Yesterday we had a long drive from Queenstown to Christchurch. We explored the city some when we arrived and went around some more today. We ate a good dinner in an Irish pub last night. I can't believe how many Irish pubs are in this country! They've been everywhere, but they are very noticeable here and in Wellington.
We slept in this morning for the first time since our first day in Auckland. Every day since we've had to either catch the bus or get up for an activity. We went out for kebabs for lunch. I realized yesterday that Mark had probably never had a kebab before and I was right. He tried the lamb and I had the falafel.
Christchurch has some nice aspects to it- there's a tram that we rode around the city, you can punt in the Avon River, and we took a nice walk through the botanical gardens. It's a ways from city center to the beach, so we didn't make it out there today.
We are staying in another All Seasons Hotel. This one is pretty odd. The bathroom is part of the room, not a separate room, and it's see-through! Not completely, but enough that the other one of us needs to face the other way. Very odd. There is "free" wireless internet that was so painfully slow that I opted to pay for the "high-speed" in-room internet. Also very slow, but a little better.
I wanted to reiterate how nice Kiwis are. Mark and I looked a little lost making our way to our hotel yesterday and two locals stopped and kindly offered their assistance. :)
Tonight we finished up the day with a few games of pool (of course!).
Travelers versus Tourists? Mark and I have decided we are travelers as opposed to tourists. We noticed the difference on our trip to Milford Sound when there were a number of tourists on other buses and on the boat with us. Tourists have suitcases (and probably more than one bag!), clean clothes, umbrellas, video cameras, they don't smell, they stay in hotels (we splurged a few times), and don't cook their own meals. I've enjoyed my traveler experience!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
I must come back!
It's official, I will have to make a return trip to NZ. I know, it's a burden. :)
We went out to Milford Sound today and it was beautiful, but it was socked in with clouds (as it is 2 out of every 3 days). The photo at the top of this blog is of Mitre Peak and that's what we went to see today. We could just barely make it out through the clouds, but not well enough for a photo. The drive there and back were nice. The rain made the "Valley of a Thousand Waterfalls" completely live up to its name! I did not take many photos because I think it would have been hard to capture how amazing it looked. There were some ravines that put Tuckerman's in size. And it was just one huge cascading waterfall after waterfall.
Queenstown is a very cool little city. I could definitely chill here longer. We've had quite the experience here in NZ. We've seen the cities as well as some of the remote places like River Valley where we had the place to ourselves.
We head up to Christchurch early tomorrow morning, spend the day there on Thursday, and then Mark departs already on Friday! I cannot believe how quickly these three weeks have gone by!!
Our bus had a little gathering last night because it's essentially been the same group for the past week, and many of us for the past two weeks. Flea, our driver, is also the photographer for the company, so she put together a slide show and also gave us individual cds with photos on them. I am convinced that we had the best bus driver! There was also karaoke last night. There were two professional musicians on the bus from England and one of them sang my favorite karaoke song with me- Paradise by the Dashboard Light by Meatloaf. I must say, we put on quite the show! :)
We went out to Milford Sound today and it was beautiful, but it was socked in with clouds (as it is 2 out of every 3 days). The photo at the top of this blog is of Mitre Peak and that's what we went to see today. We could just barely make it out through the clouds, but not well enough for a photo. The drive there and back were nice. The rain made the "Valley of a Thousand Waterfalls" completely live up to its name! I did not take many photos because I think it would have been hard to capture how amazing it looked. There were some ravines that put Tuckerman's in size. And it was just one huge cascading waterfall after waterfall.
Queenstown is a very cool little city. I could definitely chill here longer. We've had quite the experience here in NZ. We've seen the cities as well as some of the remote places like River Valley where we had the place to ourselves.
We head up to Christchurch early tomorrow morning, spend the day there on Thursday, and then Mark departs already on Friday! I cannot believe how quickly these three weeks have gone by!!
Our bus had a little gathering last night because it's essentially been the same group for the past week, and many of us for the past two weeks. Flea, our driver, is also the photographer for the company, so she put together a slide show and also gave us individual cds with photos on them. I am convinced that we had the best bus driver! There was also karaoke last night. There were two professional musicians on the bus from England and one of them sang my favorite karaoke song with me- Paradise by the Dashboard Light by Meatloaf. I must say, we put on quite the show! :)
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Did you jump off a bridge today?
