Imagine trying to see an entire country in two weeks. Granted, it's not a huge country, but still. It's a country. It has two large islands and one small one. It has lush rain forests, snowcapped mountains, active glaciers, crystal clear blue lakes, enormous water-filled fjords, steaming prehistoric sulfur ponds and dazzling beaches. And no, I did not just read that on a brochure. If we spent two days trying to take in each of these marvels, the trip would be over. Then that doesn't take into account the cities, Christchurch (wow, earthquake damage), Queenstown (adventure capital of the world), Wellington (cultural capital) and Auckland (largest city in NZ with nearly 1/4 of its citizens).
How do you even begin to get through all that that in two weeks? I have to say, I think we did as well as we could, but we missed a lot. For the first time since starting the trip, we decided to rent a motorcycle and give that mode of transportation a try. After all, we had spent plenty of time in trains, buses, airplanes, cars and on foot - why not try a motorcycle? Steph loves motorcycles, and when I read on the New Zealand information website that the country was one of the best places to tour by moto, I was game to give it a try. So we reserved a bike in Christchurch, shoved as much of our things into the tiny suitcases as possible, put on the incredibly unflattering motorcycle clothing, and took off in the rain bound for adventure. That adventure didn't take us too far before we had to stop for some hot coffee and an extra layer of socks. Summer in New Zealand is not as warm as you might expect.
How do you even begin to get through all that that in two weeks? I have to say, I think we did as well as we could, but we missed a lot. For the first time since starting the trip, we decided to rent a motorcycle and give that mode of transportation a try. After all, we had spent plenty of time in trains, buses, airplanes, cars and on foot - why not try a motorcycle? Steph loves motorcycles, and when I read on the New Zealand information website that the country was one of the best places to tour by moto, I was game to give it a try. So we reserved a bike in Christchurch, shoved as much of our things into the tiny suitcases as possible, put on the incredibly unflattering motorcycle clothing, and took off in the rain bound for adventure. That adventure didn't take us too far before we had to stop for some hot coffee and an extra layer of socks. Summer in New Zealand is not as warm as you might expect.
Mount Cook.
We managed to make it 400 kilometers (at some point the clouds broke up and the sun came out, which made it much nicer) to Mount Cook. We found a great place to camp at the base of the mountain, thawed ourselves out, and enjoyed our first night on the New Zealand countryside. Mount Cook is a gorgeous snowcapped mountain - the kind you see in postcards. When we woke up in the morning, there was no time to waste. We speed-hiked our way to the Mt. Cook glacier, then hopped on the bike and headed south to Queenstown.
Queenstown, as I said above, is the adventure capital of New Zealand. Here you can try your hand at skydiving, paragliding, kitesurfing, speedboating, bungy jumping, mountain biking…you get the idea. With all of that adventure just dripping off the nearby trees, what did we decide to do? Golf. Frisbee golf to be exact. Partly because I wanted to try it, and mostly because it was free - and all of those other activities most certainly were not. We also did a bit of mountain luging to spice it up a bit. Not quite the adventure of extreme mountain biking, but it worked. And I won in 4 out of 6 races. Bonus. Queenstown is also the jumping off point for excursions into the Fjordlands National Park - a place where there are not only beautiful mountains, the mountains are covered in cascading waterfalls, all pouring into glacier dug fjords that lead out into the Tasman Sea. It seems like all of New Zealand belongs on a postcard. After the Fjordlands, we did a quick swing up the west coast, stopping to see the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers - both of which are currently growing (though the photos seem to indicate otherwise). We did a pass through the middle of the south island, where we nearly ran out of gas. Luckily, we chose wisely when we stopped at a farm to ask where the closest gas station was - because when the farmer told us that there were still several kilometers to go before we found a station AND that station was probably closed - we must of given him the saddest look we could, because he decided to give us a half a gas tank worth of gas for free. "As a Christmas present," he said. And, Merry Christmas to you too, friendly farmer.
Queenstown, as I said above, is the adventure capital of New Zealand. Here you can try your hand at skydiving, paragliding, kitesurfing, speedboating, bungy jumping, mountain biking…you get the idea. With all of that adventure just dripping off the nearby trees, what did we decide to do? Golf. Frisbee golf to be exact. Partly because I wanted to try it, and mostly because it was free - and all of those other activities most certainly were not. We also did a bit of mountain luging to spice it up a bit. Not quite the adventure of extreme mountain biking, but it worked. And I won in 4 out of 6 races. Bonus. Queenstown is also the jumping off point for excursions into the Fjordlands National Park - a place where there are not only beautiful mountains, the mountains are covered in cascading waterfalls, all pouring into glacier dug fjords that lead out into the Tasman Sea. It seems like all of New Zealand belongs on a postcard. After the Fjordlands, we did a quick swing up the west coast, stopping to see the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers - both of which are currently growing (though the photos seem to indicate otherwise). We did a pass through the middle of the south island, where we nearly ran out of gas. Luckily, we chose wisely when we stopped at a farm to ask where the closest gas station was - because when the farmer told us that there were still several kilometers to go before we found a station AND that station was probably closed - we must of given him the saddest look we could, because he decided to give us a half a gas tank worth of gas for free. "As a Christmas present," he said. And, Merry Christmas to you too, friendly farmer.
