Forgive me for my lack of motivation to do this post...and well anything in general honestly. Clearly the end of the semester is just around the corner!
So in case you didn't hear, I went bungy jumping a few weeks ago! And no, I am not an adrenaline junkie, but boy that was so thrilling! There was a lot more to our trip than just bungy jumping though. Queenstown might even be my new favorite place. And Wanaka, so gorgeous! I mean I know I have said that for just about every place I've been to thus far, but I really think Queenstown now holds the number one spot. I just could not get over how breath taking the mountains were. So incredibly towering and then slanting down to meet beautiful teal waters. I guess I am just forever a mountain girl! The thing about the mountains here though, is that they start much lower in elevation than those in Colorado. The highest peak in Queenstown in the mountain range (fittingly) called The Remarkables stands 2,319 meters tall, which is about 7,608 feet. We've got 14ers at home! Oh, and in case you were wondering, "14ers" is definitely a Colorado word. I have used it here (around my American friends) and have gotten some weird looks. Guess we are the only state that really has the need for a word like that. Anyways, we got such great weather for our first day that I fell in love with that city immediately! I mean look at this place. How could you not just stare in complete awe? Psh I know I did.
So in case you didn't hear, I went bungy jumping a few weeks ago! And no, I am not an adrenaline junkie, but boy that was so thrilling! There was a lot more to our trip than just bungy jumping though. Queenstown might even be my new favorite place. And Wanaka, so gorgeous! I mean I know I have said that for just about every place I've been to thus far, but I really think Queenstown now holds the number one spot. I just could not get over how breath taking the mountains were. So incredibly towering and then slanting down to meet beautiful teal waters. I guess I am just forever a mountain girl! The thing about the mountains here though, is that they start much lower in elevation than those in Colorado. The highest peak in Queenstown in the mountain range (fittingly) called The Remarkables stands 2,319 meters tall, which is about 7,608 feet. We've got 14ers at home! Oh, and in case you were wondering, "14ers" is definitely a Colorado word. I have used it here (around my American friends) and have gotten some weird looks. Guess we are the only state that really has the need for a word like that. Anyways, we got such great weather for our first day that I fell in love with that city immediately! I mean look at this place. How could you not just stare in complete awe? Psh I know I did.
Ironically, I was doing a little research for you guys (and myself included) about Queenstown. Of course Wikipedia was my go to. There is a section within the Queenstown page entitled Sister Cities. You will never guess the one and only city listed: Aspen, Colorado. So maybe that explains why I am so drawn to this place! There was this sense of familiarity yet it was different in its own way. *Sigh* can't wait to journey back there this weekend! Stay tuned!
Our trek to Queenstown began early Saturday morning. We loaded our backpacks and basket of road trip snacks into our tiny little Suzuki Swift (nicknamed T Swizzle) and hit the road. I tell you, three and a half hours of driving seem so much shorter in New Zealand. There is just so much natural beauty that you don't even know where to look! I wanted to pull over around almost every corner and just take it all in! On a similar note though, I am actually a little nervous about driving again back in the States. I'm already really comfortable with driving here, and we even have some more road trips remaining. Any volunteer chaperones for when I return?? :) But since the weather was so nice on our way, we drove a little further to Glenorchy (apparently the Gateway to Paradise) for some hiking. Just like in Denver, you have got to take advantage of the nice weather because it can change in a heartbeat! We drove into the tiny town in search of the Glenorchy Walkway trail. It was supposedly an easy, 1-2 hour walk. But just like classic Hira and Taylor, we took a wrong turn along the way and found a little path signed Glenorchy Trail. So we gave it a try. Less than 2 minutes into the walk and we already came to a fork in the road. I wasn't sure which to choose, so I just start to walk down the trail to our left. Another 5 minutes or so pass and we have made it to a main road. Of course. I had a 50-50 chance and I picked incorrectly. Very common occurrence that weekend for me. But we retraced our steps and continued on. Another 15 minutes or so and the trail lead us to a place that seemed to be roped off. At that point, we decided that this can't be it and once again turn around. I did notice a sign coming in that pointed towards a walking trail, so we hopped back in T Swizzle and headed that direction. We parked and found a cute little trail that led us to a beautiful bank with stunning mountain views. Yeah, the views were definitely worth it, but this certainly didn't seem like the Glenorchy Walkway that was supposed to take at least an hour. We certainly didn't complain and did our typical take-hundreds-of-photos-that-look-basically-the-same kind of thing.
