NZED Part II

Jon and I if only we had a VW to drive around

I have officially been back home in the United States for a full week now. It was very ready to come home after being away for four months and living out of a backpack, but after just a week I am already anxious to go back to New Zealand.
First of all, Jon and I went on the ultimate tramping and road trip adventure once we parted ways with our school group. Once we said our farewells to our fellow comrades we jumped on a bus and headed straight for Queenstown, the main adventure sports hub in the world more or less. This was our jump off point, and from here we began our three day, 32km, NZ great walk known as the Routeburn Track. This isn't quite as challenging and lengthy as the more famous Milford track or Kepler Track but we surely enjoyed it. Our first day it poured buckets but luckily we were decked out in our rain gear, which included ponchos ofcourse. The next two days turned out to be absolutely gorgeous and sunny, providing great views into Aspiring National Park and Fiordland National Park. The hardest part about this hike was carrying all of my gear, but I eventually got used to the weight of my large pack. Upon conclusion of the hike, we decided to take a side trail and go up to Key Summit for some more spectacular views. Surprisingly we ran into two of our friends, Eric and Dierdre (who also decided to stay and travel on the South Island), at the top. We caught a left from them, and we headed down to Milford Sound solely for the experience of the drive down through the picturesque mountains and to see Mitre Peak. We then headed as a foursome back to Te Anau.

1st leg of the hike in the pouring rain

Day 2

View down on Lake Mackenzie

Lake Mackenzie at dusk

Mitre Peak, Milford Sound with Eric and Dierdre

The next adventure for the two of us was to go sea kayaking in the fiords. We went with a group of seven others to Doubtful Sound to spend two days kayaking and a night camping along the secluded fiord. We thought Doubtful sound would provide a better venue for this activity because it is more remote, with less cruise boats and tours everyday. It is also more difficult to get to because their isn't direct road access. Sure enough, we saw penguins and dolphins swimming around and playing in their natural habitat. Nevertheless, countless waterfalls spilled over the cliff edges, which towered hundreds of meters above the surface of the water. It is undoubtedly one of the most unique places in the world.

Kayaking in Doubtful Sound

Dolphin! One swam right under my kayak

Once we returned to civilization, Jon and I rented a car in Queenstown in order to begin our journey back to the north. We went back to Wanaka, one of our favorite places, making stops along the way especially at the iconic Cardrona Hotel for some beers. The next few days included hiking in Wanaka to see Mount Aspiring tucked inside the Southern Alps and driving up to Christchurch to catch our flight to the North Island. We went to the Christchurch Botanical Gardens that were surely enjoyable, yet Christchurch itself didn't exactly suit our fancy.

Queenstown

In Wanaka

Lake Wanaka

Mount Aspiring as seen from atop Mount Roy

On the North Island, our main goal was to go to White Island, a breathing Volcano that sits forty something kilometers off the northern coast in the Bay of Plenty. We were suppose to go here during our geology trip but the weather was less than desirable to boat over to the island. Luckily for us, the weather was just right for this trip. We spent two hours walking around the island observing the bright yellow sulfur deposits and fumaroles. It was quite stinky there, but the gas masks provided by the tour group were unnecessary except for picture taking.

White Island!

Crater

The next few days, our last few days, included driving along the Bay of Plenty to Tauranga for a night, and then to Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach. This beach has two hot water springs that sit right under the sand. During low tide you can dig out small pools that fill with hot water, and viola! a DIY spa for the evening. This was quite the popular attraction in the area. Our next two days were spent hiking near Thames on the Coromandel Peninsula, out to see large volcanic plugs protruding the landscape of the Kauaeranga valley. We spent the night in a hut out there, unfortunately with 60 middle school/high school kids. It was still a fun way to spend two days out in the bush.

Hot Water Beach, the middle was too hot to walk on!

Pinnacles summit

The last two days were composed of our commute to Auckland and a day trip to Rangitoto Island. Rangitoto is a 600 year old volcanic island, a shield volcano, which sits in the Huaraki Gulf in Auckland Harbor. It was a short walk to the summit, yet we took advantage of our time their by crawling all the way through lava tubes and walking over lava flows. It was a much better alternative to spending the day in the busy city.

Rangitoto

Lava tubes

Kiwi Christmas Tree

After a quick 16 days, Jon and I were headed to the airport before we knew it. We hoped on board Air New Zealand and snoozed right through the 12 hour flight to LA. Within no time we were back in the states. The only downfall to that plane ride was that I lost my iPod. That would happen because I didn't even use it on the flight and I needed it to get through the next 10 hours of travel.
It was quite nice being home for the first few days until I realized that the bitter cold weather makes it hard to do outdoor activities, which I was so used to doing EVERDAY in New Zealand. It is also hard getting used to it being pitch black outside by 4pm! Jet lag was pretty bad and was amplified by the fact that I wasn't burning any energy during the day. Now I am back to normal, and ready to head back to school.

Welcome home from Mr. Briggs

Hmmmmm I love New Zealand. The mountains, the green, the sheep, the people. It is beautiful I will definitely be going back if I know what is good for me.