Kia Ora! Welcome to New Zealand-also called Aotearoa-the Land of the Long White Cloud. What an amazing last leg of my trip thus far! We have only scratched the surface of the North Island and have already kayaked several times, hiked mountains and explored beaches. On way to Wellington now (by the time this is posted this was a few days ago;) by bus and the countryside formed by all of the volcanic and earthquake activity is just stunning, and I heard the South Island only gets better with landscapes molded by glacier activity.
I'm loving my group. Initially met Dodgy;) Dave, our 43 yr. old bus driver and guide from North NZ, who is full of Maori stories, NZ history, bad jokes and scary stories!-he's a hoot! First night in Nomads Auckland was a hostel (not really;) situation in my first hostel. Checked in and saw a gal covered in bug bites spraying her bag down with spray and then vacuuming it, kids that looked like bums and they had put me in a "mixed" room with guys and girls. Dave got the room situation fixed for me-ended up with my own room-but it was above the darn club attached to the place. Ear plugs couldn't completely block the bass beats and I think I danced and rapped in my non-sleep past 2:30 am and then laid there wondering if bed bugs were munching away on me while listening to all the drunk people down below on the streets. Not a great welcome to my first "backpackers experience", but met Jesse (29 digital arts guy from LA) and Antje (25 from Germany, getting ready to start Masters in Economics) which made it all better. I've really enjoyed their company on the trip. Antje is so sweet, gentle natured and funny. Jesse is a sweet soul, as well, and I like his music;).
Day 2-3: Paihia and Bay of Islands
Our full group after Bay of Islands: Nicola (34 real estate agent from Manchester-beautiful girl and love laughing with her and all the gals), Marion (73 yr old! from AUS full of stories, vigor and energy-bless her heart), Ria (31, Physician from Wales, so kind, nurturing, lovely smile and warm heart), Werner (early 20's, baker from Belgium, and always there with a helping hand), Eszter (stewardess on boats from Hungary and prob in her mid 20's, again, such a sweet genuine gal), another Jesse (female-20 from NY and in Melbourne currently studying business-lucky gal-full of giggles and fun), Hope (21, also studying in Melbourne with Jesse, and also full of pretty smiles and fun), Vladimir (28 from NYC and just finished his Masters-getting ready to start a job in investment banking-and he has a classic story about his first night at Nomads-walked into Marion's room after his flight at 2 am and she told him he was in the wrong place-he told her he was with G, crawled onto the bunk above her and went to sleep-ha!-he's also such a helper and a gentleman), Angharad (25 from just outside of London-heart her too!-everyone is just so great), Mariann (37 from US-graduated from Yale with PhD in genetics/cancer research and speaks 7 languages!-so smart and we had fun one night chatting about affairs of the heart), Simona (just graduated from Stanford and also studied genetics-also gentle and curious and smart), and Piotr (37 from Poland-married with 2 kiddos-love his dry sense of humor and sense of adventure)
Headed out to the Bay of Islands with Dodgy and the originals: Martin-20's-had the best time laughing with him!- and Nicolette-early 30's (who both were from England and only did this portion), Antje, Vlad, Jesse, Marion, and Angharad, to Paihia beach. Stopped for snorkeling in Goat Island Marine Reserve on the way. I skipped out as water here is cold and I'm a weenie and had just done the GBR;). I had fun climbing the rocks being splashed by ocean waves and watching the others reach the island across the way. The tidal pools were awesome as I just observed the little microcosms in wonder-watching krill, crabs, and sand perch do their thing-even saw a starfish in the bottom of one-so pretty! We also stopped at a local reserve with a short forest walk to admire the huge native Kauri trees. Took pics of one 800 yrs old, and apparently they can get double this size/age where it can take 19 people arms outstretched to go around the trunk of these trees!
Paihia is a small beach town containing the historic location of where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed by the Europeans and Maori to settle the issue of land ownership. We visited this little patch of land that overlooked the bay with a reenactment of Maori cultural dancing in the background. I laid out on the beach for a bit with Angharad. She's just great. So beautiful, tall, tan (from all her time already in AUS), sweet and cracks me up with her English (or just young and fun;) phrases/words (pick 'n mix, pack a mack, tune, wellies, trousers, jumper, crisps, chips, beans on toast, double parked, bangers and mash, charity shop, wa-ter, FOMO, "would ya", kirby grip, etc.). Had a BBQ that night of steak, sausage, slaw and potatoes (quite the staple around here!). Then had a few drinks after at the picnic table listening to Dave's war stories.
Day 4:
Next day did a hike that started at some waterfalls on the edge of town and followed the river down enjoying the fern trees and mangroves. Hiked back to the hostel along the 2 beaches on the bay and hung at the hostel (which was nice and clean with a pool) as it rained a bit.
Later that afternoon we were off to "The Rock" with our "flippy floppys" (I'm on a boat!;). This boat was def geared toward the backpacker crowd with a bar, pool table and fire place on board and the warm up game to get to know everyone was shooting a decoy duck off the back of the boat with a paintball gun (my first time to shoot one!). We played some crazy pool, checkers, caught snapper with night fishing (had to kiss 'em before you threw them back-I kissed two;), kayaked out to see the phosphorescence (plankton with light energy that glow/sparkle in the dark water as you run your hand or paddle through it!) and ate more steak. Met gals in late 20's celebrating a yr of living/wking in NZ that were fun-one from SF, others from Ireland and France. People here are so inspiring-traveling and working far away from home for years-so adventurous! One of the boat guys-"Ash" was 19 and had lived in a diff country each yr working since graduating from Vancouver. The crew were all fairly young, but very professional at the same time and loads of fun. We all had a great time.
Day 5:
Next day kayaked from the boat (and there was more snorkeling and diving for sea urchins to eat the eggs-uni-later) to one of the islands (I think it was the island of love) and hiked to the top for magnificent views of the Bay of Islands and we could see the lovely "Rock" amongst the yachts. The crew shared Maori stories and local history, then our group had to head back to get to Auckland to meet the rest of our gang. Took a speed boat/taxi back to shore loving it the whole way with dolphins swimming and jumping out of the water all around us-one was 1-2 meters away! So magical!
After a better night at the Nomad in Auckland, meeting our new group members, and a great night out on the town (me, Martin, Jesse, Vlad and Antje-observed a drunk Spider-Man, a guy jumping into the harbor naked, bachelorette parties, skimpy outfits, and people obsessed with Canadians, lighters and American tourists), we were off to Raglan.
