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I can't believe it's already June 1st!! Time is going by much too quickly. I have lots to catch y'all up on, so, here's the last of the South Island blogs.
From Te Anau we went to Milford Sound, about a two hour drive. We didn't have any plans, only to figure it out when we got there. So that's what we did. Went into the i-site, got information and recommendations on cruises, booked a cruise, and got on a boat about 30 minutes later. It wasn't perfect weather, but it wasn't raining, either. Apparently it rains most of the year on the West Coast - 7 meters of rain, if you can believe it (that's
roughly 21 feet - a whole heck of a lot of rain). We did a smaller cruise that makes a loop out into the Tasman Sea (most of the cruises circle back before they exit the Sound). It was absolutely beautiful. I know I haven't labeled the pictures yet, but a lot of them are from Milford sound, and a lot of them are of waterfalls. These aren't permanent falls, but are only there when it's been raining a lot, which it had been
Milford Sound
beautiful Milford Sound. it was a little grey, but still amazing. right before we got there. Again, Daddy and I stood out on the deck most of the time. It got quite windy sometimes, especially out on the Tasman Sea. I don't think the pictures capture how big the walls of the Sound were. It was like we were in our own little haven, protected from the rest of the world, which we were, I suppose. The Sound wasn't discovered by Captain Cook on his voyage around the island, because he couldn't see the entrance to it. From the sea it just looks like a fold in the land. I think it was accidentally discovered during a storm. Amazing.
After the two-hour cruise we had yummy soup and rolls to warm us up, then started on the drive to Queenstown, back through Te Anau and on another couple of hours. Queenstown is mostly a stopping point for extreme sports, particularly bungee-jumping. I had no desire to do it. Skydiving, fine, but bungee-jumping is just scary!! So it was just a stopping-off point for us, to relax and hang out, then do the 7 hour drive to the glaciers the next day. It was an energetic little place, and walking around
sound waterfall
one of the many temporary waterfalls that night looking for a place to eat was fun. We hung out at the hostel that night and talked to some German girls who are doing an exchange for high school. The next morning, off to Franz Joseph glacier.
Driving. Lots and lots of driving on windy roads and hills. Also rain. The most exciting thing of the drive was when it began to snow right outside of Queenstown. Hooray!! It didn't last long, though, and soon turned into rain as we kept going north. Finally we made it to the glaciers. There are two major glaciers in New Zealand, Fox glacier and Franz Joseph. We'd decided to hike F. J., because more people said it was the more spectacular one. We couldn't find anyone who had done both and could compare the two. I'm very happy with the choice. On the way into town there was a stop-off viewing point to see Fox from the road - my first viewing of a real live glacier (yes, I realize glaciers are not alive. They do move, though, and both of these are quite active). When we got to the hostel we booked a trip for the next day
out to the Tasman Sea
as soon as we crossed that line of land it got really windy, and we were out on the Tasman Sea! - a half-day glacier hike. Then we sat around and watched the last Lord of the Rings (all 4 hours of it), had free soup that the hostel provided (yum), and hung out in the lounge and played cards, etc with all the other travelers. At this one I think there were a couple of guys from England, a couple from Canada, several Germans and a guy from Austria (I think). We were rooming with a young couple from California who had been working at a vineyard the previous month. They're from Napa Valley, and have goals of one day owning a vineyard.
The next day I stepped on a glacier for the first and maybe only time in my life. Wow!! It was so cool. They gave us boots and clamp-ons to wear, which are basically metal teeth that you attach to boots to give you grip on the ice. I think our group had about 24 people in it, and we split that into two groups, one that went a little faster and a little further up the glacier. I went in this one and Daddy went in the second, so we got some cool pictures of
snow in queenstown!
lasted about 2 minutes, but it was grreat! each other's groups going up and down the glacier. Our guides had ice-picks, and they were continuously working the ice, re-doing stairs that had been carved into it. The glacier is constantly moving and re-forming, not really noticably, but it means they are always taking different routes. Three people from Texas were behind me on the way up, and I was talking to them. Two of them were in med-school in Houston, and came to Wellington to do a month study-abroad type program in a hospital there. They had just finished, and were traveling around a bit before returning to Houston to do their residencies. The woman's boyfriend was there for about a week. At the top of the glacier, he took her aside, and the other med student told me that he was proposing. !!! They hugged (she said yes!), and announced to the group that they had just gotten engaged. Hooray! It was really cute. Her ring was gorgeous (and really really big). Then it was time to go back down the glacier and finish up the day. Let's see, the coolest parts about the glacier were...mostly the color of it. It was blue, because the ice was
so compact. It was also kinda dirty, though. I didn't expect there to be that much mud and rock in it. Still really beautiful, though.
When we got back into town it was time to drive up to our last stop of the trip, Hokitika. This was also more of a stopping off point, since we would be driving through Arthur's Pass and back to Christchurch the next day to fly back to Hamilton. We got there after dark and settled into the hostel, where one of the guys from the previous night was also staying. There's not much in Hokitika, and this hostel was much more quiet than the previous one. It was nice to relax a bit.
The next morning we went to the beach, and collected rocks. There were soo many of them, all washed really smooth by the sea. Hokitika is famous for its jade, and we hoped to find some jade on the beach. We found some green rocks, but I'm not sure if they were jade or not. After we had collected too many rocks, we went into town to look at the shops. There was a glass-blowing shop that I could
Daddy's group
Daddy's group going back down the glacier have stayed forever in. They have the workshop open so that visitors could watch the pieces being made - what an amazing process. The workers made it look so easy, but it was also easy to appreciate the amount of skill involved in making the pieces. While I was trying to figure out what to buy Daddy went next door to the jade workshop, where you can also watch them working, polishing the stone and shaping into intricate jewelry pieces. Amazing.
We couldn't stay and watch forever, and soon had to leave to go to Christchurch (after visiting the homemade fudge shop). When we got into town we stopped at the Air Force museum, and spent a good two hours there. There were lots of planes - I feel like an expert now : ) Daddy quite enjoyed himself.
Then it was time to return the rental car and get on our plane to take us back to Hamilton and the end of the trip. Even looking back I can't believe how much we saw and did in such a short amount of time. We did things that most New Zealanders haven't done yet. So great!! It was a great trip, and we have pictures to prove it! : ) hope y'all are enjoying them!
Don't worry, there's lots more to come. Next, all of my adventures since then, including...Wellington, tongariro crossing, skydiving, and a fishing trip.
I hope everyone's doing well - know that I miss you all and can't wait to see you again!
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anonymous
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Can I just say that I am incredibly sad that you are still in New Zealand and you won't ever be coming back to Columbia. Sad day.