Author (#3)March 2004 Archives

We're back home in San Francisco. We still have a few more photos to post, but for now we'll leave you with two short movies we made on our last day in NZ. We were driving across Arthur's Pass in the Southern Alps when we happened upon a bit of an obstacle. We couldn't decide whether the first movie or the second one was more entertaining, so we posted both. Turn up the volume for maximum effect.

-Ariel

We're back in Christchurch, and I'm sad to report that we're heading back home to SF in just a few hours. We have really enjoyed posting here and reading everyone's comments, but we haven't been very good about responding to what everyone has to say. So in an effort to maintain our high customer satisfaction ratings, we're going to give some answers, all at once, to the questions you've posted over the past few weeks.

Q. Did the parents take their daughter with them or is she still with you? Did you have to feed her, too? Will she fit in your bike box?

A. The girl followed the parents out the door, although they might not have noticed if she had stuck with us. We did not feed her -- she had already eaten, and she proudly showed us her empty plate. She did want to know exactly why we ordered each item on our table. I guess four-year-olds are like that. As for the bike box... probably, but the girl plus the 19-lb. box would have tipped the scales past the weight limit on baggage.

Q. Had any more tasty scones, or something else besides fish & chips?

A. We have eaten fish & chips six times, all since arriving on the South Island. Two of those times were in one day. (It was Dave's fault.) We may post a f&c review later on. Something odd about NZ eateries is that often you don't get tartar sauce and ketchup (or "tomato sauce") for free. At the best, and cheapest, f&c place, we had to pay 50 cents for a small pack of tartar sauce. We sprung for the large $2 can of tomato sauce to go with the enormous pile of fries we got. It was barely enough. Sometimes they do give you a little "cup" full of tomato sauce for your fries. The cup is a joke -- maybe enough for 1-2 fries.

As for the scones... ah, the scones. Kiwis know their sweets. I can't imagine that low-carb mania will ever hit this country.

Q. Have you read The Bone People?

A. I bought a copy before leaving SF and I haven't even opened it. I slept on the plane and honestly, I have hardly read anything other than our Lonely Planet guide since arriving. There's too much gorgeous scenery to see outside for me to keep my eyes on a book. I'll probably read it after I get back when I'm pining for the Fiordlands.

Q. In the photo of Ariel wearing her medal and beaming, I note the weird-assed creature in the xerox just to her left. What on earth is that?

A. I have no idea.

We still have more photos and some hilarious videos to post, as well as many more thoughts on our visit to share with whoever is still reading. We'll be back in the states in about 24 hours. Wish us safe travels!

-Ariel

We've been on the west coast for the past few days, and we've seen some amazing scenery. This morning we took a helicopter ride over the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers. Very very cool.

Here are some new photos. Also, you can check out the short movie (~10MB) we shot during our helicopter ride.

-Dave

The helicopter ride was AWESOME!

-Ariel

We had dinner at a pizza/pasta place in Arrowtown (former gold-mining town, beautifully preserved) the other night. A 4-year-old Kiwi girl at a neighboring table ditched her parents and asked if she could sit with us. We obliged, and she proceded to entertain us for the next 45 minutes. Or maybe it was we who were entertaining her. The whole time, not even a look in our direction from the parents -- they clearly weren't too concerned about their daughter talking to strangers.

So then, as her parents were getting up to leave -- they were sitting right behind us -- we naturally expected them to give a smile and nod in our direction, if not a word of thanks for giving them a break from looking after their little kid. But they just got up and left. Walked right by us and didn't even look over or say a word.

After they left I asked the barman what he thought of this behaviour. (At one point earlier in the evening he'd come by our table and asked if we were annoyed by the little girl -- we said no). "Oh, they seemed kind of alternative to me, like they live on a commune and encourage their children to roam around a bit."

I guess that might explain the 45-minute visit. But does it explain the cold shoulder we got? Hmm.

Yesterday was a big travel day -- we drove from Queenstown out through Glenorchy and the beautiful pastures of Mt Aspiring National Park. Got caught in a sheep traffic jam -- several hundred of them. Forded several dozen streams & dirtied up the rental car right good.

