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I wrote this blog about a week ago, but in the busy whirlwind surrounding our arrival into Australia, I was only able to post it just now.

On an expedition around the world, not to mention a driving expedition, there are bound to be problems that pop up from time to time. We still do not have the Toyotas yet, although they are scheduled to arrive in Australia on April 7th which i guess is good news… at least we know when we might be able to expect them. In the meantime, we rented a Mazda station wagon to act as our chariot while we were in New Zealand. The story behind the Mazda is quite interesting because when we first tried to book the vehicle, the company did not have any available, however, at the last minute they were able to find a wagon for us. It just so happens that the people who rented it before were actually con artists traveling around the country defrauding stores out of merchandise and ended up stealing the car to use as their base of operations. The police found the car the day before we rented it and aside from a few new dents in the doors, the car seemed to be in good working order.

 

A few times throughout the two weeks we had the car, some of the indicator lights on the dashboard would pop on every now and then. First it was the battery light, then the airbag light, then the ABS light. We didn’t pay much attention to it as it went off after a few minutes and none of them really came back on all that frequently. Well, there is this certain law that many attribute to a man named Murphy that always seems to come into play at the most inopportune times. It was our last day in New Zealand and we were making the 400km drive from Queenstown back to Christchurch to catch our flight to Australia the next day. Whilst enjoying some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, the car started to lurch as I drove over over a pass near Mt. Cook. We didn’t seem to think much of it, but the lurch turned into the speedometer failing, the radio going out and the car not responding to the application of the gas pedal. I pulled over, turned the car off and the problem seemed to have resolved itself.  We proceeded down the road, but about 5 minutes later, it was obvious that there were some serious electrical or related issues going on with the car.

We limped into the small town of Omarama just in time for the car to completely die. After a quick diagnosis by the local mechanic (who’s name also happened to be Steve - probably why he was able to discern the problem so quickly) he informed us that the alternator was completely shot and that it would be about 3 days turnaround on the repair. Given that we had an international flight in less than 24 hours, we called the rental car company to see what could be done to solve the problem. After some heated conversation (with a guy from the company who also happened to be Steve - enter the Twilight Zone) and some frustration, the rental company decided that they wanted us to try and make it as close to Christchurch as possible. The solution: put a new battery in the car and run entirely off of the battery. The car company was convinced that we could make it the 300 km to Christchurch but Steve the mechanic was convinced that we would only make it a couple of hours which would still put us a ways out. To make matters worse, it was raining out and about to get dark and running the wipers and the headlights in addition to driving would exponentially reduce the battery’s life. The solution presented by the rental car company: turn the lights off when there are no other cars around!

After Steve (the mechanic) put a new battery in the car and convinced that we would only make it to Timaru before the battery died and have to go about finding another replacement,we pulled out. At the last minute, Steve the mechanic received a call from Steve at the rental company and they decided to give us another spare battery just in case. It also happens that we have a mechanical genius of our own on the crew and his name is Brian Chap. Brian informed us that if we put Rainex on the windscreen, we would probably not have to use the wipers.  With two new batteries in hand and Rainex on the window we headed on our way. Exactly 1 hour and 55 minutes later the battery was dead (score 1 for mechanic Steve) and we were still about 185km from Christchurch. Brian quickly changed the replacement and we were off. By that time it was getting dark and we drove as long as we could without the lights. Once the headlights were needed we disconnected the right headlight in order to conserve more battery power… another idea from Brian. With the second battery, the Rainex (which really worked) and the half headlight/driving in the dark technique, we made it to Christchurch. From this moment on, Brian is called "El Capitan" and we have the first of, without a doubt many, interesting car stories under our belt.

We have new photos up!!!

Check out some photos of Franz Joseph Glacier in New Zealand.

Check out some photos of Sydney Australia.

I have done a few crazy things in my life and have been known to push the edge a little bit from time to time when prompted, but I have to say that today presented one of those thrill seeking moments that truly struck fear into my core. Queenstown New Zealand is home to some pretty crazy things. You can hurl yourself off a bridge (done that) hurl yourself off a pod (done that) jump out of a plane (done that), drive strait towards a rock in a jetboat a top speed through a narrow canyon (done that). However, I have never been more nervous about my own personal safety… even though there is absolutely nothing to worry about… than in the few moments before taking the plunge off the Shotover Canyon Swing.

The swing consists of a 50 meter freefall (that’s over 15 stories) and then another 60 meter controlled fall before swinging through a 200 meter arc. Now you might be saying, it is a swing and it is not so bad, but the staff at the Canyon Swing do their best to ensure that even the most courageous at heart get weak in the knees. There are several different options each jumper has available to “assist” you off of the platform perched high above the Shotover river canyon floor. Here are just a few:

Bin Laden- Staff tie your hands behind your back and put a bucket over your head before they push you off.

