Day trip to Doubtful Sound - December 30, 2009

THE STORY BEHIND THE PICTURE:


The picture shows our ferry tour through Doubtful Sound. Looking at a map, Doubtful Sound is in Fiordland National Park, in the south west corner of NZ. Doubtful Sound is neither "doubtful" nor a "sound", much like Rhode Island is neither a "road" nor an "island". Discuss. There is no doubting the majesty of this natural topography. Plus the sharp profile of the mountains were carved by advancing/retreating glaciers, making it a fiord/fjord instead of a "sound" (which is carved by flowing water sources).

The weather provided a smorgasbord (keeping with the Scandavian/fjord theme) of weather patterns. Most of it was rain and fog, as you can see in the picture. No worries, blue skies broke through on occasion. The low fog gave perspective to how tall these mountains were.



Seeing this guy/girl was exciting. A school of dolphins swam close to our ferry, while a few wild members showed-off by riding the waves of the ferry's bow. Hey, it's NZ...even the wildlife enjoys extreme sports. The dolphin shadowed us for about 10 minutes. I think we were running the wildcat offense, sans Ronnie Brown.



Your authors braving the wind and cold on the ferry's aft.




Somewhere over the rainbow sheep chew grass. Who knew? Our first NZ rainbow astonished us with its beauty and relative closeness. Since then I think we have seen one rainbow per day. The interesting part of the rainbows we see is that you can invariably see where it begins and where it ends. Technically we haven't checked, but I'm pretty sure there is no pot of gold; but you might be able to find a cereal box with delicious marshmellows. Half eaten if I got there first.

Apparently the sheep were oblivious to the wonders of light and water that were occuring behind them. They were doing what they should be doing: eating grass. How bizarre. (US CAFO's should take a page out NZ's agricultural book.) I digress. A wise CPWA worker once recommended that the CPWA have sheep "cut" the grass on the CPWA's land. He might not have realized that the sheep would put him out of a job. Perhaps, though, he was onto something.



A human grazing. Or rather, a human eating an oversized fish burger. We stopped by PJ's Fish and Chips in Queenstown to partake in their pesce. I figured we should sample the fabled fish and chips. Nicolle tackled this burger with determination, though I helped her to finish the burger. My meal was the fish and chips with mushy peas. The fish (Hari?) was okay, same with the chips. The mushy peas were somewhat to very mushy; I could have done without them. In full disclosure though, I'm not a fan of any type of peas. Another nail in the coffin of British cuisine.

Day trip to Milford Sound - December 29, 2009

Today we visited Milford Sound, about 75 miles north of our hostel in Te Anau. The forecast predicted rain, but tour guide operators insisted rain made the waterfalls and overall view more amazing. I think that might just be what they say to make you feel better (kinda like raining on your wedding day).



We started our journey north fairly early and had time to stop at the many viewing points along the way. The first photograph shows the lavender that grows in the fields all over New Zealand. As I stood in the field, I was awestruck by the beautiful fragrance around me.



We also stopped at a pool of water reflecting the mountains and appropriately called mirror lake. The photo above was taken at our next stop about halfway to the sound at a chasm.




As we came within 10 miles of Milford Sound, we drove through a 1200m long tunnel that was very steep. Once we got through the tunnel, you can see the windy road we then encountered.







Milford Sound is the most popular visitor attraction in Fiordland. It is well known for it’s many waterfalls. As we boarded the ship, there were light rain showers falling. Colin brought his poncho, but we really never needed it. The rain never got strong and we actually had some pockets of sun during our 2 hour cruise. It was pretty amazing how close the boat got to the waterfalls. The bow of the ship was actually directly under a waterfall at one point!



One the way back home, Colin and I decided to do a short walk (just over an hour) through a Beech Forest. The photo above shows just how large some of the Beech trees really were.



The road to Milford Sound from Te Anau passes exactly at 45 degrees south latitude - we just had to take a photo.

