New Zealand South Island Adventure

Hello All!

Well what can I say? I had no idea that as soon as I stopped traveling I’d be busier than ever. I forgot spare time is rare back in the real world.

So where to begin? I believe I ended off in Wellington where I met Polly and Neil. Two days later Polly and I took the ferry back to the south island where we met up with Neil and a smelly Dutch guy named Simon whom Neil had acquired while waiting for us. The four of us then set off in Neil’s super cool station wagon for another trip of a lifetime. Our first major stop was Abel Tasman National Park. I cannot really describe to you how incredibly beautiful it was. Even now I can say it was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. Polly, Simon and I decided to take a water taxi to the end of the park and spend the next two days camping and hiking back into civilization. We took nothing but one tiny tent, a small backpack and a sleeping bag each and left everything else we owned in Neil’s car. Meanwhile, Neil took the car and went on his own kayaking day trip, and agreed to meet up with us two days later. At that moment it occurred to me for the first time how easily we trust each other in the traveling world, far more than we’d trust someone at home after knowing them for only two days. But that’s what we did. For the next two days we hiked from dawn till dusk along the coast beside the brightest turquoise water and whitest sand, on the most beautiful paths though a breathtaking forest. The only bad thing about the hike is that it only lasted two days while we all wished it would last two weeks. What a way to begin the trip. I wasn’t sure how anything could compare. Fortunately Neil kept his word and was waiting for us at the end of the track two days later.

From Abel Tasman we headed down to Murchison where on a whim I booked a white water rafting excursion for the next day. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and I picked a pretty good place to do it. Apparently the Buller River is the best river to white water raft in New Zealand and after a huge rain fall, as there had been the night before, I was told it was even better. By “better” they actually meant “bigger”. We battled grade 4 rapids and went over a 5 meter high waterfall! Let’s just say I almost lost my lunch as we approached the edge. Our guide actually said he’d never been over the falls when they were that big and that he never expected us to make it. Especially when a boat load of people flipped the day before resulting in a broken rib, a broken nose and a black eye…….yeeeeeaaah…..

Next, we stopped in Greymouth where it was cold and rainy. Since I had refused Suzanne’s offer of a sleeping mat and fleece (Worst mistake EVER!) I was relieved to learn I wasn’t the only one wanting to take refuge in a hostel. A very interesting hostel equipped with its very own goat who found its way onto the hood of Neil’s car every time he turned his back. Thinking of Neil screaming at that goat is probably one of the funniest memories I have. Priceless.

We spent the next day driving down to, then hiking up to Franz Josef Glacier. It was an amazing thing to see right in the middle of no where. An enormous ice flow that had just crashed its way through the forest. We were so impressed, we moved on to Fox Glacier the next day where Simon and I decided to try ice climbing while Neil and Polly opted for a day hike. Simon, another guy Phil, our guide and I started up the glacier at 8:00am. We grabbed our picks, threw on our crampons and did the most incredible 3 hour hike up the glacier. We teetered along ridges, jumped over enormous crevices, and crossed through pure natural springs which we were able to drink straight from. Once we reached the ice walls we climbed for the next 5 hours. They were the most fun and difficult climbs I’ve ever done in my life, where the only thing keeping you on an overhang is how hard you can throw your pick into the ice. I would do it again in a split second. Everyone kept pointing out to me how odd it was that I’m from Canada and had only done white water rafting, whale watching and ice climbing for the first time in New Zealand. True, odd. I fully intend to do them again once I get home though, but without a doubt these times will always be the most memorable. Climbing on the wall next to ours was the first woman ever to climb Everest without oxygen. Now that is crazy. That alone kept us from complaining about any discomfort we were experiencing. After the climb we spent another three hours making our way back down. Needless to say I could barely walk. My shoulders and wrists were about to snap off and my shins were two solid blocks of bruise. Still, one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. We were all on a high for the next three days.

The next day we headed down to Wanaka, this beautiful little town situated between snow capped mountains and glowing lakes. There really isn’t a whole lot in Wanaka yet everyone flocks there to…….I don’t know, actually. We stayed there longer than anywhere yet we didn’t really do anything except go to Puzzle World, a plethora of unsettling optical illusion all compacted into one building. Complete with its own hedge maze that took us two frustrating hours to finish, every room we entered in the building had us walking up walls, across ceilings and eventually staggering out on the verge of being sick. Good fun! We also treated ourselves to a movie at this tiny little theater where the seating consisted of swings, couches and cars, yes, inside the theater. Very cool.

