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.

"Low Trouble, High Adventure"

July 24, 2004

We spent last night in the town of Franz Joseph. And let me tell you, we were glad to make it there. You see, right as the sun was beginning to set, and some of the mountain passes were being shrouded in shadow, we hit a small patch of ice. Now before you go saying “Jim was driving reckless!” let me state for the record that I was going about 40 kilometers per hour UNDER the speed limit, shifting gears into a LOWER gear, and had both hands on the wheel. Once the van stopped spinning, Kathy and I caught our breath and checked our shorts! Thankfully, I have literally driven over a million miles in my lifetime, and all those years of driving trucks for a living gave me the right skills to avoid an accident. Still, my heart was beating pretty fast for a few minutes. But, no harm was done, nothing was hit, and only my ego was bruised. “Black ice” can happen in any country!

To celebrate life and living, today we decided to do something VERY safe. We took a helicopter ride over the tops of several of the glaciers and mountains. There is nothing like skimming along a knife-edged ridge line at an altitude of only about 300 feet, in a vehicle that has no wings! Neither Kathy or I had ever been in a helicopter, so this was a true thrill for both of us. I also finally got to show Kathy UP CLOSE just how beautiful a glacier and an ice-fall can be, as well as how scary they can be when you look straight down into a crevasse. The added bonus of seeing the climbing routes of Mt. Tasman and Mt. Cook was spectacular! I can’t wait to get back into the mountains again! Of course, for the rest of the trip, every time we see a helicopter ride offered, I am sure we will be very tempted to take it!



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