Our trek to Queenstown began early Saturday morning. We loaded our backpacks and basket of road trip snacks into our tiny little Suzuki Swift (nicknamed T Swizzle) and hit the road. I tell you, three and a half hours of driving seem so much shorter in New Zealand. There is just so much natural beauty that you don't even know where to look! I wanted to pull over around almost every corner and just take it all in! On a similar note though, I am actually a little nervous about driving again back in the States. I'm already really comfortable with driving here, and we even have some more road trips remaining. Any volunteer chaperones for when I return?? :) But since the weather was so nice on our way, we drove a little further to Glenorchy (apparently the Gateway to Paradise) for some hiking. Just like in Denver, you have got to take advantage of the nice weather because it can change in a heartbeat! We drove into the tiny town in search of the Glenorchy Walkway trail. It was supposedly an easy, 1-2 hour walk. But just like classic Hira and Taylor, we took a wrong turn along the way and found a little path signed Glenorchy Trail. So we gave it a try. Less than 2 minutes into the walk and we already came to a fork in the road. I wasn't sure which to choose, so I just start to walk down the trail to our left. Another 5 minutes or so pass and we have made it to a main road. Of course. I had a 50-50 chance and I picked incorrectly. Very common occurrence that weekend for me. But we retraced our steps and continued on. Another 15 minutes or so and the trail lead us to a place that seemed to be roped off. At that point, we decided that this can't be it and once again turn around. I did notice a sign coming in that pointed towards a walking trail, so we hopped back in T Swizzle and headed that direction. We parked and found a cute little trail that led us to a beautiful bank with stunning mountain views. Yeah, the views were definitely worth it, but this certainly didn't seem like the Glenorchy Walkway that was supposed to take at least an hour. We certainly didn't complain and did our typical take-hundreds-of-photos-that-look-basically-the-same kind of thing.
The weather changed quickly and we had to take cover in the car while the rain passed. Luckily, just as the storm was clearing, we saw a large tour group of Asians walking down a different trail behind where we were parked. We drive over and sure enough, there was a sign that read Glenorchy Walkway 1-2 hour return. After all that, we finally found the trail we had originally been looking for! Success! It was a such a beautiful and easy walk, which was nice after trying to find the darn thing for nearly half the day.
With our hostel check in time at 7pm, we still had some time to kill. We made our way back to Queenstown and headed for the gondola that gave us stunning views of my new favorite place. At the top of the gondola were numerous activities - the AJ Hackett Ledge Swing, Paragliding and the Luge. We found a deal for a gondola ride and two luge rides. At the top of the gondola was, of course, a souvenir shop, along with a Jelly-Belly store! There was also a cute little restaurant and a look out deck. We browsed around the shops and spent some time on the look out deck before we headed to the luge. As soon as I saw the luge though, it reminded me of the alpine slide at Heritage Square back at home, or at least what I remember of it. I haven't been there in years! Anyways, we had to take a chair lift up to where the luge course began. Hira had never ridden one before. So I told her basically to sit when the chair makes you sit! To our surprise, there was a camera positioned halfway up. We'd be sure to pose better next time. Once at the top, we waited in line for a while and picked up just how the carts worked. Before your first ride, they give you a little driving lesson. It was honestly kind of funny to watch people try figure it out. I wonder now if I looked like that...I hope not! It was finally our turn and Hira and I were given our lesson and sent off down the track. I'm pretty sure the only thing we did the entire way down was giggle! Typical me though. I mean I giggle on roller coasters even! We reached the bottom and were more than ready to go again! We hopped on the chair lift and prepared for the camera. Filled with adrenaline, we made some crazy faces and looked like we were like six years old again! Which honestly I felt like a (younger) kid again! Again we had a little bit of a wait at the top of the course. With one group in front of us, Hira reaches for her ticket. She looks up at me in panic saying she couldn't find it. I confidently said that it was there and to not freak out. Well...turns out I was wrong yet again on this trip. We concluded that it must have fallen out at the bottom after she took her gloves out of her pockets. "Well just smile pretty to the guy who checks our tickets. I mean it's pretty obvious we came together and got the same number of rides". Luckily the guy was nice enough to let it slide and Hira and I departed for our second luge ride! This course was a little harder, I thought. Hira veered around a corner, and then another, and suddenly I realized my grandma driving skills were coming out when a young preteen girl passed me. Humph, oh well. Still a blast!
