So I spent 2 days in Wanaka, enjoying the scenery and relaxing. Well except that the bike ride I took off on when I finished writing the last update, ended up being about 13 miles. It was pretty, I was riding along the lake and then a river, so I just kept going. Stopped at one point and thought I should turn around, but kept going. It was probably the most challenging bike ride I've been on, dirt or stone path, lots of rocks & sticks, a bit more difficult than the Ocean City boardwalk, but with fewer people to dodge! But it was pretty and very remote. I had made a sandwich to bring with me, so sat by the river to have lunch before starting what felt like a much longer journey back home. Needless to say, I was very happy at the sight of the little town (and the paved downhill road to get there!) That night there was a guitarist in town having a show at the local cinema, so of course I got a ticket. It was really good, and the cinema is known for having couches and recliners, so it was comfy as well. And...I didn't even fall asleep!
The next day I had until 2:30 when the bus was coming. I went to Puzzling World, to be confused in a giant maze and by rooms on a big slant, and then just relaxed by the lake and wandered around the town (still recovering from the bike ride). Got on the bus, and our first stop was to pick up some others who had gone sky diving - we got to watch them come down. Then we headed to Queenstown, only another 2 hours or so. We stopped just outside Queenstown at Kawarau Bridge, home of the first bungy site. http://www.bungy.co.nz/index.php/pi_pageid/17 Now I had thought about doing it, but wasn't too sure, especially after not really being a fan of jumping off the boat in Fiji - I think that was about 5 meters, this was going to be 43 meters, 141 feet. But I figured since I was in NZ and the bus was actually stopping, I really had no excuse. So i just tried not to think about it too much and when we arrived, I just went straight up and paid to do it. Luckily we had arrived just before the place closed, so there wasn't a line and i didn't have time to think about what I had just signed up to do. I was straight up onto the bridge, and next thing I know, they were tying my feet together.
The next day I had until 2:30 when the bus was coming. I went to Puzzling World, to be confused in a giant maze and by rooms on a big slant, and then just relaxed by the lake and wandered around the town (still recovering from the bike ride). Got on the bus, and our first stop was to pick up some others who had gone sky diving - we got to watch them come down. Then we headed to Queenstown, only another 2 hours or so. We stopped just outside Queenstown at Kawarau Bridge, home of the first bungy site. http://www.bungy.co.nz/index.php/pi_pageid/17 Now I had thought about doing it, but wasn't too sure, especially after not really being a fan of jumping off the boat in Fiji - I think that was about 5 meters, this was going to be 43 meters, 141 feet. But I figured since I was in NZ and the bus was actually stopping, I really had no excuse. So i just tried not to think about it too much and when we arrived, I just went straight up and paid to do it. Luckily we had arrived just before the place closed, so there wasn't a line and i didn't have time to think about what I had just signed up to do. I was straight up onto the bridge, and next thing I know, they were tying my feet together.
That's me up there.
The guys on the bridge were very good at distraction, and like everyone else, once they heard I was from Kentucky, asked lots of questions about KFC, the colonel, etc. So that was entertaining and distracting enough, which was good since the girl going before me was shaking really badly. Once I was all set to go, i shuffled to the edge (hard to walk with feet tied together), and stood at the edge. He kept telling me to not hold on to the side, but I wasn't quite ready for that. He counted down from 5 and I was supposed to go on 1. But I didn't. So he started again, and I figured I better just go, or I would never do it - so when he got to one, I jumped! He had told me if i didn't want to go into the water at the bottom, then I needed to jump, not just fall, so I did (well I think I did anyway).
And me falling...
I heard myself scream on my way down, and i knew I had never heard myself scream like that before! I was definitely scared and still scared as I swung at the bottom. I felt like my feet were going to slide out, so it wasn't the most enjoyable, but I was trying to tell myself to look around. I'm not sure that I would ever do it again, but I am happy I did it! :)
After the others finished bungy, we went the rest of the way to Queenstown. I got to my room, which was an 8 bed dorm, with its own bathroom & kitchen to find the other 6 girls (and one poor guy) getting ready to go out - makeup, hair straighteners, dresses everywhere. It looked like fun, getting ready with your friends for a night out, only problem, I didn't actually know the girls! And my hair isn't going to be straitened for another few months! But these girls all went out and then I met some of the people from my bus for dinner (well giant burgers) and then checked out some of the bars in Queenstown. One of them had 2 for 1 for a few hours if you showed your hostel key, so when we went there after midnight it was quite entertaining - the backpackers clearly took advantage of 2 for 1!
The next day we actually got to sleep in a bit, not a fan of all the 8am bus departures. Then I went white water rafting with a couple from my bus. I was a little nervous about it, but much more so after the safety talk covering what to do if you fall out or if the boat tips. I was determined not to end up in the river having to avoid big rocks!