Rainforest Retreat to Wanaka
Yay photos! That's me on the Franz Josef Glacier, then the Rainforest Retreat entrance (one of the best hostels so far), one of the many huge, random waterfalls cascading from mountains, a beautiful beach (our last stop on the west coast), the Blue Pools, and Lake Wanaka!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Mt Rainier, here we come!
It ain't no thing! I'll try to get up some more pictures tomorrow, but the Franz Josef Glacier hike was awesome! We were in Group 1, which was designated as the "fast" group (of course). But, I have to say, it was a really easy hike. Mark and I were the only ones in our group who had used crampons before. We had to stop often for our guide to cut out the steps in the ice because we were the first group, so it was pretty slow going. We also didn't need to tie off or use ice axes. We went through a few crevasses that were pretty cool and the views were awesome, as per us in the NZ. :) There was one crevasse that was brand new and the guide had to cut through a bit more before we could make the attempt. It was soo narrow! I was a little nervous that I may have been the biggest one and had the chance of getting stuck! We were a group of 8 guys and 3 girls, but all the guys were like 18-22 and very lanky. But, I successfully got through no problem! ::phew:: There were some incredible waterfalls cascading down the mountains on either side that I couldn't get enough of, they were just so beautiful. I think if we were to do it again we may have chosen to do the ice climbing which is more of a challenge. But, overall I was very happy with our full day hike. I'd never been on a glacier before!
Thank you everyone who has emailed or commented! NZ does feel pretty far away and it's really nice to hear from you :)
Thank you everyone who has emailed or commented! NZ does feel pretty far away and it's really nice to hear from you :)
I am a runner
Oh right, I'd almost forgotten! It's been so long since I've ran! We have a wonderful bus driver. Her name is Flea. I'm going to be a little bummed when we go our separate ways. I've encouraged her to come to New England some autumn and to look us up. She is also a runner (yay!). We went on a GREAT trail run this afternoon. We ran on a trail that was partially closed. It was closed for pretty good reason. It was washed out in some places and the river was really high! We did some pretty serious bushwacking up the side of hills next to the river and managed to mostly avoid the stinging nettle. It was quite the adventure! We're going to run again two days from now again. :)
I love this hostel. We had a great dinner, Mark played a couple games of pool (of course) while I chatted with Flea and two other girls. We're in our room for an early night before the big hike tomorrow!
Costume party and sunset pics from last night:
I love this hostel. We had a great dinner, Mark played a couple games of pool (of course) while I chatted with Flea and two other girls. We're in our room for an early night before the big hike tomorrow!
Costume party and sunset pics from last night:
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Chill
We spent the past two nights in dorms. We're back in a twin tonight and I love it. I've got the wireless hooked up, separate beds, no bunks, and our own bathroom. Last night was cool because I stayed with a few girls from the bus that I've made friends with and Mark stayed with a few of the guys, but there's nothing like your own space.
Last night's location was very remote. There was nothing but the hostel. But being able to walk to both a lake and the ocean surrounded by mountains was perfect. A bunch of us went and sat on the beach to watch the sun set. :)
This morning we drove to this very weird place, the Bushman's Centre in Pukekura. It was a mini-museum that explained how NZ hunters removed the deer from the mountains and forests in order to raise them like cattle on farms. This was important because the deer were destroying the forests, but were very valuable as a meat export. Basically, to remove them, a bunch of guys would jump out of helicopters onto the backs of the deer- no lie!- then the developed guns that would shoot a net out onto the deer, but the guys would still jump out onto them! Unbelievable. The museum had a little gift shop and cafe, it had anti-vegetarian bumper stickers and signs everywhere!
We're now in Franz Josef. Mark is off horseback riding and I'm getting ready to go out on a 13k run with our bus driver, Flea :) Tomorrow we go on a full day hike on the glacier! They separate us into three groups for the hike and of course Mark is insisting that we go with the "fast" group. This is probably a good thing for burning more calories!
I may post again after the run!
Last night's location was very remote. There was nothing but the hostel. But being able to walk to both a lake and the ocean surrounded by mountains was perfect. A bunch of us went and sat on the beach to watch the sun set. :)
This morning we drove to this very weird place, the Bushman's Centre in Pukekura. It was a mini-museum that explained how NZ hunters removed the deer from the mountains and forests in order to raise them like cattle on farms. This was important because the deer were destroying the forests, but were very valuable as a meat export. Basically, to remove them, a bunch of guys would jump out of helicopters onto the backs of the deer- no lie!- then the developed guns that would shoot a net out onto the deer, but the guys would still jump out onto them! Unbelievable. The museum had a little gift shop and cafe, it had anti-vegetarian bumper stickers and signs everywhere!