For dinner, we decided to hit Fergburger in the heart of Queenstown. It is apparently known internationally for their gourmet burgers, yet has only the one location. Well you know me, can't turn down a world famous burger joint. And boy I made the best of it too! I ordered the biggest burger I ever have. It was called the Mr. Big Stuff. On this $16 beauty was half a pound of prime New Zealand beef topped with melted cheddar cheese, American streaky bacon, BBQ sauce, lettuce, tomato, red onion and aioli. Yes, for those of you who know me, I ordered mine without the veggies. But as my dad and I discovered, aioli on a burger is damn good! And you can never go wrong with bacon. I mean NEVER. Now, I didn't eat the entire thing in one sitting. I'm kind of tiny for half a pound of beef to be floating around in my belly. I figured I could easily get two meals out of it. I'm all about saving money when it comes to food around here. It was kind of hard to eat at first, but delicious none the less. We even got a place to sit in the tiny little restaurant accompanied by only a 20 minute wait for our food, which was quite impressive seeing the number of people in there. But let's just admire this burger for a minute here...drooling yet?
We finally got checked in and got the grand tour of the hostel. It was a cute place - a lounge, big kitchen and eating area, fridge space, our own bathroom, and...the best part...hair dryer and towel INCLUDED. Not going to lie, that was the main draw of the hostel. That and it was fairly inexpensive. We were in an all female room with 5 beds, although we were the last to arrive so I was on the top of one bunk, while Hira was on the bottom of another bunk. Oh well, we wouldn't be spending much time in there anyways.
Our next stop was the Below Zero Ice Bar! This is a bar in Queenstown that is literally all ice - the walls, the counters, the glasses, everything. They had a fire place, a living room, an air hockey table, the bar, all sculpted in ice! It was incredible! And incredibly cold! Luckily they give you big, warm jackets to wear along with a (wimpy) pair of gloves. It was a cool experience (no pun intended), but when the cocktails are $13, you don't stay for long. My drink was good, but $13 good? Probably not. I think Hira and I spent the most time pathetically playing air hockey. Which wasn't actually air hockey. Ice hockey? Eh, who knows.
Our next stop was the Below Zero Ice Bar! This is a bar in Queenstown that is literally all ice - the walls, the counters, the glasses, everything. They had a fire place, a living room, an air hockey table, the bar, all sculpted in ice! It was incredible! And incredibly cold! Luckily they give you big, warm jackets to wear along with a (wimpy) pair of gloves. It was a cool experience (no pun intended), but when the cocktails are $13, you don't stay for long. My drink was good, but $13 good? Probably not. I think Hira and I spent the most time pathetically playing air hockey. Which wasn't actually air hockey. Ice hockey? Eh, who knows.
Returning to the hostel to settle in for the night, we learned quite quickly how thin the walls were. Our room was located right next to the stairwell. So every single person that trudged up or down those stairs I got to hear it all. It was also a Saturday night. Most of the people there had been staying there for quite some time now and had become friends. So it was a drinking kind of night...for them. I was exhausted from driving all day that I just wanted some sleep. But that night it was hard to come by. We even had some guy loudly enter our room with one of the girls that was staying in the room with us. In my half asleep, half awake frustration, I was about to firmly tell him, "Get out! This is a girls room only! And it's 3am!" But I figured that would be a little extreme, so I sighed and tried my best to fall back asleep. I tell you what, that felt like the longest night ever.
