In Which Kat and Destiny Go To Prison

Napier, a quaint little town of 1930s architecture, open-air cafes, and sunny ocean-side walks. The crystal sea sweeps in over a landscape of grey pebbles, warmed by the sun. In the distance, the lights of cruise ships twinkle in the mist. With eternally sad eyes, the bronze statue of Pania, the sea-maiden, gazes out across the waters to the west. Children splash in the cool fountain under beautiful trees that bend as if to kiss the ground with long, twisting limbs.

But at the top of the hill (insert scary music) a sinister presence lurks above the hapless city…

The Old Napier Prison. Seeped in stories of murder, betrayal, and desperation, the undulating corridors, twisted by the 1931 earthquake, echo with the ghosts of the long forgotten. The names of men locked away from the world are sprawled across the walls, accompanied by symbols of their hate and their loyalty. Out of the corner of your eye, you glimpse the quick movements of the resident ghost cat, who treads on silent paws the same hallways that once rang with the steps of damned. In the back corner, the hanging yard surrounds the gallows from which swings a noose, tied and ready, as if still waiting.

So, yeah, that’s where we lived for six weeks. Home sweet home. We slept in a prison cell and cooked in the prison kitchen and watched movies in what was once part of the prison mess hall. The cell one over from ours belonged to a schizophrenic who murdered his wife and kids—in the 1880s. Obviously, he doesn’t live there anymore. We played with the ghost cat that is supposedly possessed by a cat-lover convicted of fraud in the 1960s. During the day, we led groups of tourists around the prison, read by the beach, or walked around town. At night, we hung out with the other backpackers living at the prison, watching movies and going out to dinner and rocking quiz night at a local pub. That was about it. We had fun, and now we’re continuing our adventure. 

In Which Kat Bids Destiny Goodbye and Proceeds to be Epic

After telling Destiny and the rest of Napier farewell, I made my way to Wellington, where I got to experience the singular pleasure of being greeted by people I love as I stepped off the bus. My family took me out to dinner that night—and every night for the following eleven days. From Wellington we took the ferry to the south island and drove to Franz Josef, which brings us to:

Epic Adventure Number 1: Hiking to Fox Glacier.

We made our way along a riverbed to what honestly looks like a flood suddenly frozen. It’s eight miles long, beginning in the Southern Alps and ending in a rainforest. It’s one of those things you read about, then one day you see it and think, "It really is a huge piece of ice." Makes me feel like an Arctic explorer. 

From Fox Glacier, we went to Queenstown, where we had epic adventures 2 and 3.

Epic Adventure Number 2: Milford Sound

This was not actually in Queenstown, but you get there by bus from Queenstown. We left the sunbathing crowds beside the lake and, within 3 hours, were among snow-capped mountains. On the other side of these snow-capped mountains is a beautiful fjord surrounded by mountains and waterfalls. I stood at the bow of our boat as one of said waterfalls crashed down over me. It was brilliant.

Epic Adventure Number 3: Jet Boating

You put on a rain jacket and a life jacket and get into a boat strikingly reminiscent of a ski boat. You are then driven up, down, and around this snow-fed river that is shallow enough for me to wonder if I could even kayak it in some places. You get spun around, frighteningly close to the bank, and rather wet, all while in a 3 ton boat that’s riding on 10 centimeters of water. Think of it as driving a boat as if it were a jet ski.

After jet boating, we flew to Sydney. We walked on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, toured the Sydney Opera House, and spent Christmas Day on the beach. The day after Christmas, we flew to Cairns for the next epic adventure.

Epic Adventure Number 4: Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef

It’s just as awesome as Nemo makes it out to be—crystal-clear water full of fish and coral of every shape, size, and color. Most memorable were the barracuda hanging out just behind the boat and the small orange and white clown fish.

The following day, before flying back to Sydney, we took a train into the rainforest where we had:

Epic Adventure Number 5: Cuddling Koalas and Feeding Kangaroos

It’s exactly what it sounds like.

We flew back to Sydney for a few days before my family headed back home and I returned to New Zealand. Thus passed my Christmas holiday. Now to begin another year. It’s going to be epic.