Queenstown and Te Anau - December 28, 2009

Today we spent the morning in Queenstown, where there are numerous people around, but nothing felt crowded. We did see there were opportunities to do some extreme sports, but didn’t see too much because we only spent the morning in town. There was a beautiful walkway that took us all along the water from our hostel to the gardens in town. Colin practiced his skills at photography and took some great shots of our walk.




We decided today we would experience local cuisine since there were so many restaurants to choose from. We decided on a little French restaurant called “Solera Vino” where Colin ate fish with rice and peas and I had beef with couscous and a mint-cucumber yogurt sauce. Colin’s sole was amazing!! My meat was extremely juicy and tender, but neither of us are big fans of mint-cucumber yogurt sauce. After a nice dessert at Patagonia Chocolate Company, we drove the 2.5 hours to Te Anau, which is our base for the next three days.

Unfortunately, the overnight cruise of Doubtful Sound was booked solid, so we decided to do a three day package of events in Fiordland. We booked a cave tour tonight at 5:45pm, that takes us underground to see the bioluminescence of gloworms. Tomorrow, we will cruise Milford Sound and the day after we will cruise Doubtful Sound.
The drive to Te Anau again was amazing and beautiful. We drove along the mountain for the first hour or so and then in the valleys for the second hour and a half. In the valleys we saw so many animals grazing in the fields. I read in a travel book that sheep outnumber people in New Zealand and what we have seen certainly confirms that!!
Our hostel in Te Anau is very different than the YHA hostels we have stayed at. The owners have actually expanded their home to accommodate about 20 people. There are two buildings and the “backpacker dorms” which have bunk beds are in the second building not far from the owner’s homes (where there are rooms with double beds only). The owners are so lenient and relaxed. The view is pretty amazing as well. We are in a plain-like area where the mountains pop up around us. The neighbors have sheep in their back yard!



We drove around Te Anau a little bit before heading out to our cave exploration. We caught a boat from downtown across the lake to the entrance to the caves. Unfortunately, the tour did not allow us to take photos, but believe me when I say the light from the glow worms was amazing. I get a little claustrophobic when it’s pitch dark, but had no problems because the glow worms lit up the cave for us. The boat ride was nice, but a bit windy. I’ll have to remember to bring warm clothes the next two days since we will mostly be on the water.

Mount Cook and Queenstown - December 27, 2009

My first night ever in a hostel was pretty good. I was nervous about sharing a room with 7 other people, and only one of those someone I know (Colin). Our room had 8 bunks and Colin and I got a top/bottom. He took the bottom and I took the top. We brought earplugs with us, but I was so tired, I doubt I needed them. The night was not quite as relaxing as our first night in Auckland – my body wants to go to bed at 6-7pm and get up by 5-6am. I tried staying up until 10:30pm, but I still woke up at 5am!!
Our hike yesterday was cancelled because of the rain, but we woke up to a full rainbow literally outside our window! We thought about going to look and see if the pot of gold existed at the end, but decided to go on the hike we planned to do the night before. The hike we did was a 1.5 hour trek each through beautiful scenery to Hooker Lake, at the base of Mount Cook. It seems every time I see something beautiful, I turn the corner and there is another beautiful image in front of me. We crossed two suspension bridges, passed waterfalls, soaked up the rays in the valley and found glacial-like formations in the lake at the end. The view of Mount Cook from the base was amazing.
At the end of our hike, we went back to the hostel for lunch and made our way 3 hours to the city of Queenstown. We had heard a lot about Queenstown and it is called the “Adventure Capital of the World” and the place where bungy jumping was invented! We have no plans to go bungy jumping and I hope to avoid crowds of people I expect to see. We have come to relax and get away from the crowds of NYC, and have been rewarded in NZ so far. We are staying in the YHA (Youth Hostel Association), which is the same chain we stayed in at Mount Cook. Instead of a 8 person share dorm, Colin and I have just 2 bunk beds in our room. This hostel is not quite as nice as the one in Mount Cook, but the cooking facilities are larger, it’s very close to the downtown area, they have many more showers and they give you towels! Our plan is to use Queenstown as a stopping point on our way to “Fiordland,” where we hope to experience the sounds created between the mountains. We had hoped to do an overnight cruise of Doubtful Sound, but was a little nervous about sleeping in a cabin with 3 other people on a boat and we waited too long to book the tour. Perhaps it is a blessing in disguise – I might not be ready for that. So, we’ll have to find a day trip to the sound instead.
Tomorrow we head closer to the Sounds and plan to stay in Te Anau and experience either Milford Sound or Doubtful Sound. Photos I have seen of both look amazing, but I think I lean towards the isolated waters of Doubtful versus the tourism of Milford. In the meantime, I leave you with a sunset photo taken in Queenstown.

