I just got back from a 10 day vacation in New Zealand with another Peace Corps friend. We had a great time in an AMAZING country. This all started one January afternoon when my friend called me up & asked if I wanted to go to New Zealand - SURE! She did most of the trip planning while I was teaching my class - so awesome!
So here is how our little adventure went: -
Day 1 - Left Fiji & flew to Auckland
We stayed in the city & pretty much just ate the whole time. Sushi for appetizer & Mexican for dinner followed up with some Starbucks. It was pretty rainy and cold and we had an early flight, so we didn't go out that night.
Day 2- Flew to Christchurch & Drove to Dunedin
We got up super early & caught a flight to the south island. We picked up our rental car and drove into Christchurch to see the earthquake damage. I was super nervous to drive on the left, but I got through it with no major errors. It was funny, I kept turning on the windshield wipers instead of the turn signal. Along our drive we stopped on a nature walk down to some caves. It was only a 15-20 walk, so we decided to do it. We bundled up and walked to the 'caves' which were pretty much just rock crevices.
Once we got to Dunedin we found our hostel & got all checked in. This was the first time I've ever stayed in a youth hostel & it was a little shocking. We were in a 6-bed mixed room & it was totally full. There were some unhappy Brits staying there who didn't have anything nice to say about any person/place or thing. They were telling a bunch of horrible travel stories & totally freaked me out. I slept cradling my purse.
Day 3- Hanging out in Dunedin, Drive to Te Anau & Glow worms
The next day we walked around town for a while & ended up at the Cadbury factor (surprise surprise). I could've spent a whole lot of money on chocolate, but luckily I had some self control.
We drove over to Te Anau where we would stay for 2 whole nights! On the drive over, we have the privileged of driving on the Clinton-Gore highway. So funny! Also, lots of Sheep. Once we got into the hostel there (much much nicer & I wasn't horrified), we got ready for the Glow Worms! We took a ferry on Lake Te Anau to a cavern with thousands and thousands of glow worms. It was so awesome. We walked inside, followed a fast-moving river with whirlpools & waterfalls to a quiet place with all of the glow worms. We got into boats & the lights went out - our guide took us over to the low-hanging ceilings filled with tiny pale blue lights. I always thought glow worms were just a baby-doll that light up when you squeezed it (I had one).
Day 4- Milford Sound Kayaking
We got up early & headed on the 2 hour drive to Milford Sound. It was the most beautiful drive & we were able to stop at Mirror Lake & get some good shots. I realized how small I actually am when I was standing in between these huge mountains.
We arrived at the lodge & met our kayak guide - not sure if his name was Sam or Ben? There was also a father-son duo there to kayak with us...and they just so happened to be American! My friend who went to Milford the month before warned me about the sand flies and how they eat you alive, she was right- I got attacked! But once we were on the water I was alright.
It was cold out on the water & luckily they had some fun little mittens for my hands. As we were out getting used to paddling around, a seal & some dolphins came to play with us. It was almost impossible to get a good picture of them, but we tried.
I think we ended up kayaking about 20K - give or take- from 10am until 4pm. We were only supposed to do the half day, but since we had a small group, our guide took us to the waterfall. I was very nervous about getting close to the falls (2 times taller than Niagara), but my friend assured me that we would be ok. Just before we got closer I said "Megan, if we capsize I'm going to be really pissed" - but we made it out with no problems! It was such an amazing experience!
On the way back the other guys ended up capsizing - the wind and waves hit them just right. It looked cold.
That night Megan and I were so tired & sore - but it was worth it!
Day 5- Drive to Queenstown & hang out for the night
The next morning we took off for Queenstown - a cute little ski/lake town. I could see myself coming back and just staying a week there. There were beautiful places to stop along the way for pictures & this doesn't even come close to showing how beautiful it was.
Once in Queenstown we took the gonadal up to the top of the mountain & took a few rides on the luge. I won the majority of the time....I kept cutting Megan off with my Indy 500 skills.
Day 6- Drive to Franz Josef
We took our time getting up to Franz Josef this day, made some stops along the way. After we checked into our hostel (another nice one), we decided to go to the hot pools - 3 big, different temperature hot tubs. It was so relaxing!