Raglan is a small town of about 4,000 that grows quite a bit during high season. People come here to catch some serious waves on the west coast of NZ's North Island and loved the vibe here. We took a boat cruise in Raglan Harbour that was so picturesque and ate the biggest hamburgers you've ever seen. A Maori man was part of the crew and gave us a traditional welcome and was also very tribal with his greeting to our kayak guides-so wild and fun to see. Saw rolling hills, the sleeping lady mt, town of Raglan, 60 million year old layered rocky outcroppings (some worn down to the point of being up on pedestals) and wind farms on the cruise. Met our kayak guides who were a hoot-one a NZ local who hunts his own crayfish (their lobster) and scallops and does some music mixing on the side with Sunday night performances (did't get to witness the jam sesh as it was Easter Sunday) and the other a cute young surfer Aussie from Cairns. We kayaked the harbour up into the river to an eco-farm passing wind and dairy farms along the way and also stopped for a swim. LOVED the cute older couple that ran the fresh water eel and fish farm. They have done a lot of research on sustainable farming and were so passionate about their cause. He showed us the 6 ponds, his homemade fish feeding contraption complete with cut off plastic bottle bottoms, we pet an eel, walked donkeys, played with their golden doodle who actually brought us a bird he'd caught (thought of Julia and Otis!), fed sheep from our hands, checked out their alpacas and then enjoyed a tea/coffee break complete with smokes eel, fresh baked bread, homemade plum and apricot jelly, fresh whipped cream, mini pancakes, and macadamia nuts grown on their land. Afterward he showed us more fish he was raising and a rare I believe extinct fish native to NZ that he pulled out of a tub of formaldehyde! Ha! Angharad and I just fell in love with these people and they made me think of home when I saw that Charles's office was organized like my dad's and his wife who is also named Jan said "Girls, lesson to be learned, never agree to have a dishwasher put in the shed or you'll never get your house built!" (They lived in a very simple home and I realized the patio we were enjoying our goodies on was actually their "outdoor living room" as she put it; and we had toured the top of the hill with a magnificent view where a house was yet to be built-they've lived there 17 yrs;).
That eve we grabbed fish and chips at a local place on the harbour where a band was playing for Easter Sunday and went and watched the sunset. Stayed the next 2 nights at "Kev's Place" which this guy had campers, chalets, a boat and tent spots for an eco-lodging experience which was awesome. Angharad and I shared a comfy camper (other than the resident spider we ended up slaughtering) and the guys were in this huge crazy boat. Eco toilets were managed by worms per the literature in the rooms! and Kev was quite the host. The second night we were all up on the hill (with the most amazing views I might add of sleeping lady mt, water, more mts, sunsets, etc) outside his camper home (on a rusted out old truck) with his two boys chopping home grown vege (as the kiwis say), eating fresh passion fruit, and cooking up a stir fry. He'd throw on a pair of snorkeling goggles when going over to the fire to stir the fry and we all popped open drinks and just had a grand time. Late night (10-11:00-ha!) we hung by the fire and laughed until tears were streaming down our face...Kev showing us how his deer antlers were going to basically become a cook top over the fire pit, Werner with his tequila gun and the Brits with their ideas of spelling zoom with your bottom, etc-it was all "so organic"-what a fun night!
Day 6:
Next am we were off to catch some waves. The instructors were chill and we started the day with some yoga moves in their party barn up the hill. Got down to the beautiful beach and had a blast. The power of the sea was intense. I probably rode about 5-6 waves, even though small ones, it was quite the feat. It was exhausting as you fought your way back in over and over again and the falls could be hard, but it was a morning of great exercise and so fun learning something new. We had a free afternoon so I sat in a cute cafe in town and had one of the best vege burgers ever (made with kumara-their sweet potatoe, coconut and chick peas), huge bowl of curly fries and a flat white. For 3 hrs. tried to get through emails, called fam and was able to FaceTime a bit and FB;). It was nice getting connected again.
Day 7: Waitomo Caves (one of the areas where Lord of the Rings was filmed as well)/Rotorua/Maori Village Visit
We did "Black Water Rafting" at the Waitomo Caves which is called such as there are portions you're riding an inner tube in the black water down narrow waterways under the ground. The stalagmites and stalactites were jaw dropping and portions of the cave were sandstone (vs limestone) with sharp cut outs in the rock carved by the rushing waters when the cave floods which was so cool to see and tricky to navigate through. We were all geared up with padded wetsuits, Wellington boots and helmets with lights and added war paint later on (guide had us smear cave mud on one another;). It was surreal entering the 900 meter long cave system squeezing through a small rocky opening in the ground that we had a short hike to, avoiding stepping in sheep poop along the way! Fan-tailed birds were chirping and flying all around us and we entered the bush around the opening as the guide said they liked when things were stirred up so they can grab the disturbed insects flying around. We crawled through a tunnel they had us do in the dark (later I realized it probably kept people more calm vs. actually seeing how small of a place you were crawling through and freaking out) and swimming in that cold black water was pretty creepy. Apparently there are freshwater eels that live in that water, too! Another portion he had people fall backwards into their tube off a ledge that I deferred, but was fun to see the others take the plunge! The glow worms were just the coolest! We floated down a couple of longer grottos with the ceiling lit up like a starry night or the Milky Way...again, jaw-dropping beautiful. These little guys are extremely energy efficient and only need to eat every few months. The glow is actually the larvae's excrement and a silk line drapes below to catch insects drawn to the light. Apparently the female mates with up to 8 males during a 3 day period and after the males are so confused they will be drawn to this light and eaten by their own kind-up to 40% of them! Crazy stuff! We stopped for a cider and chocolate break and they told us a few ghost tales, as well. It was an amazing and challenging experience. So happy I did it and the cave and glow worms were so interesting to see; but I think this is an activity I won't necessarily seek out to do again;)
That evening we headed into Rotorua and saw the lake, bubbling mud pools and boiling hot springs. All of the geothermal activity throughout this town was fascinating. We stopped by a local Maori village and a sweet funny Maori man showed us around and shared stories. The village was the home of approx 300 people and the homes were small and modest. He wasn't shy about sharing frustrations with the gvt continuing to take their land, hot springs, etc. He showed us local hot baths, his private tub-ha!-and there was steam coming up from several little coves of the lake, boiling pools of water here and there from the ground, hot pavement with springs below and a huge piping network seen all around with openings from street vents or from pipes coming out of the middle of buildings (for heating the building) with billowing steam. Again, to think of all of that energy just under the ground you were standing on was pretty surreal.
We finished the night off with a traditional "hangi" dinner, which is food cooked by the steam and hot rocks from the ground. Had pork, stuffing and lots o potatoes-good stuff-then dipped our feet into one of the local hot pools at the park.
Day 8: Tongariro Crossing
After a quick stop at the country's largest lakes, Lake Taupo, we were off to attempt NZ's # one day hike at Tongariro Ntl Park, which was NZ's first ntl park. A Maori tribal chief gave the mountains to the nation to ensure their protection. Three active volcanoes, Mts Ngauruhoe (again parts of LOR-Lord of the Rings-filmed here), Tongariro, and Ruapehu are here with part of the crossing closed due to Mt Ruapehu's recent activity. The lake was also formed by one of the world's largest volcanic eruptions in 186 AD, causing you to really remember that you're sitting on the Pacific Ring of Fire-where the Pacific and Indo-Australian tectonic plates grind against each other.