We're now in Franz Josef. Mark is off horseback riding and I'm getting ready to go out on a 13k run with our bus driver, Flea :) Tomorrow we go on a full day hike on the glacier! They separate us into three groups for the hike and of course Mark is insisting that we go with the "fast" group. This is probably a good thing for burning more calories!
I may post again after the run!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
West Coast love
The western shore of the South Island is stunning. I love places in the world where the mountains meet the sea!
Yesterday we drove to Westport. We were both wimps at the stop at Lake Rotoiti where some people jumped in. The views were incredible, but the water was way too cold! Mark was 'keen on' doing the quad biking in Westport, aka-four wheeling, but because of the massive amount of rain they'd had, they weren't able to because the track goes through a creek that was too high. I was pretty psyched to do the jet boating. Oh my. It was a blast, but I really needed dramamine! I enjoyed the trip up the river, it was fairly slow and I just enjoyed taking in the scenery- waterfalls over the cliffs, the rainforest, and mountains. Mark, of course, enjoyed the ride back more. You fly down the river, the driver comes as close to the cliffs as possible (I would just close my eyes and hope for the best), and then do these crazy 360 degrees spins that would drench you! I enjoyed it, but was happy when the ride was over! We went out for pizza for dinner at the Criterion Hotel and stayed to hang out with the locals. Mark played a lot more pool!
Today we headed down the coast further and stopped for two beautiful walks along the ocean. We saw a full seal colony at one of the stops. Our hostel tonight is pretty remote, but it's a two minute walk to the beach, and a three minute walk to a beautiful lake. We went to both before our big group dinner. Tonight we're having a costume party with the rest of the group in the hostel. You have to go as something that starts with the same letter as one of your names. I'm going as the 'night sky' and Mark is going as a martian. :) I still have to rate the bus experience positively so far. It's been nice to get to know other people, I enjoy just having activities offered and not having to do research about what to do or where to go next.
I can't believe how quickly this trip is going by!
More photos to come! Promise!! :)
Yesterday we drove to Westport. We were both wimps at the stop at Lake Rotoiti where some people jumped in. The views were incredible, but the water was way too cold! Mark was 'keen on' doing the quad biking in Westport, aka-four wheeling, but because of the massive amount of rain they'd had, they weren't able to because the track goes through a creek that was too high. I was pretty psyched to do the jet boating. Oh my. It was a blast, but I really needed dramamine! I enjoyed the trip up the river, it was fairly slow and I just enjoyed taking in the scenery- waterfalls over the cliffs, the rainforest, and mountains. Mark, of course, enjoyed the ride back more. You fly down the river, the driver comes as close to the cliffs as possible (I would just close my eyes and hope for the best), and then do these crazy 360 degrees spins that would drench you! I enjoyed it, but was happy when the ride was over! We went out for pizza for dinner at the Criterion Hotel and stayed to hang out with the locals. Mark played a lot more pool!
Today we headed down the coast further and stopped for two beautiful walks along the ocean. We saw a full seal colony at one of the stops. Our hostel tonight is pretty remote, but it's a two minute walk to the beach, and a three minute walk to a beautiful lake. We went to both before our big group dinner. Tonight we're having a costume party with the rest of the group in the hostel. You have to go as something that starts with the same letter as one of your names. I'm going as the 'night sky' and Mark is going as a martian. :) I still have to rate the bus experience positively so far. It's been nice to get to know other people, I enjoy just having activities offered and not having to do research about what to do or where to go next.
I can't believe how quickly this trip is going by!
More photos to come! Promise!! :)
Monday, January 17, 2011
South Island!
I can't believe we're already to the South Island!
This morning we woke up early to breakfast in bed ( loved staying in the hotel!) and then made our way over to our bus to catch the ferry. In addition to indulging in the hotel, I'll admit to Sbucks also (they're only in cities!). The Interislander Ferry takes three hours between the north and the south island. It was a beautiful trip, but probably not as much as normal because it was fairly overcast.
