Our first day was spent at Flock Hill Station, a sheep shearing/herding farm. Quite interesting. We learned alot about wool...and it was very entertaining watching him call to his sheepdogs to herd the sheep. After that day we drove on towards Fox Glacier. Driving through the South Island is absolutely gorgeous, because the whole time you are driving through the Southern Alps. Yes there are Alps in New Zealand.
In Fox Glacier we did a half day hike up through rainforest and on Fox Glacier. It was spectacular. The glacier was enormous! I don't know what I was expecting, but it surpassed everything I had imagined. Our glacier guide told us that Fox Glacier was only one of 3 glaciers in the world that was surrounded by rainforest. That evening our tour guides for our group took us on a glowworm walk through the dark forest. It was pretty sweet. And they also preceded to tell ghost stories, which sent Missy back to the hotel early. But we all met back up at the local bar where we all shared a few beers with the locals. (There are only 200 people in the town of Fox Glacier). But Missy and I did meet a couple of the glacier guides. We taught them about the U.S. and American football and they taught us about NZ and rugby...it twas interesting and fun!
We next journeyed on to Queenstown. But on our way there we stopped at Lake Matheson. Here you could see a perfect still reflection of the Southern Alps. It was gorgeous!
In Queenstown, Missy and I did Jetboating in the canyons between the mountains. It was pretty sweet. We did lots of 360 spins. It was a bit chilly and water was absolutely freezing when we got splashed, but still pretty cool. Also in Queenstown, we rode horses through the Lord of the Rings forests and past many of the filming sites for both Lord of the Rings and Narnia. My horse kept things interesting as he liked to bite the butts of the other horses around him. He was a bit feisty. While in Queenstown our tour group got to go to Minus 5 Ice Bar. And that was pretty amazing. Everything was made out of ice! The bar, the couches, sculptures, and even our glasses that had our cocktails! And when you were finished you got to smash your glass!!!
After leaving Queenstown we headed down to Milford Sound for our overnight cruise. When we arrived it was pouring rain and freezing cold! But we were then able to see an abundance of waterfalls cascading off the fiords. It was spectacular! In the morning it had cleared up and the views were stunning. We even got to see little penquins and seals!
On our way back from Milford Sound we were even lucky enough to see it snowing! Our group now headed on to Mt. Cook, the tallest point in New Zealand. No...we didn't get to hike up to the top, but we did get to take lots of pictures! I feel like our tour bus stopped every 15 minutes for a photo op. It got a bit old towards the end of the week especially when it was so cold and windy. Our tour ended back in Christchurch where we started. Missy and I spent the next 2 days exploring the city, touring the Cathedral, and wandering around the Saturday markets. It was one heck of a week. We had the best time. I love traveling with my best friend!
2 comments:
You. are. awesome.
I can't believe your little ice bar excursion, that sounds amazing!
I love the New Zealand pictures. And I was glad to hear you enjoyed your trip so much!
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