Mom and Dad arrived on the 1st of November around lunchtime. After picking them up at the airport we decided to go for a walk through Christchurch and the Botanic Gardens (mostly so that they wouldn’t immediately fall asleep after there long journey over here.) After that we made some dinner and Mom and Dad went to bed rather early. (Mom stayed up later than Dad, which pleased her.)
The next morning we got up early to catch our plane down to Christchurch. I don’t think Mom and Dad were too extatic about getting on yet another plane but the ride was only about 50 minutes and had beautiful views. When we arrived in Queenstown dad got his first NZ coffee (he got one every day), which are very different than American coffees. Him and Mom eventually figured out they like “flat whites”, I have no idea what it is. We took the shuttle to our hostel, Nomads, where we stayed for two nights. It was a brand new hostel with a big kitchen and lounging area. Because we were in Queenstown we were surrounded by all young people looking for parties at night, which wasn’t quite what we were interested in doing. That afternoon we walked around town and went to the I-site to see what adventure activities we wanted to do because that’s what Queenstown is known for. We decided to book a Jet boating tour for the following morning and spend the afternoon relaxing by the lake in the warm sun (I think mom and dad were still a little jetlagged.) After their nap by the lake we walked through the Botanic Gardens of Queenstown, which were also beautiful. There was a Frisbee golf course going through them and we enjoyed watching people play. That night we went out to eat at FergBurger which is the famous burger restaurant in Queenstown. I had a veggie burger while they had a shared a chicken one. They were HUGE and had lots of delicious toppings. It was a fun experience. We watched a movie that night and were surprised by the fire alarm that went off at 11:30pm. All of the very young people running the hostel put ‘marshall’ badges around their arms and sort of pretended like they knew what they were doing. It was interesting.
Jet boating the next morning was a blast! We drove through Skippers Canyon and our guide told us a lot about the gold mining that took place in NZ. The jet boat driver was funny and very skilled. He drove really close to the edge of the canyon walls and we did lots of 360-degree turns. We also got soaked which was a bit cold but added to the adrenaline. After the ride we all grabbed really heavy rocks from along the river shore and drove up to one of the first bungee jumping bridges in NZ. The bridge was 106 meters above the ground. We were instructed to make a wish and then twist our rock off of the edge and into the river below. The sound of the rocks hitting the water was impressive. It sounded like a canyon going off each time a rock struck the surface.
Main Street in Queenstown
Lake In Queenstown
Queenstown
Botanic Gardens in Queenstown
Mom and Dad in Botanic Gardens in Queenstown
Botanic Gardens
Feeling the Lake Water
After Jet Boating
The drive to Jet Boating
Our jetboating vanThat afternoon we went for a beautiful hike up the side of the mountain facing the lake. It was a little more difficult than we anticipated since the hike was called “one mile creek”, but we made it out alive, and of course we took naps after. That evening we enjoyed trying one of the first of many Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs that we tried over the course of their visit.
Early the next morning we got our rental car from Jucy and headed towards Milford Sound. It was a four-hour drive but the scenery was beautiful and it flew by. The drive on Milford Sound road was absolutely incredible, and I think one of Dad’s favorite parts of the trip. We were lucky it was raining because that made for so many more waterfalls coming off of the mountains. Dad likes to say it looked like the mountains were crying. It is hard to describe how incredible and unique of a drive it was, pictures don’t do it justice either. That night we stayed at the Milford Sound Lodge and enjoyed another wine and played some cards.
View from our hike
Mom and me on the hike
FergBurger!
The Drive to Milford Sound
Again
A short hike
Dad and me at Milford sound
The rocks affected by the waterWe were supposed to be in a four-share room at the hostel with another man we met before dinner named Hetay. He went to bed before us and when we went in the room to get ready to go to sleep we realized that the situation was far from ideal. I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone snore louder than Hetay. It was almost humorous to imagine trying to sleep in that tiny room with Hetay all night. Luckily we got our room moved and were able to enjoy the next days adventure with much more energy.
The next morning we woke up to catch our boat ride out onto Milford Sound. It was sunny which was great since our drive in was raining so we got to see the sound with both rain and sun. It was an incredible view and really a magical place. We drove out before lunch and found a 3-hour hike up to a lake that we thought we’d enjoy. Inside the forest of Fiordland was amazing. All the trees were covered in moss and you felt like you were in Avatar. I really enjoyed the hike up to the lake more than seeing the lake itself.
That night we stayed in a hostel called Rosie’s Backpackers in Te Anau. The man running the hostel named Alester was responsible for Avalanche control on the Milford Sound road. When he first started his job he said he really had no idea what he was doing for the first 6 years and he was pretty pumped that he hadn’t killed anyone. I guess that the avalanches in Milford are unlike anywhere else in the world so they had to learn how to predict when an avalanche was likely to occur. He honestly made it sound like he would just throw bombs out of his helicopter window at potential avalanche sites and if one occurred then he knew he guessed right. I’m sure he’s got it down to a science now but it was interesting to hear him talk about it. His job is actually really important since the NZ economy loses half a million dollars every day that the road is closed. We also met a very nice couple from England who were fun to talk with over dinner. We found that a lot of people we met were interested in asking questions about America and we enjoyed asking people questions about all the different countries they were from.