After arriving in Picton we made our way to the city of Nelson. Irony- we are in the sunny capital of New Zealand and it poured today! There was a brief spell this afternoon where it let up and we were able to wander around a bit. Mark got a cool necklace and a few long sleeve shirts to protect his skin from his sun allergy. Dinner at the hostel was great. They started with a free beer tasting with about 5 different beers. Then dinner was roast beef or quiche. They do great quiche here in New Zealand, they always make it with a delicious flaky pastry shell, as opposed to a pie shell.
After dinner we played cards for a long while with a few others from the bus.
Not the most exciting day of the trip thus far, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Tomorrow-on to Westport. Jetboating or more horse trekking are listed as possibilities.
This morning we woke up early to breakfast in bed ( loved staying in the hotel!) and then made our way over to our bus to catch the ferry. In addition to indulging in the hotel, I'll admit to Sbucks also (they're only in cities!). The Interislander Ferry takes three hours between the north and the south island. It was a beautiful trip, but probably not as much as normal because it was fairly overcast.
After arriving in Picton we made our way to the city of Nelson. Irony- we are in the sunny capital of New Zealand and it poured today! There was a brief spell this afternoon where it let up and we were able to wander around a bit. Mark got a cool necklace and a few long sleeve shirts to protect his skin from his sun allergy. Dinner at the hostel was great. They started with a free beer tasting with about 5 different beers. Then dinner was roast beef or quiche. They do great quiche here in New Zealand, they always make it with a delicious flaky pastry shell, as opposed to a pie shell.
After dinner we played cards for a long while with a few others from the bus.
Not the most exciting day of the trip thus far, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Tomorrow-on to Westport. Jetboating or more horse trekking are listed as possibilities.
Keen on...
I have been keen on just about everything we've done so far!
Yesterday we started our day with a two hour hike through the park that we hiked in on our long trek. It was beautiful. Mt. Doom peaked out from behind the clouds finally at the very end.
Then we were on our way to River Valley, aka Rivendale. Wow. Favorite stop so far. We stayed at the River Valley Adventure Lodge. It was such a cool place. We were situated right next to a river surrounded by hills covered with sheep. The river was perfect for swimming. You could swim or take a platform on a pulley system to the other side of the river to jump or dive off the rock ledge into a really deep pool. We swam some when we arrived before dinner. Mark and I were the first to try the platform pulley system thing. This morning we woke up and went horseback riding through the hills. Mark was a rockstar!! He's never been on a horse before and he was trotting! He had a GREAT horse, Rico, and he was just really comfortable. I, on the other hand, have a little experience riding (thank you Ally!) but you wouldn't have known it today! Pedro, my horse, was in a very playful mood. When he wouldn't behave with the rest of the horses, he sulked at the back of the group. We would get up to a comfortable trot and then he would decide it was time to walk again. He was a willful thing. After the ride we were back to the river. Idyllic is the only word for it. We had a great lunch and then it was off to Wellington.
Mark has had a terrible reaction to the sun here, a very bad allergic reaction on his arms and neck. It wasn't reacting to an antihistamine and hydrocortisone cream so we went back to a pharmacy on our afternoon stop. The pharmacist recommended we get a prescription for prednisone and suggested we go to the doctor next door. It was amazing! We walked in, I explained that our bus was leaving in 30 minutes, they got us right in, checked him out, wrote the prescription, and we were off! I can't convey enough how friendly and helpful Kiwis are!
Tonight I splurged some. I got a great last minute deal on a hotel in Wellington. We are staying at the Duxton and it's been really nice after all the hostels. One issue- free laundry is great, but not if you have to restart the dryer 20 times to get one load dry. Ah well.
Tomorrow morning we are up early to catch the Interislander Ferry to the southern island!
Yesterday we started our day with a two hour hike through the park that we hiked in on our long trek. It was beautiful. Mt. Doom peaked out from behind the clouds finally at the very end.
Then we were on our way to River Valley, aka Rivendale. Wow. Favorite stop so far. We stayed at the River Valley Adventure Lodge. It was such a cool place. We were situated right next to a river surrounded by hills covered with sheep. The river was perfect for swimming. You could swim or take a platform on a pulley system to the other side of the river to jump or dive off the rock ledge into a really deep pool. We swam some when we arrived before dinner. Mark and I were the first to try the platform pulley system thing. This morning we woke up and went horseback riding through the hills. Mark was a rockstar!! He's never been on a horse before and he was trotting! He had a GREAT horse, Rico, and he was just really comfortable. I, on the other hand, have a little experience riding (thank you Ally!) but you wouldn't have known it today! Pedro, my horse, was in a very playful mood. When he wouldn't behave with the rest of the horses, he sulked at the back of the group. We would get up to a comfortable trot and then he would decide it was time to walk again. He was a willful thing. After the ride we were back to the river. Idyllic is the only word for it. We had a great lunch and then it was off to Wellington.