We hiked a total of perhaps 15 km as the weather turned bad with white out conditions so we had to turn back after reaching a point called the Southern Crater. Hiked back down to Soda Springs and had lunch. The flowers, brush, streams, mountain curves and rock formations were stunning-like Keith said-looked like the end of the earth. That is how I feel about NZ-it's so wild, rugged, natural, rural and the most beautiful place I've ever visited I believe. Every direction you turn there's another gorgeous beach, thick forest, clear stream or river, waterfall trickling down, giant tree ferns, towering mountains, rolling hills, apple orchards, vineyards, etc.-so beautiful and untouched in a way as this country is relatively so young and fresh.
The hike did become a little scary as some had decided to continue on and weren't back by the time we had finished. It had started raining and was cold. They did make it down, but had hiked through a lot of rain and admitted the trail markers were difficult to see, etc. We all learned a valuable lesson that you just don't mess with Mother Nature and that the conditions on a mt. can change in a blink of an eye.
We spent that night in a ski lodge and enjoyed another steak dinner, the sauna, and it rained again through the night so Eszter and Angharad had a visitor-a mouse!-so Angharad joined our room in the middle of the night. I was just glad it wasn't a ghost knocking on the door in the middle of the night! (Dave had told some ghost stories at dinner)
Day 9: Wellington
Drove into the capital city which sits on the water met by swooping hills-very picturesque. The city is also considered the cultural capital, as well, of NZ. We had little time here, but I ran through the Te Papa museum which was huge, free, and great. Enjoyed the exhibits on NZ's flora and fauna (saw my first and only Kiwi bird-although stuffed;), a giant squid, whale and dolphin skeletons, earthquake and volcano science (took me back to the 5th grade), a collection of beautiful housewares, dishes and vases by a local who had donated his personal findings, and a big collection of Maori artifacts including a Conch shell horn, flutes made from wood and bone, hunting spears, and several pieces of pounamu (NZ greenstone/jade) shaped into tools and jewelry. It was a very well done museum down by the port with some nice views. Afterward I took the cable car up the hill and took in the views over town. There was a "cabbage tree" kicking off the view from the nearby botanical gardens which was interesting to read about as it's native to NZ. That night had a delicious meal of moussaka of all things, then went down the street to celebrate Jesse and Hope's last night (they only signed up for a portion of the North Island and needed to get back to Melbourne for school). They both were a hoot with great dance moves and we have really missed all of their energy, smiles and laughter. Made me reminisce about when I was young and silly. Now I'm just silly;).
Day 10-11: Abel Tasman National Park
So we were on a boat yet again taking the ferry across Cook Strait to Picton, small town in the north island, to bus on over through Nelson and on to the park to meet our water taxi to then take us to our overnight boat in the bay. The ride over felt like you were in a story book passing through the majestic Marlborough Sounds and the water taxi to our boat was also gorgeous along the coast of the Abel Tasman park. Our boat in the bay was quaint and met 2 older women from the states. One had been living and working in Auckland for over 2 yrs and the other for a few months as a nurse. Also met two guys traveling on their own picking up jobs as they went and hitch hiking some! One from England and prob early 20's (we ran into him again in Queenstown), other from Chicago and prob late 20's. We all had a blast just hanging out around the fire pit after a dinner of yet again steak, sausage, vege, rice and slaw. Some had also taken a dip in the frigid water jumping from the top of the boat.
Next day we did a total hike of 23 km through the park (Anchorage to Marahau and Cleopatra Falls) hitting forest, golden sand beaches in sweet little coves, took a lunch break on the Tasman Sea, hiked up to lots of stunning panoramic lookouts and listening to the NZ Bellbird sing its song and loving the crazy tree ferns adding their beautiful shades of green to the landscape. There were several granite outcroppings and the water was an almost turquoise blue. It was simply a lovely lovely place indeed. After a celebratory Tui IPA after the hike we enjoyed a local burger food truck. I tried the green lipped Marlborough Sounds mussel burger which was pretty lip licking;) good. That night we stayed at a really cute backpackers lodge in the middle of an apple orchard. The owners were quirky and cute and the place really did feel homey, although only had a very short time here. We did enjoy a movie (watched Moneyball on DVD), I think this was the second time I've really watched a TV within the last 10 weeks that I've been gone.
Day 12: Hang Gliding and Punakaiki
Started the day off right with an adrenaline rush with Jesse and Simona. We went hang gliding 2500 ft up! A micro-lite plane took us up on a line while attached with our guide/tandem hanging horizontal to the hang glider. We were then let loose to fly! It was awesome! Could see all of the apple orchards, hops fields, kiwi crops, mountain ranges, Tasman Sea, and the Ntl park. He did dips where my stomach was in knots and I was throwing out some screams. He let me drive some, as well, grasping the side bars and leaning to one side then the other; and we did some free falls to the sides too twirling downward-very exhilarating! The gang was there to pick us up by the time I was coming down and they laughed as they could hear my screams upon our descend closer to the ground. What a great way to start the day!
Afterward we needed to pick up May, Allison (who joined the tour in Picton-May, 24 from Thailand, a free spirited and outgoing fiery gal who kept us all laughing, and Allison, 31 PT from Canada who was fun and a kind sweet person, as well) and Eszter from their bone carving class. The instructor and her daughter lived in a funky little house/shed at the base of the mountains with their own garden, apple trees, fat sheep, chickens, Molly the goat and a dog who liked to play with rocks. They were hilarious and never stopped laughing. I swore someone was smoking something, but it was just the mom smoking her homegrown tobacco (as a lot of people do because cigarettes are so expensive here). Vicki is our tour guide we received after Dave and told us about how only 1% of New Zealanders live between the Alps and the west coast due to the limited facilities, grocery stores, etc. These people were definitely living off of the land and what a trip to witness this way of life here. Apparently the girls even milked the goat for the milk in their tea! On a side note, Vicki also grew up in a smaller town and I think that's why Kiwis are so friendly and laid back-because so many come from rural areas and a simple way of life-and appreciate the simple pleasures-which is just so beautiful. Everyone really does seem so happy and easily pleased, content...definitely a positive vibe in this country. Vicki has definitely been cool and I love hearing her talk with her "mates" (as they say)..."cheers, no worries, sweet as bro!" It is interesting that approx 4 million people are in NZ, and 1/3 of them live in Auckland to be in the big city...but again, how could you not be smiley when surrounded by such constant beauty!? What a magical place this is!
Back on the bus, which has been the perfect way to see and experience this beautiful country, we headed south along the wild wild west coast through Buller Gorge and on to a stop at Cape Foulwind (getting its name from Captain Cook due to the strong winds and currents) to see the seals. Again, breathtaking views, waves crashing against the rocks, crazy and dangerous looking currents down below and we saw approx 6-8 baby seal pups playing in a pool within the rocks below. They were so cute chasing each other in circles around a center rock and falling over onto one another in the water. So cool to witness!
That night we stayed at a cabin type place nestled back in the woods with a record player, old lamps and views of bright green foliage with the sunset as a backdrop. It had a big kitchen, so May cooked up the most delicious Thai meal. We helped chop vege, made salads, and dined on Pad Thai, red chicken curry and jasmine rice. It was a really fun evening and nice to have a home cooked meal. Dave, 37, also from England joined us that eve for part of the South Island tour and is a nice chap as well.
