South Island, NZ

Saturday, January 2. Today was a day of adventure. We awoke early, feeling MUCH better than the day before and booked a 9:00 am hang-glide. The sun was shining and it looked like an absolutely beautiful day out. After getting all ready, we received a call at 8:30 am to say that the winds had shifted and we wouldn't be able to go. Both Keith and I were disappointed as the weather looked perfect, but we hoped that we would be able to go a little later on in the day. We decided to go off jet-boating – a very popular activity in New Zealand. Jet boating is essentially going down narrow canyons at high speeds and making 360 degree turns. We went on the Shotover Jet Boat which is supposed to be one of the best in New Zealand. It had rained the night before, so the water in the canyon was quite high making for a rough and wet ride. After downing ourselves with full-length jackets and life preservers, we were off. Other than an annoying adolescent on the boat who kept yelling, it was a fun ride. After jet boating we went to try and book our bungy jumps. I had hoped that Keith and I could jump tandem as I am scared of heights and was on the fence about jumping. We found out that because of our differences in weight was too great, we wouldn't be able to go tandem. We were once again disappointed, and decided to hold off booking anything for the moment. Next we decided to take a gondola ride up to a peak where there were incredible views of Queenstown and the surrounding area. It was one of the first clear days we'd had in awhile and you could see for miles and miles. Next up we hit an information center where Keith and I booked our bungy jumps – with Keith booking Nevis at 440 feet, one of the highest in the world (with Keith's motto being “go big or go home”), and me, being not as brave, booking Kawarau Bridge, the world's first bungy at 142 feet. I also book a hang-glide for 6:00 pm that night. We had discovered that because of Keith's size, it didn't look like he would be able to hang-glide:-( We spent the remainder of the day wandering around Queenstown. Since it was a Saturday, there was a little crafts market in one of the parks where they had live music. We took in the botanical gardens, walked around the lake, did a little souvenir shopping and generally enjoyed the beautiful day. 6:00 pm arrived and I went to meet the van that would be bringing us to Coronet Peak – the launch site. Much to our happiness, they said that Keith would be able to hang-glide. Off we went. To hang-glide, we essentially had to run off a cliff with our tandem hang-glider and if all went well, the wind would catch the wings and off we would go. After waiting for the wind to come up, Keith was off. To me there was a moment that it looked like the wind wasn't going to catch them and they were going to crash and burn, but the moment passed and off they went. I and a few others had to wait for Keith and the others who had gone in the first round to come back and then I was off. Keith said he had the same moment thinking that we were going to crash and burn. Hang-gliding was AWESOME. It is probably the closest Keith and I will ever come to feeling like we were actually flying. The ride was only 20 minutes or so and it was definitely too short. We both got to do loops and tricks. The views were spectacular. I bought the video and pictures to prove it and I'll post them as soon as I am able. Landing was a bit scary as you turn and approach the landing very very fast. You land on your stomach, but by then you've slowed down considerably. It was one of the most amazing things I've ever done. After hang-gliding, Keith and I both enjoyed a beer and went for sushi for dinner. We were both spent from all of the activities from the day and we called it a night.

Sunday, January 3. Today was FINALLY the day of the bungy. Sadly Keith and I awoke to rain with neither of us feeling our best. Keith was heading off first – having a roughly four hour round trip. Since we were jumping at different spots, we weren't able to go together. To get to Nevis, it was a 45 minute drive up a steep dirt road, which was scary in and off itself, and then a short open-air trolley ride which brings you to a gondola, the jump site. Keith said everyone on the bus was pale and quiet. When Keith arrived there were six men, all jumping in their underwear, wearing Mexican sombreros and smelling of alcohol. Keith explained the jump to me and it sounded incredible. With an 10 second free fall and then being cranked back up to the gondola, it sounded like quite the experience. He bought the video of his jump and we'll post it as soon as we're able. I headed out a little later, having not as long a journey. Fortunately the rain had stopped and off on the bus I went. I wasn't feeling too nervous until the bus rounded the corner and I saw the bridge. Yikes! On I went though. I checked in, got weighed, got my number and headed out to the bridge. I tried not to watch too many people jump for fear that I would psyche myself out. Before I knew it I was next. They make you sit on a wooden plank where they wrap your ankles with a towel and strap you in. I chatted with one of the guys about the bar Cheers and skiing in Vermont versus skiing in NZ – anything to keep my mind off of what I was about to do. All of sudden it was time for me to waddle to the edge. I had heard from folks who had jumped before not to look down and not to think too much about it and just go. After a “holy shit,” I did just that – I closed my eyes and jumped. It was scary and awesome all at once. I was dunked in the water (I had asked to be) and after a couple of up and down bounces, it was time for the boat below to retrieve me. I had done it. After purchasing the video and pictures as proof (which I will post as soon as I am able), I was off back on the bus headed back to Queenstown. I met up with Keith back in town and we both regaled our tales. We then had a 2 to 2 ½ hour drive to Te Anau – the gateway to Fiordland National Park – the next leg of our journey. The ride to Te Anau, like many of our other drives, was gorgeous - with lakes, green fields and snow-covered mountains. After checking in, we hit the grocery store, made some dinner and called it a night with both of us being a bit relieved and a bit sad that the bungy was over. A few parting thoughts on Queenstown. So far Queenstown has been my and Keith's favorite place in New Zealand. It's big enough that there are good selection of bars and restaurants, stores and activities, but it's small enough that it still retains the charm of a classic mountain resort town. It's got both the mountains and the water. The architecture has a quaint feeling about it and like the rest of New Zealand, it's incredibly clean. I hope to someday to make it back there.