Cutaway- While hanging from the rigging in your harness, staff cut a small piece of rope holding you back… your weight determines how long you suffer.

Gimp Boy- You are hanging upside down ready for a fast rush of ground speed before staff send you on your way.

Elvis Cuttaway- Hanging from your back, your feet are crossed over the harness and you emulate the king on the way down.

Pin Drop- Staff “assist” you sideways off the platform with your hands behind your back.

The Chair- You are strapped to a chair and lean backwards until gravity sends you on your way.

Indian Rope Trick- You leave the platform and use your own strength to hang from a rope for as long as long as you can while being heckled from the crowd.

Off course there are several different variations and the boys at the platform are willing to let you try pretty much anything within reason… and reason has a whole different definition down here.

Wanting to totally freak myself out, I chose the chair release method. I guess I figured if I could not see it coming, it wouldn’t be as bad. I would eating those words with hot sauce on them in about 10 minutes time. Not knowing when you are going to drop or how, your mind starts to play some serious mental tricks on you. You know that you are going to be o.k., but there is a little part of your brain, that part that has been genetically programmed to ensure your survival, that reminds you that what

you are about to do should theoretically kill you. This, compounded by the fun loving staff who are trying to convince you that they are also going to kill you makes you wish you had used the bathroom before you hiked down to the platform.

Sitting in the chair trying to get the “balance point” right and build up my confidence to lean back took about 6 or 7 minutes. When I finally got the nerve and leaned back, the staff caught me shouting “oh no, oh no!” as if something were about to go terribly wrong. I immediately looked up just in time to watch them let me go so I thought I was done for. Like I said before, I had never been more terrified. The freefall that followed is just that, and unlike bungy, you actually accelerate as you drop on the swing and by the time you hit the arc you are going about 150km. Once I realized I was not going to smash my body on the rock face below, I caught my breath and enjoyed one hell of a ride.

The pics do it some justice and the video is hilarious (stay tuned) but you had to have been there to truly understand what happened today. It was hands down one of the scariest yet amazing things I have ever done. On the second jump I did a superman leap which wasn’t as climactic as the chair, but just as fun. No matter what you do, the Canyon Swing is hands down the thrill of a lifetime.

We have been here in New Zealand for a little over 2 weeks now and have been on the road here for just as long. Getting used to driving a right hand drive car on the left hand side of the road is actually not that difficult although they do have a few yielding laws that make absolutely no sense at all and only exist here in NZ. I think the more difficult test will come when we have our Toyotas which are left hand drive in countries where the roads are as well… hopefully some old habits will not lead to any serious lapses in focus.

It also happens that the other day while driving on our way to Fox Glacier I got pulled over by a police officer just south of Hokitika. After thinking that we were getting pulled over as a result of Shoppman not wearing a seatbelt, the officer informed me that he had clocked me at 115. (Don’t worry Mom, this is in kilometers per hour) It wasn’t that big of a deal, the speed limit was 100 and after a glance at my out-of-country license and some words of caution, he let me go. This little encounter got us both thinking… how many times would we be pulled over during the course of the expedition and in how many countries and for what different types of reasons.  I guess the official tally has started.

"Things just work differently here, things just work differently here, things just work differently here," I continue to remind myself.

The difficulty and benefit of travel is that you have the opportunity immerse yourself in other cultures, traditions and general systems of existence.  These days I have become very used to the spoils of home.  In the United States we have many amenities that have not even made their way to some ends of the earth.  I know deep down this is a great thing.  The slower pace at which many other places move is something that we can all learn and benefit from.

I certainly enjoy the warm hello and willingness to have a conversation before the transaction of the day here in New Zealand.  Whether you are about to check into a hotel or trying to purchase a new shirt, Kiwis are generally interested in what you have going on.  I would expect at least double to triple the time to check into a hotel here, many times due to a lengthy conversation with the owner (most hotels here are privately owned) about where I am going and what I am up to.  I appreciate this.  It is a much nicer way to handle business by exchanging a few kind words instead of just exchanging money.

There can be a downside as well.  I am frustrated, I will admit it.  The general response to the question "Do you have wireless intenet access?" is a puzzled look. I am in a hotel and have a ton of photos and blogs that need to go up on the internet, and I cannot even find out if there may be somewhere in town to connect so that I can upload content.  In the end I know that I am just tired.  Since I started the day trying to deal with the final painstaking details of shipping the vehicles then climbed around on a glacier all day and finally drove for three hours only to have this response, it is very difficult to keep a positive attitude.  Worn down and tired, the last thing you want is more adversity.

The answer that I want as an American is, "Yes sir, we don’t have that, but I will find out what it is and get it right away."  After a good night sleep and the Wildfoods Festival ahead of us tomorrow here in Hokitika, I am sure I will return to being charmed with the culture surrounding me.  For now, I will go to bed with a grudge like a little baby…and that is that.