new zealand highlights: milford sound

If you haven't been to Milford Sound, your New Zealand experience is utterly and totally incomplete, and you will have to keep coming back until you finally get to see it. Granted, it is a bit out of the way, with Te Anau being the nearest town (and supermarket and petrol station) and a 2 hour drive away, but that drive takes you through some spectacular scenery and is much more a pleasure than an inconvenience. The extremely intelligent but cheeky keas hanging out by the Homer Tunnel along provide more than enough entertainment.

We didn't manage to visit it last year when we were doing our South Island trip by buses; it was too expensive for us to get there from Queenstown, which was the furthest south we went. But this time, equipped with our trusty 4WD Spaceship (not that you necessarily need a 4WD to get to Milford; the roads are excellent) we have managed to make the visit. The one little downer was the hordes of tourists in buses that were being shuttled to Milford Sound for multiple cruises (there are 4 different companies pretty much offering the same cruise), but if you hang around long enough most of them just do the cruise at about 1pm and then clear off in the buses back to Te Anau/Queenstown again.

I've been to the fiord once before, when I was 8, and had amazing memories of still waters, towering snow-capped mountains and dolphins leaping about along with the ship. I had been very disappointed at not having been able to visit again last year, and so this year was determined to really experience Milford with a vengeance (or as much of a vengeance as I could on limited athletic/outdoorsy enthusiasm and funds). So we not only did a cruise (which, to be honest, we only did because we wanted to check out the underwater observatory, which then turned out to be slightly underwhelming) but we also signed up to do a kayaking trip. I've only kayaked once before, and I STILL can't swim, so I will admit to slightly disturbed dreams of capsizing or being eaten by killer sharks the night before, but the morning was beautiful and calm, the kayaking guides friendly and the view just spectacular, so that I think even if I HAD been eaten by a killer shark it wouldn't have been the worst way to go.

In a cruise ship you see the fiords, the mountains and the water, but you're in this massive metal cocoon with hot tea and coffee with the captain's commentary crackling over the PA system, and somehow while you marvel at the sights you're still not seeing it in the right perspective as the extreme wonder and miracle it all is. In a kayak, so very close to the water staring up around you, you properly appreciate how small you are in comparison to this world, and how towering and awesome the fiord is. Truly, the mountains are so massive that they completely distort your perceptions of distance, and something that you think is 3km away is really 9.5km away! My senses simply could not quite grasp the vastness and size of the environment I found myself in, and that was a much-needed reminder of how insignificant I am compared to the land; when I am long gone they will still be there, silent and still.

Another thing you get to see in Milford is the wildlife. The sound is home to juvenile male NZ fur seals, yellow-crested penguins, Southern bottle-nosed dolphins and many more besides. The biodiversity of the temperate rainforests growing on the steep, rocky inclines is off the charts. As we kayaked we found ourselves right along a fur seal swimming and playing by the rocks, just a metre away. We weren't lucky enough to have dolphins swimming right against the kayaks, but our guide told us that it happens from time to time.

Milford City (as some call it) is in itself tiny, tiny, tiny. There are only 150 inhabitants, all of them in the tourism industry, working in Milford's one cafe/bar, on the cruise ships, or guides. They are self-sufficient in terms of water and electricity, taking it from one of the 2 permanent waterfalls in the sound. It seems a simple and contented life that I somewhat envy, although I will admit that I am not outdoorsy enough to be able to take living in Milford for a long amount of time, cut off from cinemas, a variety of food choices and fast Internet.

We stayed a night in Milford, and so far I believe that to be the highlight of this whole trip.

travel blog.

WRITTEN ON 24 NOVEMBER 2009 USING WRITEROOM, IN THE BACK OF A SPACESHIP:

So this is day 8 of my road trip in the South Island in a campervan-esque vehicle called a Spaceship. Our particular Spaceship's name is R2D2, which is a bit of a let down from the anticipated TARDIS that I thought I was going to get, but I have since warmed to this slightly clunky orange beast, and we have agreed that it is better than all the other Spaceships we have seen so far (all with space-related names, some more obvious than others).