Sunday morning, we made the drive to Wanaka. Again for some hiking and sightseeing. It wasn't a far drive, but yet again a stunning one. And again, thank goodness for my experience in mountain driving. The roads got so curvy! We kept hoping the clouds would clear and give us a beautiful day like the one before, but by the time we arrived in Wanaka, nothing had changed. Oh well. It wasn't raining, so we could deal with it. The walk was a nice easy one again. Hira more than anything wanted to see this tree growing in Lake Wanaka. Yeah it sounds kinda silly, but it is really gorgeous. At that point, we had only seen pictures though, obviously. So after our walk, we drove down and parked by the lake. Hira was about to burst with excitement until she glanced to her left and saw the tree. "Wait, that's it? It's so tiny! Is that seriously it?" Yeah, it sure did look tiny from where we were parked. It was slightly disappointing. But as we got closer, the view got better. The mountains colored the background and the sun was trying to peak out from behind the clouds. It was so calming and peaceful. Waiting for the sun to find its way out, we skipped rocks and sat along its shores. It was a moment just like at Stewart Island when we sat in silence on the swing set just staring out at the beauty of New Zealand. Sometimes those are the best, most unforgettable moments, when you just sit there and take it all in. The sun came out and warmed us up for a little while. We were again accompanied by a tour group of Asians. The same ones? Different ones? I couldn't tell you. But I can tell you that we are unintentionally in the background of many of their photos. Whoops.
Sunday morning, we made the drive to Wanaka. Again for some hiking and sightseeing. It wasn't a far drive, but yet again a stunning one. And again, thank goodness for my experience in mountain driving. The roads got so curvy! We kept hoping the clouds would clear and give us a beautiful day like the one before, but by the time we arrived in Wanaka, nothing had changed. Oh well. It wasn't raining, so we could deal with it. The walk was a nice easy one again. Hira more than anything wanted to see this tree growing in Lake Wanaka. Yeah it sounds kinda silly, but it is really gorgeous. At that point, we had only seen pictures though, obviously. So after our walk, we drove down and parked by the lake. Hira was about to burst with excitement until she glanced to her left and saw the tree. "Wait, that's it? It's so tiny! Is that seriously it?" Yeah, it sure did look tiny from where we were parked. It was slightly disappointing. But as we got closer, the view got better. The mountains colored the background and the sun was trying to peak out from behind the clouds. It was so calming and peaceful. Waiting for the sun to find its way out, we skipped rocks and sat along its shores. It was a moment just like at Stewart Island when we sat in silence on the swing set just staring out at the beauty of New Zealand. Sometimes those are the best, most unforgettable moments, when you just sit there and take it all in. The sun came out and warmed us up for a little while. We were again accompanied by a tour group of Asians. The same ones? Different ones? I couldn't tell you. But I can tell you that we are unintentionally in the background of many of their photos. Whoops.
We returned to Queenstown to walk around all the shops. Of course Hira and I looked and multiple stores and came very close to purchasing things, but didn't. Our indecisiveness is quite painful to watch I'm sure. But at least we are one and the same in that respect! Earlier we had seen a Cookie Time shop, which seem to be Hira's favorite cookie here in New Zealand. We figured we could get one as a pre dinner snack, or dessert if it made it that far. Well we had perfect timing because it was just about to be happy hour, where you can get 2 cookies for the price of one, $3. Perfect. I got a fudge brownie cookie and the classic chocolate chip cookie. My mom would have loved them because they were warm and soft! Just as a cookie should be. We also noticed that they were having a deal for $1 coffee and hot chocolate from 8am-9am the next day, which we made plans to go to on our journey out of Queenstown. I enjoyed the rest of my massive burger back at the hostel, followed by another cookie. Hira had a paper to work on, and I had social media to catch up on, so we made ourselves at home in the lounge where others laid around and watched Archer.
