It's almost here! The day when I fulfil one of my childhood dreams, and go to New Zealand -- it's almost here! I'm so excited. I've wanted to go to New Zealand ever since I was a teenager. I'm not exactly sure what excited my imagination so about the little country in the southern hemisphere -- a mix of documentaries on Discovery Channnel, a couple of books about the country, and the cricket team (it's one of my favorite teams in cricket), all conspired to get me interested in the little nation of three islands. I've plotted and planned of my visit there for years -- and now, the day is almost here!
I'm at home right now, typing away at my laptop, lying stretched out across my futon, listening to my iPod plugged into my iHome, and following the scores of New Zealand in the first Test match against West Indies at, coincidentally, Dunedin (the place that I'm set to visit in a few days). Daniel Vettori, the captain, just fell for 30 runs. They've really had it now -- they're at a not-so-great 328-8 against a West Indies team that was lacking quality bowlers. I don't think they're gonna do so well. Then again, this is the third day of the match, and with West Indies to play two more innings, and New Zealand to play one more, maybe the match will be drawn instead of New Zealand having to bear the ignominy of losing it.
I recently made a booking at the Hermitage, a hotel in the remote village of Mount Cook Village at the base of Aoraki/Mount Cook, the tallest peak in New Zealand. I don't know quite what caught my fantasy about that place -- something to do with how lonely and desolate and utterly beautiful the place was, I suppose. I can't wait to go there. Maybe I'll be struck by inspiration to continue my second Brendon McCarthy story which has stalled on Chapter 15 for over a year now. I'm hoping that sitting in the warm hotel lobby, next to a roaring fire, under the watchful gaze of Aoraki (Cloud-Piercer) Mt Cook will get the creative juices flowing again. There really is nothing else to do in the little village. There's a small observatory, I believe; but nothing else of note. It will be interesting for sure!
I can't wait for the trip!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Hi Mandakini
Great to hear you're visiting us in Aoraki Mount Cook! We just wanted to let you know that there is tonnes to do and you can research/book most of it online before you leave home. Don't miss The Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre which is adjacent to The Hermitage featuring NZ's first full dome digital planetarium, state-of-the art 3D Theatre, museum and Hillary gallery. Then there's Glacier Explorers an amazing upclose encounter with NZ's largest glacier - The Tasman. The list goes on! Feel free to check out our blog & website or contact us - we'd love to help you plan your stay! Kind Regards The Hermitage
That's good to know! I'd love to visit the planetarium :) I'm not a very adventurous soul, so maybe I'll skip the glacier exploration -- but the planetarium sounds like a good idea. I'd really like to take long, solitary walks, though, and from what I could see on Google Maps, Aoraki/Mount Cook seems like a good place to do just that!
Post a Comment