People say the journey is more important than the destination. We often learn in the process of trying to get somewhere, and we need that experience for when we reach that destination. Perhaps the same can be said about a journey in the literal sense. I’m not the biggest fan of driving, although I love the freedom that having your own transportation gives. In my latest travel to New Zealand, I solely used public transportation and it was fine. This meant I could gaze out the window and let the landscape roll by alongside the road. I could look at the colours and shapes in the landscape carelessly. Something I wouldn’t be able to do were I behind the wheel. It so happened that I made my way from Queenstown to Stewart Island and that journey involved a few steps.
The first step was getting up before sun up and heading down to the pick up point. Because I had so much luggage, I didn’t want to walk all the way down, and get stressed and sore in the process. I’d booked a taxi. The taxi driver asked where I was headed beyond my Queenstown pick up point and I said ‘Stewart Island’. The man was born and raised in Bluff, the place where you take the ferry across the Foveaux Strait to Oban. He was so excited that I’d be passing through his hometown and told me all about the best places to get oysters. I didn’t tell him that I didn’t like oysters and decided to enjoy his enthusiasm instead. Step two was taking a Tracknet bus from Queenstown to Bluff. The sun started to come up and the sky turned a hazy pink. The light was just so beautiful. Because this wasn’t a tour, there were no photo stops and I decided to take some photos through the window glass, which you can see below, in order to have somehow documented this beauty. The photos just don’t do the gorgeous sky justice, but it’s all I got. It was beautiful. I’d love to wake up to those gorgeous skies every day! We arrived in Bluff and took the ferry across (step 3). The Foveaux Strait is notorious for its strong currents and waves. The ferry ride started out okay, but I quickly got really queasy. I’d been chatting with a couple from the North Island and the lady got queasy too. We took some barf bags and sat outside. I’m glad those bags are sturdy and all, ahem. It was a very very long hour! The lady was so nice and was rubbing my back. I was very happy when we reached dry land and I could stop my guts from shaking and rolling around, so to speak. Step 4 was finding the hostel. The lovely couple from the ferry had someone pick them up and they gave me a ride to my accommodation. Not that the town is very big, but I thought it was so friendly!
Now I fail to see how throwing up during a ferry ride is a necessary experience during a journey to a destination. I could have easily gone without it. But when even islanders get queasy and don’t like the crossing, I don’t feel quite as bad. And having crossed the Strait and making it back in one piece, with my guts still in place, I’d like to say this was a journey I wouldn’t have wanted to miss. I’m such a tough chocolate chip cookie! 😉
Alive and Trekking 