Queenstown, Day 3: note to self.

wine tour and dinner
low residual medium dry south island
rieslings: my new cab

Queenstown, Day 3: wine-ing and winding down.

After a very loud night at the aforementioned hostel, a lovely lady named Debra picked me up for the Central Otago wine tour. Five beautiful vineyards and many excellent wines later, I have to give a wholehearted two thumbs up for Pinot Thyme Boutique wine tours! And dry Rieslings! Who knew.

I really liked this one,
partly because it was really good, but also
because it was named "the Viper"

but this one really sold me
on the whole "dry riesling" thing

downtown Cromwell

Debra's vineyard

After the wine tour, Kim, Jill and I met up for one last celebratory dinner and drinks at finz. Great seafood dishes, and especially excellent fish & chips!

last celebratory drink :(

After this I would say farewell to my friends and head north for my own Tongariro adventure. But first I would endure another LOUD night at the hostel... Sooooo ready for some mountain time.

Queenstown, Day 2: I did go back for seconds, after all.

jumping off a cliff
willingly and on purpose
might be addictive

Queenstown, Day 2: "AAAAAAAHEEAHEEAHEEAHEEAHEEAH!"

(That's how you spell the Tarzan yell, right?)

Tuesday morning I drove back to Queentsown and met up with Kim and Jill for lunch at Bob's Weigh (yes, again - chicken pesto...mmmm!). We wandered around a bit and headed over to the canyon swinging place to prep for that day's adventure.

from their brochure - 'nuff said

wondertriple powers, activate! form of: scared ladies!

I can't really describe the experience properly. Probably best if I just point you to a few videos. OK, four. Suffice to say, we all survived and I had a great time.

mandatory round of celebratory drinks

After drinks Jill and I headed to Fergburger so that I could truly round out my Queenstown experience.

lines like Portland's Screen Door or Voodoo Doughnuts

NOM!

Or so I thought. I opted to stay at Nomads Backpackers. This may have been the only bad decision I made the entire trip... It was a total party house, and even though I requested an all-female dorm (which was nice and quiet), the walls were thin and the street party outside went on until about 2am.

I would stick it out there for another night, because time was too precious to waste looking for another place and transferring my stuff, but let the record show two things: 1) I am not a city girl and 2) I am too old for that shit.

Next up: wine tour!

Wanaka, Day 2: can you?

there must be worse ways
to kill an afternoon but
i can't think of one

the view from the traffic jam

Wanaka, Day 2: glaciers and sheep and carrot cake, oh my.

The plan was to get up early this morning and head to Rob Roy Glacier, since the weather was a little questionable. But I think the last week was catching up with me and instead of rushing out, I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and coffee and hit the road around 9am.

"The road" ended up being 50km of driving, 30km of which was on a gravel road and the last 10km of which involved fords (fortunately dry creek beds). Rappelling, rock climbing, treacherous/slippery/steep/alpine hikes, canyon swinging - whatever. That drive was probably the most stressful activity I would perform on this entire trip.

OK!

after 30km of gravel road, a warning

Finally headed out to the trail around 11am. It started steep and leveled off, all through a lovely beech forest with the river running constantly right next to the trail.

I want to live in a van...

And then suddenly Rob Roy Glacier was right there.

not a bad lunch spot

A few more switchbacks and I was a bit closer - but not too close. I ate my PB&J and marveled at the beauty around me, then headed slowly back just as the rain started. And then stopped and started and stopped and started and stopped.

looking back down the valley

The weather has been amazing this whole trip, and if the only bad day is Friday when I'm supposed to hike Tongariro Alpine Crossing, so be it. I cannot complain.

On the drive back I was treated to an unstaged sheep herding...

New Zealand traffic jam

...and a deer herding (complete with one lone confused sheep running alongside the deer).

just a cute sheepie, not related to the
aforementioned deer herding story

Back at the hostel I cleaned up and went for a coffee, which turned into a flat white and "famous" carrot cake at Ritual Cafe...

it REALLY IS THAT GOOD

... and then a few glasses of wine overlooking Lake Wanaka.

hey, it was happy hour and I was happy

I was in an amazing place, had seen some amazing things in/around this place, and the hostel and the hostel staff had found my iPod that I was sure was lost and gone forever. What was there not to be happy about? Other than the nearing end of my vacation, of course...

Wanaka, Day 1: OK, it was mostly an accidental misstep.

a brief thought of work
almost sent me off the edge
no more work thoughts please

Wanaka, Day 1: solo adventure, part I.

