Christmas in New Zealand - Franz Josef

Our last destination on our trip was the town of Franz Josef. It is on the west coast of the country very near the ocean and is the location of the Franz Josef Glacier. This would also be where we would spend New Year's Eve - in bed and asleep long before midnight. The drive from Franz Josef to Queenstown was very scenic and included beautiful lakes, mountains, waterfalls and the ocean. Here is one of the waterfalls we stopped at along the road to see...
Once thorugh Wanaka, this "major road" we were traveling contained at least 20 one lane bridges - one of which was at least half a mile long. At this point, we realized just how few people actually reside or visit this part of the country. The most exciting part of visiting Franz Josef was the heli-hike we had planned up onto the glacier. The weather was questionable when we arrived at the starting point of the journey and we had to wait for a while to make sure the weather was OK - something about the fact they wanted to make sure if they dropped us on the glacier they could fly back up to get us, because it was a long hike down. We all agreed this was a good plan. Once we got the OK to go, we had to get suited up in the appropriate gear. As is often the case, there was a lot of complaining about boots that did not fit, pants that were uncomfortable, etc., but all was forgotten when the helicopter took to the skies...
None of the Spitzer's had ever flown in a helicopter before and we did not know what to expect, but it was a great experience. The pictures below of the glacier from the helicopter are beautiful, but cannot do the view justice as the different colors of the ice - especially the blue - are not easily discernable.
After about a 15 minute helicopter ride up to the middle of the glacier, it was time to land and do some hiking. Landing on a helipad made of glacier ice was interesting and as we got out and stood around I thought to myself...it is really windy up here. Then the helicopter took off and the wind disappeared and we were left in the calm and cold of the glacier standing with 10 other people and a guide. From a distance glaciers look like snow, but they are definitely ice so we all had to put on crampons in order to safely hike around. Ice axes were optional, but we grabbed a couple to feel like true adventurers. Here is a picture of Jo Ann and the girls prior to setting out on the hike...
Now when most people think of glaciers they think of large crevaces that open up and swallow hikers and then close just as quickly. Our guide assured us this only happened in the movies, and so off we went. Here is a good picture of Jo Ann and the girls with their crampons and ice axes in front of a large ice formation. All of the movement of the glacier creates amazing formations of ice, large pools of water, tunnels and holes where streams disappear. It is a landscape unlike any of us had ever seen. Here are more pictures from our time hiking on the glacier

After about one and one half hours of hiking on the glacier the helicopter came and picked us up and took us back to town. We were all tired, but thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to see a glacier up close. It was an experience none of us will soon forget. It was December 31st and that evening we met up with two other family's from Singapore for dinner as we were all in Franz Josef during this part of our trips. We had a great time visiting about what we had seen and done during our time in New Zealand.

The next morning we drove a little further up the coast to Greymouth, turned in our well used rental car and took a 3.5 hour train trip across the country to Christchurch. This was another fun experience for the girls who had never been on a real train (subways do not count) and gave Darrell a chance to enjoy the scenery as opposed to focusing on driving all the time. The next day we boarded our flight back to Singapore. We all agreed it was a great trip and we may have to go back again if we are in Singapore another year.

Christmas in New Zealand - Queenstown (cont.)

Now that we had been in New Zealand for over one week, we realized we needed to do something to offset the cost of this trip so we headed to Arrowtown which is a small town about 30 minutes away from Queenstown. Arrowtown is on the banks of the Arrow River and is the sight of the New Zealand gold rush which began in 1862. It is a quaint little town that has been very well preserved. Since we knew little about panning for gold we thought we would ask a local...

unfortunately he was not much help. So instead we decided to go to the local museum to learn more about the history of the town and the gold rush. It was a really nice museum in the middle of town and Anna especially liked learning how to use an old telephone operator station.

After visiting the museum we grabbed our shovels and pans and it was off to the river. Here is a picture of Darrell and Anna working hard - while Megan appears to think she can find gold just by looking in the stream. Or maybe the problem is Dad was too cheap to rent three pans:-)
Anna working hard to try and find some gold...

Darrell thinks he has found something, but it turns out to be a shiny rock.

Anna decides to try her luck in the bigger river over the rocks in the background.

After a couple hours of panning all we had to show for our efforts was wet feet. That's OK, though, because it was another beautiful day in New Zealand.