We took a short 15 minute bus ride to the "base camp" and there got wet suits, boots, jacket, helmet, and life preserver, and then had to get on another bus (with no windows) for 45 minutes up to where we started on the river. The whole drive up was amazing, scary, and very hot. Most of it was on a dirt road, through mountains, right along the edge, and I was just hoping this driver wasn't going to mis-judge any of the turns! Apparently the road is so bad that most people aren't covered by insurance if they drive it! So I was happy when we finally got to the river.
The actual rafting was fun, again, beautiful scenery, mountains & trees and clear, but very cold water. The first half was pretty tame, but we were warned the 2nd half would be more exciting. The rapids we went through were fun, but I was sticking to my determination not to fall out, so was very quick to grab onto the rope and hold one. A few people fell out of the other boats, but the 7 of us in my boat made it through each rapid still in the boat. On the 2nd to last rapid, our raft was the first to go through and our guide put us up against the rocks, had a girl out holding onto the boat, while he stood atop the rocks to make sure everyone else made it through safely. The next boat didn't', and 2 people were out into the water. One made it out of the rapid and started floating downstream. People in my boat managed to pull him in, before he got too far away. But then the other boat came and someone held onto it, so the guy could get back in - of course 2 boats and a heavy current were stronger than Jen holding our boat on the rocks, and we started off down the river. Luckily they were able to pull Jen back into the raft (narrowly avoiding wacking her head against a rock). But then we were floating down the river without a guide. No one was quite sure what to do, someone tried to take charge and tell us to forward paddle, but then changed his mind to back paddle. So, we would have been hopeless in the next rapid on our own. But our guide saw us and jumped in and swam the 100 or so yards to get to us. A bit of adventure for our trip!
We had one more rapid, and made it through safely and then a tunnel, which was neat. We finished back at the "base camp", and i was happy didn't have the scary bus ride again to get home.
That evening made it back before 7 to get some of the free vegetable soup in the hostel (a sad meal, but free!), then took (another) nap in the hammock outside the hostel, then had a few beers on the beach watching the sunset. Really, not a bad day!
It was an early start the next morning for an 8 am bus for a day trip to Milford Sound. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milford_Sound
Milford Sound is New Zealand's most famous tourist site and called the 8th wonder of the world (according to our tour guide and wikipedia!) It was a 4 hour drive to get there, but the drive was almost as amazing as Milford Sound. (I did of course sleep part of the drive, but the part where it wasn't supposed to be as good of scenery!) We made lots of photo stops, walked through rain forests, by huge waterfalls, drove windy roads with huge mountains, some still snow covered. We got to Milford Sound for our 2pm boat trip. I went straight up to the top deck to see the view and have the very strong wind blowing my hair. The boat ride was great, really amazing, and we saw seals & dolphins!
After the others finished bungy, we went the rest of the way to Queenstown. I got to my room, which was an 8 bed dorm, with its own bathroom & kitchen to find the other 6 girls (and one poor guy) getting ready to go out - makeup, hair straighteners, dresses everywhere. It looked like fun, getting ready with your friends for a night out, only problem, I didn't actually know the girls! And my hair isn't going to be straitened for another few months! But these girls all went out and then I met some of the people from my bus for dinner (well giant burgers) and then checked out some of the bars in Queenstown. One of them had 2 for 1 for a few hours if you showed your hostel key, so when we went there after midnight it was quite entertaining - the backpackers clearly took advantage of 2 for 1!
The next day we actually got to sleep in a bit, not a fan of all the 8am bus departures. Then I went white water rafting with a couple from my bus. I was a little nervous about it, but much more so after the safety talk covering what to do if you fall out or if the boat tips. I was determined not to end up in the river having to avoid big rocks!
We took a short 15 minute bus ride to the "base camp" and there got wet suits, boots, jacket, helmet, and life preserver, and then had to get on another bus (with no windows) for 45 minutes up to where we started on the river. The whole drive up was amazing, scary, and very hot. Most of it was on a dirt road, through mountains, right along the edge, and I was just hoping this driver wasn't going to mis-judge any of the turns! Apparently the road is so bad that most people aren't covered by insurance if they drive it! So I was happy when we finally got to the river.
The actual rafting was fun, again, beautiful scenery, mountains & trees and clear, but very cold water. The first half was pretty tame, but we were warned the 2nd half would be more exciting. The rapids we went through were fun, but I was sticking to my determination not to fall out, so was very quick to grab onto the rope and hold one. A few people fell out of the other boats, but the 7 of us in my boat made it through each rapid still in the boat. On the 2nd to last rapid, our raft was the first to go through and our guide put us up against the rocks, had a girl out holding onto the boat, while he stood atop the rocks to make sure everyone else made it through safely. The next boat didn't', and 2 people were out into the water. One made it out of the rapid and started floating downstream. People in my boat managed to pull him in, before he got too far away. But then the other boat came and someone held onto it, so the guy could get back in - of course 2 boats and a heavy current were stronger than Jen holding our boat on the rocks, and we started off down the river. Luckily they were able to pull Jen back into the raft (narrowly avoiding wacking her head against a rock). But then we were floating down the river without a guide. No one was quite sure what to do, someone tried to take charge and tell us to forward paddle, but then changed his mind to back paddle. So, we would have been hopeless in the next rapid on our own. But our guide saw us and jumped in and swam the 100 or so yards to get to us. A bit of adventure for our trip!