Got dropped off at the airport, said goodbye to our new friends...

and goodbye to Frank the tank! I will miss you, Frank,
and your never-ending fruit and snack basket

... and I picked up the rental car for my first solo left sided-drive up to Wanaka, which a coworker had recommended as being "more low key" than Queenstown. Turns out? Boy oh boy, was he right.

The drive was uneventful! Almost disappointing, the lack of solo left sided-driving drama!

um, both thankfully and disappointingly uneventful

the views were lovely though

I couldn't check in to the hostel (Purple Cow - two thumbs up!) until 2pm so I grabbed a flat white and, at the recommendation of one of the past week's tour guides, headed up to Diamond Lake Conservation Area.

There were three trail options - Rocky Mountain Summit Track, Lake Wanaka Lookout, and a circuit around the lake - and I took them all in willingly. The views were stunning and the sounds around the lake were serenity-inducing.

I sent this to a coworker saying "New Zealand is overrated"...
pretty sure he got the sarcasm

bunnies, it must be bunnies!

Afterward I showered, stocked up on two nights of dinner at the grocery store, had a glass of wine and headed three blocks down to the lake to enjoy the scenery with the ducks.

not a bad way to end the day

Tomorrow's adventure: Rob Roy Glacier. Tonight's adventure: surviving the Russian girl skyping next to me for an hour. Ah, youth!

Tui Extreme, Day 7: again! please?

not antarctica
but milford sound kayaking?
pretty damned awesome

Tui Extreme, Day 7: stripes and sounds... and sugar.

Saturday morning we carbed up (again... oh dear lord, all the carbing up) and headed a few minutes away to Rosco's Milford Kayaks. After a brief overview and quick costume change, we set out on clear but slightly choppy waters to see what we could see.

hot! (photo courtesy Rob)

clear water means you can see a lot

It was overcast the whole time and even rained a bit. This made almost everyone else a bit cranky, but I was thrilled - not only was this how one must experience Milford Sound, it was also very reminiscent of Portland. The gray skies were a welcome change from that bright yellow ball in the sky that we'd been dealing with of late.

Milford Sound sunshine

Milford Sound fur seals:
far less annoying than South Georgia fur seals

Along the way our kayak guide shared several Maori folk legends including this one, and made sure we got the full history of Milford Sound. See, technically it's a fiord like many other fiords in that area, but fixing all the signs for the already-named "sounds" to accurately name them as "fiords" would have cost too much money. So the government left the signs as is and declared the whole area Fiordland - problem solved! Ahhh, government.

The kayaking was over far too soon for my taste, and after another costume change and quick but delicious hot lunch, we headed toward Manapouri for our last evening with the tour. Lake Manapouri Inn featured beach access and pet alpacas in the backyard...

Jill and I opted for the beach access before dinner

Dinner was a true barbecue feast followed by magical pavlova.

hostess with the mostest Pieke (photo courtesy Rob)

Kate's sugar-filled, sugar-topped sugar, anyone? (photo courtesy Rob)

Some folks opted to hang out with the locals at the pub, but I wandered off and sat in silence for a while, listening to the cicadas and birds. I was sad that this leg of the trip was ending but excited for the week to come - especially since Pieke had offered to hike the Tongariro Alpine Crossing with me! So nice of her, so unnecessary... but so appreciated. I had an offer from a local once, but I couldn't imagine a guide in the States committing to spending an entire day with an almost-stranger, hiking a pretty intense trail.

These kiwis are good people.

Tui Extreme, Day 6: no TPS reports involved.

jump shots in big fields
speeding tickets, lovely views...
a decent friday

Tui Extreme, Day 6: keys to silliness, NZ food and the Routeburn Track.

Breakfast was with the gang at Halo, where we sadly said goodbye to Peggy and Gary (who was injured on the mountain biking adventure so he and Peggy had to sit the next few days out). Afterward the rest of us headed south toward Milford Sound.

Along the way we had our first exposure to meat pies - a New Zealand staple! - and then stopped in Eglinton Valley (near Homer Tunnel) to take some silly photos. The fresh air and cameraderie were actually much needed, and we all had a really good time cartwheeling, pyramiding and starfish jumping in the beautiful field.

chicken curry... mmmmm

my favorite group shot

Next was a quick hike up to Key Summit on the Routeburn Track. The weather totally cooperated, the views were fantastic and we had a great walk. (This is the point where I decided that I wanted to go back and do all the Tracks start to finish. So gorgeous and so accessible!)

top of Key Summit

another terrible view our guides arranged for us

Then back on the road.... When we reached Milford Sound we settled in at the lodge and walked down the road for dinner.

can you see me?