Day 13-14: "Pancake Rocks" and Franz Josef Glacier
Next day we followed the coast to see the Pancake Rocks-layered rock formations formed by the elements with tidal "blow holes" and sounds of the roaring sea below. Followed this up with a beautiful 3 hour hike of the Paparoa National Park along the river. I can't get over all of the diff. varieties of ferns and mosses seen on these hikes-my fave plants!;) and the tree fern continues to keep me oohing and awing. Enjoyed the towering trees of rainforest proportions and the sounds of the river, Fan-tailed and Bell birds singing and even had a cute South Island Robin hop up to greet us on the path. Also saw a Weka bird (flightless, brown and kinda awkward looking) hunting and scratching the forest floor for lunch.
That evening arrived at our nice hostel set back in the rainforest in Franz Josef. Crazy to think about the fact that you're in a rainforest and hiking a glacier the next day! It boasted a hot tub to fit 20, although I took a dip and there was only one seat with only one set of jets working-ha! There was also a bar on site called the Monsoon. We had an included dinner there and enjoyed some drinks while Antje almost won the pool tournament. She won a bar crawl for 2nd place that we did in Queenstown a couple of nights later that was obviously geared toward a younger crowd. We made the best of that crawl and had a blast dancing until 4 am!
Day two in Franz Josef we walked down the street to jump on a helicopter and hiked the glacier. Probably the coolest thing I've ever done and obviously another major highlight of this trip. The ride was amazing and it was so surreal when we stepped off onto the glacier surface surrounded by the majestic Southern Alps. What a feeling it was! Rich was our guide in shorts and a t-shirt with his ice pick; we were all bundled from head to toe;). It was a great day for it as the sun was shining and clothing layers could be shed at times. We wore "crampons" strapped to our boots and climbed away. The ice formations, surrounding mountains, rocks, colors, little pools and streams of glacier melt and routes we took (Rich would use his ice pick to chunk away steps in the ice, knock off melting ice above to avoid injury, etc) were unbelievable and we even went through a naturally formed ice cave-felt like I was in an igloo or something! It was the best and a good workout, too! Afterward we enjoyed the local glacial water hot pools. That night we cooked Thai again compliments of the amazing May-yum!
Day 15-17: Queenstown
Started the day with an early stop to hike around Lake Matheson (took about 1.5 hr) and snap pics of Mt. Cook's (NZ's tallest mt) reflection in the lake. It was so peaceful out there as I strolled with coffee in hand and I loved the photos I got of the morning dew and fog. Also saw a fresh water eel that basically stayed at the surface and stared back at us for a long time which was interesting. He appeared black with little bits of powder blue on his creepy face-it was so cool! (Esp since Charles had shown us his eel farm and we learned all about 'em earlier in the trip;)
As we continued south along the west coast had amazing views of the sea, stopped at a huge waterfall and then stunning scenery driving along Lake Hawea and Wanaka and into Queenstown on Lake Wakatipu. We also stopped at the famous Kawarau Bridge on the river built back in the late 1800's, I believe, during the gold rush. It is the site of the first bungy jump and I went and watched Jesse and Antje do a jump the following day. It really got my heart pumping, even though I didn't even jump! So exciting! Queenstown is the adrenaline capital of the world and 9 people in our group also went sky diving. I considered it (NOT bungy), but came down with a cold so ended up chickening out since mentally I wasn't quite there and physically I definitely wasn't. That night had FREE bangers and mash at the hostel, then down the street for a couple of beers and pool. Most nights have been fairly early overall as we obviously accomplish so many activities and/or travel each day.
Next day started off with a stuffy nose and a face full of cold while shooting down the Shotover River on a jet boat with Dave and Antje. It was beautiful scenery that would not have been seen otherwise as this company has had the sole rights to this part of the river since 1970. We zipped though steep canyons (one of which part of LOR filmed there) and around huge jutting boulders and rock walls with the driver getting you as close as possible to make you worry for a sec that your head might be knocked off. They also did several 360 spins which were fun and the water was crystal clear w/ an awesome shade of pale blue. Trees are also starting to change with it being the beginning of autumn here, so the yellow and red trees lining the river were beautiful, as well. Afterward we had breaky (kiwi's word for breakfast) at a yummy local place called Bob's Weigh. I think it was my first proper breakfast since traveling-ham omelette with avacado, caramelized onions, house-made chutney and bread smeared with butter. Later that day we watched the bungy jumping as I described above, ate at Devil Burgers, hung on our balcony and did our crazy funny pub crawl.
I'm loving my group. Initially met Dodgy;) Dave, our 43 yr. old bus driver and guide from North NZ, who is full of Maori stories, NZ history, bad jokes and scary stories!-he's a hoot! First night in Nomads Auckland was a hostel (not really;) situation in my first hostel. Checked in and saw a gal covered in bug bites spraying her bag down with spray and then vacuuming it, kids that looked like bums and they had put me in a "mixed" room with guys and girls. Dave got the room situation fixed for me-ended up with my own room-but it was above the darn club attached to the place. Ear plugs couldn't completely block the bass beats and I think I danced and rapped in my non-sleep past 2:30 am and then laid there wondering if bed bugs were munching away on me while listening to all the drunk people down below on the streets. Not a great welcome to my first "backpackers experience", but met Jesse (29 digital arts guy from LA) and Antje (25 from Germany, getting ready to start Masters in Economics) which made it all better. I've really enjoyed their company on the trip. Antje is so sweet, gentle natured and funny. Jesse is a sweet soul, as well, and I like his music;).
Day 2-3: Paihia and Bay of Islands
Our full group after Bay of Islands: Nicola (34 real estate agent from Manchester-beautiful girl and love laughing with her and all the gals), Marion (73 yr old! from AUS full of stories, vigor and energy-bless her heart), Ria (31, Physician from Wales, so kind, nurturing, lovely smile and warm heart), Werner (early 20's, baker from Belgium, and always there with a helping hand), Eszter (stewardess on boats from Hungary and prob in her mid 20's, again, such a sweet genuine gal), another Jesse (female-20 from NY and in Melbourne currently studying business-lucky gal-full of giggles and fun), Hope (21, also studying in Melbourne with Jesse, and also full of pretty smiles and fun), Vladimir (28 from NYC and just finished his Masters-getting ready to start a job in investment banking-and he has a classic story about his first night at Nomads-walked into Marion's room after his flight at 2 am and she told him he was in the wrong place-he told her he was with G, crawled onto the bunk above her and went to sleep-ha!-he's also such a helper and a gentleman), Angharad (25 from just outside of London-heart her too!-everyone is just so great), Mariann (37 from US-graduated from Yale with PhD in genetics/cancer research and speaks 7 languages!-so smart and we had fun one night chatting about affairs of the heart), Simona (just graduated from Stanford and also studied genetics-also gentle and curious and smart), and Piotr (37 from Poland-married with 2 kiddos-love his dry sense of humor and sense of adventure)
Headed out to the Bay of Islands with Dodgy and the originals: Martin-20's-had the best time laughing with him!- and Nicolette-early 30's (who both were from England and only did this portion), Antje, Vlad, Jesse, Marion, and Angharad, to Paihia beach. Stopped for snorkeling in Goat Island Marine Reserve on the way. I skipped out as water here is cold and I'm a weenie and had just done the GBR;). I had fun climbing the rocks being splashed by ocean waves and watching the others reach the island across the way. The tidal pools were awesome as I just observed the little microcosms in wonder-watching krill, crabs, and sand perch do their thing-even saw a starfish in the bottom of one-so pretty! We also stopped at a local reserve with a short forest walk to admire the huge native Kauri trees. Took pics of one 800 yrs old, and apparently they can get double this size/age where it can take 19 people arms outstretched to go around the trunk of these trees!
