Queenstown

Queenstown, NZ in winter is kind of sort of amazing. On the flight there you are flown right over the snow covered southern alps.



Once in the city you have views of more beautiful mountains.



Then if you want, you can take a gondola to the top of one of the mountains to get an amazing view of the city. Yes, the water of Lake Wakatipu is that blue.



By the way, if you're young, or young at heart, and looking for the time of your life, this is most definitely the city for you. Adrenaline junky activities galore by day, the most awesome party atmosphere by night. :)

Along Milford Highway

On the way to Milford Sound our tour bus stopped at a few places:


In a town called Te Anau we stopped for a break and I walked alone past the closed stores and down the empty main street to the lake, Lake Te Anau. I was the only person around. It was early morning, and the clouds were really low over the lake and there was a lone boat moored near the shore. The scene felt very eerie and desolate, yet beautiful at the same time.



Further down the road was the Mirror Lake of New Zealand.



Then flat land surrounded by mountains that I think is named Knob's Flat.

Sheeeeeeeeeep!!!

Did you know that there are upwards of 40 million sheep in New Zealand? That's 12 sheep for every ONE person. Wild! We saw muddy sheep, baby sheep, fat sheep, pink sheep, blue sheep, (serious, they spray paint them for fun), and only a very few clean white sheep. FYI, the baby sheep are A-dorable. Also in New Zealand are tons of dairy cows, and a few goats. Farm animals galore!

Big Blue.

One of the things I love about New Zealand is that the water in and around it is SO pure. That's the word that comes to mind instantly. It is so turquoise, so blue, crystal clear, and seemingly untouched by pollution. The rivers are not dirty brown, but rage and flow with ice-blue water that makes you want to jump in and play for hours, if not for the whole hypothermia thing. The ocean water at all the beaches is so clear you can see the reefs and tide pools teeming with life.

From the coast near Waipu...






To Mount Manganui...


See me? Those boulders were fun to climb on...


I love the turquoise water, I hope it stays this pure forever!
Behold the power of a fisheye lens:

Milford Sound

Milford Sound is a fjord in the south island of New Zealand.

We took a boat cruise of the Sound - a freezing cold cruise, I might add - and saw absolutely beautiful scenery: Mountains, waterfalls, seals, dolphins that wanted to race the boat...

4-3-2-1, bye-bye.

I went to New Zealand! One of the coolest things I did there was do the Nevis 134 Meter (or 440 feet) bungy jump courtesy of AJ Hackett Bungy in Queenstown.

Yep, that's me!

Here's how it went down:
The people who signed up for that bungy all got on a bus and they drive us to a canyon 45 minutes out of town. The bus turns off the highway onto this gravelly dirt road that winds up the side of a small mountain. We got to the building up top and they put each of us in a harness and then they take each of our weights. We go out to the viewing platform where we waited for a cable car to take us to the jump car. I wasn't nervous at all looking at the canyon and looking at where I was going to be jumping, I was even excited. It wasn't until I stepped off of the cable car into the jump car that I started getting nervous. We were suspended very high over this canyon and I couldn't even look down because if I did, my nervousness would have multiplied. It didn't help that part of the floor was glass so we could see what was below us. A few people before I jumped they put my ankle straps on, and then once it was my turn the crew let me through the gated off section and I sat down in the dentist chair. That's where they attach the bungy cord and I got to be closer to the jump platform and I got to get more nervous. Then the crew guy told me to get up and I waddled over to the platform (bound ankle straps, remember) and realized how really freaking high it was, I stood there for a few seconds while the crew guy took a picture, he counted "4-3-2-1, bye-bye" and I jumped right then because if I took any longer to think about it the fear would have compounded by the second. I had my eyes open for the first second or two, then I had to shut them because the speed and, you know, falling sensation was just too much, but I opened them again in time to watch myself come closer and closer to the ground. It was SUCH a rush! I'd definitely do it again.

Watch me jump!

Next stop, the highest bungy in the world? Macau Sky tower. 233 meters, baby. 764 feet. I'd die.