Thursday, September 13, 2012

Up the coast of NZ

After leaving Queenstown, our next stop along the way was to do some hiking in Mt. Cook, home of New Zealand's tallest peak. We ended up getting delayed on the way by a sheep crossing. I had never encountered one before so it was a new experience for all of us. It was so cool!


Mt. Cook was a bit rainy and overcast when we arrived but thankfully cleared up enough for us to do some hiking. We hiked a trail called Kea Point which led us to views of Mt. Cook and Mueller glacier. Bright blue glacier run-off can be seen in the picture below. It was spectacular. 



After Mt. Cook we headed to Christchurch where we had dinner with friends. They opened their home to us and cooked a delicious meal, venison roast and homemade dessert, yum! We spent the next day in Christchurch viewing the earthquake destruction, as well as some of the renovations already taking place, like the container mall. A resourceful, and colorful way to bring some normalcy back to the city.


We then headed farther north up the east coast to Kaikoura, a beach town. We went whale watching and were fortunate enough to see two sperm whales! The boat was much rockier than we thought and thankfully we had prepared before to avoid seasickness. 


Not too far out of Kaikoura we were able to stop at Ohau falls. This is a magical place where seal pups come to socialize and play while their moms are out getting food. You get to go right up to the pool and watch the pups play. It was amazing! Next stop, Nelson!


Monday, September 3, 2012

Family trip updates

I was lucky to have my mom and aunt visit me in New Zealand for 2.5 weeks. Here is a bit of a recap on our adventures. Our trip began with a two night stay in Queenstown. Despite the fact that it was winter, the weather was pretty mild and we got lucky with sun and clear skies most days. 



The first day we went horseback riding in Glenorchy, a small town 45 minutes from Queenstown. We were able to ride in some of the sites where the Lord of the Rings filming took place. It was very remote and very beautiful. We had great horses and a great time!


The second day it was time to be more extreme! The three of us did the Nevis Swing. This swing is suspended over a 150m canyon and you plummet to a 70m freefall. It was so scary! I was shaking the entire time. The adrenaline rush was incredible, as were the views. The experience was totally worth it and I'd definitely do it again!



An aerial view of Queenstown from the top of a hill overlooking the town. A gondola took us up there and the views were spectacular. Also at the top was a luge track where you sit in go-kart type vehicles and race down a track. Mom was the fastest. 


On our final day, Paige and I conquered an actual bungy. It was a 43m jump and definitely did not need to be any longer. It was an incredible experience. I didn't let myself think about it at all. You just had to go for it before your mind said NO!