Paihia is a small beach town containing the historic location of where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed by the Europeans and Maori to settle the issue of land ownership. We visited this little patch of land that overlooked the bay with a reenactment of Maori cultural dancing in the background. I laid out on the beach for a bit with Angharad. She's just great. So beautiful, tall, tan (from all her time already in AUS), sweet and cracks me up with her English (or just young and fun;) phrases/words (pick 'n mix, pack a mack, tune, wellies, trousers, jumper, crisps, chips, beans on toast, double parked, bangers and mash, charity shop, wa-ter, FOMO, "would ya", kirby grip, etc.). Had a BBQ that night of steak, sausage, slaw and potatoes (quite the staple around here!). Then had a few drinks after at the picnic table listening to Dave's war stories.
Day 4:
Next day did a hike that started at some waterfalls on the edge of town and followed the river down enjoying the fern trees and mangroves. Hiked back to the hostel along the 2 beaches on the bay and hung at the hostel (which was nice and clean with a pool) as it rained a bit.
Later that afternoon we were off to "The Rock" with our "flippy floppys" (I'm on a boat!;). This boat was def geared toward the backpacker crowd with a bar, pool table and fire place on board and the warm up game to get to know everyone was shooting a decoy duck off the back of the boat with a paintball gun (my first time to shoot one!). We played some crazy pool, checkers, caught snapper with night fishing (had to kiss 'em before you threw them back-I kissed two;), kayaked out to see the phosphorescence (plankton with light energy that glow/sparkle in the dark water as you run your hand or paddle through it!) and ate more steak. Met gals in late 20's celebrating a yr of living/wking in NZ that were fun-one from SF, others from Ireland and France. People here are so inspiring-traveling and working far away from home for years-so adventurous! One of the boat guys-"Ash" was 19 and had lived in a diff country each yr working since graduating from Vancouver. The crew were all fairly young, but very professional at the same time and loads of fun. We all had a great time.
Day 5:
Next day kayaked from the boat (and there was more snorkeling and diving for sea urchins to eat the eggs-uni-later) to one of the islands (I think it was the island of love) and hiked to the top for magnificent views of the Bay of Islands and we could see the lovely "Rock" amongst the yachts. The crew shared Maori stories and local history, then our group had to head back to get to Auckland to meet the rest of our gang. Took a speed boat/taxi back to shore loving it the whole way with dolphins swimming and jumping out of the water all around us-one was 1-2 meters away! So magical!
After a better night at the Nomad in Auckland, meeting our new group members, and a great night out on the town (me, Martin, Jesse, Vlad and Antje-observed a drunk Spider-Man, a guy jumping into the harbor naked, bachelorette parties, skimpy outfits, and people obsessed with Canadians, lighters and American tourists), we were off to Raglan.
Raglan is a small town of about 4,000 that grows quite a bit during high season. People come here to catch some serious waves on the west coast of NZ's North Island and loved the vibe here. We took a boat cruise in Raglan Harbour that was so picturesque and ate the biggest hamburgers you've ever seen. A Maori man was part of the crew and gave us a traditional welcome and was also very tribal with his greeting to our kayak guides-so wild and fun to see. Saw rolling hills, the sleeping lady mt, town of Raglan, 60 million year old layered rocky outcroppings (some worn down to the point of being up on pedestals) and wind farms on the cruise. Met our kayak guides who were a hoot-one a NZ local who hunts his own crayfish (their lobster) and scallops and does some music mixing on the side with Sunday night performances (did't get to witness the jam sesh as it was Easter Sunday) and the other a cute young surfer Aussie from Cairns. We kayaked the harbour up into the river to an eco-farm passing wind and dairy farms along the way and also stopped for a swim. LOVED the cute older couple that ran the fresh water eel and fish farm. They have done a lot of research on sustainable farming and were so passionate about their cause. He showed us the 6 ponds, his homemade fish feeding contraption complete with cut off plastic bottle bottoms, we pet an eel, walked donkeys, played with their golden doodle who actually brought us a bird he'd caught (thought of Julia and Otis!), fed sheep from our hands, checked out their alpacas and then enjoyed a tea/coffee break complete with smokes eel, fresh baked bread, homemade plum and apricot jelly, fresh whipped cream, mini pancakes, and macadamia nuts grown on their land. Afterward he showed us more fish he was raising and a rare I believe extinct fish native to NZ that he pulled out of a tub of formaldehyde! Ha! Angharad and I just fell in love with these people and they made me think of home when I saw that Charles's office was organized like my dad's and his wife who is also named Jan said "Girls, lesson to be learned, never agree to have a dishwasher put in the shed or you'll never get your house built!" (They lived in a very simple home and I realized the patio we were enjoying our goodies on was actually their "outdoor living room" as she put it; and we had toured the top of the hill with a magnificent view where a house was yet to be built-they've lived there 17 yrs;).
That eve we grabbed fish and chips at a local place on the harbour where a band was playing for Easter Sunday and went and watched the sunset. Stayed the next 2 nights at "Kev's Place" which this guy had campers, chalets, a boat and tent spots for an eco-lodging experience which was awesome. Angharad and I shared a comfy camper (other than the resident spider we ended up slaughtering) and the guys were in this huge crazy boat. Eco toilets were managed by worms per the literature in the rooms! and Kev was quite the host. The second night we were all up on the hill (with the most amazing views I might add of sleeping lady mt, water, more mts, sunsets, etc) outside his camper home (on a rusted out old truck) with his two boys chopping home grown vege (as the kiwis say), eating fresh passion fruit, and cooking up a stir fry. He'd throw on a pair of snorkeling goggles when going over to the fire to stir the fry and we all popped open drinks and just had a grand time. Late night (10-11:00-ha!) we hung by the fire and laughed until tears were streaming down our face...Kev showing us how his deer antlers were going to basically become a cook top over the fire pit, Werner with his tequila gun and the Brits with their ideas of spelling zoom with your bottom, etc-it was all "so organic"-what a fun night!
Day 6:
Next am we were off to catch some waves. The instructors were chill and we started the day with some yoga moves in their party barn up the hill. Got down to the beautiful beach and had a blast. The power of the sea was intense. I probably rode about 5-6 waves, even though small ones, it was quite the feat. It was exhausting as you fought your way back in over and over again and the falls could be hard, but it was a morning of great exercise and so fun learning something new. We had a free afternoon so I sat in a cute cafe in town and had one of the best vege burgers ever (made with kumara-their sweet potatoe, coconut and chick peas), huge bowl of curly fries and a flat white. For 3 hrs. tried to get through emails, called fam and was able to FaceTime a bit and FB;). It was nice getting connected again.
