South New Zealand

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There only seems to be one question you get asked when you mention New Zealand is on your travel itinerary - are you going to bungy or skydive? For four and a half months Andy and I have been asking each other this very question, and upon arrival in Queenstown the stunning landscape convinced us to do a skydive over Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables. Our 12,000ft jump gave us forty-five seconds free fall time, accelerating to 130mph before the leisurely (in comparison) parachute landing. Brave I might hear you think, but to be honest, once you’re strapped to your professional diver and in the plane there really is no going back - you either go gracefully or kicking and screaming. I’m pleased to say we both did the former; so much so that my diver commented I was either very relaxed or unconscious. The rest of our earth-bound time in Queenstown was spent meandering the alpine town and catching up with Lisa and Murray (friends from our China trip) who now live there. Their local knowledge meant we didn’t miss out on a famous Ferg Burger (see pic) and sampled some of the best bars and pubs.

After 4 months of sunshine Andy and I thought we should start preparing ourselves for coming home in February and set off in search of somewhere cold. We didn’t have to look very far as the South Island has one of the most accessible commercial glaciers in the world - the Franz Josef Glacier. The glacier is 12km long and unique in the fact that it descends from the Southern Alps to less than 300 metres above sea level amidst a rainforest. Our energetic guide merrily navigated us up the glacier, cutting us snow steps, teaching us the “Franz shuffle” and leading us through crevasses along the way. But by the end of the walk the similarities with the UK had (thankfully) gone - the clouds lifted, the sun was out and we both ended up with sunburnt faces!

Despite Milford Sound being New Zealand’s most famous tourist attraction, neither Andy or I really knew what a “sound” was. A “sound” is a fjord (a valley carved by glacial activity) and the Milford Sound runs 15km inland from the Tasman Sea and is surrounded by sheer rock faces that rise 1,200 metres or more on either side. We decided to take a cruise along the fjord and it was easy to understand why it is so popular. The staggeringly steep cliffs, marine wildlife and waterfalls give it a unique beauty free from humans - the nearest township, Lake Te Anau, is 80miles away. We also visited the Aurora Caves which for centuries existed only as Maori legend and their location was lost to history. But after three years of searching 300miles of coastland a local explorer re-discovered them and their inhabitants - glow worms. Thousands of the glittering bugs make the caves a magical place, even more so the fact you can only reach them seated in a wooden punt in the pitch black.

Dunedin is the South’s second largest town after Christchurch and a very special place in all Southerner’s hearts as the home of local brew Speight’s. To understand this Andy and I forced ourselves on a tour of the original brewery and thank Saatchi and Saatchi for making such long adverts - the free beer at the end flowed as long as the adverts played for! The main non-alcoholic attraction in Dunedin is the Otago Peninsular but the weather was against us and meant we weren’t able to enjoy it fully. The Peninsular (30km from Dunedin), is famous for its albatross and penguins, and so with every other damp tourist headed for the only inside attraction, New Zealand’s only, Castle Lanarch.

Our return to Christchurch (7 days and 1,500 miles later) was lucky enough to coincide with the start of the “World Buskers Festival” and at the opening last night we were entertained by a great mix of stand up comedy, acrobats and juggling.

We head to North New Zealand tomorrow for our last six days in NZ before our final stop in Fiji.

See you all soon,

Bex & Andy

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Photos

Queenstown
Moments before boarding the plane to do our skydive

Dunedin
At the end of our Speight's brewery tour

Christchurch
Fred and Myrtle's Paua Shell House. This couple covered their entire lounge walls with over 30,000 Paua shells

Christchurch
Countdown to the next Rugby World Cup...

Christchurch
These cheeky birds have the IQ of a 7 year old and are well known pranksters

Franz Josef Glacier
Beccy doing the 'Franz Shuffle'

Franz Josef Glacier
Us in a crevasse

Franz Josef Glacier
Andy in the entrance of an ice cave

Franz Josef Glacier
The full 12km view of the glacier. Apparently the little bits of ice sticking up at the back are as tall as an office block

Queenstown
The famous Ferg Burger

Queenstown
Lisa, Murray & us on a night out in Queenstown

Queenstown
Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables. The mountains are 6,000 feet high and we skydived from double that height free falling towards them

Milford Sound
New Zealand fur seals soaking up the sun

Dunedin
This is the steepest street in the world - Baldwin Street

Comments

[AJ]

Great Pic
I went Sky Diving in Hawaii. Isn't it so crazy and amazing!!! Hope all's well!

[alan]

wow
Well done with the sky dive you two! You were both very brave to undertake such a feat and all I can say is Wow and rather you than me! Another super itinary!