New Zealand - Day 3

November 5, 2010

Today has been a wonderfully relaxed day (for us anyway) - perfect for a "holiday" abroad. This morning Lisa went bungee jumping so James and I had the morning to ourselves. We slept in and had a leisurely breakfast in our room before checking out. Then we went to an internet cafe so James could catch up on email while I journaled about yesterday's adventures. Apparently New Zealand is not big on wifi. If they had it, you had to pay for it. Otherwise we were stuck looking for an internet cafe with computers where you pay for the amount of time you use the machine. After that, we walked around and tried to find a few Christmas gifts for family and friends. We were not successful, although we did find a really cute candy shop where we got to sample some kiwi flavored fudge!

At 1:00 we met up with the Gees and enjoyed hearing all about how her jump went. Of course, she said it was AWESOME!! The scariest part was walking out on the platform. But somehow she mustered up the courage to do a full swan dive off the edge, so they got some great pictures. Derick would have liked to jump too but he shattered his leg in April and didn't think it was smart. =^(

Before leaving Queenstown, we decided to eat at one of the cool, independent restaurants we found the night before. It was called Fergburger and had all kinds of original burgers with funny names, like the Little Lamby lamb burger, the Codfather fish burger, or the Southern Swine burger topped with aioli and bacon. It was SO GOOD!! The shop was so crowded that we ended up eating on park benches. But that didn't bother us because the weather was wonderful and it gave us one more opportunity to soak in the beautiful scenery.

We were very sad to leave this city that had captured all of our hearts. But then we remembered that this was only the beginning of the trip and we had so much more to look forward to. (In retrospect, it doesn't get much better than Queenstown. Definitely our favorite city.) The next leg of the trip promised to be especially beautiful. Our plan was to drive west to the small town of Te Anau, where we were renting a small cabin for two nights. From there we would explore what many have called the eighth wonder of the world - Fiordland National Park!

The drive itself was pretty spectacular. At first there was mist hanging over the crags that rose up behind Lake Wakatipu. Then we began to see rolling green pastures crawling with sheep, cows, and deer. This is what a majority of New Zealand looks like thanks to the Brits who decided to turn their conquest into one giant livestock industry. All of the green grass and sheep are very reminiscent of Scotland (so I was told). Finally the land began to change and rise as we neared the park.

I quickly realized that what most would consider to be the boring part of this vacation was going to be wonderful! The scenery here is truly spectacular - beautiful beyond words. Pictures don't even do it justice! This is truly turning out to be the trip of a lifetime. It may not be good to call it that because I hope to have several more years of traveling ahead of me. However, it is going to be very hard to top this. We may just have to come back. =^)

Around 3:30 we arrived in Te Anau and started searching for our B&B/cabin. There was a tense moment where we got lost and the trained navigators (James and Derick) were unsatisfied with the Map Quest directions Lisa had printed out. Thankfully we were able to backtrack and eventually spotted a sign pointing to the Glacial Rock B&B Farm Stay. As soon as Lisa spotted our adorable little cabin and the majestic view behind it, all of the frustration was forgiven.

We have a one bedroom cabin with a living/dining/kitchen area, and one bathroom. The Gees have been very gracious and offered to take the pull-out couch for the sake of my back. The best part about where we are staying though is the view off the back porch. You can sit at a small breakfast table or on the porch swing and bask in the beauty around us. We're situated on a hill overlooking green fields. In the distance is a forest of fall evergreens, and beyond that stand the mist-capped mountains of the park.

Too cute! I love the personal touch at bed and breakfasts!

Our hostess is also super nice. She came by as soon as we arrived to say hello and show us around. She had already stocked the kitchen with farm-grown eggs, homemade muesli (the European version of granola) and jam, fresh squeezed orange juice, and milk from their own cow! Lisa, who has been reading a book on sustainable farming, was super excited about this. We asked the host for her recommendation on what to do while we were in town and she told us the times to avoid being on the road tomorrow on our way to Milford Sound so we don't get stuck on the windy roads behind big tourist busses. She also encouraged us to go into town that afternoon, stop in at the Fiordland Cinema and see a thirty minute film about the park called Ata Whenua: Shadowland. It was mostly a long montage of shots taken around the park in different times of the year set to music. But it was great because it gave us a view of many parts of the area that tourists never get to see due to time and money restraints. (We'd love to take a helicopter tour but, I'm not sure it's worth $1,000.)

In addition to seeing the movie, we stopped by a butcher shop to pick up some local meats - steak, lamb and venison - and then went to a grocery store to pick up some veggies to grill for dinner. It was good having a family style night, dining in and playing cards on the living room floor. Lisa was adamant that we should avoid turning on the TV so that we would actually talk to each other. I think that was a great plan.

We're looking forward to tomorrow. We're doing one of those things I've been looking forward to most. The Fiordlands await!