Fjordlands National Park
That was our first six days. We were not sad when we dropped off the motorcycle (named Jiminy Cricket, after its fairly high pitched roar), and picked up a car that we had scored on a relocation deal. Free car, free ferry crossing, just have to pay for gas, and get it to Auckland in five days. Sweet. A mad-dash north followed, with a stop in the Marlborough wine region for some Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir tasting, and a dinner of green-lipped mussels made six ways - we found some great stuff. Ferry crossing to the north island (not fun, three hours of rough seas. I had to be escorted into the rear of the vessel because I was sick), and an overnight stay in Wellington. We had a few drinks with friends, spent a couple hours in a New Zealand history museum, then headed north to Rotorua, home of Maori culture and the prehistoric sulfur ponds I mentioned above.
As you get closer to Rotorua, you start smelling the sulfur. The town is home to hundreds of natural springs and vents that spout gas and water from deep within the earth year round. This area is sacred to the Maori people, and probably because of this, Rotorua is a center of learning about their ancient culture. And learn about them we did. The first thing we did when we got into town was make reservations to have a traditional dinner at one of the Maori villages on the outskirts of the city. These dinners aren't particularly cheap, but the come with all the fixin's. First when we arrived, we were greeted with a traditional 'welcome' dance, then shown how to participate in some of the games used by the Maori's to increase agility and speed. After that, we were treated to dancing and storytelling - followed up by Hangi - which is a traditional style of cooking done underground. Lamb, chicken, fish, mussels, veggies, sweet potatoes…all cooked with hot stones underground. Awesome. The meal was delicious, the entertainment was interesting, and the learning was fun. I wish all meals could be that way. Though, I guess if they were my job might be really hard (and I would have to learn how to dance).
As you get closer to Rotorua, you start smelling the sulfur. The town is home to hundreds of natural springs and vents that spout gas and water from deep within the earth year round. This area is sacred to the Maori people, and probably because of this, Rotorua is a center of learning about their ancient culture. And learn about them we did. The first thing we did when we got into town was make reservations to have a traditional dinner at one of the Maori villages on the outskirts of the city. These dinners aren't particularly cheap, but the come with all the fixin's. First when we arrived, we were greeted with a traditional 'welcome' dance, then shown how to participate in some of the games used by the Maori's to increase agility and speed. After that, we were treated to dancing and storytelling - followed up by Hangi - which is a traditional style of cooking done underground. Lamb, chicken, fish, mussels, veggies, sweet potatoes…all cooked with hot stones underground. Awesome. The meal was delicious, the entertainment was interesting, and the learning was fun. I wish all meals could be that way. Though, I guess if they were my job might be really hard (and I would have to learn how to dance).
With barely three days left in New Zealand (time goes so quickly!) we were trying to pack in as much as we could. We had heard from some friends that we should try 'blackwater rafting'. Having no idea what that was, but figuring it must be fun, we made reservations. Blackwater rafting is basically spelunking along an underwater river with an inner tube. And not just a little trickling stream - a river. Complete with waterfalls, submerged passageways and rushing water. We had to don thick and very unflattering wetsuits due to the freezing waters, and helmets because we had to jump off a few waterfalls backwards (and without being able to see where we would land). We also were able to see what tour companies refer to as 'glow worms'. These aren't worms at all, but flies that hatch out of their eggs, eat all their brothers and sisters, poop out phosphorescent poop to attract more food, eat until they have enough energy to hatch out of their maggot stage, have sex for three days without stopping, then die of exhaustion. Not such a bad life as a fly. And they are really really beautiful to look at - liking being underground looking at a starry night sky. For anyone who goes to New Zealand - blackwater rafting is rad. Try it.
All that's left to cover in New Zealand now is our last two days in Auckland - and Steph's 30th birthday (wow she's old now) - but I think I might leave that to her. Let's just say we had a nice place to stay, we did a little horseback riding (my horse tried to kill me and I've haven't been as sore as I was afterwards since I played soccer in college), had a nice dinner and checked out a little of the cocktail scene in Auckland. Then in the end, we got on a redeye flight bound for Buenos Aires.
South America, our last continent. Delicious food, different culture, more family, and new adventures. Can't wait.
-EC
All that's left to cover in New Zealand now is our last two days in Auckland - and Steph's 30th birthday (wow she's old now) - but I think I might leave that to her. Let's just say we had a nice place to stay, we did a little horseback riding (my horse tried to kill me and I've haven't been as sore as I was afterwards since I played soccer in college), had a nice dinner and checked out a little of the cocktail scene in Auckland. Then in the end, we got on a redeye flight bound for Buenos Aires.
South America, our last continent. Delicious food, different culture, more family, and new adventures. Can't wait.
-EC
RSS Feed