Mom and I on the boat
Milford Sound waterfall
Mom and I sitting in the boat. Dad was too brave to come inside
Waterfall
The beautiful hike in Milford Sound
Trees on the hike
Mom and Dad Tramping
The lake we arrived at
The drive back to Queenstown
The drive back to Queenstown
M&DThe next morning we drove back to Queenstown for Dad and my Canyoning Adventure! It was unlike anything I’d done before and something I’d love to do again. Dad said it was a lot different than his canyoning in Costa Rica because it was so much colder. The water we were canyoning in had just melted from the snow capped mountains only hours before. We zip lined across the canyon, abseiled (or repeled) down the canyon wall and got dropped down a 15 foot waterfall feet first (they called it a slide but it was more like a straight drop into a whirling water…I was pretty scared!) We got to repel ourselves and climb over and around the rocks and the rushing water. It was sort of like a puzzle and a game as to how best to get down the canyon, which made it really fun for me. By the end of the 2 hours we were freezing (and I think Dad’s face hurt a little from one of the superman dives that he turned into a belly/face flop). We warmed up quickly in the sun and met up with Mom again who had a wonderful time Paragluiding while we were away. She said it was a great time with beautiful views.
That afternoon we drove to Wanaka which I think was one of our favorite places. The lake was beautiful and our hostel stay was really nice. We spent two nights at Matterhorns Lodge where we had our own room and bathroom, which was great. We went for a walk around the town and looked at the lake and then went to the movies that night. The movie theater was the coolest one I’ve ever been too and has inspired Mom to turn the old movie thearter in Windsor into one just like this. The theater is filled with old couches and chairs and even a car that you can sit in. About half way through the movie they have fresh made, warm, delicious cookies ready for you to eat. The smell wafted into the theater making them irresistible. We shared a double chocolate cookie, which was delicious! The movie we watched, RED, was also very good. Overall it was a really fun outing! The next morning we went for a hike up Mt. Iron. Mom and I turned it into a work out and ran up some parts and walked backwards up others, which was sort of amusing. That afternoon dad went golfing and mom and I sat in the sun by the park and went to the craft fair. Dad golfed with a young man named Julian who he thought I would have really liked, but Dad enjoyed his company too. HE said it was helpful to have him there because the gold courses here are measured in meters instead of yards. We all had a really nice afternoon. That night we made ourselves quesadillas and watched a movie in the lounge with a very nice Australian man who was headed out the next day to go hiking in the bush for 5 weeks.
The following morning it was time to start making our way back to Christchurch so we could catch our flight the next day to Auckland. It was a 6-hour drive but it didn’t feel that long since the scenery was so beautiful. We stopped at Lake Tekapo, which is a really clear blue lake in the middle of the South Island. One of the funnier times for mom and I on the trip was when dad was picking out a fleece to buy at one of the stores near the Lake. The woman helping him noticed how he always sticks his tongue out when he’s working hard (I guess it was hard to zip the fleece?) and made some comment along the lines of “wow that tongue is really helping you out.” Anyways mom and I found it hilarious and dad even managed to laugh about it, but couldn’t help sticking his tongue out almost immediately after to try on a different sized coat.
My last night in Christchurch was sad but exciting. After mom and dad went to sleep I went to say bye to all of my friends and hang out with them since I was sleeping on an air mattress on Carly’s floor. It was weird being one of the first people to leave, but nice to know that back home I’d have so many fun places to visit when I see everyone again! Carly, Anna and I had a sleepover in Carly’s room, which was fun.
Lake Tekapo
Again
View from the church
The churchEarly the next morning we got up to pack all of my things and catch our plane to Auckland. WE arrived around lunchtime and headed to the rental car place. The process was incredibly difficult but we finally had our car and headed out to Coromandel. The drive was absolutely beautiful and maybe one of my favorite places we went. We stayed at a brightly colored hostel in a town I can’t remember the name of right along the beach. (We struggled a lot more with saying the names of towns on the north island because most of them are Maori influenced. WH in Maori sounds like an F and there are many other phonetic differences that make it hard to pronounce where we were going or had been.) We went out for Indian food that night which everyone really enjoyed which I was delighted about. I’m so glad they share my love for Indian food. Mom and I were really happy to have leftovers for the next night. The next morning we went on a hike to Cathedral Cove, which is supposed to be one of the most beautiful beaches in NZ. We thought it was lovely. That afternoon we did a hike in the Haritake Range through an old gold mining area. There were lots of signs explaining the gold mining process and it was really interesting. We were planning on spending the night somewhere around there but didn’t find any hostels so we ended up driving all the way back to Auckland.