Christmas in New Zealand - Queenstown

The next leg or our journey took us from Te Anau to Queenstown, or should I say back to Queenstown as we had driven through the town earlier in the trip. Queestown sits in the middle of the Remarkables mountain range on the shores of lake Wakatipu. It claim to be the adventure sports capital of the world which includes bungee jumping, para-gliding, jet boating, white water rafting, etc. The Spitzer's enjoyed watching all of these activities but were a little more sedentary in our pursuits.


We stayed at a nice condominium right on Lake Wakatipu...below are a few photos of the view from our balcony
The first day we took the gondola to the top of Bob's peak where we went on a couple of luge rides and took in the breathtaking scenery. The pictures below show the view from the gondola (note the cable included in the picture) and the top of Bob's Peak


The best part about riding the luge is the cool helmets...note at this point Darrell was taking the pictures so there was no proof of him wearing one of these stunning pieces of headgear

Day two in Queenstown was planned as one of the highlights of the trip - a four hour horsetrek through the mountains. While Jo Ann and the girls spend many waking hours on horseback each week, Darrell spends time working to pay for all of the horseback riding. This, however, was going to be the girls first time to see their father on a horse. I think they actually doubted I could ride, but I proved them wrong as I walked, trotted and even cantered my horse up and down mountains and through a mountain stream. It was just the four of us and a young guide - who was born and raised in Finland - and we had a great time. The girls loved the freedom to do what they wanted on a horse in the wide open spaces instead of riding around an arena. Darrell even got high marks from the guide, despite having very little experience. Maybe I have learned something from watching them ride the past three years.

Megan and Anna ready to ride. Again with the headgear...not too flattering but better than what was worn on the luge, although these did include the requirement of wearing a hairnet underneath. I thought we were supposed to get cowboy hats?

Pictures of the mountains and valley that we rode through during the trek.

Lunch at the halfway point included authentic cowboy food such as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, sunmaid raisins and granola bars. Also notice the "canteen" Anna is drinking from.

One last picture from the ride with the whole family. It was truly a wonderful day with perfect weather, beautiful scenery and a chance to get away from it all.

Christmas in New Zealand - Te Anau

On December 22nd we left Lake Tekapo for Te Anau, where we would spend Christmas. As with last year in Australia, Christmas in this hemisphere still seems strange for a bunch of Midwesterners used to cold and snow in December. It is also hard to do the whole "gift opening around the tree" on Christmas morning when there is no tree. We did put up a tree at our house in Singapore and opened gifts the day before we left. The girls both received Ipod Touches which were put to good use on the long plane and car rides during our trip. Anna also had to spend her birthday - Decemeber 19th - packing and flying to New Zealand. At least she got a "birthday cake" on the Singapore Airlines flight as evidenced above.


Te Anau is towards the southwest corner of New Zealand and is considered the gateway to the Fiordlands. We spent five nights here which included an all day bus, boat, bus, boat, bus, boat and bus trip to Doubtful Sound. The scenery was spectacular, although it was rainy and overcast most of the trip - which is typical for the Fiordlands. While on the boat in the actual fjord we saw dolphins and a sea lion colony along with numerous waterfalls. It was a long day, but well worth it.


Looking back across lake Manapouri after finishing our first boat ride on the way to Doubtful Sound.





Our first view of Doubtful Sound.

Jo Ann and me with Doubtful Sound in the background. Notice the multiple layers of clothing as summer in the fiordlands does not usually include shorts and swimsuits. After the heat and humidity of Singapore we loved every minute of it.

A view of Doubtful Sound from the boat cruise.

While in Te Anau we also took a trip to the glow worm caves which included another boat ride across a lake. While the cave was quite small, you ultimately end up in a tiny boat in the center of a pool in the cave in total darkness so you can see the glow worms on the ceiling. They look like stars in the night sky. Christmas Day was spent cooking a very good Christmas Day meal - mainly thanks to Jo Ann and Megan - with the relatively few kitchen supplies at our disposal and spending time together as a family. The remaining day in Te Anau was spent taking a minor hike, exploring the town and I took my first run since the marathon back in early December.

Christmas in New Zealand - Lake Tekapo

One of the benefits of living in Singapore is the opportunity to visit places that are extremely far away from the U.S. New Zealand definitely qualifies - as it was even a nine hour flight from Singapore!! We landed in Christchurch on December 20th and headed to Lake Tekapo for the first stop on our trip around the South Island. As with our trip to Australia last year, one of our priorities was to get away from the hustle and bustle of life in a big city. The South Island of New Zealand has just over one million residents which equates to a population density of about 19 people per square mile – which is a welcome relief from Singpore where the population density is 18,214 per square mile.