Voyage to the South Island - December 26, 2009

Today started out a success with our arrival in Christchurch on time, a quick ride to the car rental station and no problem getting the rental car (thankfully). Our car is a cute little thing and fits just the things we need. Colin drove first and the first location we drove to was actually a mall! We got a great “Boxing Day” deal on a cell phone that will work in Australia as well. We then bought some essential food items at the grocery store, “Pak n Save” and were stoked when we found their bulk food items. We loaded up on trail mix, oatmeal, water, bread, peanut butter, jelly, carrots, hummus, and a bunch of fruit. Once done at the grocery store, we were on our way to Mount Cook. The drive out of Christchurch was easy and once we turned into the interior the mountains gave us amazing view after amazing view. Colin and I alternated driving and took many photographs along the way. We filled up the tank with gas before heading into the more desolate Mount Cook. You can see the amazing views in our photos. The weather in Christchurch was cloudy this morning and seemed to clear as we drove to Mount Cook, so our views of the mountain were pretty spectacular. We reached our hostel at 4pm, checked in and went for a 3 hour hike. Unfortunately, 20 minutes into the hike, the clouds came in, it got super windy and the rain came shortly thereafter. We cut our hike short after just 30 minutes and got soaked! Since we actually had so much time to hang out in the hostel tonight, we spent some time chatting with people from all over the globe. Our hostel mates included people living in Australia from Toronto, a girl living in NZ from the UK, a native New Zealander, an Israeli, a Jordanian, and an Australian (from Darwin). It was great to hear about the wonderful places we have yet to experience, and hear about other people’s travels around the world. Today’s meals were mainly our staple items, but we do plan to buy and cook some “real food” soon. There were so many sheep, cows, horses and deer grazing in the fields along the road on our drive today. Colin and I will certainly eat meat here since it is all grass fed. We have beef and venison on our list of things to eat.
Tomorrow we hope to complete the hike to Hooker Lake – one of the glacial pools in Mount Cook and will probably make our way to Queenstown in the afternoon.

PAX MILLERORIA - December 26, 2009

Twenty hours on a flight seemed like an eternity. I certainly felt that way as we finished the flight to Los Angeles and contemplated that we still need to sit stationary for another three JFK-LAX flights. Ultimately, though, I swallowed my impatience and Ambien. Afterall, twenty hours of travel of (elderly) people I have personally met maxed out at the distance a steam locomotive could travel. (Fact Check, “FC”) Just think of what travel advances the future holds. I wonder if travelers will still need to remove their shoes before being converted to energy and beamed million of miles.

As Nicolle stated, Auckland reminded me a little of San Francisco. Auckland possessed the rolling hills, modern architecture, and proximity to the amazingly blue Pacific. Auckland, I feel, one-upped the San Fran’s San-Francisconess. Auckland appeared to be more relaxed and tranquil, and greener and cleaner, than the No-Cal megapolis. Perhaps appearances deceived because of the holiday and the relative sizes of the cities.