We have already been to (in order) Christchurch, Akaroa, Geraldine, Timaru, Oamaru, Dunedin, the Otago Peninsula and we are in the Catlins with about 2 more weeks of travelling ahead of us. If you look at a map of NZ, we've done pretty much a good part of the southeast coast, and are going to start heading up the west. We have been visually assaulted with amazing lush green scenery and challenged by ridiculously curvy roads, and have greatly adapted to living in a car, so much so that I think I could (with time) start to be accustomed to life as a Gypsy. Definitely, we have played around with the idea of driving off into the sunset with R2D2 and hiding out in NZ's remote corners so we can never be located again (except for the odd times when we stop to try to call our mothers for news and gossip).

In Dunedin we had the pleasure of going to visit Cadbury World, which Luke insists is not as good as the original one in Birmingham, but was more than good enough for me. To be honest, any place that admits to containing over 20 tonnes of chocolate in a single machine at any one time is good enough for me. Our little chiller is now well-stocked with chocolate samples doled out by cheerful tour guides dressed in Cadbury purple dungarees and wearing hairnets, which make them look rather like classic Oompa-Loompas with a different colour scheme.

We have also been able to enjoy a Victorian Fete in Oamaru, and look around at the market where I got a knitted doll of one of the Bananas in Pyjamas (admittedly anachronistic against the theme of the weekend) and a little-known Louisa May Alcott book that promises to be appropriately gothic and scandalous.

Another thing that we have enjoyed is having the opportunity to see wild animals up close (or about as close as you're going to be able to get) in their natural habitats. We have seen blue penguins (the smallest in the world), yellow-eyed penguins (the largest to live in temperate zones), sea lions, royal albatross and New Zealand fur seals, mostly to be found on the Otago Peninsula, which is therefore cemented in my mind as Animal Central. Of course, everywhere you go, THERE WILL BE SHEEP. Apparently there are 14 million sheep in NZ at any one time, a number which doubles over the spring and then suddenly drops back to 14 million after Christmas. Vegans would probably cry over this fact, but most of the people in the tour bus just laughed in a strictly non-cruel way.

Last night at a Department of Conservation campsite in Purakaunui Bay I managed to step straight into a mudhole/bog/swamp on the way back from the long-drop toilets (not as disgusting as it sounds). If I didn't have OCD before, I have it now. I had to rinse my feet, wipe them down with tissue, clean them with antibacterial handy wipes, disinfect them with hand sanitizer and rub them with chocolate-scented body lotion (courtesy of Cadbury World) before I would go to bed. I performed all those processes multiple times, and still secretly believe that I will never be clean again. The truth, though, is that after all that sanitizer, my feet are actually the cleanest they have ever been in my whole life.

The Catlins, at the moment, has proved to be more green than in my imagination of fairy-like sun rays and sparkling blue pools of water with nymphs sunbathing, and is VERY F**KING WINDY. I spend a lot of time sitting in the safety of R2D2 peering out the dusty window at the coast, because opening the door means exposing myself to the evil, evil howling winds that always seem to be in the opposite direction from the one I am facing. It is as if Mother Nature herself wants to point out the inappropriate and messy length of my unkempt hair, which is due for a cutting the minute I get back to Wellington.

All in all, this trip is pretty cool although not as good for my screenwriting work as the previous one was. I would say I wish you guys were all here, but the Spaceship really only has room for two.

being 21.

My 21st birthday has been and gone with very little fuss, and I have to say that it didn't (and doesn't) feel anything like the "landmark" birthday it is. I suppose my 21st marks very little in my life; I've already moved out of home (in fact, 21 is probably going mark my moving back home), I've already got a degree and completed an Honours degree, and I've been quite a bit of an old soul for a long time. I don't drink (plus I'm not in America) and I'm a citizen of a country where elections are, to be honest, a bit of a joke. There is really very little that I can do at age 21 that I haven't already been doing.

Although my actual birthday itself wasn't much to holler about, I have to disagree with the cliche that is the statement "it all goes downhill from here!" Unless my childhood was a lot shittier than everyone else's, I have to declare that the statement is decidedly untrue. At 21 I am finding myself at a point where I actually have the power to choose my own path in life, which is a privilege many people do not have. Looking forward I see so many possibilities and looking behind I see people who love and support me no matter what. If being a grown-up means more responsibility, financial woes and emotional heartache, it's only a small price to pay.

grown-up choices.

If I were to be cliched I would say that I am now standing at the crossroads of my life, although it is more like a T-junction with slightly wonky traffic lights. No longer am I a child trying to decide between plain or peanut M&Ms; I am now at a point in my life where my decisions will probably have long-term consequences, and affect more than disappointed tastebuds.

