Part 2: The Spectacular South

After our arriving in Christchurch on Christmas day, we met up with our friends Matt and Rocio Elsberry who had arrived in Christchurch a few days ahead of us and rented the car that we would be using for the next two weeks. We were surprised to find that the new ‘mid-sized’ car they showed up with was smaller than the one we had used on the north island for only 3 people. We did manage to get everything in, but it was a squishy first week with all 5 of in there.

From the airport, we drove directly to Mount Cook where we had a booking already. Because we arrived in the dark, we did not get to enjoy the scenery. But it was amazing to wake up in the morning to all of the mountains and clear blue skies. We decided to spend that day hiking near Mount Cook. The path took us over a river, and then up to a lake that bordered the edge of a glacier. Along the way we even got to witness a small avalanche on the slopes of one of the mountains! After that 3 hour hike, a few of us went for a short hike to see a look out. The scenery around Mt. Cook was amazing, but there wasn’t a whole lot more to do, so we headed out the next morning.

Our travels south took us through towns such as Cromwell, with its fruit farms, and Twizel, a place used to film some LOTR’s battle scenes. Arrowtown was a very lovely town that took us back in time to 1862 during a gold rush in New Zealand. The main street had time-period appropriate buildings that housed quaint shops and restaurants. Luckily, there was a town artisan market set up in the park. It only comes biannually for one day, so were happy we stopped. There we all kinds of cool things from jewellery to Marino wool to canned goods. We all bought a souvenir or two from the market and then we continued on south to Queenstown to gather tourist information and then our destination: Te Anau

Te Anau, is situated on scenic Lake Te Anau and is not nearly as busy with tourists as Queenstown. We rented a house there for 5 days, which was great because it was fully furnished and included internet and laundry. We cooked all of our own food and enjoyed the closer location to the Fiordlands.

Our first day in the Fiordlands was spent exploring Milford Sound. We drove the 2 hours in our car and watched as the mountains grew taller and taller, and closer and closer. The day was cloudy and misty, but it gave the mountains a mysteriously beautiful feel. Waterfalls dripped down the rocky mountain sides. The road took us into a tunnel through the middle of a mountain. Before we actually arrived at Milford sound, we stopped at a place called the Gorge, where a river has carved out ridges and holes in rock. During flash floods, trees come through the gorge and sometimes get left behind in the holes and corners. We were also befriended by the Kea, which is an alpine parrot, native to New Zealand. It was cool to see, but the birds are too used to tourist attention, unfortunately.

Milford Sound itself was pretty commercialized with different tour buses and boats set up in the bay. I didn’t love all of the people, but once we went out on our boat it was much more peaceful and it was so beautiful! The tall rocky and tree-covered hills rise as high as the sky and then they sink suddenly down into the brilliant blue sea. Waterfalls flow from the glacial valleys and into the sea at a continuous rate. It is like the watching each step of the water cycle happening at the same time. Along our route we saw some seals, got up close and personal with a waterfall, and I even got a glimpse of a dolphin’s dorsal fin just before our boat docked. Overall, the beauty of Milford Sound was something I have never seen before. Definitely an amazing place to see!

We took a 2 hour drive into Queenstown the next day and headed straight for the NZONE with one thing in mind: SKY DIVING! Upon arriving, we signed away our lives, were persuaded to by more expensive packages, and then we jumped onto a bus that took us to the base. While we waited for our turn we played some games and watched other people floating down, except for the photographers who swooped down at amazing speeds. When our turn came we got into our jumpsuits, received a demonstration of the ‘banana’ shape we were to hold during free-fall, and then we were all loaded into the little plane.

The weather was beautiful and the clouds were clear above our dive site. As our plane gained elevation, I enjoyed the sites around us. Queenstown was visible to the north with the beautiful turquoise Lake Wakatipu below it and the Remarkable Mountains running exactly south to north. We could see for miles and miles! As my time to jump drew closer and closer, I gathered my strength and breathed a few full breathes. I was ready. I got into banana position and we fell from the plane. The first part of the fall felt like falling, but after a few seconds it just felt more like floating. It was amazing! I screamed the whole way, but I had to moisten my lips every few seconds because the wind was drying my mouth out. The freefall lasted about 25 seconds. It is the shortest free-fall time, but I was prepared for it to be short, so then it felt longer. (I love reverse psychology!) When my guide (Nick) opened the parachute, we were jolted up from the sudden “stop.” The gliding gave me a chance to look around more, and it was breath taking! I can hardly describe the experience in words. Everyone must sky dive at some point in their life! The only thing I wasn’t expecting was the spinning that we did when Nick pulled the steering straps. It was fun, but I got nauseous, which wasn’t so fun. Our landing was very smooth and I had a high for a good while after that! I had so much fun on the sky dive, that I wanted to go again the next day, but of course, that would be expensive so I decided not too. I am wondering when I can go again though. Maybe in Canada? Hmm….

We still had an afternoon open after skydiving that day, so I decided to go horse back riding with Matt and Rocio on the ‘Ride of the Rings’ tour with Dart Stables in Glenorchy, just a 40 minute drive up the road from Queenstown. The drive was very windy (not good for my stomach), but it was beautiful (as most places are in New Zealand). The weather was actually clouding over at this point so some of the mountains we were hoping to see were all misty. Ironically, some of those mountains were used to be the Misty Mountains for filming the LOTR so, I guess that was fitting.  The tour took us on a trail ride through some of the forests and grasslands used for the LOTR, but we learned that the Glenorchy area has hosted all kinds of films, such as Prince Caspian, Wolverine, and it is used for filming around 40 times each year. We learned a lot of cool facts on the ride, and I was happy to know that the horse I rode, Elvis, was a movie star horse. He was used in the LOTR. Lucky me. He actually had quite a hysterical story of his own, but I don’t have time to tell all of that here. The ride was nice, but it could have been better with some more sunshine and riding freedom!

We ended that day at the famous Fergburger restaurant, know for it’s HUGE burgers. Although they were tasty, they were not as amazing as they were talked up to be.

Our next day in Te Anau was spent resting. We were so tired from all of the tours and sites we were seeing, that we decided to just chill and have a day of rest. It was much needed. I used the time to work on my scrap book journal, check out the town, and watch the Two Towers. A day well spent, I’d say!


* This is the conclusion of part 2. Stay tuned for the final part of the trilogy: Michaela’s Journeys in New Zealand!