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Published: October 18th 2005
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Landing in Queenstown Airport
View out of the windo- The Southern Alps of New Zealand Hey mates,
NEW PHOTOS
Check out my new photos on this blog from Milford Sound and bungy jumping!
I have safely arrived in Queenstown after a short jaunt of a flight from Welly via. Christchurch.
Nz is such a headrush- for a country of such small stature, they sure do pack a ton of amazingly diverse and vast landscape. The thing that rocks about NZ is that you can drive for an hour and be in a completely different place, almost like a whole other country. It drives you wild.
Upon arrival I was blown away by the superb mountain scenery. Just lucious absolutely breathtaking. I took a shuttle to the Queenstown YHA (hostel) and met up with lauren and rachel, Jenn followed along after her flight landed. I purused the quant little mountain shops and cafes, and walked along the lakefront.
That night Rachel and I took the Skyline gondola up to the top of one of the mountain peaks for a serene sunset view over the mountains and lakes. We relaxed by the fire in the Sky lounge and enjoyed a nice warm cup of tea- all the while trying to absorb the
magnificent scenery.
After a night of homemade pasta courtesey of Chef Lauren in the hostel kitchen, we settled in for a night of sleep. The next morning we woke up at :yawn!: 5:45 am, to catch the Kiwi Discovery bus to the famed Milford Sound. It has been the place I have talked about from day one. The bus ride out there was 4.5 hours, with a quirky and knowledgeable driver, Shale. The drive was through the most massive NZ National Park- the FiordLand - around 3 million acres in size!! It is also the wettest place on the planet, (often raining 2 out of 3 days and 300 days a year) and is considered a World Heritage Area- like the Grand canyon in the ol' US of A, and Aussie's Great barrier Reef. It gained this status from its unspolit beauty and wild scenery. Much of Lord of the Rings was filmed here, and the land masses are so ancient, and archaic-its wild. Glaciers everywhere, tall mtns, valleys, and avalanches!! We even stopped in a rainforest, all in the same drive. The photos will explain it best in my opinion. But know that the bus ride was full
The Remarkables and the Moon
This range of Mtn peaks is one of two mtn ranges which runs north to south all the same way in the world. the other is the andes in south america of fantastic photo ops and unruly scenic views from the bus window. We arrived in Milford Sound just in time to catch the boat ride.
Ironically Milford Sound is not a sound at all- rather it is (like much of Fiordland) a magnicient mass of land formed by an ancient ice age glacier which, as it moved out to sea, carved its way through the mtns and valleys, leaving its mark on the rocks edges, and tus melting after the ice age, which created a deep blue glacier lake. The Sound is really a Fiord, since a sound is a river valley flooded by the sea.
The boat ride was beautiful, however a tad dissappointing since we were on such a big boat with so many ppl. I would go again on a smalled boat company, or rent a boat myself. Still, admist the alternations over the intercom of English and Japanese?German/Thai/chinese etc translations , and the big crowd of ppl and cameras I enjoyed myself. It was a WINDY day and quite wet with mist from the waterfalls. The Fiord is truly magical and I would have to go back on a return trip to NZ.
View of Queenstown
The town amongst the remarkable Remarkables! We returned to the hostel quite late and made some dinner, then headed off to bed for another wild day of fun.
are you ready for this?
I woke up, and hesitantly got ready to catch another van to Shotover River for a crazy time of Canyon Swinging. This was an activity unlike anything I had planned or expected I would do. Picture bungy jumping (which originated in Q-town) and then add a giant free fall (around 200 ft) off of a clifftop platform (about 360ft high) above a white water river and a rocky canyon. Once in a free fall you are gently pulled by the ropes into a HUGE pendulum swing and giant arc of 200 m ( around 650 ft) at a speed of 150 kph(75 mph). The rush is insane. I actually was so scared watching the other ppl do it that I almost asked for a refund. But i did it, after a quick cry and tears before I stepped off the cliff's edge. I couldnt believe what was happening, I closed by eyes and just swung, practically hyperventalating on the drop off and the swing, and the pull up. AGH!! I didnt
ewven scream, i was so shocked. After I got my bearings back, i thought what the hell - how about another go? I went again, this time, attatched to a Chair. THe Canyon swing staff are very accomodating for all types of ppl, especially wimps like myself. They rocked me back on the edge of the cliff, (picture a rocking chair on its back rocker about to tip over) and then released me. I was assured I wouldnt flip, but apparently They lied so I wouldnt be freaked out, and I did 2 flips one after another on the way down. A nearby spectator even called it "quite impressive". Ha, I am such a stud. A crying nervous stud. I have a great video of myself jumping off and swinging. I will send it along with an email SO look for it!
So friends, tomorrow I leave for Wanaka, a small ski town about an hour from Queenstown. We'll ski a bit and stay the night. Next after wanaka is Fox Glacier for an ice climb/hike and some scenic spots to check out and tramp a bit. Should be good fun- keep an eye out for a blog or
NZ attitude
yep, one of the many many venues to bungy off of. two. Until then, enjoy the pics and stay well- Cheers, Shelly
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Mommy
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Stunningly Beautiful!!