Mark has had a terrible reaction to the sun here, a very bad allergic reaction on his arms and neck. It wasn't reacting to an antihistamine and hydrocortisone cream so we went back to a pharmacy on our afternoon stop. The pharmacist recommended we get a prescription for prednisone and suggested we go to the doctor next door. It was amazing! We walked in, I explained that our bus was leaving in 30 minutes, they got us right in, checked him out, wrote the prescription, and we were off! I can't convey enough how friendly and helpful Kiwis are!
Tonight I splurged some. I got a great last minute deal on a hotel in Wellington. We are staying at the Duxton and it's been really nice after all the hostels. One issue- free laundry is great, but not if you have to restart the dryer 20 times to get one load dry. Ah well.
Tomorrow morning we are up early to catch the Interislander Ferry to the southern island!
Friday, January 14, 2011
The long trek
Today we had a 5:40 am pick-up time! We were off to do the Tongariro Crossing, a 12 mile trek. It was awesome. So beautiful! A lot of the filming for Lord of the Rings was done there. Mark and I were champions, which he soon regretted. We were the first two to finish. It was a 19.9 km hike, so about 12 miles. We started at 7:30 am and we were supposed to end around 3 or 4ish. We were out of the woods at 12:30 pm! So we had to wait until 3 pm for the first shuttle to depart. Mark was not thrilled about that. I was so tired that I just slept for some of the wait.
When we returned we got the moped again, just one this time, I let Mark drive. Oh, and btw-we drive on the other side of the road over here!! So, that just adds to the difficulty I had yesterday! lol We went back to the natural hot spring which was amazing yesterday, but today the river was low and you couldn't sit under the waterfall because it was just too dang hot. Ah well, yesterday was wonderful and I did sit in the hot water for a little bit today. Dinner was across the street from the hostel, we were both starving from our hike. We also got to play a little more of our daily game of pool :)
When we returned we got the moped again, just one this time, I let Mark drive. Oh, and btw-we drive on the other side of the road over here!! So, that just adds to the difficulty I had yesterday! lol We went back to the natural hot spring which was amazing yesterday, but today the river was low and you couldn't sit under the waterfall because it was just too dang hot. Ah well, yesterday was wonderful and I did sit in the hot water for a little bit today. Dinner was across the street from the hostel, we were both starving from our hike. We also got to play a little more of our daily game of pool :)
Mopeds= scarier than Skydiving
Um, yea....WE WENT SKYDIVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Crazy. I couldn't even mention it to anyone or write it here or in my written journal until after we actually got ourselves up there and did it. It was out of this world. I thought I would hate the free fall. You know, the 45 seconds of hurtling at the earth part! It was incredible. I felt bad because my Dad has always expressed an interest in going and I didn't want my one and only time to not be with him, but, guess what, I'm totally game to go again with him (maybe out in Seattle before Rainier, Dad?). I got a little motion sickness in the final part because you have to spin a few times to get the landing right, but it wasn't too bad. For some reason I couldn't find my Dramamine before we left. Ah well. But yea, we went skydiving!!!! We went over the largest lake in NZ- Lake Taupo and in the distance were mountains including the mountain that was used for Mt. Doom in Lord of the Rings. That park is where we're doing a 12 mile hike tomorrow morning. Pick-up time is 5:40 am!
We started today in Waikomo where we took a beautiful walk through the woods as a group and got to see a little of the caves that we were in yesterday. Side note- Kate Gosselin and her brood are following us. They went from Brisbane to Auckland to Waikomo and were also in those caves within the past few days. Odd.
After the hike we drove on to Taupo and first stopped to see the Haku Falls. Absolutely beautiful! The water was this incredible bluish-green. Then we checked into our hostel (hopefully no late night mullet-donned townies tonight!), and got picked up to go SKYDIVING!!!
