There are a few words that would describe my time in New Zealand... awesome, incredible, amazing, fantastic.. etc. It was seriously wonderful!! I think that New Zealand is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.. literally everywhere you look there are lakes/mountains/the coast and it is just breath taking. I was not expecting New Zealand to be so mountainous, but it was really pretty to look at every day.
Charity and I went to New Zealand for 8 nights, 9 days. We took a 7-day Southern Explorer tour with a company called Connections. It was nice because we did not have to worry about anything- accommodation, travel, etc. We did so much in those 9 days... here is a brief (I'll try) summary of the trip:
Day 1: We flew on Emirates airlines from Sydney to Chirstchurch. It was such a nice airline! There were tvs mounted in every chair and there were hundreds of movies, tv shows, and music. After arriving in Christchurch (and being stunned by the cold) we made our way to Base Backpackers. I do not particularly like staying at hostels, but they are really cheap! That day we explored a little of Christchurch- Cathedral Square, the botanic gardens, the Avon River area. Christchurch is a nice little town- there are not many tall buildings. All of the trees had fall colors, which was weird seeing in May, but made everything look beautiful.
Day 2: On Sunday morning we were picked up for the tour. We drove along the Canterbury Plains and had amazing views of the snow-capped Southern Alps. Our stops included, Lake Tekapo, Lake Pukaki, and the Mt. Cook Village. The lakes were stunning and it was a beautiful day so I got great pictures. Mt. Cook is NZ's tallest mountain and Charity and I walked to Kea Point and got to see the mountain a little closer as well as a small
glacier. Our final stop of the day was Lake Ohau. It is a gorgeous lake and the mountains were snow-capped. The sunset was incredible! It honestly did not look real in person. We had a delicious meal and relaxed in the hot tub while looking up at the stars! Not a bad way to end the first day of the tour :)Day 3: On Monday we made our way to Milford Sound. Along the way we saw the Kawarua River and AJ Hackett's original bungy site, Te Anu where we had lunch, Mirror Lake, the Chasm, and we drove through a mountain via Homer Tunnel.
That night we took an overnight cruise on Milford Sound. The boat cruised along the sound and out to the Tasman Sea and then back again. Our boat was
upgraded so we had a delicious buffet dinner with a ton of deserts! The views from the boat were great- lots of mountains, and waterfalls.Day 4: On Tuesday morning we woke up and explored the sound. Charity and I went out onto a speed boat with a guide who drove us around on the water. It started to hail while we were on the water, but we continued to explore. There were some live seals playing by some rocks and it was a great sight to see! It had rained overnight so there were dozens if not hundreds of new waterfalls- it was truly a sight to see!
After our amazing cruise on Milford Sound we made our way to Queenstown- the self-proclaimed adrenalin mecca of the Southern Hemisphere! As we emerged from the Homer Tunnel we were met with... snow!! The bus stopped so people could play- for some people it was the first time they had ever seen snow! Not the case for this Clevelander, but it was still fun to see. It was rainy and cold when we arrived so Charity and I relaxed in our room, which was nice. That night we had a group dinner at Lonestar (not the one in the US, but similar). I had a declious fillet! Then our group when to
Minus 5 Ice Bar- it is literally a bar made out of ice. We had to wear gloves and warm coats. There were a ton of ice sculptures and our glasses were even made out of ice! It was a really fun experience.Day 5: On Wednesday morning, Charity and I were supposed to sky dive in Queenstown. Sadly, it was canceled due to the weather. I was disappointed but obviously I'd rather be safe than sorry! So instead we explored Queenstown- we walked around, went up the mountain on the gondola ride, had fun on the observation deck taking pictures of Queenstown and a rainbow, did the Sky Line Loop Walk
and got great views of the mountains, ate at the restaurant overlooking the city/mountains/lake, and walked to the Botanic Gardens and enjoyed another beautiful sunset. Queenstown is a really cool city- once again no tall buildings- it is literally nesteled in the mountains! That night we went to eat at the famous 'Ferg Burger' restaurant and met up with the group at Buffalo Bar and enjoyed a live band!Day 6: On Thursday we departed Queenstown and made our way to Fox Glacier. We stopped at the AJ Hackett bungy jump site over the Kawarau River- it was the first bungy jump site in the world! We got to walk on the bridge and check it out. I don't think I could ever bungy :) One again our drive took us to beautiful lakes- Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea with beautiful mountains in the background. We stopped at Thunder Creek Falls and checked out the waterfall, and also stopped at Knight's Point, which has similar rock formations to the 12 Apostles.
There is not much to do in the town of Fox Glacier, so Charity and I got some hot chocolate at a cafe, ate dinner, and sat and talked with other people on the tour.
Day 7: On Friday morning we woke up really early to head to Fox Glacier. We walked 700 steps (mostly uphill) to get to it- it was the most difficult hike I've ever done! Once we got to the
glacier we put on metal cramps on our feet and walked along a path cut out by 2 guys with ice chips. We made it to a flat part of the glacier and spent some time taking pictures. Fox Glacier is pretty unique because it is next to a rain forest and it is not receding. It was cool to be on it and observe it. There was an ice tunnel that we were able to crawl through, and that was fun! Luckily the walk down was much easier, but it was worth it because it was beautiful! Plus- how many people can say they have walked on a glacier? Pretty cool.After the hike we made our way to Flock Hill Sheep Sation. We stopped at a Jade factory in the small town of Hokitika and enjoyed another pretty beach. This was our last night of the tour and since there is not too much to do at Flock Hill everyone just hung out and played games and relaxed.
Day 8: On Saturday morning we got a small tour of the sheep station. We got to see the dogs muster a group of sheep and it was really fun to watch! We packed up and headed back to Christchurch, stopping to take a group photo along the way. Back in Christchurch Charity and I went punting down the Avon River- which is a small boat that looks similar to the gondolas in Venice. It was a nice, peaceful ride. That night we went to dinner with the group and said our farewells.
Day 9: On Sunday we did some souviner shopping and went to an acquarium. We actually got to see a kiwi, which was awesome! They are unique birds found only in NZ and since they are nocturnal the room was dark and we could not take pictures. But since everything is 'kiwi' in NZ I was glad I got to see one before I left.
Overall, the trip was great! I am so glad I had the opporunity to see another country, especially one as beautifull as NZ. It was definitely worth the money and I would love to go back some day!
Here are my facebook ablums: (3 is not bad considering i have 1,500 pictures...)
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2064597&id=15508583&l=28a7300bd0
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2064598&id=15508583&l=f53925058e
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2064599&id=15508583&l=ec309244f1
I have just 7 weeks left in Australia! 4 weeks of class, 1 week of study vacation (trip to Great Barrier Reef), then 2 weeks of finals (i only have 1) then back to Cleveland! I miss everyone from home and it will be great to be back.
This weekend I have Relay for Life and an Aussie Rules Football game, so look out for more updates soon!
Love,
Becky
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