Te Anau

After Stewart Island I parted ways with Will who proved to be an easy person to travel with. He was always upbeat, easy going, and up for a good laugh. Will headed down to Christchurch to secure a visa for China to meet up with a potential love interest. I told Will I always assumed I’d meet a woman traveling and doing the things I love to do. His response was that I needed to stop staying at backpacker hostels and start staying at places people my age stay at. Good point.

When Will dropped me off at Queens park in Invercargill we were listening to a CD that had been left in the car he bought. It was an Indian Bollywood soundtrack in Hindi. Hindi sometimes sounds like English in an odd way that translates into words with a completely different meaning. We were certain a particular chorus was, “Pet the bunny”, with sitars, tablas and a host of other instruments going off in the background. Laughter, smiles, and handshake then Will drove off. I’m sure we will meet up again in the states at some point in time if he doesn’t get too distracted by China.

I am now in Te Anau and arrived late Thursday afternoon. The past two mornings I’ve gone for nice runs along the lake shore. Yesterday was a rain day so I spent most of my time in a budget single room at Lakeview campground. At approximately $21 USD it really is a bargain. The rooms are nothing special but clean and reasonably quiet with showers and toilet down the hall. There’s also a common area with community kitchen. I spent the day booking out my remaining time in New Zealand. I only have two weeks left. I figured I kind of need a plan to catch my plane home in due time.

So, I know where I’ll be and pretty much what I’m doing for the next two weeks. I don’t recall ever being so organized while traveling. Tomorrow I leave for 3 nights on the Milford track where I’ll stay in huts. From there it’s back to Te Anau for a night then Queenstown, Wanaka, Franz Josef, and Nelson. I’ll fly home from Nelson instead of having to get all the way back up to Auckland. I scored a ticket from Nelson to Auckland on Air New Zealand for $63 USD.

After the Milford track I will no longer be staying in a tent, hut or hostel dorm. It will be all budget singles then on out. Usually a budget single comes out to around $40 to $50 USD. My last three nights will be in a little better accommodation where I used hotel points to get 3 nights for the price of 2 at a B&B type place specifically for solo travelers. It’s looks kind of posh but the price isn’t. It has great reviews. I’m sure travelers my age stay there.

As far as Vertigo goes I’ve been free of it for around two weeks but it presented itself again this afternoon for about an hour. It came on strong for a couple of minutes and quickly eased to a mild form. I napped it off. It didn’t really surprise me as my right ear has been feeling full. It’s an odd feeling that I’ve come to associate with being more at risk for an episode of vertigo. Hopefully it won’t be much of an issue here on out. I really don’t have to think much anymore. Everything is booked. I have my itinerary written on a small piece of paper with an ink pen.

All in all I think I’ve been making the most of my time in New Zealand. Meniere’s and vertigo have definitely put a damper on the whole experience but Cest la Vie, such is life and life is a constant learning experience. When I return home I’ll be focusing on trying to find the root cause of my malady. Doctors seem to be fairly poor at determining the root cause of most ailments. They like to prescribe drugs with side effect to manage symptoms. Drugs often lead to other issues. I’ve been managing my Meniere’s and vertigo drug free. Research tells me I’ve likely had it for a while and am in the middle stages of progression. Best case scenario is that it burns itself out and I’m left with substantial hearing loss and damage in one ear but a brain that has adjusted remarkably to compensate for balance. Actually, when not experiencing an episode of vertigo my balance is really good.

Tomorrow I’ll find myself in a group of 40 independent hikers embarking on an internationally famous hike, The Milford Track. It’s a 30+ mile point to point journey with both trailheads only accessible my boat. In reality it could be done in a couple of days by a strong walker but it’s heavily managed and regulated for use so you have to follow a 3 night 4 day itinerary. Only 40 people a day are allowed access and you must stay in the huts. The first day is more about a bus and a boat to the start with a very short hike to a hut.

The weather forecast does not look very good but the day I’m supposed to cross over a high pass looks ok aside of gale force winds. Not to worry. I won’t be alone and each hut has a warden with the latest weather info etc.

It seems fitting that I’m doing the Milford Track at this point in my life. I first read about it God knows how long ago and passed on it during my 1989 trip because I was pinching pennies like a 24 year old should. I now find myself at a crossroads due to a circumstance that I do not have total control over, at least not yet. I’ve been forced to do things differently than I’d like to and find myself coasting into the uncertainty of transition. The strange thing about an episode of vertigo, with its unannounced disorienting nature, is the flow of clarity that follows afterwards. It’s probably a combination of adrenalin, endorphins and relief. Today as I was walking by the lake, leveling out post vertigo, I started to think it’s probably time I put a wrap on World Traveler and Thinker as a persona. I have no intention to stop traveling but I can’t really say I’m getting what I once did from it.