We jumped at 12,000 feet and opted to have a camera person jump with us so that we could get the full DVD. We will share with all who ask when we return :)
After skydiving we came back to the hostel and Mark somehow convinced me to rent mopeds. Oh my. I was a disaster at first, I lost control of the thing, went flying across the street and almost hit a parked car. Hmm...We realized that my blood sugar was probably at negative 1000 so we went and got something to eat and I did much better on the moped from then on. But yea, mopeds are still a little scary. I don't like the whole getting started thing still. We had a beautiful ride to the most incredible hot spring though! We are absolutely going back there after the hike tomorrow! It was a waterfall of hot water pouring into a river. The water was really hot. I loved it! Then we took the bikes up through botanical gardens and then down around the lake. It was really an awesome ride.
Ok, time for Mark to take a turn. More to come! :)
I WENT SKYDIVING IN NEW ZEALAND!!!!!!!!!!!
Crazy. I couldn't even mention it to anyone or write it here or in my written journal until after we actually got ourselves up there and did it. It was out of this world. I thought I would hate the free fall. You know, the 45 seconds of hurtling at the earth part! It was incredible. I felt bad because my Dad has always expressed an interest in going and I didn't want my one and only time to not be with him, but, guess what, I'm totally game to go again with him (maybe out in Seattle before Rainier, Dad?). I got a little motion sickness in the final part because you have to spin a few times to get the landing right, but it wasn't too bad. For some reason I couldn't find my Dramamine before we left. Ah well. But yea, we went skydiving!!!! We went over the largest lake in NZ- Lake Taupo and in the distance were mountains including the mountain that was used for Mt. Doom in Lord of the Rings. That park is where we're doing a 12 mile hike tomorrow morning. Pick-up time is 5:40 am!
We started today in Waikomo where we took a beautiful walk through the woods as a group and got to see a little of the caves that we were in yesterday. Side note- Kate Gosselin and her brood are following us. They went from Brisbane to Auckland to Waikomo and were also in those caves within the past few days. Odd.
After the hike we drove on to Taupo and first stopped to see the Haku Falls. Absolutely beautiful! The water was this incredible bluish-green. Then we checked into our hostel (hopefully no late night mullet-donned townies tonight!), and got picked up to go SKYDIVING!!!
We jumped at 12,000 feet and opted to have a camera person jump with us so that we could get the full DVD. We will share with all who ask when we return :)
After skydiving we came back to the hostel and Mark somehow convinced me to rent mopeds. Oh my. I was a disaster at first, I lost control of the thing, went flying across the street and almost hit a parked car. Hmm...We realized that my blood sugar was probably at negative 1000 so we went and got something to eat and I did much better on the moped from then on. But yea, mopeds are still a little scary. I don't like the whole getting started thing still. We had a beautiful ride to the most incredible hot spring though! We are absolutely going back there after the hike tomorrow! It was a waterfall of hot water pouring into a river. The water was really hot. I loved it! Then we took the bikes up through botanical gardens and then down around the lake. It was really an awesome ride.
Ok, time for Mark to take a turn. More to come! :)
I WENT SKYDIVING IN NEW ZEALAND!!!!!!!!!!!
See Mark!:
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Good for the soul
Yesterday morning we started the day in Rotorua. Mark tried to go Zorbing, but unfortunately they didn't have a dry zorb, so he and a few others were disappointed. I chose to go to the Agroshow which is this show about NZ agriculture that I really enjoyed. The host was very funny and they did things like sheered a sheep, milked a cow, etc. I got to go up on stage and feed a baby sheep. :)
Mark really likes how the cafes do lunch here. Most cafes have cafeteria style eating where you can choose from various sandwiches, quiches, and desserts, etc..
Yesterday afternoon was a true highlight. We went Darkwater Rafting in the Waitomo Caves. Unbelievable! Our tour guides were absolutely hilarious. We were in full wetsuits with helmets and headlamps and we rode inner tubes down a river in the depths of caves that had glowworms! We jumped off waterfalls backwards into our inner tubes in the dark! I actually bought the CD of photos from that activity because it was so unique and amazing. Plus, we couldn't bring our camera down in the caves; our guide had one for the water. Oh! And we also saw and eel! We were at the front of the group and I think we're the only ones who saw him. He was HUGE! It was right at the beginning of the trip and I was like, wait, I have to get in the dark water with him?? The guide made me feel a little better when he reminded me that they are with people every day. :)
This hostel is great! We paid a dorm price and got our own cute room with real beds (no bunks). We went next door to the local pub last night for dinner. The scenery here is just amazing, really good for the soul. There was an incident at 2 am though! A bunch of the local guys we had seen in the pub somehow got into our building and started yelling and knocking on doors and one of the guys managed to push our door open! Note-always lock the door with the extra lock! They were fine, they were just drunk, but it was really annoying.
