To say my flight over to NZ was stressful would be an understatement. From the panic of "I can't find my passport" to almost missing my connecting flight due to delays and poor signage in Brisbane's Domestic Terminal. Still, I made it. The decent into Queenstown was stunning, flying over mountains with nothing but green and blue for as far as the eye could see.
I have been called a flashpacker on a few occasions and to some degree I am. I have a hairdryer, straighteners, IPAD and a decent camera. All of which I consider essential. Yet it's when I rock up to a new place and pay $20 for a shuttle bus as opposed to $10 for a public bus that my flashpacker ways really come out. Is the stress free feeling of knowing I'm going from the airport to the hostel door worth $10? What do you think...
Back to Queenstown. The city itself is a beautiful as I'd been told it was but due to the time of year, it was cold. To someone who's been living in 28C + heat for the last 19 months, it was freezing!! S my first few days were spent shopping for the necessary winter attire for the forthcoming weeks including a coat,hat, gloves and thermals! Money which I had not budgeted for. Still, it's important to keep warm.
With the other half of my time, I made the most of the scenery and free activities by walking up Queenstown Hill and around the lake. Another fellow traveller who I met in Vietnam also recommended the 'gravity carts' or Luge as they're more commonly known as. You have to take up the gondola to the top of a hill (which provides magnificent views in a clear day) then head for the track. Luge racing is basically go carting with no engine as the cart uses the motion of gravity to make you move which is assisted by a break pad underneath. This activity was so much fun and well worth doing! For dinner one evening, I had a famous Fergburger. I must admit it was pretty good and the pies from the Fergbaker were just as delicious. This being said, an hour wait is still a little bit crazy!
On 24th, I headed out at 7am to Milford Sound. Somewhere which was recommended to me by Ryan (backpacker in Cambodia). The day didn't start off well as I'd been woken up in the middle of the night by a fire alarm followed by some inconsiderate room-mates. All this or at least most of it was forgotten once the sun had come up and we made our way down south through Fiordland National Park. We stopped at several places en-route including Lake Wakortipu, Mirror Lake ('cause the water s so clear you could see the reflection of the mountains in the water) and Mount Earnshaw. I was lucky enough to have been driven by someone who worked on Lord of the Rings and is currently working on the Hobbit. He kindly pointed out some of the locations which had been used in one or both films. Once we'd arrived into the ferry port, we boaded a boat which took us around MS. The weather was fairly good but cold providing a fairly clear view of the famous Mitre Peak rising about MS. As we motored around we managed out spot some seals chilling on the rocks and stopped under a giant waterfall to give the boat a bit of a shower!
Tomorrow is day 1 of my Stray adventure!
Next stop: Mount Cook & Rangitata
No comments:
Post a Comment