Our time with smelly Simon came to an end and we dropped him off on the side of the highway. Hey, tough love. He was a slight hindrance to our trip (I won’t waste time going into detail) but all of a sudden our trip went from good to GREAT! We detoured back up to Omarama (which I’m still not sure how to pronounce) where Polly booked a flight on a glider. Well, she made quite an impression on the Canadian pilot because that night we ended up at a house party in Queenstown with him and all his Canadian and Kiwi pilot friends. We mentioned we were heading to Milford Sound in the next few days and lo and behold we just happened to be sitting with the Milford Sound Captain who then offered us a free flight both ways! What are the chances!?!?! I feel like I say that a lot, but that was unusual. Considering the fights are over $400 each way and it would save us two full day drives it was a tempting offer, but in the end we decided it didn’t make sense to leave Neil’s car with all our things in it just to say we got a free flight. Later that night we ended up in a bar with Neil up on stage rocking the house. It was an open mike night and since Neil is an actual singer/ guitarist in a band the band decided to keep him up on stage for the rest of the night. It was the craziest and probably the best night we had in New Zealand. The next day with heads pounding, Neil and I decided to go Jet Boating. It was insane! The boat skimmed the top of the water at 160km/h, coming within inches (literally) of sand banks, bushes and bridges and would fly into 360 degrees spins without any warning. Neil and I were holding onto each other for dear life, screaming our heads off like little girls. Far more embarrassing for him I’d say. After our death defying experience we spent the rest of the day relaxing in Queenstown before our looooooong drive to Milford Sound.

To Milford Sound we drove, singing at the top of our lungs, sharing stories, telling bad jokes…”So, this pirate walks into a bar…..”, having the time of our lives. We knew Milford would be beautiful but had no idea how beautiful until we actually got there. We took a cruise through the misty fjords between hundreds of waterfalls cascading down the cliffs surrounding us. It was very mystical. The next day we headed down to Doubtful Sound where we’d booked a day long kayaking trip. Three hours later, after two bus trips and a boat cruise we were in our kayaks on the water. It was the most beautiful day. The “Sounds” have the fourth highest rainfall in the world so the fact that we had a warm sunny day was rare. We spent the day kayaking through more beautiful fjords and waterfalls, escorted by seals and dolphins. Yet, another amazing day. It was actually getting to the point where we were becoming numb to our experiences. Day after day was just so incredible we were beyond overwhelmed.

With only a few days left on our trip we decided to make the most of the south coast. We drove along the scenic route visiting the most southernly point of NZ which ended up being a field with a whoooole lotta sheep. We visited an ancient petrified forest and went penguin hunting (not that we found any). We took a 45 minute hike without water, food, bug repellent, or proper footwear for that matter. After all, it was only supposed to be 45 minutes right? We entered the forest whistling, laughing, hopping over small ponds, all without a care in the world. We emerged 3 ½ hours later onto a deserted beach, cold and hungry, covered in mud up to our necks, very tired and very lost. Then it began to rain. We eventually found our way back, but there and then we vowed never to enter another forest for the remainder of the trip. We never broke our promise.

Onto Dunedin and more importantly THE CADBURY FACTORY!!!!!! Ahhhhhhh!!!! Oh glorious world of chocolate! Where have you been all my life? You’ve never seen three people so out of their minds happy than Polly, Neil and I walking into that factory. Just pictures us skipping along in slow motion, diving into mountains of chocolate bars, while the song “The Candyman Can” provided the soundtrack. Okay, so it wasn’t exactly like that, but that’s how it felt to us. For two hours it was pure gluttonous indulgence, but oh we paid the price later. It is still a fond, but nauseating memory. One I will cherish forever. : )

With heavy hearts we made our way back up to Christchurch where we had to face the reality that our trip was almost over. For four weeks we had been living in our own little bubble where we were happy just being the three of us. To throw three complete strangers into a car for a month, just hoping none of them are psycho…..or German, it’s amazing the fun and laughter never stopped. We had become so close we felt like family. It was tragic for all of us to have to leave each other. We made a brief stop in Akaroa, this pretty little French town, which also held the French pretentiousness. One day there was enough. Then we headed back into Christchurch and straight to Suzanne’s.

It was very weird being back in civilization. After a month in a tent, cooking over fires and doing everything else in the bushes, it was slightly overwhelming. We hated it. Our last few days together were a blur. Polly, Neil and I spent some time seeing museums and galleries and we all had a fantastic night out for Neil’s birthday. There was a cloud of melancholy hovering over us the whole time though. I had talked Polly into coming back to Melbourne with me but Neil had to stay and find work. At 4:00am Neil drove Polly and I to the airport, all of us in tears. It was by far the the best experience and the hardest chapter to end for all of us. But life does go on, and there are always more adventures ahead…….. sigh.....