I imagine that Auckland is relatively similar to Hawaii too. Both seem to be similar naturally (small-ish islands borne of tectonic forces, FC) and culturally (Western Euros interacting with/marginalizing the native Pacifics).

Rest assured, though, grey-mattered mammals of this water planet. The Millers come not bring a sword, nor to bring marginalization. The Millers come to bring peace and tourism USD. The royal We look forward to all the activities, food, sites, sounds, smells (no comment), and people.

The sun never sets on the Miller Empire.

Merry Christmas USA - December 25-26, 2009

We had a really nice day yesterday in Auckland and today we are off to the south island of New Zealand. In Auckland, we were fortunate to have a beautiful day, so we took a 15 minute ferry ride from downtown to Devonport, just across the bay. Our photos of the beaches were from Devonport and Colin actually went swimming! The sun was so hot that, after just 30 minutes in the sun with my laptop on my lap, I ended up with some pretty dramatic tan lines. We didn’t bring sunscreen with us because we wanted to buy it here, but I did have a small package that I used for my face. So, Colin is beat red today and my skin is feeling the slight itch from the sun. All stores and restaurants were closed yesterday, with just a few exceptions. We ended up having a chicken, avocado and bacon pizza for $21 NZD at a waterfront restaurant called “Traffic.” The pizza was okay, except for the overpowering amount of pepper on it. I’m hoping to eat a lot of avocados and kiwifruit here since in the U.S. this is the place they come from.
After dinner, we went back to our hotel for the night. We had some plans to hang out in the common area and meet people, but it only took about 15 minutes for us to realize we just wanted to go to bed! It was amazing to sleep a full 8 hours after such a long flight, and we woke up at 4:15 NZ time, 30 minutes before the alarm was to go off. Our hotel was on a very hilly road, but had a nice view of Auckland’s Sky Tower. I never realized how hilly Auckland is. Colin said it reminds him of San Francisco and I agree. It is also very clean and modern. It’s too bad everything was closed so we couldn’t get a full appreciation of its food and culture.
Our flight this morning is at 6:45am to Christchurch. It should be just over an hour and we will proceed to get our rental car. Since it’s another holiday today – Boxing Day – we had a few problems with the car rental reservation, so we hope it all works out okay. When I looked up Boxing Day on Wikipedia, it appears to be a day of gift exchanging and I think all the stores should be open. I saw advertisements in the newspaper that make it seem like our “Black Friday” – but NZ style. We’ll go shopping to get some of the essentials for the next 12 days – food, water, sunscreen, a cell phone, etc. From Christchurch we have a 5-6 hour drive to Mount Cook planned, with a night booked at a hostel there. Weather in the south island seems pretty unpredictable, especially near the mountains, so we hope the plan to go south first works out for us!

Christmas in Auckland - December 25, 2009

As I sit here in Auckland writing today's blog, I am surrounded by teal colored water, a few white, puffy clouds, a 70 degree day and I'm listening to Christmas music on the docks! It is Christmas here in New Zealand, and the long travel across the world was worth the reward at the end! Colin and I were delayed on both our flights, but managed to get here on time. We almost had to sit in different rows for the first 5 hour leg from NYC to LA, but had the fortune of a gentleman willing to change his seat. Of course Colin ended up by the kids and babies, and I got the seat with him because my seatmate wouldn't switch. But, the kids were really good and there was a cute baby who was so content the entire ride. She did so much better than I did during our 2-3 minute experience with serious turbulence over the Rockies. We had just about 30 minutes to stretch our legs before getting on the plane that would take us 12 hours to New Zealand. We did get seats together on the plane on the second to last row. Our airline, Qantas, was really good and we only had about 2 bouts of serious turbulence during the 12 hours. Colin got about 6-7 hours of sleep and I got about 4, which was pretty good. We got in about 9am local time, and got through immigration and customs in under an hour. We were checked in by 11am. So now, we found free internet at the library and then got more internet when we had lunch at a coffee shop. Now, we are getting ready to take a ferry across the water since it is too irresistible to pass up. Here are a few photos of our journey.

