Queenstown & The Deep South

This last couple weeks I have been exploring the Southern half of the South Island (mainly Queenstown) with a few friends. I was down there for 8 days 2 of which I spent in Dunedin saying goodbye to some close friends. The goal of our trip was to ski but unfortunately this year has been very strange for New Zealand weather wise and the snow has not quite arrived yet. That was fine though because we found plenty to keep up busy in the adventure capital of the world!

Queenstown
QT is medium sized town nestled in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. It was know as a large mining town back in the days of the Otago gold rush years and years ago. Today however QT is known as a mountain ski town and New Zealand's adrenaline junkies paradise. It is filled with expensive ski shops, cozy bars that always have roaring fires, great restaurants and friendly people. The town in next to lake wakatipu and surrounded by hills and mountains. The town is pretty active all year long and is definitely a tourist destination for most NZ travelers.

THE FERG
The first task that needed to be accomplished once we reached QT was to try the "best burger in New Zealand" the Fergburger! It was a pretty amazing experience, the burgers were huge and tasty. They give you a 1/3 pound beef paddy with aioli & homemade ketchup lathered on both sides of a heaping sourdough bun then add lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese with a big sack of hot chips to complement the burger. Wash it down with a ice cold beer and you have a equation for complete satisfaction. We liked it so much the first time that over the course of our 6 day stay in QT we ate 14 of them between 5 of us!


Milford Sound 
This has to be the most spectacular place on earth! Mountains, streams, rivers, waterfalls, forests, ponds, lakes, wildlife and incredible views every which way you turn! It is the pictures and movies everyone sees when they are researching NZ. We started our journey at 7:00 a.m. and got home at 8:30 p.m. It was a rainy cold day but that did not stop us and the Sound it known to be beautiful any which way you see it. Because it was raining we got see hundreds of waterfalls appear of the mountainsides. Going to this place not only puts you in complete awe but also opens your eyes to a world that is only seen in the movies but let me tell you it's real and it's waiting for you. Words can not describe the beauty of the Milford Sound and it's surrounding areas. I hope that one day you will get to experience this awesome place for yourself. Pictures do not do it justice!

Bungy 
Don't tell my mother that I jumped off a bridge. Yes I said to myself before I left for NZ that I would have to do some kind of adventure or extreme sport. We decided to do the first commercial bungy in the world, known as AJ Hackett's Kawarau Bridge bungy. This bungy measures in at 43 meters or roughly 130 feet above the Kawarau river. It was an amazing location with mountains in every direction and the bluest water you have ever seen rushing below you.

 For something so easy as stepping forward off a ledge, it was the hardest and horrific things I have done in my short lifetime. I despise roller coasters and don't particularly enjoy heights so this activity was a stretch for me. But I convinced myself I would regret it if I didn't face my fears. (which is an important part of going abroad). Once I put my money down there was no turning back, I had to jump, they don't give refunds if you back out.

There were three of us that did it and we all stepped up to the plate one by one. The guys fitting us into our straps were of course loving the fear in our eyes and toying with us as much as possible. Once it was my turn they strapped me in and asked if I was nervous and of course I was but I was trying to keep my cool so my face didn't display a lot of emotion. When you bungy jump you don't really have much time to think of anything except "why would anyone do this!" It is just not rational for any human to want to throw themselves off a perfectly good bridge.

Once up the the edge they gave me a count down of 5.4.3.2.1. JUMP! There was no hesitation and I leapt out with my arms forward. The first thought through my head was: "My God I am going to die" then on the second bounce it was me yelling out in joy because I has having so much damn fun!



Facing your fears is not easy but once you find out that fear is just a state of mind and not a reality your world is rocked and things come a bit easier. If I ever make it back to QT in the future I would love to try the Nevis Bungy or the world's second tallest bungy at 134 meters or roughly 400 ft

Overall QT was a blast we did a few hikes around the town, had bonfires on the beach of the lake and ate at a lot of different places including a really good pizza place called the Cow and some Mexican. I did a wine tasting with a friend and tried some awesome NZ wines. It was a wonderful last adventure and I am so glad that I saved QT or the BEST for last! I will be coming home in less than 11 days and wow what a trip it has been. I will save my closing thoughts on NZ for another post. I have two exams to complete and too many friends to say goodbye to before I can even start to think about this trip being over!

Cheers everybody, see you SOON!