Day 7: Waitomo Caves (one of the areas where Lord of the Rings was filmed as well)/Rotorua/Maori Village Visit
We did "Black Water Rafting" at the Waitomo Caves which is called such as there are portions you're riding an inner tube in the black water down narrow waterways under the ground. The stalagmites and stalactites were jaw dropping and portions of the cave were sandstone (vs limestone) with sharp cut outs in the rock carved by the rushing waters when the cave floods which was so cool to see and tricky to navigate through. We were all geared up with padded wetsuits, Wellington boots and helmets with lights and added war paint later on (guide had us smear cave mud on one another;). It was surreal entering the 900 meter long cave system squeezing through a small rocky opening in the ground that we had a short hike to, avoiding stepping in sheep poop along the way! Fan-tailed birds were chirping and flying all around us and we entered the bush around the opening as the guide said they liked when things were stirred up so they can grab the disturbed insects flying around. We crawled through a tunnel they had us do in the dark (later I realized it probably kept people more calm vs. actually seeing how small of a place you were crawling through and freaking out) and swimming in that cold black water was pretty creepy. Apparently there are freshwater eels that live in that water, too! Another portion he had people fall backwards into their tube off a ledge that I deferred, but was fun to see the others take the plunge! The glow worms were just the coolest! We floated down a couple of longer grottos with the ceiling lit up like a starry night or the Milky Way...again, jaw-dropping beautiful. These little guys are extremely energy efficient and only need to eat every few months. The glow is actually the larvae's excrement and a silk line drapes below to catch insects drawn to the light. Apparently the female mates with up to 8 males during a 3 day period and after the males are so confused they will be drawn to this light and eaten by their own kind-up to 40% of them! Crazy stuff! We stopped for a cider and chocolate break and they told us a few ghost tales, as well. It was an amazing and challenging experience. So happy I did it and the cave and glow worms were so interesting to see; but I think this is an activity I won't necessarily seek out to do again;)
That evening we headed into Rotorua and saw the lake, bubbling mud pools and boiling hot springs. All of the geothermal activity throughout this town was fascinating. We stopped by a local Maori village and a sweet funny Maori man showed us around and shared stories. The village was the home of approx 300 people and the homes were small and modest. He wasn't shy about sharing frustrations with the gvt continuing to take their land, hot springs, etc. He showed us local hot baths, his private tub-ha!-and there was steam coming up from several little coves of the lake, boiling pools of water here and there from the ground, hot pavement with springs below and a huge piping network seen all around with openings from street vents or from pipes coming out of the middle of buildings (for heating the building) with billowing steam. Again, to think of all of that energy just under the ground you were standing on was pretty surreal.
We finished the night off with a traditional "hangi" dinner, which is food cooked by the steam and hot rocks from the ground. Had pork, stuffing and lots o potatoes-good stuff-then dipped our feet into one of the local hot pools at the park.
Day 8: Tongariro Crossing
After a quick stop at the country's largest lakes, Lake Taupo, we were off to attempt NZ's # one day hike at Tongariro Ntl Park, which was NZ's first ntl park. A Maori tribal chief gave the mountains to the nation to ensure their protection. Three active volcanoes, Mts Ngauruhoe (again parts of LOR-Lord of the Rings-filmed here), Tongariro, and Ruapehu are here with part of the crossing closed due to Mt Ruapehu's recent activity. The lake was also formed by one of the world's largest volcanic eruptions in 186 AD, causing you to really remember that you're sitting on the Pacific Ring of Fire-where the Pacific and Indo-Australian tectonic plates grind against each other.
We hiked a total of perhaps 15 km as the weather turned bad with white out conditions so we had to turn back after reaching a point called the Southern Crater. Hiked back down to Soda Springs and had lunch. The flowers, brush, streams, mountain curves and rock formations were stunning-like Keith said-looked like the end of the earth. That is how I feel about NZ-it's so wild, rugged, natural, rural and the most beautiful place I've ever visited I believe. Every direction you turn there's another gorgeous beach, thick forest, clear stream or river, waterfall trickling down, giant tree ferns, towering mountains, rolling hills, apple orchards, vineyards, etc.-so beautiful and untouched in a way as this country is relatively so young and fresh.
The hike did become a little scary as some had decided to continue on and weren't back by the time we had finished. It had started raining and was cold. They did make it down, but had hiked through a lot of rain and admitted the trail markers were difficult to see, etc. We all learned a valuable lesson that you just don't mess with Mother Nature and that the conditions on a mt. can change in a blink of an eye.
We spent that night in a ski lodge and enjoyed another steak dinner, the sauna, and it rained again through the night so Eszter and Angharad had a visitor-a mouse!-so Angharad joined our room in the middle of the night. I was just glad it wasn't a ghost knocking on the door in the middle of the night! (Dave had told some ghost stories at dinner)
Day 9: Wellington
Drove into the capital city which sits on the water met by swooping hills-very picturesque. The city is also considered the cultural capital, as well, of NZ. We had little time here, but I ran through the Te Papa museum which was huge, free, and great. Enjoyed the exhibits on NZ's flora and fauna (saw my first and only Kiwi bird-although stuffed;), a giant squid, whale and dolphin skeletons, earthquake and volcano science (took me back to the 5th grade), a collection of beautiful housewares, dishes and vases by a local who had donated his personal findings, and a big collection of Maori artifacts including a Conch shell horn, flutes made from wood and bone, hunting spears, and several pieces of pounamu (NZ greenstone/jade) shaped into tools and jewelry. It was a very well done museum down by the port with some nice views. Afterward I took the cable car up the hill and took in the views over town. There was a "cabbage tree" kicking off the view from the nearby botanical gardens which was interesting to read about as it's native to NZ. That night had a delicious meal of moussaka of all things, then went down the street to celebrate Jesse and Hope's last night (they only signed up for a portion of the North Island and needed to get back to Melbourne for school). They both were a hoot with great dance moves and we have really missed all of their energy, smiles and laughter. Made me reminisce about when I was young and silly. Now I'm just silly;).
Day 10-11: Abel Tasman National Park
So we were on a boat yet again taking the ferry across Cook Strait to Picton, small town in the north island, to bus on over through Nelson and on to the park to meet our water taxi to then take us to our overnight boat in the bay. The ride over felt like you were in a story book passing through the majestic Marlborough Sounds and the water taxi to our boat was also gorgeous along the coast of the Abel Tasman park. Our boat in the bay was quaint and met 2 older women from the states. One had been living and working in Auckland for over 2 yrs and the other for a few months as a nurse. Also met two guys traveling on their own picking up jobs as they went and hitch hiking some! One from England and prob early 20's (we ran into him again in Queenstown), other from Chicago and prob late 20's. We all had a blast just hanging out around the fire pit after a dinner of yet again steak, sausage, vege, rice and slaw. Some had also taken a dip in the frigid water jumping from the top of the boat.
