Our adventure came to a close on day 10, back in Christchurch. The final day was much like the first, but in reverse. We had to clean up our van and get it back to Wicked, so there wasn’t much of chance to see anything more in the city. The final day may have been kind of quiet, but the trip was truly amazing.
The funny thing is that New Zealand was never really on my radar as place I absolutely had to visit until we found ourselves in that part of the world. I could not have anticipated how entranced I became with the place. I mean – I’m still writing about it 9 months later, and the memories are still bright and vivid in my mind.
New Zealand is a place like no other – quite literally. It split off from the other continents so early that the flora and fauna there is unlike anywhere else. They had no indigenous mammals whatsoever. With no animal predators to worry about, insects and birds developed mammal-like qualities. For example, birds like the Kiwi learned to nest on the ground.
No place is perfect, and like anywhere New Zealand has its issues. They’re still trying to work out problems with the wildlife brought on by their earliest white settlers. Possums weren’t the only animals the settlers brought in that caused problems. Rabbits were also brought over, and they attacked the vegetation. To deal with the rabbits, they introduced ferrets, stoats and weasels. The problem is that they didn’t just check the rabbit population; they went after the birds too – birds that were often extra vulnerable due their ground nests. They’re still trying to get these animals in check. Along many trails, traps for the stoats and weasels are fairly common sights. Not all the solutions that are considered seem all that environmentally sound.
The environmental problems are sad, particularly considering that this place is such a playground for outdoor lovers; still these were the worst problems we heard about --- or at least that were discussed in front of us outsiders.
Hopefully, they’ll be able to get their conservation efforts in order and this place will remain the haven it is. In recent years, they’ve gotten a tourism boost brought on by the popularity of Lord of the Rings and other movies that have been filmed throughout the country, including Wolverine and the Chronicles of Narnia. I can’t help but hope that the increased tourism doesn’t spoil the vast, pristine beauty.
Still, I can easily see how the landscape can’t help but inspire. I fell head over heels in love.
To cap it off, here is a slideshow of Greg's favorite shots from the trip:
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