Back in the Vortex
Well, the vortex has sucked us back in. We are back in CHC taking advantage of the free internet at the Antarctic Center and getting car parts. Internet places want $10 to put digital photos on a CD and these computers use 98 so working with images from a card reader is difficult.
Abel and Jimi are doing well. Jimi’s stalks are getting tough with all the movement but his leaves are getting a little yellow with the last of consistent sun exposure. Abel has been having problems. We got a used battery because the old one wasn’t holding charge. After a couple of days the new one wasn’t charging either. We brought it to a shop here in CHC and they put a new regulator in it and ever since it has been working great. We also went to a junk yard that specializes in van parts. We got all kinds of accessories that were either missing or broken to make it look a little nicer for resale.
The music festival, Destination, was OK. The weather was not great and we got stuck there because the road was muddy. It the breaks of sun we explored the area. There was some great rock climbing and spectacular views of the Southern Alps. After the festival we had plans to go hiking from Aurthur’s pass. The weather was not %100 so we opted to keep moving. We went to the west coast and then back over the mountains at Lewis Pass (lead photo. We had an amazing day of hiking before going back to the east coast. We spent a couple of days in the town of Kaikoura on the east coast where you can see fur seals up close.
We are a little behind schedule. Next we plan to go south to Mt. Cook and Wanaka to do some more hiking before the season catches up with us. Yesterday it was HOT here in CHC which was a pleasant surprise. We will be leaving CHC as soon as I am done with this.
Tags: New Zealand 2004
Luke