have ice cream! I've become a fan of the local ice cream favorite, hokey pokey, which is vanilla with balls of honeycomb toffee.




Eventually we finally came out of the mountains and got to the west coast. Like on the North Island, the Tasman sea is wild (but beautiful). We drove and drove some more, stopping only at the pancake rocks. They are these very neat limestone rocks that have been worn away into these cool towers that are totally flat on top. There are also caves and tunnels around them so the ocean booms and echoes as it washes in.

Finally around 8 pm we made it to Lake Mahinapua, our campsite for the night, surrounded by mountains. We were too tired to do anything except make and eat some ramen and go to bed.

New Zealand March 5-6

Thursday March 5th

We started the morning in Kinloch with a nice hike on the K2K trail, one of the trails that goes from town to town along the lake, and then came back for a swim.

The lake was so clear and refreshing- we swam for a long time! We decided to head towards the Waitomo district, famous for its glowworm caves. However, we discovered they were really expensive and seemed a little cheesy so we decided to head out to this remote village called Kawhia, which was supposed to be beautiful and have a hot sand beach.  It was a very twisty, hilly, long drive.

When we finally got there we weren't too impressed. There was nowhere we felt safe camping, so we decided to make the trek back out to the main road.

We were there just long enough to take a couple pictures

We retraced our route back to Te Kuiti for some fish and chips (side note: restaurants that serve both fish and chips and Chinese food are really popular here, seems weird to me) to keep us going before hitting the road again. We just kept driving and driving, looking for a good campsite. We have such a short time here, we didn't want to waste a night camping on a highway. We finally found a nice spot on the black sand beach in Mokau. It was a long day of driving!

Yes, Rory had quite a sunburn on his legs.

Friday March 6

I am so glad we pushed on yesterday until we found a good campsite. It was so nice to wake up this morning and be able to walk on the beach. The black sand seems much finer than normal sand and it is really soft. We were warned against swimming in the ocean because of riptides, but we found a little sheltered inlet for what is now our traditional morning swim.

After our walk and swim we headed back to the campervan for breakfast and the first tragedy of the trip occurred! The French press (or coffee plunger as they call it here) fell out of a high cabinet and broke. Emergency situation! I can't love without my coffee (even on vacation). Luckily it was easily fixed. I bought a coffee once we hit the road and then we bought a new French press later in the day in New Plymouth.

Once on the road, we headed south to Onaero Bay, our home base for race weekend. There was an intense rainstorm when we first arrived, but then it cleared and we got to play on the beach.

Later in the afternoon we headed into New Plymouth to find the previously mentioned French Press and to pick up my race packet. We were a bit early for the expo so we took a nice walk on a path along the water. The infrastructure here is amazing; there are wonderful biking, running, and hiking trails everywhere. 

The expo was quick and easy! Perhaps expo isn't even the right word to use. This is a tiny race, so it wasn't really an expo. It was just a hotel banquet room with a table for packet pick-up and a table for t-shirt pick-up. But it was well organized and everyone was really friendly, so it left me with a good feeling about the race.

Then we headed back to our campsite to whip up a pre-race dinner: chicken, risotto, corn, and of course, some New Zealand Pinot Noir.