We spent two days in Lake Tekapo at a beautiful Chalet at the edge of the lake. The lake is surrounded by mountains – as are most lakes on the South Island – and glacier fed which made it an amazing turquoise blue color. The kids enjoyed skipping rocks in the lake and playing a round of miniature golf while everyone had a good time hiking around the top of Mt. John and taking in the beautiful scenery.

The view from the porch of our Chalet at Lake Tekapo. We ate breakfast each morning outside - what beautiful scenery to wake up to each morning.

Jo Ann, Megan and Anna at the top of Mt. John.

Darrell, Megan and Anna at the top of Mt. John. While you will notice we all had hiking boots on, we must admit we drove to the top and just hiked around.

The four of us in a field of flowers at the base of Mt. John.

Boating in Singapore

One of the fun things we have been able to do in Singapore, thanks to some friends we have met since we have been here, is to go boating in and around Singapore. As some of you may remember, we had a couple different boats while living in Peoria and always enjoyed going skiing on the weekend. While we do not ski here, we do go to a small island off the coast where they have a nice beach - much better than any on the actual island of Singapore - and spend time swimming and hanging out.

The last time we went we took our Golden Retriever Chance as well. He has only been swimming about 3 times in his life and only in pools. While we had to coax him into the water with a ball he seemed to enjoy it after getting used to it.

Despite living on a tropical island, this is the only time we ever go in the water here in Singapore.

Am I Crazy? - Running a marathon in Singapore.

After almost one and one half years I have finally decided to add to this blog, if only to discuss my own personal accomplishments. As anyone reading this probably knows, I set my sights on running the Singapore Marathon back in early 2009. (I figured the more people I told the harder it would be to change my mind.) Despite looking in shape due to my continued inability to gain any weight no matter what I eat, I had not exercised regularly in over 15 years and not run a competitive race since a 10K back 1991 while in graduate school. But at the ripe old age of 42 – that put me in the veteran category – I decided to attempt my first marathon.

So back in around February of this year I hit the treadmill for my first run. I think I did about 2.5 miles and did not feel too bad. After a few weeks of running on a treadmill I decided it was time to attempt an outdoor run and so I headed to the track at the kids’ school. I learned very quickly that running in 85 – 90 degree temperatures with 80% humidity is a lot different than running in the AC at the American Club. Move ahead about 10 months, 500 miles, one pair of shoes, some dodged rats and snakes (including what I am pretty sure was a cobra) and a lot of sweat and I was ready to attempt the marathon.

Race day comes early in Singapore to try and beat the heat for at least a few hours. So I was up at 3:30am to get downtown around 4:30am for the scheduled 5:30am start. About 15,000 people start the full marathon with another 35,000 running the half marathon and 10K race – although I use the term run loosely, but more on that later. When the gun sounded the Kenyan’s took off like lightning and were over a mile into the race before I even reached the starting line 6 minutes and 21 seconds later. Having never run with 15,000 other people before, I spent the first 6 miles concentrating on trying not to run over people or get run over while we ran through the streets of downtown Singapore. By mile six, the pack had spread out and I was on my way out of downtown to the East Coast Park where I had done most of my long training runs. I felt really good for the first 20 miles and was under my goal of 10 minutes per mile. Things got a little harder after that as the temperature continued to rise and then at about mile 23 the full marathon runners merged with the other two races that had started at 6:45am and 8:00am. I had heard about this from others who had run the race but did not anticipate a sea of “runners” all walking to the finish – and since a 10K is only 6.2 miles these people could not even run half the race!! So while I am struggling to just put one foot in front of the other, now I have to concentrate on dodging a mass of Singaporean “runners” our for a Sunday stroll. Needless to say I was a little frustrated and ended up walking for about 100 metres three different times as I struggled to find a path through the crowd. Jo Ann was at the finish and snapped the attached pictures which provided me that extra boost to make it to the end.

When it was all said and done I am glad that I did it and think I might attempt one more in a more normal marathon climate – 45 to 50 degrees is ideal – just to see how much easier it is. I will admit that walking was a painful experience the two days following the race, but by day three I felt fine.

Now for the facts:

Net time: 4 hours 31 minutes and 24 seconds
Finish Position: 1,500 out of 14,255
Finish Position among men: 1,318 out of 12,085
Pace: 10 minutes and 21 seconds per mile
Race day temp: Between 80 and 86 with 80% humidity