New Zealand - Day 4

November 6, 2010

What a day! The views we got on our drive to Milford Sound were absolutely astounding. It's days like these that are good for the soul and reaffirm that God is real, and huge, and AWESOME!

We woke up late this morning, ate breakfast, and headed out around 11:00. (Apparently the big rush is between 9:00 and 10:00. When we arrived we realized why... but I'm getting ahead of myself.) The drive to the park was so fun! So much to look at on all sides. First there were the standard, bright green pastures dotted with fluffy white sheep. Then the land began to rise dramatically. The mountains around here are massive - and that's coming from a Colorado native. The road wound through canyons, forests of pine, palm, and other gnarled mossy trees that reminded me of Fangorn Forest from The Lord of the Rings. (There's probably a reason for that!) They all looked so ancient, mysterious and beautiful!

Our first stop was at the Mirror Lakes - a place where you can see the mountains and sky reflected perfectly in the still water. We were pretty disappointed with what we saw when we arrived, though. It wasn't the right time of day so we couldn't see a reflection, and the "lake" wasn't much more than a reedy pond. Not people to give up hope, we decided to hit it on the way back and see what we could see.

Next we stopped at a little vista overlooking the mountains. I was happy because I got to use my tripod to get some group pictures. Lisa was happy because we got to see some Keas - aggressive mountain parrots that we'd read about. They are big and fearless and followed us around, trying to break into our car and get at our snacks. It was pretty funny.

Next we drove several kilometers down a gravel road through the woods to the bottom of a trail that we could hike (or tramp, as the kiwis say) up to one of the many beautiful waterfalls in the area. On our way we stopped along the rocky path at a big suspension bridge over some rapids to take a photo. These were so scary because they're basically long suspension bridges made of steel cable and they bounced a lot when you stepped out onto them. Lisa and I hung onto our cameras for dear life while we were out there.

Beneath the bridge were several large boulders that forced the river into a myriad of tiny rushing falls. Lisa and Derick climbed out onto them so I could get a picture of them out on the largest rock in the center of the river. Of course, Lisa struck one of her famous yoga poses. Then we switched places and James and I climbed out there very carefully. It was kind of scary but also fun and adventurous - something we were definitely looking for on this trip!

I love the colors of the rock and water together!

This place made us feel very small.

After that it was only a few short minutes to the waterfall trail. I was thankful we found several short hikes (30 minutes round trip) that I could handle. It was fairly steep and I was quite winded once we reached the top, but I made it! The waterfall itself was tall and thin, and tumbled down three or four tiers from the top of the mountain on the other side of the valley.

After we climbed down from there we grabbed our sack lunches and walked down to the nearby river bed for an impromptu picnic. Derick and I sat on a log in the sun, James stood in the shade of another suspension bridge, and Lisa removed the jeans from under her dress and waded out into the icy blue water. It was very pleasant until a swarm of biting gnats moved in and started pestering us. Their bites swelled up like mosquito bites and itched just as bad. Note to other travelers - bring bug repellant with you!

By this time it was about 2:30 pm. We suspected that the afternoon light might spoil our pictures but decided to press on to Milford Sound. Around this time is when the drive got really good. The mountains towered above us on both sides, the forest got even wilder, and we started to see water tumbling down off of the cliffs on either side. Suddenly, we came to a small and rough looking tunnel that took us under the mountain. On the other side we were met by switch-back after switch-back that took us down to the sound. I turned on some epic movie music for this last leg of the drive to help enhance our feeling of awe.

When we got to the bottom we parked and walked for a few minutes out to the edge of the water, prepared to take some incredible photos. But sure enough, we were there at the worst time of day. True, there were almost no other tourists so we had the place to ourselves. But the tide was out and the sun was so bright that we couldn't get the shots we wanted. Lisa and I both quickly became frustrated and upset because we had so been looking forward to this. Our husbands tried in vain to cheer us up, and finally we got back into the car feeling very defeated.

Thankfully, the day was not over! On our way home we decided to stop by a few more short, scenic hikes. First we went to a trail at the end of the tunnel where we could explore an alpine area. There were lots of little waterfalls tumbling down into the cracks behind lingering snow drifts, and lots of alpine plants. Again, we climbed all over the rocks and tried to come up with cool photos. I'm so glad Lisa is as passionate about photography as I am so I got as many photo opportunities as I wanted. =^)

After driving back down the mountain a ways we ventured back onto the gravel road from earlier and walked up to see the falls at the base of the trail leading to Lake Marian. That part of the hike was really cool because the trees, rocks, and everything else were completely covered with moss. It was like a trek into Narnia or Middle Earth - great for the imagination!

Finally, we returned to the Mirror Lakes to see if the view had improved. By this time it was about 7:00 pm (yes, it stays light out in New Zealand for a really long time because they are so far south!) Thankfully, it had. Turns out the best viewing times are early and late in the day. The pictures would have been perfect if there weren't a couple of ducks swimming in the lake and disturbing its calm. But you can still see the effect.