Next day we did a total hike of 23 km through the park (Anchorage to Marahau and Cleopatra Falls) hitting forest, golden sand beaches in sweet little coves, took a lunch break on the Tasman Sea, hiked up to lots of stunning panoramic lookouts and listening to the NZ Bellbird sing its song and loving the crazy tree ferns adding their beautiful shades of green to the landscape. There were several granite outcroppings and the water was an almost turquoise blue. It was simply a lovely lovely place indeed. After a celebratory Tui IPA after the hike we enjoyed a local burger food truck. I tried the green lipped Marlborough Sounds mussel burger which was pretty lip licking;) good. That night we stayed at a really cute backpackers lodge in the middle of an apple orchard. The owners were quirky and cute and the place really did feel homey, although only had a very short time here. We did enjoy a movie (watched Moneyball on DVD), I think this was the second time I've really watched a TV within the last 10 weeks that I've been gone.
Day 12: Hang Gliding and Punakaiki
Started the day off right with an adrenaline rush with Jesse and Simona. We went hang gliding 2500 ft up! A micro-lite plane took us up on a line while attached with our guide/tandem hanging horizontal to the hang glider. We were then let loose to fly! It was awesome! Could see all of the apple orchards, hops fields, kiwi crops, mountain ranges, Tasman Sea, and the Ntl park. He did dips where my stomach was in knots and I was throwing out some screams. He let me drive some, as well, grasping the side bars and leaning to one side then the other; and we did some free falls to the sides too twirling downward-very exhilarating! The gang was there to pick us up by the time I was coming down and they laughed as they could hear my screams upon our descend closer to the ground. What a great way to start the day!
Afterward we needed to pick up May, Allison (who joined the tour in Picton-May, 24 from Thailand, a free spirited and outgoing fiery gal who kept us all laughing, and Allison, 31 PT from Canada who was fun and a kind sweet person, as well) and Eszter from their bone carving class. The instructor and her daughter lived in a funky little house/shed at the base of the mountains with their own garden, apple trees, fat sheep, chickens, Molly the goat and a dog who liked to play with rocks. They were hilarious and never stopped laughing. I swore someone was smoking something, but it was just the mom smoking her homegrown tobacco (as a lot of people do because cigarettes are so expensive here). Vicki is our tour guide we received after Dave and told us about how only 1% of New Zealanders live between the Alps and the west coast due to the limited facilities, grocery stores, etc. These people were definitely living off of the land and what a trip to witness this way of life here. Apparently the girls even milked the goat for the milk in their tea! On a side note, Vicki also grew up in a smaller town and I think that's why Kiwis are so friendly and laid back-because so many come from rural areas and a simple way of life-and appreciate the simple pleasures-which is just so beautiful. Everyone really does seem so happy and easily pleased, content...definitely a positive vibe in this country. Vicki has definitely been cool and I love hearing her talk with her "mates" (as they say)..."cheers, no worries, sweet as bro!" It is interesting that approx 4 million people are in NZ, and 1/3 of them live in Auckland to be in the big city...but again, how could you not be smiley when surrounded by such constant beauty!? What a magical place this is!
Back on the bus, which has been the perfect way to see and experience this beautiful country, we headed south along the wild wild west coast through Buller Gorge and on to a stop at Cape Foulwind (getting its name from Captain Cook due to the strong winds and currents) to see the seals. Again, breathtaking views, waves crashing against the rocks, crazy and dangerous looking currents down below and we saw approx 6-8 baby seal pups playing in a pool within the rocks below. They were so cute chasing each other in circles around a center rock and falling over onto one another in the water. So cool to witness!
That night we stayed at a cabin type place nestled back in the woods with a record player, old lamps and views of bright green foliage with the sunset as a backdrop. It had a big kitchen, so May cooked up the most delicious Thai meal. We helped chop vege, made salads, and dined on Pad Thai, red chicken curry and jasmine rice. It was a really fun evening and nice to have a home cooked meal. Dave, 37, also from England joined us that eve for part of the South Island tour and is a nice chap as well.
Day 13-14: "Pancake Rocks" and Franz Josef Glacier
Next day we followed the coast to see the Pancake Rocks-layered rock formations formed by the elements with tidal "blow holes" and sounds of the roaring sea below. Followed this up with a beautiful 3 hour hike of the Paparoa National Park along the river. I can't get over all of the diff. varieties of ferns and mosses seen on these hikes-my fave plants!;) and the tree fern continues to keep me oohing and awing. Enjoyed the towering trees of rainforest proportions and the sounds of the river, Fan-tailed and Bell birds singing and even had a cute South Island Robin hop up to greet us on the path. Also saw a Weka bird (flightless, brown and kinda awkward looking) hunting and scratching the forest floor for lunch.
That evening arrived at our nice hostel set back in the rainforest in Franz Josef. Crazy to think about the fact that you're in a rainforest and hiking a glacier the next day! It boasted a hot tub to fit 20, although I took a dip and there was only one seat with only one set of jets working-ha! There was also a bar on site called the Monsoon. We had an included dinner there and enjoyed some drinks while Antje almost won the pool tournament. She won a bar crawl for 2nd place that we did in Queenstown a couple of nights later that was obviously geared toward a younger crowd. We made the best of that crawl and had a blast dancing until 4 am!
Day two in Franz Josef we walked down the street to jump on a helicopter and hiked the glacier. Probably the coolest thing I've ever done and obviously another major highlight of this trip. The ride was amazing and it was so surreal when we stepped off onto the glacier surface surrounded by the majestic Southern Alps. What a feeling it was! Rich was our guide in shorts and a t-shirt with his ice pick; we were all bundled from head to toe;). It was a great day for it as the sun was shining and clothing layers could be shed at times. We wore "crampons" strapped to our boots and climbed away. The ice formations, surrounding mountains, rocks, colors, little pools and streams of glacier melt and routes we took (Rich would use his ice pick to chunk away steps in the ice, knock off melting ice above to avoid injury, etc) were unbelievable and we even went through a naturally formed ice cave-felt like I was in an igloo or something! It was the best and a good workout, too! Afterward we enjoyed the local glacial water hot pools. That night we cooked Thai again compliments of the amazing May-yum!
Day 15-17: Queenstown
Started the day with an early stop to hike around Lake Matheson (took about 1.5 hr) and snap pics of Mt. Cook's (NZ's tallest mt) reflection in the lake. It was so peaceful out there as I strolled with coffee in hand and I loved the photos I got of the morning dew and fog. Also saw a fresh water eel that basically stayed at the surface and stared back at us for a long time which was interesting. He appeared black with little bits of powder blue on his creepy face-it was so cool! (Esp since Charles had shown us his eel farm and we learned all about 'em earlier in the trip;)
As we continued south along the west coast had amazing views of the sea, stopped at a huge waterfall and then stunning scenery driving along Lake Hawea and Wanaka and into Queenstown on Lake Wakatipu. We also stopped at the famous Kawarau Bridge on the river built back in the late 1800's, I believe, during the gold rush. It is the site of the first bungy jump and I went and watched Jesse and Antje do a jump the following day. It really got my heart pumping, even though I didn't even jump! So exciting! Queenstown is the adrenaline capital of the world and 9 people in our group also went sky diving. I considered it (NOT bungy), but came down with a cold so ended up chickening out since mentally I wasn't quite there and physically I definitely wasn't. That night had FREE bangers and mash at the hostel, then down the street for a couple of beers and pool. Most nights have been fairly early overall as we obviously accomplish so many activities and/or travel each day.
