New Zealand | Day 2 | Christchurch to Mt. Cook | Sunday, Jan 30th 2011

Of course, since we went to bed early, we woke up at 6:30am ready to rock.  After packing up, we loaded our gear back in the car and set out for breakfast, which was amazing (you may be starting to see a recurring theme here).  We decided to check out the Canterbury Museum before leaving town because we had just missed it yesterday, and it looked like there were good exhibits.  As it turns out, we found an exhibition on the first Antarctic expeditions taking place from 1904-1916, with original artifacts and photography that has only been on display a few times in the last century.  Apparently it was on loan from the British Royal collections, and it was an incredibly rare opportunity, for which we gladly paid 30 NZD (about 23 USD). After that it was about 10:30, and time to hit the road.  We set off for the mountains and I continued to develop my other-side-of-the-road driving skills.  Now I'm to the point where I'm only iffy when making turns - it's very counterintuitive and takes a lot of getting used to.

As we continued to make progress towards Lake Tekapo, the overcast weather appeared to be breaking up.  We had lunch at the Mt. John Observatory, which is perched high above the shores of Lake Tekapo, which due to limestone in the water has an other-worldly, chalky blue color.  It was amazing even in the poor light conditions, and we agreed to go back and check it out later if the weather improves tomorrow. After a photo-op we began the final leg of our journey to Mt. Cook.  Unfortunately, the weather continued to deteriorate as we approached, and by the time we got there it was quite blustery and raining steadily.  The clouds allowed us to see just enough to be upset that it we couldn't see everything, so we are crossing our fingers for better weather tomorrow.  To pass the rest of the afternoon we checked out the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre, and hung out for a few hours at the Old Mountaineers Cafe and had dinner. The inclement weather also provided an opportunity to watch the NZ version of a Lifetime movie on one of the two TV channels in our room, so things are really looking up ;)  Hopefully we'll have better news to report tomorrow.

New Zealand | Day 1 | Christchurch | Saturday, January 29th, 2011

Well folks, we've arrived.  After a nearly flawless series of flights and a delightful trip through customs (seriously, this was the most cheerful bunch of gov't employees ever) we arrived in Christchurch - ChCh to NZers - at about noon yesterday (Saturday) and rented our car. After getting the GPS hooked up and taking a few deep breaths, I drove us downtown in the right seat of the car and the left side of the road...weird.  We made it to the hotel unscathed, parked, and set off to explore downtown.  We found an awesome pizza place called Winnie Bagoe's and enjoyed a spicy lamb pizza, which our server said was pretty hot (she wasn't lying) and it was awesome.  Upon exiting, we stumbled upon the World Buskers Festival, which is a 10 day exhibition of the world's best street entertainers that takes place annually in locations all over the city...more on that in a bit.

We decided to take a stroll down to the botanical gardens and see what there was to see. It was, of course, gorgeous, and we managed to find a nice outdoor cafe / wine bar to relax and take in the scenery.  It just so happened that there was a Buskers show taking place next door in one of the museum courtyards, so we wandered in to see what was on.  The show openers were a couple we had seen earlier in the park, and after that: Mullet Man. This gentleman put on a hilarious variety show that was punctuated by his flowing mane whipping around as he juggled and eventually mounted a 12-foot tall unicycle during the finale. Needless to say, it was magical (don't worry, we have video, we just can't upload a file of that size today). Unfortunately we had to leave at the end of his act because we were late for our dinner reservation. The culinary awesomeness continued at Cook 'n' With Gas, one of the top restaurants in ChCh. Mussels, lamb, beef, wine...and pavlova, a traditional Kiwi dessert (pictured below).

Somehow, I managed to force it down. By that time it was about 9pm (midnight back home), and we were thoroughly exhausted. We had every intention of heading back to the Buskers, but our beds were calling, and we gladly answered. Tomorrow: road trip.

Willett Hot Springs | Ojai, CA | 21 miles | Jan 15-17, 2011

I guess since I finally made the blog, I might as well use it.  Last weekend, Clark and I had a 3-day weekend due to the MLKJr holiday, and magically, the weather produced a 75-80 degree weekend here along the central coast (which has been quite chilly and waterlogged since mid-December). During the previous weekend, we had explored the area and picked up maps (yes, plural) from the Wheeler Springs Visitor Center (more info on essentials below). 

Armed with my maps and google, I found a few viable options for a 3-day backpacking excursion. After careful consideration - primarily based on the fact that we actually had to function (i.e. walk without being in pain) at work this week - we chose Willett Hot Springs, a 20-ish mile out-and-back with the added bonuses of hot springs and a river running alongside us the whole route.