Public enemy #1 along the coast is the sand fly. These are ruthless little twerps, smaller than mosquitos. When you open the car door for 2 seconds, 2,000 of them get in. Then you spend the next two hours killing them one by one and wishing you had bug spray. We're both covered in itchy little bites.

We're going for a hike on Fox Glacier this afternoon.

-Dave

Here you go!

-Dave

Hi everybody,
Sorry about the radio silence there -- we needed a few days off from blogging. Since we last talked to you, we've been around the far southern tip of the South Island and come up around to Fiordland and the west coast. Really really cool. We pulled into Queenstown this afternoon.

We have pictures. They are coming soon.

-Dave

Last night we stayed in Oamaru, a sleepy little coastal town that time has (mostly) forgotten. It's famed for its limestone buildings, blue- and yellow-eyed penguins, and its historic harbourfront area.

We had dinner at the Criterion Hotel, which was serving few patrons when we entered but soon showed itself to be the preferred watering hole for local drinking professionals. (We were the only ones in there actually eating.) I had an excellent meal of bacon-wrapped local mussels, chips and salad. (When in doubt, I get something with bacon and/or chips.) Speights Lager flows freely here -- their tagline is "pride of the South" -- and it is very very good.

As we were settling the tab, I fell into conversation with a wild-eyed gentleman at the bar, who divined from my accent that I am not from these parts. We had a lively chat about American and world politics, and I was reminded of how much the world knows about America and how little we know about them. To me, New Zealand's anonymity is kind of an asset -- then again, a little more recognition wouldn't hurt the economy. (Which, incidentally, seems to be doing very well. The unemployment rate is 4%, which is effectively zero. Farmers have had a rough couple of years, but in general everyone I've talked to thinks things are going ok.)

This morning I went for a sunrise run over the hills and toward Bushy Beach -- amazing views -- and saw a couple of yellow-eyed penguins waddling along. This was quite a find -- they're pretty rare in number and can be tough to spot in the morning hours. During my run I had another find -- on the little gravel road from the beach I spotted our friends Sarah and Tara, who we'd just said "ta" to in Taupo a few days ago! We all had a little reunion breakfast at a local cafe in town. What can I say, it's a small country.

We did the short drive to Dunedin this afternoon. Dunedin is a bustling college town -- tons of cafes and shops and young people. Also: MAN, is it windy here. And cold. We're going to seek out some live music tonight.

Ok, now I'm going to put up some photos for your further entertainment.

-Dave

I have finally put together my IMNZ race report. It takes almost as long to read as it took me to finish the race!

-Ariel

Yesterday we got the bus from Taupo to Auckland, then flew to Christchurch (principal city on the South Island). We had drinks and dinner with locals Sonya (whom Ariel had met through Hal Higdon's V-Team message board) & Peter in downtown Chch. Wow, what a relief after a solid week of mediocre food (sorry Taupo)! We ate at the Tap Room, which exclusively serves locally preferred Monteith's beers. And good, interesting food.

Incidentally, I know some of you are worried about whether I am getting good pastries and such. Here's my intake for yesterday, which was a pretty typical day:

(1) savoury scone (tomato/cheese/bacon) - NZ$1.30 - doughy, not crumbly - v. good
(1) date scone - NZ$1.00 - nice doughiness, lots of dates, but not too many, eaten with butter - excellent

-Dave

We're listening to a morning radio programme (sic) during which the topic of conversation is whether it's still appropriate to dunk biscuits in your tea/coffee. Also, apparently there's been $150K of research into how long you should dunk your biscuit so as to make for the the ideal amount of sogginess (3.7 seconds, apparently). They've had people calling in with their opinions. It's all a bit tongue in cheek.

-Dave

Hey everyone!

I haven't had time to write a full report yet, but I thought you'd like to hear that I'm doing great. After I crossed the line (and that is SO COOL that so many of you watched it live!!!) a nice lady walked me into the finish tent where they weighed me. I lost only 0.4kg during the race -- I was well hydrated. I was walking OK so they let me into the massage area, where I experienced ten minutes of pure bliss. The wonderfulness of the massage was secondary to the fact that I was lying down. I got some food and met Dave and Kathe outside the tent. Then I walked about half a mile to the bike collection point. I felt pretty good!