Laying in bed that night I began to think about the day to come. Bungy jumping. Every time I thought about jumping off a bridge, my heart kind of fluttered. I wasn't necessarily because I was scared. Nervous was a better term. Just that heart-dropping feeling you get when you go down that really tall point on a roller coaster.
A more quite and rest-filled night followed. The next morning, we got ready and had breakfast before we departed to the Kawarau Bridge only to jump 141 feet off it. That day was also Hira's 21st birthday. So I sneakily brought a scarf with me that I had purchased back in Dunedin for her and gifted it to her that morning. We are scarf buddies that's for sure. we both own and wear quite a few! She was surprised to see it was one that she had almost purchased weeks ago. I told her that I simply paid attention to what she picked up. She made present shopping easy! We checked out, hit Cookie Time for our $1 hot chocolates, and were on our way to bungy jump!
I wasn't nervous one bit until right when we were checking in. My heart all the sudden decided to kick it into high gear and would not slow down. But I wasn't going to back down. No way. Not only did I pay a lot of money for this adrenaline rush, but I actually wanted to experience it! I was too determined. Walking over the bridge, we got to watch a few people go before us. We then got our harnesses and we separated into different platforms. I told Hira earlier that day that since she was the birthday girl that she should go first. Well, turns out that actually happened! I got to watch her nervously talk to the guys as they strapped her in to jump. I wanted to yell something like "get it girl!" or "yeah birthday girl!" but I figured I better hush, just in case that would make her more nervous. Sure enough, I see her take a deep breath, I hear the countdown, and off she goes! I couldn't see much from where I was standing. I did get to see her bouncing around at the end, waiting for the raft to come and get her. Talk about a killer 21st birthday! Just jumping off the world's first bungy jump for my 21st birthday in New Zealand, no big deal. Psh! She will definitely remember that for the rest of her life. And I am honored that I am a part of that memory, too! :)
The two girls in front of me jumped and it was now my turn. I sat down while they strapped me in and made small talk. He began to wrap the towel right over my shin where I have two scars that are still pretty sensitive. At that point I realized it might actually hurt a little. I never actually thought about it until right then. Too late now! I kept thinking. I'm doing it! Finally I was all strapped in and the guy told me to waddle out to the end of the platform. He placed his foot at the end of the platform to show me just how far to go. His toes hung over the edge. I said, "that far?!" He responds, "Yup, we don't want you to slip when you jump!" He fiddled some more with the bungee as I stared off at the bridge in the horizon. Looking down would have made it way worse! He then told me to way to the camera straight ahead, as well as one off to the side. I took a deep breath. 3...2...1...I bent my knees, my arms went out, and I jumped. I couldn't erase the massive smile on my face as I took a giant breath in to accompany my 141 foot fall. Then I was left to just bounce and swing around until the raft down on the river was able to come out and get me. Just hanging there is when my shins started to hurt. I mean that's basically what I was hanging by - a towel wrapped around my shins with straps to keep it in place and attached to the bungy cable. Once the swinging had calmed down, which didn't take long, the guys on the raft were telling me to grab a hold of the white pipe. I was then lowered on to the raft, where they pointed up and told me to wave yet again to the camera. I was then able to squirm out of my harness and step on to land. Climbing the stairs, I hear "WE DID IT!" Hira and I share a shriek of excitement as I walk up the stairs to meet her. "WE BUNGY JUMPED!"
Laying in bed that night I began to think about the day to come. Bungy jumping. Every time I thought about jumping off a bridge, my heart kind of fluttered. I wasn't necessarily because I was scared. Nervous was a better term. Just that heart-dropping feeling you get when you go down that really tall point on a roller coaster.
