Lake Tekapo

---

Had a couple wild days in Queenstown. The day after bungy jumping I did the louging. It was really fun. Very similar to go karting, but there's no gas, you just use gravity to go. It's crazy how fast you can go though.

The first Saturday of the month in New Zealand is "crate day," which is when everyone sits in the park and drinks a crate of beer (12 bottles). I didn't partake, but observing was pretty fun. It turned out to be a beautiful day and was a great scene. People just hanging out, throwing a rugby ball around, lying in the sun. There were tons of crates in the river keeping the beer cold. Decided to stream the last 5 minutes of the flames game and saw one of the craziest endings to a hockey game. People were probably wondering why I was yelling at my phone.

On Sunday I did a hike to the top of one of the mountains. Was a great view from the top. It snowed in the mountains the night before, so it was really pretty.

Yesterday we drove from Queenstown to Lake Tekapo. It's known for the stars. I forget what it's called, but the air space is actually protected here from light pollution the same way national parks are protected from hunting etc.

Went on a hike to the top of a hill right before sunset, watched the sun go down, then stayed for the stars to come out. It was alright - the stars at Lake Manihapua were nicer.

On our way to Christchurch right now, the city that got destroyed by earthquakes in 2011. There are apparently still red zones where you can't go and the city is still rebuilding. I spend one day in Christchurch, then flying to Auckland tomorrow, then back to Calgary on Thursday! Can't believe I only have 2 sleeps left. Definitely ready to go home though and am so excited to be back in Canada.

---