We celebrated back at the hotel with pizza. When Dave and I turned in around 11pm, there were still competitors heading toward the finish line carrying glowsticks! We had talked about going to the finish line at midnight to welcome the final finishers home, but of course we were all too wiped out -- competitors and spectators alike -- to do anything but go to bed.

Today I'm only a little sore and I have some interesting sunburn patterns. It's another beautiful day in Taupo and for the first time this week, I'm totally relaxed! I want to make the most of it -- I'll probably go for a swim before we head to the awards party tonight.

Thanks for all the wonderful comments! Knowing you were all out there watching kept me moving. We fly to Christchurch tomorrow so I'll try to write my report on the road.

-Ariel

Ariel finished the race tonight at 8:05 PM, just before the sun went down! Her time was 13:05:30. (You can check out all the gorey details on the Ironman Live site.) She came through the finish line running a good stride and smiling, and she's (amazingly!) walking around like a normal person now, although she's a just little stiff.

I'm sure she'll want to give a full report when she gets up the gumption ... for now thanks to all for staying up with us. I know Ariel really appreciates it. (She asked me to print out your comments so she could read them tonight!)

PS: Congratulations to all our friends who finished! And thanks to Joe & Kathe & Tara for their mobile cheering support. It was fun.

-Dave

Q. When will all this be over so I can go to bed?

A. Let's see ... it's 6:00pm here, so it's 9:00pm in California, 11:00pm in Chicago, midnight(!) in New York. We'll probably start seeing finishers from our group in about an hour ... and I think Ariel would be very pleased to finish by 8:00pm local time (11:00pm in California, etc.).

Q. It's ok if I get sleepy and just check the results tomorrow, right?

A. Of course! We're flattered that you've all been paying such close attention! Please, please, get some sleep! (PS: We miss you all!)

-Dave

With 10:30 elapsed on the clock, Ariel has passed the halfway mark on the marathon course. Only 13.1 miles to go! She was looking good when she passed us -- gave us a big smile and almost apologized as she said, "I'm going to start walking soon."

I asked, "Can I run with you for a little bit?"

"No you can't, I'll be disqualified."

Ah yes, the dreaded no outside assistance rule. This is a triathlon thing -- if I were to start running next to her, that would be considered "pacing", and the course officials would slap her with a penalty, or possibly a DQ. That's my girl -- ever aware of the rules and regs!

-Dave

As of this moment (bike finished, run in progress), both Amy and Shannon are leading their age groups (F30-34 and F35-39, respectively)! Run strong, ladies!

-Dave

Woohoo! Ariel just came in from the bike in 6:46! Total elapsed time after her bike was 8:14.

"How are you doing?" I asked as she started the run.

"Pretty good!" she said, and gave me a grin. It's hot here, and the sun will be up for at least 4 more hours. Go sweetie go!

-Dave

Ariel's halfway through the bike with 4:40 elapsed on the clock. She looks strong!

-Dave

Ariel finished the 2.5mi swim in an amazing 1:18:12! I ran to catch up with her as she was heading toward transition, and she said that she was feeling "okay". She looked good when she came through on her bike a few minutes later. Transition time was 10:40.

-Dave

The race started about half an hour ago (10am pacific time). You can get live updates at www.ironmanlive.com throughout the day. Ariel is #1288.

I'll check in periodically with more updates.

-Dave

I got my Ironman bracelet today. The bracelet is one of those plastic hospital ID bands, the kind you can't remove without cutting. It's bright green and has my race number written on it with a Sharpie. It's my official race ID from now until after the awards ceremony. I'm sitting here staring at it. Part of me can't believe that I'm here, in Taupo, New Zealand, 6000 miles from home and less than forty hours away from the Ironman New Zealand starting gun. And the other part of me thinks, of course I'm here, it's only natural; I've been preparing for months and it's time to go.

So far everything has gone smoothly. My bike arrived safely, on time, intact (thanks for the box, Leishia!). But I'm still pretty nervous.