A more quite and rest-filled night followed. The next morning, we got ready and had breakfast before we departed to the Kawarau Bridge only to jump 141 feet off it. That day was also Hira's 21st birthday. So I sneakily brought a scarf with me that I had purchased back in Dunedin for her and gifted it to her that morning. We are scarf buddies that's for sure. we both own and wear quite a few! She was surprised to see it was one that she had almost purchased weeks ago. I told her that I simply paid attention to what she picked up. She made present shopping easy! We checked out, hit Cookie Time for our $1 hot chocolates, and were on our way to bungy jump!
I wasn't nervous one bit until right when we were checking in. My heart all the sudden decided to kick it into high gear and would not slow down. But I wasn't going to back down. No way. Not only did I pay a lot of money for this adrenaline rush, but I actually wanted to experience it! I was too determined. Walking over the bridge, we got to watch a few people go before us. We then got our harnesses and we separated into different platforms. I told Hira earlier that day that since she was the birthday girl that she should go first. Well, turns out that actually happened! I got to watch her nervously talk to the guys as they strapped her in to jump. I wanted to yell something like "get it girl!" or "yeah birthday girl!" but I figured I better hush, just in case that would make her more nervous. Sure enough, I see her take a deep breath, I hear the countdown, and off she goes! I couldn't see much from where I was standing. I did get to see her bouncing around at the end, waiting for the raft to come and get her. Talk about a killer 21st birthday! Just jumping off the world's first bungy jump for my 21st birthday in New Zealand, no big deal. Psh! She will definitely remember that for the rest of her life. And I am honored that I am a part of that memory, too! :)
The two girls in front of me jumped and it was now my turn. I sat down while they strapped me in and made small talk. He began to wrap the towel right over my shin where I have two scars that are still pretty sensitive. At that point I realized it might actually hurt a little. I never actually thought about it until right then. Too late now! I kept thinking. I'm doing it! Finally I was all strapped in and the guy told me to waddle out to the end of the platform. He placed his foot at the end of the platform to show me just how far to go. His toes hung over the edge. I said, "that far?!" He responds, "Yup, we don't want you to slip when you jump!" He fiddled some more with the bungee as I stared off at the bridge in the horizon. Looking down would have made it way worse! He then told me to way to the camera straight ahead, as well as one off to the side. I took a deep breath. 3...2...1...I bent my knees, my arms went out, and I jumped. I couldn't erase the massive smile on my face as I took a giant breath in to accompany my 141 foot fall. Then I was left to just bounce and swing around until the raft down on the river was able to come out and get me. Just hanging there is when my shins started to hurt. I mean that's basically what I was hanging by - a towel wrapped around my shins with straps to keep it in place and attached to the bungy cable. Once the swinging had calmed down, which didn't take long, the guys on the raft were telling me to grab a hold of the white pipe. I was then lowered on to the raft, where they pointed up and told me to wave yet again to the camera. I was then able to squirm out of my harness and step on to land. Climbing the stairs, I hear "WE DID IT!" Hira and I share a shriek of excitement as I walk up the stairs to meet her. "WE BUNGY JUMPED!"
We went back indoors to check out our pictures and video. It's always weird to watch yourself in a video, except this time, I felt so cool, so graceful! Hira and I scrolled through our pictures and videos together, still in complete awe of what we just did! We got our goody bags, consisting of our printed photos, online access codes to our photos and video, a certificate, a karabiner with a little piece of bungy cable, and a t shirt! With massive smiles on our faces, we hopped back in T Swizzle and headed back to Dunedin!
"I can still feel the adrenaline!" Hira said 30 minutes into the drive home. "Crazy!"
Thanks for being patient with me everyone! I am heading back to the Queenstown area tomorrow for some more adventures! Stay tuned! As always, thanks for reading and I will write soon!
"I can still feel the adrenaline!" Hira said 30 minutes into the drive home. "Crazy!"
Thanks for being patient with me everyone! I am heading back to the Queenstown area tomorrow for some more adventures! Stay tuned! As always, thanks for reading and I will write soon!
Queenstown | Glenorchy | Wanaka |