Right now I have a one-way ticket back home to Singapore after Christmas, but opportunities have arisen for me to possibly stay in NZ if I wish. Today I applied for a role in a production I desperately, desperately want to work on, and I almost don't want to get a response in case it's no. I fretted over the cover letter (or email, rather, seeing I only got an email address to apply to) for ages, worrying about tone, level of desperation, etc. My prayer of getting a shot to work on this production has become a mental mantra running on a constant loop that will probably never stop until I get an answer.

So many things could happen, depending on circumstances and chance, and I have no idea where to go. In a way I thank my lucky stars that I even have choices, that I have these opportunities that so many people never get to have. But at the same time it is difficult to make a choice precisely because there is no clear distinction between the choices. There is no bad choice, and no good choice, no black or white to help me find my way. My fear of regret holds me on the brink, loathe to say anything that will make things certain and concrete, because I am holding out on the hope that at the last moment something will happen to make it all crystal clear and simple, making my choice obvious. But I have a feeling it will not be so very easy. This time Life will want me to pay my dues and act like the grown-up that I am trying to be. This, my 21st year, will be a time of dilemma and tough decisions that will shape the rest of my life.

Help.

wellington highlights: l'affaire au chocolat

Right, so I've only been to this place once, today. But my experience was so lovely that I felt it deserved to be one of my Wellington highlights.

Today I headed to Berhampore to return my work shirt. That mission was unsuccessful, but afforded me the opportunity to visit L'affaire au Chocolat, a delightful chocolaterie with exquisite products.

Now, the place only opens 10am - 5:30pm on Wednesdays to Fridays and 10am - 4pm on Saturdays, but if you've got time on one of those days it is very much well worth the visit. It's at 464 Adelaide Road, Berhampore, so it's not in the most convenient of places for those without cars, but there's a regular bus to that area, and on a beautiful day (like today was) walking there from town can be a pleasant journey.

The owner, a dedicated chocolate connoisseur, makes her own chocolates in the store and knows exactly what is good and how to make chocolate taste the best it can. None of that mass-produced and processed supermarket chocolate is to be found at L'affaire au Chocolat (no offence to Cadbury and any other supermarket brands, I like you guys too). Instead, there are homemade chocolates blended with a series of other delightful flavours such as chili, honey, cardamom, etc. I got a hot chocolate that was made up not of drinking chocolate powder, but of true melted chocolate and steamed milk, with a touch of mixed chili spices which gave it just the kick it needed (for those who aren't fond of chili you can also pick other flavours such as cardamom and certain other things that slipped my mind - I was distracted by the vat of melted chocolate at the time). It was absolutely delicious, and as I walked back down Adelaide towards the Wellington CBD passers-by could see me pathetically scraping the bottom of the paper cup with my little plastic teaspoon trying to get every last bit of chocolate before reaching a waste bin. None of that super-sweet chocolate topped with whipped cream that you get at ordinary cafes (not that I don't enjoy those too), this was real chocolate, intense and flavoursome and punchy. Mmmm...

While at L'affaire au Chocolat I also managed to get Indonesian cocoa beans dipped in milk chocolate:

I also got to try Moroccan (well, I think they were Moroccan, I'm telling you I was totally dizzy from the amount of chocolate surrounding me) cocoa beans, which were much darker and bitterer in taste. Anyway, I've never had cocoa beans before, and it was incredible. Nothing like going straight to the source, eh?

Another big find was this:

That's right, kiddos. 100% Chocolate. Up till today I had only ever seen as high as 85% from the likes of Green & Black and Lindt in the supermarkets. But this is 100% from Pralus, a French chocolatier. Now, I am not really a chocolate connoisseur (although I do hope to be), but just looking at the chocolate and at the website one can tell that Quality Chocolate Lives Here. I haven't even unwrapped it because I can't help feeling in awe of my proximity to "designer" chocolate, and also I am afraid that the intensity of 100% will just kill me. But I am willing and excited to risk my tastebuds for chocolate.

To sum up, if you live in Wellington, but haven't paid a visit to L'affaire au Chocolat, your Wellington (and gastronomical) experience is incomplete. After all, this is the shop that led to me ringing my boyfriend in Auckland, yelling down the line, "THE CHOCOLATE SHOP IS MAGIC! IT'S ALL MADE OF MAGIC!"

P.S. Also remember, cocoa is actually good for you.