Monday, January 4. Today was the day of Fiordland National Park and Milford Sound. Fiordland National Park consists of 3 million acres and is the largest of the 14 national parks in New Zealand. Apparently you can fit the other 13 national parks inside Fiordland National Park and still have room left over. We set off in the morning to drive the 120 km to Milford Sound. The one road in to Milford Sound was filled with all kinds of sights. We stopped numerous times to see mirrored lakes, fields of wild flowers, waterfalls and scenic outlooks. We encountered Keas – New Zealand mountain parrots which like to eat rubber. They were not shy at all and had no problems trying to gnaw at various parts of our car. We passed through the Homer Tunnel – a 1,219 meter long tunnel through a mountain that has a gradient of 1 in 10. We arrived at Milford Sound a little past noon and signed ourselves up for a 1:15 pm cruise. We then spent the next 2 hours cruising Milford Sound – the most popular of all the fjords in the Park and probably the number one tourist thing to do in New Zealand. It was beautiful. The weather had held off and at times the sun even shined. We saw huge waterfalls cascading down the mountains, Mitre Peak, a 1,682 meter high mountain believed to me one the world's highest mountains to rise out directly out of the sea and a colony of New Zealand seal furs. It was a spectacular way to spend the afternoon. We arrived back a little past 3:00 pm and set off on our two hour drive back to Te Anau. We made a few additional stops on the way back to take some more pictures and see a few more of the sights. We had a pretty uneventful evening, having some dinner and calling it an early night.

Tuesday, January 5. Today was a day of cars, boats, buses and more boats. We awoke to a cloudy, overcast day. After looking at the weather forecast for the day, we hadn't planned to do much and had a lazy morning. Finally around 11:00 am or so, we decided to drive around a bit and head down to Manapouri, the jumping off point for Doubtful Sound – the second most visited sound in the Fiordland National Park. Keith and I had sort of given up on visiting Doubtful Sound as it looked like the weather was not going to cooperate. As luck would have it, there was a cruise heading out at 12:30 pm with two spots still available and the weather was holding off. We made a split decision to go. The first leg of our journey was a 45 minute to 1 hour cruise across Lake Manapouri. It was a pretty cruise though on the outside deck it was windy and cold. The next leg of our journey was a 45 minute bus ride, along with numerous sand flies, across Wilmot Pass Road (one of NZ's most remote roads) in Fiordland National Park. We made a few stops along the way to take some happy snaps. Finally we reached Deep Cove, the jumping off point for Doubtful Sound. Doubtful Sound is the second largest of all the fiords in Fiordland National Park. We spent the next three hours cruising Doubtful Sound. It was spectacular. The rain did come in go which was both a blessing and a curse. Because of the rain there were lots and lots of waterfalls cascading down the mountain faces (apparently within six hours of the rain stopping something like 90% of the waterfalls dry up). On the downside, the visibility wasn't great and, at times, it was quite cold and wet. In addition to the gorgeous scenery, we saw New Zealand fur seals and a whole pod of bottle-nose dolphins. There were quite a few of them including two baby dolphins. The dolphins came right along-side the boat and were so close you could almost touch them. It was the highlight of our trip. We made it back to Deep Cove around 6:00 pm. Next we had our bus ride back across Wilmot Pass Road and another boat ride back across Lake Manapouri. We finally made it back to our motel around 8:30 pm, did some laundry, had some dinner and called it a night.

Wednesday, January 6. Today was a day of driving – destination Invercargill. After getting a bit of a late start, Keith and I hit the road. We were taking the southern scenic route to Invercargill – a good stopping point on the way to Dunedin on the east coast. It was overcast and cold and it was a pretty uneventful drive. There were a few scenic spots we stopped at to take some happy snaps and we arrived in Invercargill early in the afternoon. After checking in and having some lunch, we checked out town and went to grab some provisions. By the time we arrived back at the motel, the rain had started. We spent the rest of the day generally lounging about, catching up and trying to plan a little more of our trip. Keith cooked some yummy chicken for dinner and we called it an early night.