Next day started off with a stuffy nose and a face full of cold while shooting down the Shotover River on a jet boat with Dave and Antje. It was beautiful scenery that would not have been seen otherwise as this company has had the sole rights to this part of the river since 1970. We zipped though steep canyons (one of which part of LOR filmed there) and around huge jutting boulders and rock walls with the driver getting you as close as possible to make you worry for a sec that your head might be knocked off. They also did several 360 spins which were fun and the water was crystal clear w/ an awesome shade of pale blue. Trees are also starting to change with it being the beginning of autumn here, so the yellow and red trees lining the river were beautiful, as well. Afterward we had breaky (kiwi's word for breakfast) at a yummy local place called Bob's Weigh. I think it was my first proper breakfast since traveling-ham omelette with avacado, caramelized onions, house-made chutney and bread smeared with butter. Later that day we watched the bungy jumping as I described above, ate at Devil Burgers, hung on our balcony and did our crazy funny pub crawl.
Next day I was still feeling a little rough so laid low. Ate at a French cafe, Les Alps, with Nicola and May. The ham and cheese croissant and salad really hit the spot and we enjoyed the sun with a nice view of the mountains. Queenstown was such a sweet quaint town of about 30,000 nestled on the lake surrounded by mountains carved out by prior glacier activity. It was picturesque with the houses built up the hills and colorful huge trees all around the lake's edge. I took a stroll along the water and watched people feeding the ducks and enjoying the sunshine. I also sat outside a pretty little church and caught up with family which was great. I heard music from the church and next thing I knew a bride, groom and wedding party emerged which was sweet to see.
That night we did the Queenstown gondola ride to the top of the mountain with fantastic panoramic views of the city, lake and circling mountains. The sun was setting so pretty purple and red hues almost made the mountains look fake, like a painted backdrop. Parasailers flew above us and we saw the other higher bungy jumping platform (47 meters high, bridge jump was 43 meters-there's another one that's 134 meters up!!!). We raced down the luge track twice which was great fun, then dinner of gourmet pizzas, sauna at the hostel, then bed.
Day 18: Doubtful Sound
Beautiful bus ride along the lake heading out of Queenstown, passing deer and sheep farms (they say there's 10 sheep to every one New Zealander!;), through cute small towns and towering mountains. Stayed the night in a simple lodge in remote wild Fiordland National Park and had a home cooked meal that night by our guides, Matt and Adrian. Steak, roasted vege, potatoes, cheese sauce!, fresh caught fish by our guide, Vicki, falafel (we have a vegetarian in our group), and peach/pear crumble for dessert. This is the largest national park in NZ and one of the most rugged places on earth they say. We did have to take a ferry across the grand Lake Manapouri and then a bus through gravel steep roads carved through the rainforest to get there. The ride across the lake was so pretty as it was also formed by glaciers back in the day with large tree covered mountains surrounding us. Also passed by the largest hydro-electric power plant in the Southern Hemisphere that counts on the 6-8 meters of rain this area gets per year for its serious power producing!
The sea kayak ride was fairly intense-we were tucked down into those kayaks with lots of gear on to protect from cold and wetness. At one point we paddled through some fairly significant waves, some even rolling across the top of the kayak. The ride was 15 km and through a portion of Doubtful Sound. Captain Cook named it this as he wasn't sure if it was a sound (protruding rocks/mts/islands formed by rushing water and with steep dramatic edges-think Milford Sound) vs. a fiord (formed by glacier activity and with notched softer edges). This was actually a fiord and apparently much quieter and peaceful in comparison to Milford Sound as it's more remote and has less tourist traffic. It was magnificent with the surrounding towering 1,000 m high mountains/cliffs covered in thick temperate rainforest. We also saw several beautiful waterfalls including Helena Falls in which we were told Niagara Falls could fit in height-wise 2.5x! There were some barren trees that our guides pointed out that get chomped up by the possums and unfortunately are the trees usually used during Christmas with these beautiful feathery red blooms. Possums were introduced by Australia for the fur trade and then ended up being a huge problem as they have no natural predator in NZ. The kiwis all joke about purposely trying to hit these guys with their cars, frying pans, etc. and traps are set to try and control the population of these destructive critters. We looked for more exciting animal life including penguins, dolphins and seals, but none were seen:(...next time!;).
The next morning Adrian took us on a bush walk through the rainforest and we admired the bonsai-looking beech trees, moss-covered everything!, and huge tree ferns. We ate some tree leaves he taught us about that the Maori used for medicinal purposes that made our tongues tingle and then turn a little numb. He showed us one of the most poisonous trees (in the seeds) in which the Maori had learned to eat the fruit without ingesting the deadly little seeds. Another tree we looked at had nice fragrant leaves-loved learning about the plants! We also ate some fern buds, took in more views of Helena Falls and did a little mini ropes-course near by engulfed by forest-so cool and a good way to begin the day.
We then made our way to Central Otago-going through mining country and finishing the ride off with a lovely sunset. Arrived last night and had lamb, kumara, potatoes, and vege which was tasty at the only pub/restaurant as far as the eye could see. Topped it off with a bite of NZ's famous dessert, Pavlova (meringue, cream, berries), compliments of Marion. We are staying in a little old farmhouse out in the middle of Wedderburn with the field mice and the most stars in the sky I have ever seen! Sheep are seen out our window with mountains and plains. Slept in this morning which was awesome, drank coffee in bed, and caught up with family.
Today we biked the Historic Otago Rail Trail. Cycled 29 km on a gravel trail that follows the old mining trail. Was with Ria for most of it and we had a ball! The gorge was filled with yellow autumn trees, rushing water and surrounded by rugged "lord of the rings-type" terrain (and of course passed by sheep and cows too). We made stops to munch on snacks, take pictures of a bull, the bridges and tunnels and the breathtaking scenery. I was glad to not be alone for the tunnels-they were a trip! We finished up in Okarua and met Piotr and Simona at the old hotel for a celebratory drink and then Marion was brought over too after her 10 km ride. She is just amazing and has been so impressive for all that she has done on this trip. We waited in the warm sunshine, enjoyed the fall air, wondered the small city (including popping into the New Zealand Bank building thinking it was just an old historic empty place only to discover a lady sitting on the couch eating pizza! Whoops and random!) while Vicki grabbed the rest of the gang that did 42 km. Headed back to our local pub for a beer, fish 'n chips, salad, and now I'm off to bed! Will need to add pics someday, having trouble with Google+ getting 'em all uploaded from my iPhone. Night night from the underbelly of the world;)-loving it here! Can't believe it's all almost over!
