New Zealand Holiday!

Another very long stretch of time between blogs as I spent the two weeks in New Zealand on a holiday between semesters and since returning I have been all but consumed by school work. But to start, New Zealand is a magnificent, beautiful country with lots to see and do. I would think a month at a minimum would be needed to immerse oneself into New Zealand and all it has to offer but in my short two weeks, I accomplished a lot.

I flew from Brisbane, Australia to Christchurch, New Zealand and made my way through customs and to the hostel I would be staying at for about a week. I dropped my backpack and spent the day wondering around the city and collecting pamphlets to sift through to decide what I wanted to experience while in New Zealand.

I spent my first afternoon sitting in a coffee shop sipping a delicious mocha, writing in my travel journal and making a list of the activities I planned to do, as well as a budget for my time in New Zealand since some of the activities looked rather expensive. That evening I immersed myself in a Maori tribe for a cultural performance and tribal knowledge over a meal representative of typical Maori foods. I learned so much about the Maori people, their traditions and culture but I also learned a bit about the importance of easy access to the indigenous populations of any country. I wrote an article for my home university newspaper regarding the importance of allowing non-Indigenous people to experience the indigenous traditions the country is based on. This holds true for Australia and the United States as well, in my opinion. I also got a good picture of a kiwi bird while with the Maori tribe, which was a fabulous way to start my New Zealand adventures.

The rest of the time I spent in Christchurch was spent in the great outdoors hiking, with a little tourist shopping in between. As a country girl, I love the outdoors and I couldn’t pass up the chance to get in some good, challenging hiking in New Zealand. Catching the bus to Queenstown was an early morning adventure, almost crisis. We had to catch the bus around 6:30am in a specific location. We asked the hostel front desk where it was we were supposed to meet the bus and they told us, what we assumed was the right location. After hanging around there for a few minutes, we decided to ask a passerby who looked like a local and he pointed us in a different direction. On our way there we stopped by a tour bus just loading up and asked the driver. He had no idea but my gut was telling me I was going in the wrong direction yet again as I saw the bus we were supposed to be on drive through the square and turn the corner. I finally went into a hotel concierge and asked them to call the bus company since it was obvious I had missed the bus, luckily they had not left the inner city so they came back and picked me up, thank God. So after a lot of exercise lugging my backpack up and down the city in the early morning, a bit of stress, I sat down in the only available seat and fell asleep.

The bus ride was uneventful and between dozing and reading I saw a beautiful countryside framed by snow-capped mountains. It was simply breath-taking and I couldn’t get enough of it. My poor camera was getting a work-out already and I wasn’t halfway through my New Zealand adventures.

Queenstown was by far my favorite spot, though it was quite touristy. The first full day in Queenstown I hiked all morning and early afternoon and then spent the afternoon relaxing in the hostel common room chatting with some new found friends. That evening I went on an organized pub crawl with some ladies from the hostel. I had a fabulous time meeting people from around the world.

Skiing had been on my list since I had decided to visit New Zealand as I am an avid skier back in the United States. After getting the low-down on snow and weather conditions from people who had been skiing all week, I decided Caldrona had the best conditions so I packed up early in the morning and caught the bus to the ski resort. I was surprised that there was no snow until right at the summit and not a tree to speak of, compared to the Cascades that are covered with snow about 45min from the summit and trees cover the slopes. It was a perfect day for skiing, sunny, warm, no wind and relatively empty slopes. I met a lovely family on the chair lift and ended up having lunch with them before heading back out for some more fun. I skied from 9am-3pm with a half hour lunch break. It was a gorgeous view everywhere I turned and I didn’t want to leave, it was so serene and peaceful.

The next day I spent the morning resting and relaxing. Had a mocha and coffee at Starbucks and sent a couple emails home at an internet café before spending the afternoon on a working sheep farm. I hadn’t planned on working on a sheep farm but since New Zealand is known for their sheep and wool industry I thought it would be a good experience and wow, was I right. The farmer picked me up in his 4wd and drove out to Glenorchy, about 45min from Queenstown. Glenorchy is where a lot of the Lord of the Rings was filmed and he pointed out specific spots along the way. Upon arriving at the farm, he showed a couple short videos on the history of sheep farming and shearing. Then he told me to go out into the lower paddock and herd the sheep up towards the shearing shed so I ran around clapping like a chicken with its head cutoff but I was laughing the whole time. I got to hold a 3wm old lamb and I didn’t want to let go, it was so soft and docile, just lying in my arms. Then I sorted the sheep out of a chute depending on if they had a blue marking on their back or not. After that, he took me into the shearing shed and showed me how to hold a sheep and how to shear. I was nervous as he put the heavy metal shearer in my hand but after a couple strokes with him guiding my hand, he let go and I did it all on my own. He half-jokingly offered for me to come back when it was time to shear the herd since I had done a fantastic job. If I wasn’t confined by school, I would have taken his offer in a heartbeat.

The second to last fill day in Queenstown was spent hiking and souvenir shopping for family and friends back home. The weather had been perfect the entire trip, a bit chilly but bright and sunny with a light breeze. Had lunch at the edge of the lake and took some time to reflect on my surroundings and adventures.

Bungee jumping was definitely on the list to do but I wanted to save it for the end of the trip, even though every day I got closer to doing it, the more nervous I became. I chose the Kawarau Bridge, which was the first original bungee jump at 43 meters. I’m not afraid of heights or of falling yet something about this had me a bit nervous but in the end I conquered my nerves. I had decided to make the most of the jump and asked to get wet. The guide strapping me into the harness became really excited and had a sly smile on his face, which made me a little weary. He asked me if I just wanted to get my hands wet or get dunked; I hesitated and said, ah why not, getting dunked sounds good. He said I had made his day and week, that he hasn’t dunked someone in a few weeks. Afterwards, I realized why…getting plunged into freezing mountain water in the middle of winter in New Zealand is definitely a shock, but I am really glad I did it. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience and when I’m 90 with grandkids, this will be a great story to tell them.

The next morning I caught the bus back to Christchurch as I flew out early the next day. I spent the evening writing in my journal, looking back at pictures I had taken and doing some leisurely reading. The trip back to Brisbane was uneventful and the bus from Brisbane back to Armidale, where I attend university was a long one. I got into Armidale about 2:30am and shared a taxi with another student. I was extremely happy to be back in my own room in my own bed but a part of me was sad that my New Zealand trip flew by so fast. I have so many memories that I will never forget but it is impossible to say which activities were my favorite as they all offered something different; cultural experiences, thrill-seeking, nature, it all was fantastic. I hope one day I can return but for now it’s back to Australia and a new semester of seemingly interesting courses, but more on that later.