Getting ready for our trip!

For the next month, Colin and I will be documenting our trip as much as we can! We may give some information about food, but for the most part, we will write about our sights and travels. For the past 3 months I've read travel book after travel book and what do I have to show for it 1 day before we leave? A flight to Auckland, first night's lodging in Auckland, a flight to Christchurch, a rental car in Christchurch, a flight to Cairns from New Zealand and a flight back home from Sydney! Yesterday, Colin says to me "with our long flight, we can detail out what our itinerary should entail!" My response is that he has to catch up by picking up at least 1 travel book! This is the first time either of us is traveling without everything planned out. It's exciting, but scary. I worry about not finding lodging or having to pay a lot of money for a place to sleep. We may also get stuck not being able to do some of the things we want to because it is sold out. But, as my coworker pointed out to me today, "we can just enjoy being on vacation in a beautiful location." For those of you who know me, I always need to be doing something - it's a Clemente thing. In addition, planning everything out is my type A personality. So, this trip is me "stepping out of my comfort zone!!"
Here's a list of some things we've done to prepare for our trip:
1. Colin took out about 10 library books on Australia and New Zealand
2. Nicolle read several sections of at least 6 of the library books Colin took out
3. Colin set up our netbook with Skype, and set up both the Miller and Clemente families with Skype so we can communicate for the next month.
4. Nicolle got all the batteries charged and purchased/packed all the medical supplies (first aid kit, immodium, pepto bismol, sleep aids, earplugs, toiletries, etc.)
5. Colin researched and purchased the electrical adapter
6. Nicolle drove the car to RI to leave with the Clementes (and almost didn't make it back to NYC because of the snow storm!)

We both packed our bags on Sunday to make sure we didn't need to make any last minute purchases - and to make sure everything fit!

Finally, Nicolle donated her hair to wigs for kids today. Kids get a nice, thick wig and Nicolle gets a lighter head and easier to deal with hair maintenance.

Colin and Nicolle wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We look forward to speaking with friends and family on Skype, and through our blog. Nicolle's skype name is nicollemclemente and Colin's is colin.miller888. We hope you enjoy sharing in our experiences with us via the world wide web.

Where does your meat come from?

I had another out to eat experience this past weekend that left me wondering if it is even possible to eat sustainably raised meat outside of NYC. Colin and I met his parents for lunch in Poughkeepsie, NY and went to a nice restaurant on the waterfront. Looking at the menu, which had a good variety of plant, meat and fish options, we decided to ask the waiter if he knew where the meat was bought. The waiter acted as if this question had never been asked before! He left our table and returned with the manager. Upon asking the same question to the manager, he was dumbfounded and wondered why we wanted to know and what specifically we were looking for. When we explained that we wanted me that was either bought from a local farm or butcher, the manager said, "we get our meat from various sources, do you want to know if the meat is organic?" I know that produce grown organically cannot contain certain pesticides and is environmentally better, but I didn't know what the standards for organic meat are. In looking at the USDA definition (http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/ofp/ofp.shtml), it appears "Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones." I don't see anything in the definition about how the animal was fed, though I assume it could not have been a heavy corn based diet or else it would have needed antibiotics. I also see anything related to how the animal was slaughtered. Upon hearing the meat was not "organic" Colin opted for a veggie sandwich of mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, peppers, and cheese, while I had the salad and minestrone soup. The sandwich was amazing!
The conversation about eating in New Zealand and Australia came up during lunch and I have not researched what farming practices these two countries use. I know the issues related to industrial agriculture in the U.S. and have seen the photos and video footage of the cattle feedlots out west (you can see these two if you search "CAFO photos"), but I'm not sure if these exist in New Zealand. I will have to be on the lookout as we explore the south island. It will be more of a challenge in Australia as the country is so large. A brief web search on CAFOs in both countries did not turn up much, so on our journey there in just over a week, perhaps we can ask people where their meat comes from.