We stayed in Lantana Lodge for the next 2 nights, which was a nice, clean hostel in a Parnell, which is a suburb of Auckland. The next day was rainy and not nice, but it made us realize how lucky we’d been so far with the weather. We attempted to go out to Piha and see the beach with its black sand but by the time we were all the way out there the weather was so bad we turned right around. We spent the afternoon relaxing watching movies, playing cards and reading which I think was just what we all needed. The next day we began our drive up the east side of Northland, which is the northern most part of the North Island.
Tree on the north island 
Driving to Coromandal
Again
Our first north island hostel
Hike to Coromandel
Cathedral Cove
Cathedral Cove
Again
The Goldmine Hike
Again
Dad's tired...
Same Hike
Cows along the road
Playing cards at Lantana LodgeWe stopped at a cave that you could hike through and see glow works, stalagmites and all that fun stuff. After entering the cave as far as we could get we sat and waited for 10 minutes for the rods in our eyes to adjust to the dark. It was really incredible how much farther into the cave you could see after letting your eyes adjust, and it made us all more comfortable about going into the depths of the cave. We followed the stream (and sometimes walked through it) as we travelled back into the cave. It was awesome to see so many glowworms on the ceiling of the cave and to shine our flashlights up into all the holes and crevices. I thought it was one of the coolest things we did and I was so glad we found an un-commercialized way to see caves and glowworms. Outside of the cave were 3 big pigs and 6 or 7 baby piglets that followed us everywhere we went. Mom was a little afraid of them which was hilarious but I think all they wanted was our food. We continued on that afternoon to Whangarei where we stayed at the Little Earth Lodge. It was one of my favorite hostels because of the way the owners ran it. They had a dog named Mutley and two ponies named Tom and Jerry that mom loved to watch scratch each other’s backs. She thought it was so cute that she barely listened to the conversation she was so distracted!
We made dinner in the kitchen and met a really nice couple, Jane and Ross, from Auckland. They were traveling up north as well for a little vacation and had lots of funny stories to tell. They even gave us a NZ avocado after mom talked about how much we liked them, which was delicious! We ate breakfast with them the following morning and even saw them later in the day at a waterfall we stopped at. We drove a while that day up to the small town of Russell. We enjoyed our lunch by the bay and walked around town looking at the art galleries. We then took the car ferry across to Pihia and found our hostel called Cap’n Bob’s. The woman running the place, Kay, was very friendly and welcoming and we ended up staying for 2 nights. The first morning there we went to a farmer’s market in Kerikeri then drove a really beautiful drive up the coast. ON the way back down we stopped to see some Kauri trees which are New Zealand’s equivalent of the redwood. Their diameter can be over 3 or 4 meters and live to be very very old. We stopped by a Kauri wood shop on the way back home where I got myself a left handed stir fry utensil to remember the trees by. It will be very useful in the future! And probably when I have to start making dinners at home again…
The following morning was one of our last. We walked along the beach and saw some of the Waitangi Treaty grounds (which is the treaty that was signed back in the 1800s between the European settlers and the Maori people and is greatly criticized and debated to this day.) Mom and Dad loved looking at the flora and looking for birds in the trees.
The pigs at the glow worms cave
Sheep!!
Walk around Russell
Big tree in Russell
Russell
Hostel in Pihia
Lovely stop for lunch
Beautiful Drive
Kauri Tree
One of mom's favorite signs
Silver fernWe drove back to Auckland that afternoon stopping for a break at the Honey Centre on the way home were we tried some interesting varieties of NZ honey. We stayed at a hostel called The Brown Kiwi with a very nice and welcoming manager who gave us great advice on places to go out to eat. We ended up going to somewhere called Prego, which was wonderful. Mom had NZ lamb, Dad had Tuna and I had mushroom Risotto. Everyone enjoyed their meal and I even enjoyed some of Dad’s tuna! The next morning was the day we left. We drove to the Auckland domain, which is the equivalent of Central Park and read and relaxed before our long journey home. Finding the rental car place to return the car was one of the most stressful, adventurous, hilarious experiences for us. The directions that were given to us by the car company were photocopied so poorly that they were almost illegible. By the time we figured out how to read them, we realized they made absolutely no sense and we were completely lost with 18 minutes before our car was due back. We stopped at a Shell station for directions but they ended up leading us nowhere. Three shell stations later we still could not find our way (we even got directed to a dead end parking lot). Finally, we used our memory from the shuttle bus we took from the airport to the car company to get ourselves there. Luckily, they didn’t care that we were a few minutes late, but it was amazing that the 15-kilometer drive took us over an hour to complete! I’m just glad we made it safely since my driving got a little crazy and hectic by the end, especially since they drive on the opposite side of the road.
We boarded our plane, landed safely in LA and as I write this we are on the plane from LAX to Chicago. I had such a wonderful time abroad and already miss NZ and plan to go back. Everyone is invited to come with me!