Ok, check out Mark's blog for more photos! http://marknewzealand.blogspot.com/ He gets priority with the computer because his blog is for school credit in addition to enjoyment! :)
Yes, those are dogs hanging out on the sheep:
Mark really likes how the cafes do lunch here. Most cafes have cafeteria style eating where you can choose from various sandwiches, quiches, and desserts, etc..
Yesterday afternoon was a true highlight. We went Darkwater Rafting in the Waitomo Caves. Unbelievable! Our tour guides were absolutely hilarious. We were in full wetsuits with helmets and headlamps and we rode inner tubes down a river in the depths of caves that had glowworms! We jumped off waterfalls backwards into our inner tubes in the dark! I actually bought the CD of photos from that activity because it was so unique and amazing. Plus, we couldn't bring our camera down in the caves; our guide had one for the water. Oh! And we also saw and eel! We were at the front of the group and I think we're the only ones who saw him. He was HUGE! It was right at the beginning of the trip and I was like, wait, I have to get in the dark water with him?? The guide made me feel a little better when he reminded me that they are with people every day. :)
This hostel is great! We paid a dorm price and got our own cute room with real beds (no bunks). We went next door to the local pub last night for dinner. The scenery here is just amazing, really good for the soul. There was an incident at 2 am though! A bunch of the local guys we had seen in the pub somehow got into our building and started yelling and knocking on doors and one of the guys managed to push our door open! Note-always lock the door with the extra lock! They were fine, they were just drunk, but it was really annoying.
Ok, check out Mark's blog for more photos! http://marknewzealand.blogspot.com/ He gets priority with the computer because his blog is for school credit in addition to enjoyment! :)
Yes, those are dogs hanging out on the sheep:
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Sweet as!
I love New Zealand. Unbelievable. It's exceeded my hopes and expectations. I only spent one day in Auckland and I think it may rank as my favorite city in the world. I don't know what it was, but I just felt so comfortable there. I think being surrounded by water and mountains probably helped. Interesting fact- The total population of NZ is about 4 million and 1.4 million live in Auckland. But, honestly, it didn't feel crowded at all.
Day 1 highlights:
1. Sky Tower- great! I opted to pay the extra $2 so that we could go up twice, once during the day and once again at night, well worth it.
2. Kelly Tarton's aquarium- not worth it unfortunately. They had some cool penguins and sharks, but very pricey and we've been spoiled by the Boston Aquarium!
3. Mini-golf- lol I know, right? Day 1 in NZ and we play mini-golf, but we loved it, we played both courses and enjoyed the views.
We walked what felt like the entire city and saw neat architecture and parks and fountains, etc. Our hotel room (All Seasons) was very cute, it even had a stove, mini fridge and microwave and it was smack dab in the center of the city. Perfect.
Day 2 (Tuesday) had us waking up early to start our Kiwi Experience Tour. It was a little bit of a hectic, delayed start, but I will say things have been smooth since leaving Auckland as promised.
Highlights:
1. The bus first brought us to Mt. Eden, an old dormant volcano with 360 degree views of the city
2. Then on to the Coromandel Penisula. But I have to say, the small town, Thames, for lunch was odd. We stopped at a strip mall that had a food court. Note- Sbucks mochas taste the same here and are still delicious, McDonald's mochas do not.
3. SEA KAYAKING at Cathedral Cove. Before I left for New Zealand I kept saying how I couldn't wait to go sea kayaking. Wow. Speechless.
4. Turtle Cove Hostel- loved it. They served us a group meal and then, I thought this was very smart, they played a gamed called "Killa Pool." Everyone's name (who wanted to play) went up on a chalkboard with three lines and we each took one turn at time at the pool table, gaining or losing lines depending on how we did, leading to one by one elimination. It was brilliant in my opinion because it was a way to learn names! And everyone was very social hanging out all around the pool table. Oh, and guess who won? MARK! :) Probably the youngest there and he crushed 'em.
Day 3 Highlights:
1. Karangahanke Scenic Reserve- we walked through an old mining gorge and through some of the tunnels in the mountain. Beautiful.
2. Rotorua- We chose not to pay to go in the Te Puia, the thermal park with geysers and pools and chose to go check in at the hostel and walk around the park across the street which also had a sampling of the sulfur pools. It's pretty incredible to watch water or mud just boiling from the ground.