Recommending Food Movies and Links

Two weeks ago, I had the great opportunity to see a showing of the movie Food, Inc. It was pretty amazing! I had heard much of the information before after reading Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser and Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. Both of these investigative journalists were involved in Food, Inc. The movie gives viewers a window into how food, mainly meat, is mass produced to meet the demands of consumers. The giant cattle "factories" were difficult to watch, as were overpopulated chicken coups. It is also frustrating to learn that only a few companies own the entire meat supply and how many government officals, who are supposed to protect the public's health, have worked or go on to work for one of those few companies.
I had a great conversation with my parents on the topic over a sustainably raised turkey and backyard garden vegetables Thanksgiving dinner. My mother, who grew up on a farm in Portugal, raised all of of the animals and crops for consumption. She described to me her experience in seeing chickens slaughtered. If more of us had to see the actual process from "farm to table," especially how meats get there, I believe most Americans would be vegetarians, or would drastically reduce our meat intake.
I heard Marion Nestle, a top nutrition professional from NYU, speak at the same Food, Inc event and one of her topics in particular really resonated with me. As a dietitian, we rely on messages from the USDA who puts out the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Food Guide Pyramid. Marion Nestle made the great point that if you look at the recommendations, we are told to "eat whole grains, fruits, and vegetables." When we talk about things to limit in our diet, we focus on nutrients and not on foods. Did you ever notice that? Instead of saying, "limit red meat," we say "to choose lean meats and low fat dairy" or "to limit fats." If you visit the Food Guide Pyramid on the web: www.mypyramid.gov, you can see that the meat and beans group states to "vary your choices (of meats and beans) - with more fish, beans, peas, nuts, and seeds." But, why does it not say to LIMIT intake of meat to a certain amount? Maybe because the beef industry would be pissed and since it was already stated the the meat food manufacturers and government officals circle jobs and are essentially the same people.
Since watching Food, Inc. I have been trying to only eat sustainably raised meats. Let me tell you the challenges I have faced!! In my home, I only get meat from our CSA (http://foresthillscsa.com/). My summer and winter vegetables come from a wonderful farm in Long Island, called Golden Earthworm (http://www.goldenearthworm.com/) and I can order meat through a network of farmers in upstate NY and VT (http://www.csalewiswaitefarm.com/). Since I eat food prepared at home at least 5 days a week, it's not too difficult to eat sustainably. But, the first challenge with my new quest to eat sustainable meat came when I took a friend out to lunch for her birthday and we went to Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse. If you look at a menu at Bugaboo (or restaurants like that), you can see my dilemma. With a 10oz steak on the menu for $12, Bugaboo is certainly not paying the cost of raising that animal sustainably (allowed to pasture on grass) - nor are 99% of the chain restaurants out there. I caved under pressure in the restaurant and had a crabcake and BBQ chicken! I went to the Olive Garden last week and went for a fish dish - which can also pose an environmental problem based on my choice - but for now I am only tackling meat!
Back to the issue of American's desire for the largest steak or burger - why does a restaurant even serve a 10oz steak to one person?! I encourage you all to lift the veil and learn about where your food comes from.

Welcome to my blog

I've been thinking about doing a blog for a few months now, and decided today is the day! One reason I started today is because I would like to have a little practice before my trip to New Zealand and Australia in 3 weeks.

I choose this title because I'd like to share the things that make my life unique and open some eyes to the problems with our current food system. I hope to post information about my travels (which will pretty much always include my husband Colin), and information about food and nutrition. There are many dietitians like myself out there, but not all focus on hunger, food safety, and food sustainability. This last topic has become a recent passion of mine. While I am not a vegetarian at present, learning about agribusiness in the U.S. has made me change my eating habits. I try to eat sustainable meat and local foods whenever possible.