We've spent the week relaxing, doing short workouts, and enjoying Taupo's bizarre weather -- from monsoon rains to sunny and hot. The town is very laid-back even when it's swarming with triathletes. It's a cool place to be. But being on vacation gives me a lot of time to think about being nervous. I'm not worried about being prepared to finish the race; I'm more concerned about something happening before 7am Saturday, like getting sick. I know it's irrational, but those of you who race marathons and other long distances are probably nodding your heads in understanding.

There are people running and biking up and down the streets and swimming in the lake all day long. (I even saw a couple of people out jogging at 10pm Tuesday night.) It's kind of cool to be part of it all. There's a lot for the competitors to do -- it's not like a regular triathlon where you just show up and pick up your number. We have to get our bikes and helmets inspected, register, weigh in (they also weigh us after the race to determine our hydration levels), turn in our bikes, and pack our transition bags and turn them in. Then there's the pasta party, the women's breakfast, the pre-race briefing, the "Parade of Nations" and several seminars. Incidentally, there are only 267 women out of 1343 total competitors -- not quite 20 percent.

Today we took a Huka Jet ride. Someone in NZ invented this boat that can go 50mph in four inches of water. We zoomed around the bright turquoise Waikato River, howling as the boat barely missed hitting canyon walls and trees. We were going so fast it was more like flying over the water. And we got very wet. It was great fun, and it took my mind off the race. A good scream was just what I needed to let off some tension.

-Ariel

Q. Are you guys still in Taupo?

A. Yes. The race is the day after tomorrow (Friday morning for those of you Stateside), then Ariel gets to run a victory lap the following day, and then the day after that, we'll be flying to Christchurch (south island) to start the second leg of our vacation.

Q. How the heck do you pronounce "Taupo"?

A. It's two syllables. We've heard the first syllable pronounced like "how", but also like "hoe", and occasionally like "haw". The second syllable is usually like "hoe", but very occasionally like "hoo". And New Zealanders as a rule pronounce every single vowel sound differently than Americans. So really we have no idea how to pronounce anything here. We really dig this.

Q. Have you picked up any local slang?

A. Dave learned that plain-old coffee is called "filter coffee", or more more simply, "filter." If you order "filter", you get asked "white or black?", which means do you want milk or no? So if you want plain old black coffee you ask for a "filter black".

Q. What has Dave been up to?

A. Dave has been doing a little running and a lot of reading. He just finished Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections and is about to pick up another book. He'll be out there cheering on race day. Also he got a special arm bracelet for friends of participants. This entitles him to discounts at local merchants, access to backstage areas, etc.

Q. Is Ariel ever going to post anything to the blog?

A. Yes. Very, very soon. We promise.

-Dave

We're very relaxed here -- me especially so, considering that I don't have the impending burden of the Ironman to worry about! Last night we had dinner with 100 or so other triathletes & friends at Villino's, a local Italian place.

Special bonus: new photos!

-Dave

It's impossible to convey how big a deal last night's big Oscar wins for Lord of the Rings are to New Zealanders. It's like when your country wins Olympic gold -- there's a tremendous amount of pride about it here.

And I really respect that fact that it's not just blind patriotism -- people are viewing this thing with some perspective. Consider this, from Wellington's Dominion Post:

Once, an Oscar for a New Zealander was an aberration. A cause of great delight and excited toasting. Well-deserved, naturally, but, like a cricket series win, still so rare as to be considered an aberration. It seemed that New Zealand actors and directors and others in the film world were boxing above their weight even to receive a nomination.

...

Now, as the rollcall of Kiwi Oscar winners grows ever longer, it almost seems as if the Academy Awards will become an annual fixture on our cultural calendar. That would be a dangerous presumption. Those New Zealanders who have made winning an Oscar seem, if not exactly easy, then certainly achievable remain a select group up against very fierce competition. It is likely to be many years, if ever, before another period as rich in Oscars for New Zealanders as the last couple of years comes along again.

I will repeat that while I found the films visually interesting, for me they lacked a certain something -- subtlety? restraint? acting? Nevertheless, there's no denying that Peter Jackson & co brought a whole bunch of jobs & tourism dollars into NZ. Let's hope more movies get made here.

PS: I was happy to see Lost in Translation take best original screenplay. I tend to like this category, and I loved the film.

-Dave