We had one more rapid, and made it through safely and then a tunnel, which was neat. We finished back at the "base camp", and i was happy didn't have the scary bus ride again to get home.
That evening made it back before 7 to get some of the free vegetable soup in the hostel (a sad meal, but free!), then took (another) nap in the hammock outside the hostel, then had a few beers on the beach watching the sunset. Really, not a bad day!
It was an early start the next morning for an 8 am bus for a day trip to Milford Sound. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milford_Sound
Milford Sound is New Zealand's most famous tourist site and called the 8th wonder of the world (according to our tour guide and wikipedia!) It was a 4 hour drive to get there, but the drive was almost as amazing as Milford Sound. (I did of course sleep part of the drive, but the part where it wasn't supposed to be as good of scenery!) We made lots of photo stops, walked through rain forests, by huge waterfalls, drove windy roads with huge mountains, some still snow covered. We got to Milford Sound for our 2pm boat trip. I went straight up to the top deck to see the view and have the very strong wind blowing my hair. The boat ride was great, really amazing, and we saw seals & dolphins!
Back in Queenstown by 7:30pm, I quickly headed up for a ride on the gondola before it closed. it was a fun ride up and a great view over the city, the water, and the mountains. Afterwards, met some of the others for karaoke at one of the bars, always fun to watch!
The next morning (Tuesday), we were on the way to Dunedin - I was happy I finally learned how to pronounce it before I got there. I went on a "wildlife encounter" that afternoon, it left at 3:30 and returned after 10pm. The weather was pretty bad - rainy, chilly, & windy, but once I got on every layer I have, it was worth it. We saw huge albatross flying around. Then headed out to the peninsula and saw tons of fur seals swimming and sunning on the rocks, huge sea lions swimming and on the beach, and penguins! One by one we watched about 5 penguins come home for the evening to feed the babies, waddle out of the ocean, climb up the hill into the grass where their families were. S aw a bit of a domestic argument with a male trying to steal another male's female penguin, all very cute & entertaining. There also was an injured penguin that the guide ended up bandaging and taking home in the van to take to the vet - I was closest to the box and was a bit worried it was going to escape!
Can you see the seals?
Sea Lions!
The wildlife was about all I saw of Dunedin, as I was off early the next morning on the bus. We made a quick stop for an invigorating morning walk up the steepest street in the world - i wasn't sure i really cared enough to walk up, but made it in the end.
I was supposed to be staying on a farm, experiencing a NZ farm and going horseback riding, but about an hour before the bus was to arrive, we found out they had issues with the water supply at the farm, so we couldn't go. Instead, the 5 of us that were to go to the farm stayed on the bus with everyone else to Lake Tekapo. I was disappointed, but the driver was planning a big BBQ for that night at the hostel at Lake Tekapo, so I figured that would be fun. And the lake was gorgeous and peaceful, so I didn't mind spending 2 nights there.
I wandered the 15 minutes into town, which ended up being really just a small-ish strip mall. But because it was so remote, the atmosphere at the hostel was great - it really was like a log cabin right on the lake with views of the lake and mountains. The BBQ was fun (except for how we ran out of food, but I had already gone through the line). We had each put in NZ $10 for the BBQ and wine & beer. So it was a fun night, with the 40 of us there!
The Church of the Good Shepherd in Tekapo - apparently the most photographed building in NZ! I guess i really didn't take pictures of many buildings...
I spent the next day also in Lake Tekapo, mostly just relaxing and enjoying how pretty it all was. Went for a walk into town and actually had dinner at a restaurant - a Chinese restaurant, but it was good to have a full meal in a restaurant for once!
And Friday was my last day on the Magic Bus - it was about 4 hours back to Christchurch, where I had started 11 days before. Leigh picked me up in town when I got off the bus. I was happy to be going to a nice house instead of a hostel like everyone else. I even did a load of laundry, so was quite happy to have clean clothes again! That evening we went to a buscars comedy show which was fun - some parts odd, but funny! Saturday I got to watch Megan's cricket match - all 4 hours of it. I still mostly don't understand, but am slightly less clueless. Luckily she got enough players, or else I was going to be stepping in - that would have been interesting since I don't understand at all!! That night they took me out to experience Christchurch nightlife - and I actually got dressed up for the first time in quite a while (having to borrow Megan's heels!) Sunday, we headed for lunch and a walk on the beach, and then recovered from the night before with a movie and an assortment of all sorts of New Zealand junk food - I had to pick out all the things I had never had before. A great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!
Then it was off to the airport for my 9pm flight to Auckland - spent a night in a hostel near the airport, then off to Australia on Monday. Am with Kate now and heading off tomorrow on our road trip!
It snowed in Vienna! 