We set out towards Ojai on Saturday morning, with the intention of picking up our Adventure Pass at the aforementioned visitor center.  It was, of course, closed despite the assurances the volunteer had given us the previous weekend that it would be open and ready to assist us. Luckily, due to my failure to clean out Blue before we left, we had an unused pass from our earlier visit in the back seat. We continued on to the trailhead, where we found about 30 other vehicles - a potential trip killer. Thankfully, we found out that most people only hike a short way down the trail before turning around.  They probably get discouraged by the half-dozen 1-2' deep water crossings in the first mile of the trail - but not us. No, we slogged our way through the chilly Sespe to the first trail junction, and the only folks we saw after that were a couple of older gentlemen who had day-hiked in with little more than a water bottle (seriously, they weren't even wearing shirts).  Their only warning was that there was a Boy Scout troop encamped near the springs.

Knowing that we only had to go 9 1/2 miles to get to our destination, I figured we would easily make it before sundown with time to spare...not exactly.  We had to make several more river crossings, and though I loathe to admit it, I had to use the GPS once to re-locate the trail because some joker put up deceiving yellow ribbons. By the time we reached mile 7, we had about an hour of light remaining, and had to make one last river crossing to Oak Flat campground, where we found the Boy Scouts.  Mercifully, they had crossed the river a bit farther down and taken over a spot where they were out of audiovisual range.

We set up camp, enjoyed a delightful dinner of Mountain House BBQ beef wraps (translation: sloppy joes in tortillas), and watched the stars come out. Then, it was 6:30, and it was getting cold. That's definitely one of the disadvantages to "winter" camping: the shortened daylight hours. Hence, we retired to the tent and attempted to sleep for 12 hours. Between it being brisk and having to use the rotisserie method (rotating 90 degrees in your bag at least twice an hour to get comfortable and avoid numbness in the extremities) I'm sure I got at least a 50% return on that investment.

The next morning, we awoke to another beautiful day, and set off for the remaining 2.5 miles of the journey to Willett. During the hour and a half hike, we saw at least a dozen people outbound (it was Sunday) which was fantastic because we knew we would likely have the springs all to ourselves. We found the area along the river deserted and got a choice site, complete with fire ring and flat tent spot. After a rest and some fantastic seafood chowder, we headed up to the springs.

The .6 mile path was relatively steep and a bit precarious at times, but the reward was a large plastic tub with warm, sulphurous spring water.  We spent a majority of our time discussing how they got that pool up there and commenting on its ingenious filling and drainage system (and wondering if we would contract any diseases from the particles floating in the water). I am happy to report that no rashes or other symptoms have presented themselves after one week :)

We returned to camp, and as the sun was going down the wind picked up in the valley. Keeping the fire going was out of the question, and again we retired to the tent.  Now, I'm all for nature and serenity, but it was like 6 p.m. So, we used some 550 cord and suspended my iPhone in the tent where we proceeded to watch The Hangover and The Rocker back-to-back. Don't even act like you wouldn't have done the same. 

Somehow, the overnight temp managed to stay above 50, which was great for sleeping, but indicative of a balmy day to come.  Monday didn't dissapoint. As we broke camp it was already at least 70, and as we set off at 8:30 we both knew that it was going to be a warm one. The first 4 miles flew by, but by mile 8, we were both hurting.  On a gatorade stop, I checked the GPS and figured we were less than a mile away from the trailhead. With the 85+ degree temp and sun beating down on us, the final 6 frigid water crossings were more refreshing than anything.  We arrived at the car by 1:30, and immediately proceeded to Taco Bell for a victory meal.  It was awesome, just in case you're wondering.



TRIP ESSENTIALS

In case anybody else ever wanted to go, here's what you need to know:
- Get a map. Try Tom Harrison's Sespe Wilderness Trail Map.
- Bring water shoes or spare tennis shoes for river crossings (may not apply in summer months)
- You need an Adventure Pass ($5 or $30 annually) and a CA fire permit (free) for campfires.
- Wear sunscreen. The trail is very exposed for all but about 1/2 mile in the middle.
- Water is available all along the river, but make sure you purify before drinking.
- There are multiple campsites along the river, and all have pre-existing fire rings.

Length: 20-ish miles out and back to Willett Hot Springs
Elevation: starts at Piedra Blanca TH - 3100', Willett camp is 2260', elevation varies throughout.
Difficulty: the guidebook says "easy to moderate" you can take that literally. It starts out flat and easy and works its way into moderate. We were only "feeling the burn" on one or two climbs plus the hike up to the actual springs themselves.
Navigation: trail is easy to follow and well marked for the most part. Tricky at river crossing after Bear Creek Camp. No signs point the way to Willett Hot Springs, a good map is essential for getting the lay of the land. GPS will never hurt.
Getting there: Take Hwy 33 out of Ojai, past Wheeler Gorge Visitor Center (allegedly open 9-3 on weekends, the other Ranger Station is in Ojai on the main drag just outside of 'downtown' on the left only open M-F 9-4:30.) continue on another 10-15 minutes and take a right onto Rose Valley Road. Go past the work camp, the gun club, and the campground turnoff. Follow signs for Piedra Blanca trailhead.

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This is our New Zealand travel blog. Check back daily(ish) for new pics and descriptions of our trip activities.