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We Wonder While We Wander
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Milford Sound
Published: March 22nd 2012Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Fiordland National Park » Milford Sound
March 21st 2012
What can I write that would do justice to the sights we have seen? If a picture is worth a thousand words, I have a lot of work to do to equal all the wonderful shots my better half has taken recently. Our trip to Milford sound, a fjord on the west coast of NZ, was like a dream. We boarded our 700 ton ship, the Milford Mariner and were greeted with hot chocolate and muffins. Upon seeing a pod of about 30 dolphins, including calves, they lowered the tender ships and we got to see them from about ten feet away. Nearby, seals were basking in the sun under the 1000 foot cliffs that surrounded us. The food was excellent and it was just an beautiful way to spend a couple days. Yesterday we arrived ... read more
Drive to Milford Sound
Published: March 22nd 2012Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Fiordland National Park » Te Anau
March 20th 2012
We ended our wonderful time in Queenstown and headed out for Milford Sound for an overnight cruise. The space in between was just breathtaking. I never knew there could be so many spectacular views, totally view of anything manmade as far as the eye can see. Sitting on the ground and closing my eyes I could hear the wind, birds singing, and leaves rustling, but no planes or cars - it was like sitting there a million years ago. We took lots of little 30 minute hikes to break up our 5 hour drive. My favorite was a walk around Mirror lake, so named because its location amidst mountains protects it from wind and it is as smooth as a mirror - of course it also captures mesmerizing reflections of the surrounding terrain. What an otherworldly ... read more
Queenstown Gondola and Kiwi Birdlife Park
Published: March 22nd 2012Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Queenstown
March 19th 2012
Finally, a chance for a bit of a lazy day after tons and tons of adventure. We took a trip up the Queenstown Gondola and saw some really nice views of the city and Lake Wakatipu. After we made our way down, we stopped at the Kiwi Birdlife Park and snapped photos of many native New Zealand birds. We even got to see a few Kiwi! Unfortunately, no photos were allowed of the Kiwi, since they are nocturnal and we were in the dark. Another post coming soon!... read more
Journey Through Middle Earth
Published: March 18th 2012Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Queenstown
March 17th 2012
Yesterday, one of my nerdiest fantasties became a reality - I went on a full day Lord of the Rings location tour!! Our guide was actually in the movie as a prominent orc. Hearing about the shooting of the movies first hand was just fascinating. We drove to about a dozen locations and got to take pictures recreating some classic scenes from the movies. Our guide had been trained by the unrivaled legend of swordsmanship and man who played Darth Vader during lightsaber fights, Bob Anderson. The tour ended with our guide taking out some really nice replica weapons from the movies and teaching us some of the moves he learned from the man himself. As a fan of the series, it was very exciting and tremendously enjoyable. Who knew St. Patricks's Day was so big ... read more
March 16th 2012
Lazy post...here's the fun stuff we did yesterday (with photos this time): Hiked around Lake Matheson (most photographed lake in NZ) Checked out the Fox Glacier Knights Point (ocean views) Trudged barefoot in a forest through mud and over a stream to a secluded beach Hiked to the blue pools and took a swim Stopped to photograph Lake Wanaka and then Lake Hawea (500m away from Lake Wanaka) Ate enormous burgers at Fergburger by Lake Wakatipu and spotted an eel We'll post photos from the Lord of the Rings tour we took later this evening.... read more
March 16th 2012
Thanks to our wonderful Kiwi-born tour guide, we enjoyed many lesser known, but still breathtaking, sights. We got to swim in beautiful blue pools, enjoy a secluded ocean beach under the mountains, and hike around some stunning lakes. I can't wait to show you the pictures - which I would have been able to do if Neil had not absent-mindedly left our memory card reader in his backpack and then tossed it on a pile of rocks. We are in Queenstown, "The Adventure Capital of the World" for the next 4 nights and should be able to get another reader tomorrow. In the morning, we are going on a full day Lord of the Rings tour. Sunday brings a day of canyoning, which I learned is rappeling down waterfalls, ziplining, and jumping into rivers. What Monday ... read more
Hiking the Franz Josef Glacier
Published: March 15th 2012Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Franz Josef
March 15th 2012
CRAZY hike today. After getting all our gear on (raincoat, boots, pack, "over trousers", crampons), we left the base at around 9:45am and took a bus to the park. After a ten minute walk through the rainforest, and a 45 minute walk across a valley and some streams, we made it to the bottom of Franz Josef Glacier and put the crampons on our feet to help grip the ice. It rained most of the day, so we were soaked by the end of our intense 5 hours walking up the glacier. Definitely one of the craziest things we've ever done! We trudged through slippery rock, climbed up ice steps, squeezed in tiny crevasses, and even had the chance to check out a couple glacier caves. We got back to base at about 5:45, dripping wet ... read more
Days 2 Drive to Franz Josef
Published: March 15th 2012Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Franz Josef
March 14th 2012
No internet access last night, so here's a basic rundown of our day yesterday: Sunrise walk on Punakaiki Beach Ate lunch and walked around Hokitika Hiked the Mahinapua Walkway and Picnic Point Stopped in an old mining town, Ross, where the biggest gold nugget in the world was found in 1909 Today, we hiked the Franz Josef glacier, which was pretty crazy. We are too pooped to post anything, but will be sure to put up photos soon!... read more
March 13th 2012
We're here!!! Too tired to write a bunch, but not too tired to post some photos from our adventures today: Guide picked us up at the airport in Christchurch in the morning and we took a nice drive through the Canterbury Plains. Saw tons of sheep! Drove through Arthur's Pass National Park and saw stunning views of mountains, lakes and rivers. Had a picnic lunch by a gorgeous lake. The weather was amazing today. Sunny most of the time, very little rain. Took a nice hour-long hike up to see the Devil's Punchbowl waterfall. Drove to the West Coast and took tons of photos of scenery along the way, including a stop at an old mining town and a visit with some wild Kea (alpine parrots). Arrived in Punakaiki after a fantastic drive by the Tasman ... read more
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