It's kind of small, but in the picture below

you can see that the sign is upside down and

can only be read in the reflection. Clever.

After all that hiking and incredible sight-seeing we were starving. So we stopped at the grocery store for some snacks to take on the road the next day and then drove to The Redcliffe Cafe & Bar for dinner. It was by far the best food we had in New Zealand - and it was frequented by the cast of Lord of the Rings! Double bonus!

The restaurant was amazing! The front half of the building is a low-lit bar with little conversation nooks and a poetry corner where they have live music on the weekends. In the back is a very classy, European inspired restaurant. We ordered pumpkin spiced soup as an appetizer (or entree as they're called in New Zealand), and then we all had some incredible gamey meals. (They are big fans of lamb, duck and venison). Finally James, Lisa and I shared dessert - a deconstructed chocolate, banana and coffee flavored pie. Mmmm... It took about an hour for our food to arrive (standard in New Zealand) and considering we arrived after 8:00 and had a 20 minute wait, that meant that we didn't get back to the cabin that night until around 11:00. But considering how late it stays light out here, and the fact that we're on a four hour delay from Japan, it didn't feel very strange at all. Plus we had a great time talking, laughing, and indulging on superb cuisine. Again, BEST VACATION EVER!!

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!

New Zealand - Day 2

November 4, 2010

Well... sleeping on the plane didn't go so well, but that didn't dampen my spirits at all. After our second provided meal of the flight the pilot announced (in a sweet New Zealand accent) that we would soon be landing in Auckland! I don't normally like looking out the window on airplanes because it makes me motion sick, but I couldn't help leaning over James to get a full view of the stunning landscape. I've never seen anything like it - spots of bright green in a sea of clear turquoise water. The runway is right next to the Tasman Sea so it almost looked like we were going to land right on the water. Incredible!

As soon as we got into the airport, we waited for Derick and Lisa to deplane. When I saw them, Lisa and I exchanged large-eyed looks of ecstasy. Every little detail during our brief lay-over in Auckland convinced us that this is the most amazing place ever - from the perfect weather to the deliciously fresh non-Asian food to the way they have rubbish bins instead of trash cans. We celebrated our arrival with a little souvenir shopping and a fresh fruit smoothie.

The domestic flight down to Queenstown went very quickly because James and I both slept the entire way. Thankfully we woke up in time to see the unbelievably rugged landscape on our way in. HUGE mountains rose up on either side of us - taller than the elevation of the plane! Then we got a good look at Lake Wakatipu before touching down. Queenstown is a much smaller airport than Auckland so we had to actually walk down the steps onto the tarmac. As soon as we stepped outside of the plane, we were overwhelmed by the panoramic view of towering crags. I couldn't help wiggling and squealing a bit. James and I agreed that even though all we'd done so far was travel for 25 straight hours, this was already the BEST VACATION EVER!!

We rented a grey Subaru station wagon and drove straight to our hotel. The Rydges Lakeland Resort is one of the nicest hotels in town (even though it's a chain) with a full view of the lake and mountains. Bonus because this is where the cast of The Lord of the Rings stayed while they were filming in the area. EXTRA bonus because we got a free upgrade to rooms with a lake view. Private rooms with a spectacular view for $90 - yes please!

Above: The Rydges lit up at night,
Below: This was taken in the park across from the hotel.

The first thing we did when we arrived was take a much needed shower after our long journey. Then we walked out into town and explored a bit. Downtown Queenstown is so cool! It reminded us all a bit of Boulder and Santa Barbara all mixed into one. Right next to the water, pedestrian friendly, and jam-packed with unique shops and restaurants. We picked up some local snacks, power converters, and began to take some pictures down by the harbor.

Then it was time for the true adventure of the day to begin. We took the Skyline Gondola up to the top of Bob's Peak where we had a spectacular view of the city and surrounding countryside.

Inside the Gondola looking down at the lake.

After taking in the view for a few minutes, we decided to get our adrenaline fix for the day by riding a luge down the mountain a couple of times. It took a little convincing to get me to agree to try it, and I had to go much slower than the others, but it was so much fun! I'm so glad I tried it.

The luge track. Look at all those curves!

These were the luge cart things we rode on. Pulling back on
the handle bars activated the break, and then if you slowly
let go you'd go as fast as you wanted. Needless to say,
I went much slower than the others. But that's fine with me!

Luge power!

When we were finished it was 6:00 pm but still very light outside - NOT something we were used to. So we walked back into town and found a fun Mexican restaurant for dinner. Derick made an astute observation that it feels great to be in a place where the greatest misunderstanding we have with our waiters is whether to call the payment record a ticket or a bill. (Yes, we had many small misunderstandings like that. You'd think that wouldn't be a problem since we're both speaking the same language!)

