the vet's Blog; Wandering NZ

First, some consistencies I am finding in New Zealand: The people. Friendly with a spirit for adventure. If not including me in the things they like to do (be that watersports, fishing or enjoying a scenic motorbike ride), they seem to be wishing they were coming along with me when I mount the fully packed bike again. The Chai tea. As you may know or have heard, Kiwis seem to hold fond appreciation for a nice cafe and coffee; they are both readily available in even the smallest stops (so far in my travels). I am not a coffee drinker, but occasionally treat myself to a chai latte----consistently good, much better than anywhere I used to get them in the States. The public bathrooms. First, it is very nice for a traveler like me to pull into a small town and have an easy to find public 'rest room' available. There seems to be very helpful information centers and public toilets in close proximity to each other, again, in even the tiniest little places towns.....a cafe, an info center, a dairy (local small grocery) and a public toilet.....but what amazes me is the cleanliness of the bathrooms in this country. IN the states, the public toilets (if you can find them) can be a terrifying experience....usually you are trying to poach some time on the throne of petrol station toilet....and they can be downright disgusting. In NZ, this goes for the cafe/restaurant/bar/campground toilets as well.....immaculately kept...and almost always with a sign posted suggesting that the toilets are cleaned regularly, but if you find them not so tidy, please alert staff or management.....nice. OK, some simple observations recorded, now on with the story.
I am having trouble embedding photos, but am still working on it, now with some help, but I think the story is more enjoyable with pictures to reference so I'll stick with links for now. The drive on the Rainbow road was particularly nice for me....remote, very few people, new and different scenery, nice trout river....
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/al...ictureid=14182
some pics with the bike...this is a motorbike enthusiast site. This site was still in the northern to mid section of the road, it was a slight narrowing section of the river. I peaked down about 3 meters to the water, and there was this huge brown trout feeding in a small eddy. I was tempted to pull the rod out and throw a fly, but decided just to keep going.
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/al...ictureid=14180

I stayed one night in Hanmer springs at the over capacity Pines campground next to 2 couples from the UK touring the South island on tandem push bikes. An adventurous way to go, and quite an achievment (sp?), but kind of limiting in terms of time and the ability to be spontaneous in terms of your route or plans....I think the motorbike offers more options although not as good for the heart. Hanmer springs is a natural hot springs set in a kind of Alpine little town that reminded me a lot of Colorado in many ways. It used to be an alcohol rehab center, a slow and sleepy town. Now the pools are more commercial and the town a tourist destination...and it was full. On the morning I was leaving, I got a hold of a vet in Christchurch who I had previously contacted about a possible locum (short term) position in his vet clinic. We learned through emails that we are both avid fly fishers and he invited me to a family BBQ on his brothers farm and some salmon fishing, then to his mountain 'batch' (vacation cabin/house) for some Canterbury high country fishing. He and his brother (both now in their 60s) grew up fishing on a farm near the mouth of the Rakaia River, and his brother owns and works a large farm in the same vicinity.
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/al...ictureid=14183
I was treated to a really nice meal with 3 generations of family from each side out on the lawn in the shade of some beautiful trees. The old farmhouse pictured above was 130 years old and a part of the local history. It used to be the largest house in the area and housed many of the workers on the farm in the late 1800s. They no longer lived in that house, but the interior wood trim was amazing.
That evening, Selwyn, Trevor and I went down to the mouth of the Rakaia for some salmon fishing....me and 2 60 something Kiwi farm brothers throwing flies at the mouth of the Rakaia for salmon and/or sea run brown trout....unfortunately no fish, the river was really dirty from the recent rains in the high country.
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/al...ictureid=14184
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/al...ictureid=14188
I stayed the night as a guest on the farm and then followed Trevor and his wife Lorraine back to ChCh where we packed up and then took off for the high country. His batch is near Coleridge Lake, an amazing turquoise color large lake. The lake is in the Rakaia valley with views of the Southern alps.
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/al...ictureid=14163
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/al...ictureid=14175
The upper Rakaia was still blown out from runoff, so we fished some of the local small lakes into the night. At 10 pm in the pouring rain, after only one fish (caught by Trevor), we quit for the day. We spent 3 days fishing the smaller lakes, battling the winds most of the time. On the last day my NZ fishing curse was broken. The sun was out the wind was smaller and I caught 4 beautiful rainbow trout, the last being about 4 lbs, the largest I've ever caught.
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/al...ictureid=14176
the big one: http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/al...ictureid=14161

We noticed this dragonfly in the grass as we were eating lunch one day.
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/al...ictureid=14165
he/she/it was alive, was not moving with much vigor.
Thanks to Dr. Trevor and Lorraine for incredible hospitality...again. I really enjoyed Trevor's little slice of heaven. Someday I'll have something like that batch in a beautiful playground such as that...one of my lifelong dreams. And the fishing curse has been lifted!
While in Christchurch, where I have been for a few days, I have been walking the town including the beautiful botanical gardens, and making some veterinary connections and learning the local veterinary politics. My trip in NZ is first and foremost a holiday and an adventure, but also a reconnaiscence (sp?) business trip of sorts. I am a veterinary specialist trying to get a feel for the market for such a thing in NZ. I have learned that there are very few, incredibly few, vet specialists in all of NZ and only one in ChCh who i met yesterday. She invited me to be part of a brain surgery on a dog in a few weeks, so I may partake in that. Anyway, that is what I have been doing for the last 2 days; learning the veterinary lay of the land so to speak.
I have met another KBer though and his partner, who also happens to be a vet. He took me out to Akaroa yesterday. It was beautiful, but hot. We did about 200 km, winding around the hills and valleys on sealed and gravel. We stopped for some breakfast at the 'Hilltop', for a walk around Akaroa, and then a cool drink in Little River (I think). We were out for about 6 hrs all together. Afterward I went for a run in the park near the gardens for a few miles. I haven't been sleeping well lately, so wanted to be really tired...didn't work, too hot for sleeping last night.

Photos from the day trip to Akaroa.
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/al...ictureid=14322
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/al...ictureid=14327

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Tomorrow looks like rain, then 4-5 days predicted sun on the West Coast. Today up to Kaikoura for the night and some sights, then back to ChCh for friday night, then off to the west for some fishing and camping/tramping on Saturday....sounds like a plan!