I now understand why everyone said I should spend more time in NZ’s South Island than in the North Island. The South Island’s glaciers, fiords, and mountainous regions are a sharp contrast to the North Island’s relatively flat and geothermal landscape; therein lies the beauty of this country that houses all for 4 climates, in effect you could go surfing on the tip of the North Island and in the same day go skiing in the South Island.
Aimlessly gazing out of the window on the plane ride from Christchurch to Queenstown, I noticed sharp peaks protruding through the clouds. The pilot then mentions that these are the Southern Alps that we could see from 26,000 feet. Imagine white jagged snow covered spikes jutting up out of clouds – pretty sick! Queenstown is a city nestled in a nook of the colossal mountain ranges of the South Island. William Rees (a sheep farmer) founded this city in 1840; in the 1860’s with the discovery gold in the area, there was a Gold Rush and many people settled here and built a city fit for a queen and called it “Queenstown”.
Walking off of the plane, my lungs were instantly invigorated by the fresh, crisp, icy cool mountain air (smells and feels very different than the air in NYC). This cool/hip ski town has tons of shops in the city center and lies on Lake Wakatipu. Let’s just say with the crazy hills all around ( more so than San Fran), nobody here needs a Stairmaster. If you are ever in Queenstown, you must MUST try Fergburger, hailed as the best burger in New Zealand, they have super fresh ingredients, a monstrous burger and funky names (i.e – I had a falafel burger dubbed the “Bun Laden”).
Upon arrival, we went straight to Nevis Arc (http://www.bungy.co.nz/index.php/pi_pageid/159) – one of the many escapades to attempt in Queenstown. Nevis Arc combines free fall and canyon swinging, along with defiance of gravity and sheer terror. AJ Hackett Bungee invented this thrill a couple of years ago, a 109 meter high platform overlooking the Shotover Canyon (buried deep in the mountains) with sharp jagged edges all around the canyon bed. First there is a 60 meter free fall at 90 mph, followed by a swing on a 200 meter arc. They even have different ways you can jump – sitting on a chair, flip, upside down, backwards, or the Jumpaster’s choice. There was a guy who just turned 24 that day and the Jumpmaster decided to give him a special version of the chair jump – aka “the electric chair”; they tased him twice before pushing him off into the depths of the canyon – seriously where do they think of this crazy shit?! Let me be honest, I was petrified beyond belief. The best quote describing this jump from one of the past customers was “Even my shit was scared”. However, I’m happy to say I was able to increase my fear factor… I ended up jumping backwards and doing a back flip (unintentionally of course)..it was probably the most horrifying experience of my life – watching myself free fall into a canyon – yet liberating at the same time (I’m now ready to go sky diving ☺).
We took a 12 hour day tour to Milford Sound, part of Fiordland National Park. The scenic drive on a two lane road took us through the mountain ranges of the south and the amazing fiords that were carved by glaciers during the previous Ice Ages. The cloud coverage and fog is so low to the ground that you feel like you are walking (or driving through the clouds). In the next leg of the tour, we got on a cruise and sailed through the fiords – (see pictures as me trying to describe these wonders won’t do them any justice) Seriously…Fiordland rocks! (no pun intended). Lastly, on the drive back to Queenstown, I saw hundreds of stars in the sky in the clear blue sky – something that is nonexistent in NYC (too bad I couldn’t take a picture of this one).
Another plus for NZ is that it is a super green country – all you Net Impacter’s would love this place. Christchurch airport is only carbon neutral in Southern Hemisphere; there are tons of recycle/reuse/compost bins everywhere; all dual flush toilets; many green buses (inside and out) etc.
So I leave NZ, officially feeling like an "adventure junkie", with a deeper appreciation for and connection to nature, and a huge fan of the kiwi lifestyle. We are now en route to Australia, as they say in NZ.. “See you on the other side of the ditch!”
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