Down on the wharf before dinner.
Below: Lisa loves kiwis!

After dinner we were pretty exhausted so James and I grabbed some food for breakfast at a convenience store and booked it back to the hotel. He fell asleep right away, but I took a little extra time to get a photo of the front of the hotel. Then I used the internet cafe to email our family and let them know that we arrived safely and were having the time of our lives!!

New Zealand - Day 1

November 3, 2010

The long journey begins...

This morning was a bit of a blur as we rushed around preparing for our departure. Thankfully I started preparing a few days in advance so we were able to depart from a clean and orderly house on time.

Our friend Becky Jantz picked us up at 8:30 am and drove us to the train station. We caught the 9:22 rapid train to Hachinohe, then took the Shinkansen (bullet train) south to Tokyo. This was a very relaxing part of our commute. The cabin we were in was quiet and comfortable, so we were able to talk, read, and work on other projects as the beautiful Japanese countryside whisked by our window. James even napped for a good hour, but because I have trouble sleeping on planes I needed to stay awake and make it easier to rest on our over night flight to Auckland.

When we arrived at Tokyo Station, we entered unfamiliar territory. We knew we needed to buy tickets for the train that would take us to the airport, but where and how to accomplish that task was yet to be discovered. Thankfully we left ourselves plenty of time to make this exchange, so haste didn't make things more difficult. It was actually fairly easy to find the ticket booth and terminal we needed. We had to walk a long way with our luggage on the way to the Narita Express platform, but we didn't begrudge the exercise as we knew we would be sitting a lot in the next 18 hours.

The ride to the airport only took about 50 minutes. My eyes were too tired to continue reading my Jane Austen drama-fest of a novel (called Persuasion) and so I kept them glued to the screens displaying which airlines operate out of which terminals at Narita. It was a bit of an eye-opener to see how many possible destinations one could visit from this one massive hub. Our hearts skipped a beat when familiar U.S. cities popped up. Sometimes it's tempting to abandon an unknown adventure and head toward the familiar - but this is one trip I wouldn't miss for the world!

When we arrived at the airport, we exchanged a wad of left over Korean Won for some Yen. We were hoping to be able to get some New Zealand dollars instead, but I suppose we'll just have to wait till we're in the country to get our hands on some kiwi currency.

The plan was to meet up with Derick and Lisa at the gate. But when we arrived at the check-in counter for Air New Zealand, it was closed. They wouldn't begin checking people in for another 45 minutes. So we window shopped at the airport stores until it was time. Finally, we spotted Derick through the crowd a level below us and reunited with our travel buddies!

Checking in and going through immigration was pretty painless. I took some pictures of the adorable stuffed New Zealand animals they had at the ticket counter, plus some of the funny signs they had up on the walls. Then we looked at a few more of the duty free stores in there and marveled at how much money some people must spend in airports.

Sheep and Penguins. Classic New Zealand!

We thought this was hilarious since James'
squadron mascot is the Samurai.

Derick and Lisa were pretty hungry by this time, and even though James and I had recently eaten some sandwiches on the train, we decided to join them for an early dinner at a restaurant in the airport called Miso Kitchen. The atmosphere was actually really nice. We were given our own private nook for four, overlooking the twilit tarmac. We then feasted on some truly fantastic Japanese food while dreaming of the many meals that awaited us in New Zealand. We are so excited to be leaving Asia behind for a while and visiting a place with Western style food and bathrooms! Being able to read a menu will be as big of a treat as the food itself.

By the time we were finished, we only had about an hour to wait until our plane boarded. Lisa and I had fun taking pictures of our plane and starting to play with some of the photo filters I bought specifically to enhance our travel pictures. Then we killed the rest of our time with some lively games of speed with the deck of cards Lisa brought. Thank goodness for cheap entertainment!

The tail of our Air New Zealand jet!

SO EXCITED!! (The boys were too, they just didn't
want to pose for a picture. Boo...)

Finally, at 6:00 pm, it was time to board the plane! James and I were assigned to an exit row, which is bad for my back. So Derick and Lisa graciously switched with us. We felt really bad at first because we were afraid we'd deprived them of the TV screens most seats had in the seat-back in front of them. But thankfully they had their own entertainment units that folded out of their arm rests.

The TVs were an exciting luxury. We had our own remote controls and got to choose from dozens of free movies, TV shows, music and games! James and I watched Toy Story 3 together, which was fun, and now we are both writing while listening to music. He's got his iPod out, but I decided to try out some of the local New Zealand music provided. I found a folk type artist named Jackie Bristow that I am enjoying as I write this! =^)

But it's currently 2:30 am New Zealand time so perhaps I should try to get some sleep...

(P.S. - if you see a word or name underlined in bold pink font, that's a link to a webpage that provides more info about whatever I'm talking about. That should come in handy for those interested in following in our footsteps and planning their own Kiwi Adventure!)