Paheka is the Maori word for non-Maori. It is not usually intended to be derogatory. It's supposed to mean "foreign" although it can also mean "flea" or "pest".
This far south, the sun stays up really late. We can still read 12 point type outdoors by the dimming light at 9:30 PM. So we’re often out hiking or doing stuff until the sun goes down, then we realize that the restaurants have been closed for an hour, and the backpacker receptionists locked up shop two hours ago. So we show up at our destinations after dark, depriving the managers of much needed rest. We keep hoping to find a place that doesn’t have a 10:00 AM check out time, but it hasn’t happened yet. This further cramps our style as well as that of the manager, who is always very eager to get the sheets off our bed and into the laundry at the stroke of 10.
Blat is the Kiwi word for driving fast. Considering how much blatting is going on here, it’s surprising we don’t see more accidents. We did see the aftermath of two rather spectacular ones. A garbage truck missed a turn going down a mountain road, and sailed off the road, over a ravine, and landed shiny side up about 100 meters from the road. On another mountain road, a tandem logging train lost its load of tree trunks on an outside curve. They tore away the guard rail and tumbled far down the hill. When we got there, chains were being lowered down the hill to haul the lumber back up. Oops.
We rarely see one of the gaudy orange, navy and white police cars. We do see signs at every car park warning us to “Lock it or Lose It”. Sometimes the signs give more details on the dangers of leaving stuff exposed in the car. We usually comply, but crime doesn’t appear to be a big problem here.
We also don’t see any evidence of homelessness. It is really a relief to walk around touristy places and not be accosted by panhandlers. We wonder how the Kiwis are able to provide social services, health care and good roads with a much smaller budget than the U.S. has. I guess it goes to show what can be accomplished when money isn’t wasted on pointless wars.
Most of the tourists are Kiwis and Aussies. We finally have started to see some U.S. Americans now that we are on the South Island. One shop keeper told us she thought the U.S. workers must have the longest vacations in the world, and was shocked to find we have the shortest. When a Yank only gets two weeks off per year, I guess it makes sense to concentrate on the razzle dazzle glaciers and fiords of the South Island. Lord of the Rings fans have flocked here to see the movie sets near Queenstown. I have read that many of the sets have been digitally enhanced and it takes a lot of imagination to see what is shown in the movies.
People in the tourism industry are very worried about the U.S. economy, and many people have asked us when we think it might turn around. They tell us that since the financial industry upheaval in September, they are receiving booking cancellations, and tourists are only booking one month out instead of a year in advance.
There’s something to be said for letting the world vote in the U.S. elections, given that what happens in the U.S. has a profound effect on the rest of the world. If the world voted, we would probably have a better informed electorate and a better quality of government.
We rolled into Te Anau just before dark, of course, but Bob at Bob and Maxine’s Backpacker took it in stride and cheerfully showed us around the kitchen and to our room, a twin ensuite for NZ$75. Bob is especially proud of his wood pile stacked four feet high all around his buildings. The firewood was made from several types of trees he felled himself and split with a hydraulic splitter. Steve is pretty proud of his own wood pile, and though he had to admit it pales next to Bob’s, he was very impressed.
The exchange rate is shifting in the Kiwis’ favour. NZ$1 = US$0.564.
Thanksgiving lunch was eaten under an umbrella on the sunny sidewalk outside The Fat Duck in Te Anau. Baked sole and rice. We always read the wine menus, and I don’t think they ever have anything but Kiwi wine. We passed on the Sauvignon Blanc Mount Difficulty Roaring Meg (from Central Otago) described as follows: “Displays tropical fruit flavours intermingled with cut grass and dried hay.” I believe this is the wine of choice for New Zealand’s many sheep.
Te Anau (tey-AH-now) is sort of a strange, new, concrete and stucco town next to the enormous lake that shares its name. It seems to lack soul and character. All the shops and restaurants are along two blocks of the main street. A park is next to the lake along with some boats to take tourists to the glow worm caves. A Mitre 10 Solutions, a big box home repair store, is one block away from the main street. Beautiful tree covered, snow capped mountains surround the town. There’s no recent sign of the ubiquitous logging.