3. Luging- A version of Attitash's alpine slide. Fun and the views of Lake Rotorua were beautiful.
4. Traditional Maori dinner- Mark was a little hesitant on this one, but I think we both agree it was well worth it! He was chosen to be the "Chief" of our bus which meant he played a prominent role in the entire evening's proceedings.
Photos (and maybe some more details) to be added to this post tomorrow.
Big note-I'm too old for dorm style hostel-living. Thank goodness all dorms have the option of a single room with two twin beds. I tried one night of dormitory-style (tonight) and I'm not a fan.
Day 1 highlights:
1. Sky Tower- great! I opted to pay the extra $2 so that we could go up twice, once during the day and once again at night, well worth it.
2. Kelly Tarton's aquarium- not worth it unfortunately. They had some cool penguins and sharks, but very pricey and we've been spoiled by the Boston Aquarium!
3. Mini-golf- lol I know, right? Day 1 in NZ and we play mini-golf, but we loved it, we played both courses and enjoyed the views.
We walked what felt like the entire city and saw neat architecture and parks and fountains, etc. Our hotel room (All Seasons) was very cute, it even had a stove, mini fridge and microwave and it was smack dab in the center of the city. Perfect.
Day 2 (Tuesday) had us waking up early to start our Kiwi Experience Tour. It was a little bit of a hectic, delayed start, but I will say things have been smooth since leaving Auckland as promised.
Highlights:
1. The bus first brought us to Mt. Eden, an old dormant volcano with 360 degree views of the city
2. Then on to the Coromandel Penisula. But I have to say, the small town, Thames, for lunch was odd. We stopped at a strip mall that had a food court. Note- Sbucks mochas taste the same here and are still delicious, McDonald's mochas do not.
3. SEA KAYAKING at Cathedral Cove. Before I left for New Zealand I kept saying how I couldn't wait to go sea kayaking. Wow. Speechless.
4. Turtle Cove Hostel- loved it. They served us a group meal and then, I thought this was very smart, they played a gamed called "Killa Pool." Everyone's name (who wanted to play) went up on a chalkboard with three lines and we each took one turn at time at the pool table, gaining or losing lines depending on how we did, leading to one by one elimination. It was brilliant in my opinion because it was a way to learn names! And everyone was very social hanging out all around the pool table. Oh, and guess who won? MARK! :) Probably the youngest there and he crushed 'em.
Day 3 Highlights:
1. Karangahanke Scenic Reserve- we walked through an old mining gorge and through some of the tunnels in the mountain. Beautiful.
2. Rotorua- We chose not to pay to go in the Te Puia, the thermal park with geysers and pools and chose to go check in at the hostel and walk around the park across the street which also had a sampling of the sulfur pools. It's pretty incredible to watch water or mud just boiling from the ground.
3. Luging- A version of Attitash's alpine slide. Fun and the views of Lake Rotorua were beautiful.
4. Traditional Maori dinner- Mark was a little hesitant on this one, but I think we both agree it was well worth it! He was chosen to be the "Chief" of our bus which meant he played a prominent role in the entire evening's proceedings.
Photos (and maybe some more details) to be added to this post tomorrow.
Big note-I'm too old for dorm style hostel-living. Thank goodness all dorms have the option of a single room with two twin beds. I tried one night of dormitory-style (tonight) and I'm not a fan.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Arrived!
We are (finally!) both in Auckland! Mark arrived about 14 hours earlier than I did because of our flights. I got to spend the day yesterday in Brisbane, Australia. It was a neat little city. The rain let up enough for part of the day that I got to walk around their beautiful botanical gardens. Mark got the lay of the land in Auckland. We're off to explore. More to come!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
TOMORROW!!
I can't believe it, we're leaving tomorrow! I am bringing...a backpack. Yes, that's it. Should be interesting. :) My first flight takes off at 1 pm tomorrow from Manchester and I land at 11:59 pm Sunday night New Zealand time. For your reference, New Zealand is 18 hours ahead of EST. Wow. First stop: Auckland!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
6 days!
My brother is now joining me for the first three weeks of my trip. I am so excited to have a travel partner! I need to decide soon, but I think I'm going to book us bus passes with a company called Kiwi Experience. I've done some research and they seem to be offering the best deal. I think I may rent a car for the solo part of my trip, but we'll see what makes sense at that time. Very excited!
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