Day 7- Fox Glacier Walk & Drive to Greymouth
I was really excited to go walk on a glacier - just so I can say I've been on one. We got there in the morning & suited up. It wasn't too cold (aka- I only needed about 2 jackets on, rather than 3) so I was pretty happy. We had a pretty big group going that day, which we were not used to at all - we split into two groups, and it wasn't based on fitness level. It was the slowest walk up ever! One lady who kept stopping to "take pictures" but i think she was so out of shape, she need a rest every 10 feet.
I was also kind of upset with our guide - you could tell she just memorized a script of what to say at each spot & didn't really know anything at all about the glacier. But once we got to the top, it was cool to be up there. Also, we had people in our group asking us to take pictures with them - I think it was because we were the only two white people in the group - like circus animals.
After the walk, we got in the car & headed up to Greymouth for the night. We stopped at the Jade factory along the way & I picked up some cute little earrings. That night I was WIPED OUT, so we just layed around and relaxed.
Day 8- Drive to Blenheim & Wine tour-
We got up super early & drove across to Blenheim. Luckily Megan is a morning bird & I was able to sleep until about 8 or 8:30 as we drove along.
We didn't really have a place to stay while in Blenheim, so I called and reserved 2 spots at one of the hostels. We got there & quickly realized it was most likely run by the KGB - Russian/Eastern Europeans were all around, its smelled weird & just totally gave us the creeps! Luckily we didn't pay for the rooms and were able to go into town and book another place.
Our wine tour drive came to pick us up & we asked if she would mind showing us where the new place was because we were not going to stay there - she quickly agreed that it was disgusting & gladly showed us our new hostel. We then climbed into this beautiful Mercedes 15 passenger van and she drove us to 4 vineyards. Now, with all of the excitement of the morning, I neglected to eat anything - so I got drunk very very fast. Megan had a granola bar in her bag that I munched on while we were on the way to the next place. Luckily that place had some bread & dipping oils - but pretty terrible wine. In our drunken states, Megan and I each bought a bottle of dipping oil - $31NZD!!! Nuts, I would never spend that much on oil in a sober state. The third place had a cafe attached, so I was able to get a treat. We decided to buy a bottle at the fourth and final place for our friends in Wellington who would be hosting us for the next two nights. Looking back, I wish I would've bought way more bottles!
That night we stumbled over to a local pub for dinner, and came back to pass out! It was the cutest little hostel & if you ever go to NZ I would recommend Watson's Way Lodge - wish we could've stayed longer.
Day 9- Picton ferry to Wellington
It was time to leave the south island & turn in our freedom (aka- rental car). A friend of my sister lives in Wellington with her husband and son & we were able to stay with them for 2 nights. I hadn't seen Fiona in 9 years, it was so nice to see her again. Her husband and son picked us up from the ferry & we went back to the house. Fiona wasn't feeling well, so we spent the day hanging out around the house & DOING LAUNDRY with a DRYER!!!!!!!! It was so amazing! Nick and Fiona kept laughing at the two of us, how amazed we were at the modern technology. Nick really had a good laugh when we started doing the dishes, he said "there is an easier way to do that", Megan and I looked at him confused, and he pointed to the DISHWASHER! I forgot they existed. Nick made us a delicious dinner and we spent some time visiting that evening.
Day 10- Wellington (Upper Hut)
Fiona was feeling much better, so we decided to head to a park/petting zoo place. It was a very beautiful ride through the mountains. We had some lunch and got ready to feed animals! It was fun to watch Ronan feed the animals. He even let me hold him while we fed a horse and pig. That evening the girls went out to dinner with some of Fiona's friends, then out for drinks (but everything closes by 9) so we headed back the house for more drinking - ISA! We had a really good time with them & are so thankful they allowed us to stay with them.
Day 11- Wellington to Auckland to Fiji
We flew home this day - it was bitter sweet, I was ready for the warm weather but not ready to leave a developed country. We made sure we ate as much good food as possible while in the airport - our last meals.
It was the most amazing trip ever & I'm so happy I was able to share it with one of my PCV friends
No comments:
Post a Comment