I honestly couldn't believe that lounge patrons were watching the television instead of marveling at the beauty around them.

oh right, what was I thinking? -
TV is far more interesting

On the way back I found myself very preoccupied with what I needed to prep for the next morning. I had to stop, take a deep breath, ditch my friends and listen to the cicadas and crazy birds instead:

I want to live in a van down by this

And then all was well with my world. Next up: kayaking in Milford Sound, also known as the eighth wonder of the world - could not be more excited!

Tui Extreme, Day 5: could've been another Saturday in Portland.

lazy queenstown day
followed by too many beers
and 80's covers

Tui Extreme, Day 5: not so extreme.

Had a well-deserved very lazy morning in Queenstown. After a wonderful breakfast (I {heart} Bob's Weigh! and New Zealand bread! and New Zealand!), instead of hiking the Ben Lomond trail the guides had recommended, I opted to walk up to the lookout.

I did catch the moon and Ben Lomond though

You can also take a gondola up to the viewpoint but despite all of the aforementioned tramping I felt the need for some exercise. (Guess the New Zealand culture was rubbing off?) Even that was quite an uphill walk, but it only took about an hour and the views of the Remarkables were outstanding.

as Kim would say, they're quite remarkable

and the ginger beer popsicle was fantastic

Afterward I wandered around the Queenstown cemetery for a while. Interesting that some of the tombstones included cause of death.

RIP william, but what a view you have for all of eternity...

Also interesting that the cemetery was right below the gondola lookout where in the span of about half a mile I'd witnessed helicopters, hang gliders, para-gliders, jetboaters, lugers, extreme mountain bikers... So, interesting, but not unexpected, I suppose.

RIP nicholas... and I agree

Afterward I did a little shopping in downtown Queenstown and hit the gardens.

guess what? duck butt!

one of about sixty thousand flower shots

Dinner was a chicken salad at Dux de Lux, where Kim and I were introduced to the magic of Epic pale ale.

(the next three were also magic)

Next up: Milford Sound!

Tui Extreme, Day 4: Portland is going to evict me.

sixteen miles later
i am really quite certain
i don't want a bike

Tui Extreme, Day 4: extreme indeed.

Slept like a rock last night. A ROCK. Slept with a bunch of random strangers, I didn't care. Slept on what was essentially a plywood board, I didn't care. Someone was snoring next to me, I didn't care.

Let me back up. I should explain the huts. (And by "explain" I mean: state what I know is true and include a lot of things in parentheses where I have no idea what I'm talking about. Consult the DOC web site if you decide to venture off to a hut in New Zealand.)

Siberia Valley hut

"Huts" are wonderful structures in the middle of nowhere that have running water (usually, I think?), pit toilets, fireplaces to dry your boots (sometimes?), kitchens (often?), and sleeping quarters which are essentially platform bunk beds where you lay your sleeping bag out. You can also pitch tents if it's too crowded or if you prefer to sleep under the stars. (They cost about $15-30 US per night for a bunk depending on which walk you're tramping; sometimes you can show up and sometimes you have to reserve a spot in advance.) They're maintained by very nice volunteers and often have puzzles, playing cards or board games if you're in need of mountain entertainment. One group of four at the Siberia Valley hut that night was completing a puzzle and commented how they would never, ever do a puzzle in real life - but out there it was really fun.

So that's the deal with the huts (as far as I understand them).

Anyway! Breakfast this morning involved yogurt with really excellent muesli, and then a 2.5 hour walk down to the jetboat launch. This was the same walk that the other half of the group did yesterday and I hoped they all enjoyed it as much as I did.

heeeeeere, hobbits...

The jetboat to Makarora was a bit of a jolt for me after the last 24 hours of serene wilderness, but I definitely enjoyed the ride.

adventure boat with a view

We ate lunch on the bus (chicken chutney brie sandwiches - yum!) and then got dropped off at Lake Hawea for our 25km bike ride to Lake Wanaka.

The views were amazing, for sure...

hawea river, part I

hawea river, part II

... but let the record show that I do not like bikes.

this sign finally made sense

my favorite part of the bike ride

Later that night in Queenstown, we enjoyed a really fine yet low-key dinner at Brazz and got some much needed rest. Including Abel Tasman I think I'd done 30km of tramping over the last six days, and then adding in the 25km bike ride? Zzzzzzzz...