Sorry for the delay, I had a blog all written out and it was accidently deleted. I had to take a couple of days before I wrote another one...I am going to do my best to recap everywhere I have been since Wanaka.
My last night in Wankaka I went to a wine tasting with two Dutch girls that I have become friends with. The two of them and about 6 other people all keep hopping on/off in different places , so inevitably we all end up running into each other. It makes a trip like this fun because you are always running into friendly faces everywhere you go. Susan, Dineka, and I all made the hour and a half walk around the West side of the lake and then up a hill about 15 minutes. You can probably guess as to what I am going to say about the scenery...Yes, it was beautiful. As we made our way up the hill passed through the Vineyard and finally once at the top, it was a magnificent view of the lake and vineyard. Even as we entered the building for the tasting, the views did not disapoint. You will see in the pictures what I am talking about. The three of us sipped on 7 different wines varying in taste and cost, $20-$120. Now I will admit that I am not a huge wine fan, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to drink it for free! ;) Nothing is free over, so obviously you have to take advantage of it when the change comes!! In the end I ended up treating myself to a bottle that I surprisingly enjoyed and luckily for me it was the cheapest bottle too!! After our wine tasting we made our way back to town and met up with a few other girls (Dutch, Italian, & British) for a Mexican dinner.
Next place of interest was Queenstown, the adrenaline junky capital. They say you can do an activity everyday for 3 months and still not get through them all! And the only way you are going to do that is if you are rich, because most activities here are $200 plus(skydiving, bungy jumping, paragliding, etc)!! This time around I was only staying for two nights because I would be coming back at a later date for a longer period of time.
Our drive from Wanaka to Queenstown was unbelievably gorgeous. We went through the pass and it felt like we were on top of the world. The golden moutains rolled on for ever it seems. Sheep dotted all along, hay bales, and fencing. The bus weaved through the switch backs and we eventually overlooked Queenstown and neighboring Arrowtown. It was awesome. See photos...
The first full day in Queenstown the group of girls I keep telling you about and I had made plans to get Fergburgers for lunch and take the gondela up the mountain to go luging. I am not sure why or how Fergburgers became so famous, but they are. You will find yourself waiting anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour to get your hands on one. Everyone knows about them and everyone says it is a must do when in Queenstown. I can tell you that they did not disappoint either, simply delicious! After gobbling up our burgers we all headed up the mountain. The gondela ride was devine and once at the top you were given a fantastic view of the city and the giant lake that surrounds it. After taking in the scenery and a lot of photos were jumped on the ski lift, which took us up a little bit further to the luge track. Now just to clarify this is not an ice luge. This is basically a paved track that weaves around the top of the mountain and you ride on little plastic cars with bike handles to stear. There are two tracks, a "scenic" track and a "fast" track. Both great and thrilling in their own ways. There were nine of us that ended up going luging and we were all giddy with excitement. Just image nine 23-28 year old girls zooming down a track hooting and hollering because you just simply couldn't help yourself. Joanne ( Irish) and I in particular had a blast. On the first run down we started at the end of the pack and before the other 6 knew it, we were zooming past them like bats out of hell. One by one we passed them and everytime each one of them had a slightly terrified look on their face. Joanne and I felt the need for speed and we ended up racing each other on the other four runs. I think the others thought we had gone crazy, but we didn't care. We were grinning ear to ear with joy and excitement. I felt like a 10 year old had taken over me. ;) Don't worry, there are a couple of pictures that will help explain further.
After our short visit in Queenstown we headed for the deep south loop. This included the Fiordland National Park, in particular Milford Sound, Te Anua, and Invercargill. The park is the largest in the world. In fact it is even larger than Yosemite and Yellowstone parks put together. It is also considered a heritage sight and by some one of the great wonders of the world. Our first stop was Gunn's camp, which basically consists of a bunch of 1930s cabins in the middle of the woods. It is also run off of generator power, so at 10pm you are living a true rustic lifestyle. Gunn was famous giving tours of the Fiordland National park back in the 1930s. He had lived out there for 30 years and could navigate the wild land very well. In fact when a plane crashed out there injuring 4 people he set a record pace for hiking back for help. If I remember correctly he hiked around 90km, which typically takes four days, in one day to get help. He was a legend and now he has a camp named after him. After our rustic getaway we headed for Milford Sound. The entry into the park was unbelievable. I honestly don't have the right words to descibe the feeling that I had when drove through. All I can say is that I was a bit dumbstruck at the shear size and beauty of the mountains. I felt so small in such an enormous place. Mother Nature really puts you in your place when you come to this park. After the spectacular entrance we hopped on a boat and toured the Sound. We really lucked out with blue skies and sunny weather, especially considering we were in a Fiordland. The cruize was amazing. We went through the heart of Milford Sound and gazed at its beauty. There were waterfalls cascading down the mountains, seals basking in the sun, and you were surrounded by spectacular moutains that rose out of the water. Once again Mother Nature did good.
Next stop Te Anua, the walking capital of the world. This is the gateway to several of the Great Walks of New Zealand. I hopped of here with the intentions of doing part of the Kelper treck, but unfortunately the weather turned and it was cold and raining. In the end I just ended up hanging out in the small town and relaxing. I will hopefully return at a later date and go for a hike. We will see.
Invercargill was our next stop. This is the southern most city in New Zealand and also the place where you hop on a ferry to go to Stewart Island. I chose not to go to the Island and instead hopped on a different bus to head up the coast to a place called Dunedin. Dunedin has a rich Scottish background and also has the largest University in New Zealand. It also has the steepest street in New Zealand. I know you were all dying to know that.. Hehe... Anyways, Dunedin is acutally where I currently am with Lysanne (Dutch) and Hanni (Italian). We all decided it would be a nice side trip and so far we have been right. This city has a great feel to it. Very warm and welcoming. Tomrrow the three of us booked a really cool excursion, but you will all have to wait for the next blog to find out what it is....
Oh the suspense.....
For now I leave you with this blog and the pictures on the link below. Enjoy....
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8tj2jip91iirxkm/SdpV09AWfV
Cheers,
Jenna
