Day 5: Travel Day
The rest of the day after Hobbiton was spent driving to Wellington so that the next morning we could take the interislander ferry to the south island. After taking the three hour ferry from Wellington to Picton, and dealing with a brief but annoying flat tire, we drove 15 hours to Wanaka – a beautiful town just north of Queenstown. This 20+ hour trip was definitely the longest time I have spent in a car and once arriving in Wanaka we all passed out.
Day 6: Wanaka and Rory’s Peak
After a long day spent traveling from the north island to the south island we decided to have a nice “relaxing” day by hiking up Roy’s Peak. This was far from an easy walk – Roy’s Peak has a summit of 1578 meters with a hike the steeply zigzags up the mountains face. The majority of the walk is quite plain, as you are simply zigzagging up a pebbled path through grasslands. Although once we got above the cloud line, we were rewarded with an amazing of Lake Wanaka and the surrounding snow-covered peaks. The last 45-minute climb up the ridge line to the summit was especially demanding as we had to trudge through ankle deep snow. The summit was one of the best views of my life, a picturesque view of the pristine landscape. We even saw paragliders sailing eye level, circling the peaks around us. This hike is worth the trip, only a 6-km drive from Wanaka on Mt. Aspiring Road. Make sure to pack enough water and snacks!
Day 7: Queenstown
After lounging around Lake Wanaka in the morning and stretching our legs after the brutal hike the previous day, we drove an hour Queenstown. This is a stunning town nestled in between large mountains and sits on the crystal-clear Lake Wakatipu. Reminiscent of a ski town, it is the adventure capital of New Zealand. Before exploring the expansive downtown shopping center, we did a quick hike on the Queenstown Hill Time Walk. This hike offers a great view of Queenstown and the surrounding area. We had a great meal at the Fat Badger, a local pizzeria, before driving to a nearby campsite. We all went to bed early in preparation for the next day – bungee jumping from the 134 meter Nevis Bungy.
Day 8: AJ Hackett Nevis Bungy Jump
The next morning we woke up, all nervous to face the day ahead. After checking in at the AJ Hackett we boarded the bus and drove 45 minutes to the Nevis Bungy jump and swing. At the summit, we checked in again and went through a second safety check before we were shown to the Nevis Bungy Suspended 150 meters above a canyon is a small enclosed platform. To get to the platform four of us were put on a gondola, of course the floor was see through, and shuttled to the center. One by one we were outfitted with the bungy harness, which wraps around your legs and connects to the full body harness we already had on. With the music blaring, we were all in a state of anticipation from the adrenaline. When it was my turn to jump I was sat down in the chair next to the plank where they attached the bungy cord to my harness. After the bungy was attached I was told to penguin waddle to the edge of the platform. I was so nervous my legs were shaking and I could not bring myself to look down. Once I my toes were poking over the edge they told me to smile at the camera then began to count down. With arms outstretched I jumped. The first few seconds of the free fall were the craziest – a feeling of total euphoria. I then fell few 8 more seconds, which felt like a lifetime, before the cord bounced me back up. The bounce back was not painful, in fact it was very smooth. After the third bounce back they began reeling me back in like a fish, I was laughing the whole time entire flush with adrenaline. Once we had all completed this leap of faith, we all did the Nevis swing – the biggest swing in the world which arcs 300 meters through the canyon. Although not as crazy as the bungy, you are able to do the swing with a friend which adds another element of fun. Overall, for any adventure seekers I highly recommend the Nevis bungy jump and swing – it was a day I will never forget.
Day 9: Milford Sound
The next day we drove 3 hours from Queenstown to Milford Sound, a fiord that had been carved by a glacier known for Mitre Peak and waterfalls like Stirling and Bowen falls. To get a full experience of the natural beauty of this sound we boarded a ferry that would take us all around the fiord. The views were breathtaking as the surrounding mountains jutted straight up out of the water. Spaced between the many waterfalls, trees sparsely popped the steep sides of the mountains. The sound is also home to some unique animals and we saw a group of young male seals warming themselves on a rock outcropping and a group of penguins hunting in the cold water. This group of 12 or so crested penguins was the largest singular group the captain had seen in 16 years touring the sound. Milford Sound is a beautiful natural wonder worth the trip from Queenstown.
<a data-flickr-embed=”true” data-footer=”true” href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/134539786@N06/30507933006/in/photolist-UWTknA-V359e7-AuCqjj-QuBjJA-UkW6Y5-VY6DHB-QuBkJm-V359tA-V359jh-UTkZMh-USsY15-USsYbL-UFG9kE-UFG8wW-TG2Yz6-TG2Pyk-TG2PFK-TG2YSF-UkxZ9Y-UkxZ5E-TBSoFL-TtrKet-Uvvh3K-UvvgHr-TG2YfD-UFcbA9-UkxZe7-UFcbG1-UvvgRn-TtrKwx-Uvvhfi-TtrWvg-TtrKEZ-ysDgNN-TtrKQZ-QuBm8N-RsKBps-SvubhW-RvfTAz-PKm5qA-N5JEnf-NtT8FA-U5zAce-Q8xJjY-NtT8AW-Npmxor-UTJmsc-VzHMEU-UWqjSK-Vx3yhX” title=”Milford Sound Waterfall”><img src=”https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5661/30507933006_aedfc5acda_z.jpg” width=”640″ height=”427″ alt=”Milford Sound Waterfall”></a><script async src=”//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
Day 10: Lake Tekapa
We decided to spend our last day relaxing near Lake Tekapo. This small town is settled around the clear turquoise lake, surrounded by the Southern Alps of New Zealand. We spend the day lounging in the sun, skipping rocks, and soaking in the sights of this amazing country. There a few nice walks around the lake and some small shops in town to check out. Once it began to get dark we packed into our vans and headed to Christchurch to catch our flight back to Sydney.
