Middle Earth Adventures

McCrain's in Middle Earth
A travel dialogue of our adventures in New Zealand

In February 2004, Jim and Kathy McCrain began a five month oddessy in New Zealand. Kathy was transferred to Auckland for a temporary work assignment, and Jim followed her for moral support. (Isn't he just the greatest husband?) What follows is Jim's account of this adventure.

A Trip to the South Island!

July 17, 2004

Today, Kathy and I started our two-week whirlwind tour of the South Island of New Zealand. We started out with a quick one-hour flight from Auckland to Christchurch, and then a quick shuttle ride to Maui Rentals. Yes, we rented a campervan! No fancy hotels for us, No Sir! We will be roughing it. Sure, the campervan has a sink with running water, a stove, refrigerator, toaster, and hot water kettle, but there is no toilet, and it has a standard transmission! So not only do I get to drive on the left side of the road, with the steering wheel on the right side of the car, but I also get to shift gears with my left hand! Wish me luck, and say a prayer for Kathy! We are on the road!

Since we didn’t get an early start, we only drove for a few hours today. Still, during those few hours, we DID see a lot of stunning scenery. One of my favorite sites today was along McKenzie Pass. At the crest of the pass was a wonderful monument erected in 1917, to the first Anglo to see the area, and with a great message of hope for the future. It reads: "O Ye who enter the portals of the Mackenzie to found homes, take the word of a child of the misty gorges, and plant forest trees for your lives. So shall your mountain facings and river flats be preserved to your children's children and forever more."

My other favorite site was right AFTER we crested the pass, and could see the full expanse of the Southern Alps opening up before us! It was breath-taking!

After a little driving, we were hungry, so we stopped in the town of Cave for a quick bite to eat. We ate in the “Cave Arms” pub, and had some very good “Irish Stew” and a very nice draught of local beer. Quite Tasty! After dinner, we ended up in the little town of Fairlie. (Don’t worry. I only had the one beer, and was quite sober for the 30 minute drive to Fairlie!)

Fairlie is a quaint little town that reminds me a lot of Ouray, Colorado. Both are in a mountain setting, and the local people are tremendously friendly. Upon checking in at the “Top 10 Holiday Park”, we were invited to join the locals for the opening night of their ice-skating rink! They have a natural ice-rink that has not frozen-over for about the last 10 years. We just happened to be in town when it had been cold enough to freeze, and got to see some of the local kids experience ice skating for the very first time. We were made to feel quite welcome and “at home” by everyone, and answered a bunch of questions about who we are and what we were doing in town. Kathy and I stepped out onto the ice with great trepidation, but were soon “old pros” at falling down and laughing along with everyone else. It was a great evening, and a perfect end to our first night.

The Adventure Begins!