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Two Chicks & a Climber Reach New Heights
Another one of our 8am rises, we suffered no memorable hangovers to mark our last night of North Island. With an option of flying or sailing to the South, we took a 3-hour ferry over the Cook Strait with a smaller group, leaving the Johnston bus behind. With André's absence, we finally reached the South Island's Picton, the gateway to Marlborough Sounds, where a green Kiwi bus awaited our arrival.
Heading out via the scenic Marlborough Valley with its lines of vines and steep hillsides, we stopped by Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve for a 15-min return walk. Absent-mindedly, Aman & I crossed past the suspension bridge - curious to see where the trail led & getting ourselves lost in the woods for some time, we had to jog back to civilization. We then departed to our next destination, NZ's sunniest city- Nelson, where we mingled with our next Kiwi group, a jolly bunch of European travellers over roast dinners.
Next morning at Abel Tasman National Park, we spent half a day at one of NZ's most popular national parks, for a sea-kayaking trip. With Kaiteriteri Kayaks, we paddled from Kaiteriteri Beach, which is apparently voted one of the best beaches in the world - we embarked across sheltered waters, walked on golden sands, explored several coves and the famous Split Apple Rock.
En route to Westport, we declined activities at Buller Gorge and instead settled @ Bazil's hostel. Having cooked dinner, we took an early night to recharge our batteries for next day's trip to Lake Mahinapua.
A short drive from town, along the rugged Tasman shoreline was Cape Foulwind & the Tauranga Bay, highlights of diverse landscapes and one of NZ's largest seal colonies home @ the closest point of NZ to Australia. It's been aeons since I last saw a seal so we took a walk to the coast to see beautiful brown seals camouflaged on the rocks.
Little John, our Kiwi driver, then dropped us off at our lunch stop in Punakaiki (poo-na-kai-key) to check out the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes. As you can see from our photos of the weird rock formations, it's time I put those GCSE geography knowledge into use! For those who are not familiar, they are series of stratified limestones stacks, which over many thousands of years have been eroded to give the effect of giant piles of neatly stacked pancakes. I held my camera in front of the blowholes for quite some time in hope to capture the dazzling sprays erupting - but before I knew it, I was flat out on battery! The cafe nearby sells amazing pancakes, which of course Aman & I indulged ourselves - my, they were heavenly!
Leaving Punakaiki, our next stop at Greymouth gained us shopping opportunity to buy party pieces for tonight's fancy dress @ Lake Mahinapua. Drawn out of the hat, Aman & I had the colour, green so we headed off to search for ideas at the warehouse. Our Kiwi itinerary states Lake Mahinapua (maa-he-naa-poo-a) Hotel as our next accommodation, misled us to think it'd be a decent 3* hotel, after being shacked-up in crowded backpackers hostels.To our dismay, we found ourselves parked in a Las Vegas motel-style place, with its rusty painted sign 'Lake Mahinapua' - it dawned on us it was one of Kiwi's infamous tricks.
Despite our amusement, we were left behind to sniff out the compact rooms, a campervan made into a kitchen as well the bathrooms installed in portkabins. As our Kiwi Experience travel programme says we were supposed to 'soak up the West Coast hospitality' - alas, we literally did, with a memorable night with Les Lisle, the owner aged 81 years who cooked us a big group bbq. He hosts the world's famous Poo Pub parties, the pub plastered with polaroids of Kiwi groups over the years. From dusk till dawn, we got to know our fellow travellers, drank & danced all night, finishing off with a short walk to the Lake Mahinapua for moonlit view.
Up bright & early, our Sheepdog pass entails an insight of people making a living on the coast with sphagnum moss growing, old timber-milling techniques, possum trapping and helicopter deer recovery at the Bushman's Centre in Pukekura (puk-e-ku-ra). Spoilt for choice, we had a range of breakfast selection of possum pies and deer quiches, I declined the generous offer and decided to stick with a hearty English breakfast. Obvious evidence of their passionate hatred of possums(!)
Before we made our way to Franz Josef Glacier township, we experienced one of the island's true wildernesses, Okarito Lagoon - largest unmodified wetland in NZ, covering 3,000 hectares of shallow open water & tidal flats.
Nestled in the Westland National Park, we checked in @ Rainforest Retreat after paying for our tickets at the FJG office for next day's glacial activities. Big Jon & Tom, tomcats of the group, hosted a Fajitas night, having cooked the most delicious fajitas I have tasted. We washed down with couple of drinks @ Monsoon bar on site.
It is apparent that the best way to experience the glaciers is to walk on them, which prompted me to challenge myself to do the full day Glacier Adventure, consisting 5-6 hours on ice. Aman opted for an expensive aerial view of the glaciers and its ice formations by doing the Heli-hike, basically on an helicopter doing runs over the glaciers, flying right in and bank close to the glacier faces as well as 2 hours on foot. So we had two different experiences to share - mine was more of a left-right-left-right footwork, hiking steep glacier mounds, after having walked 30 minutes approx. to the terminal face from the car-park. It was that immense!
Bit of physical geography: In 1985, after a long period of apparent retreat, the glacier started advancing again and progressed nearly 2km until 1996, when it retreated again. Maori legend has it said that a girl lost her lover when he fell while climbing the local peaks and that her flood of tears eventually froze into a glacier.
During exercising my leg muscles, I got to see many ice formations, mainly the crevasses and ice coves all day long. After long hours of chipping through ice with my heavy talons, I was in for a shocking encounter. As we were getting down from the glaciers (it's easy getting up than down) at one point nearly to the valley floor, the group stood for a moment or two. Oblivious to what was going on, I was unaware of the rumbling noise. Looking to my left within couple of yards, in a split second before my eyes, I couldn't believe what I was seeing, an massive ice cave came crashing down with immense sound, breaking off more ice & dragging down millions of ice debris down to the bottom. Such a huge ice breakdown that a guy, inspecting the terminal face at the bottom, had to run for his life!
All we wanted was to get down safely off the glaciers, with heightened tensions, we all managed to get down without having a pandemonium. People were taking snaps of something that changed the scene that's been on postcards, brochures and on the internet. The broken ices were laid out in front of the valley floor, with a new scenic landscape and I took plenty pictures, longing to exchange encounters with the other two. After a tiring day, we chilled in the jacuzzi with André telling us about his trip to Paynes Ford.
We woke up @ 7.30am to catch the perfect mirror reflection of Mount Cook and the Southern Alps on Lake Matheson - which was a fabulous photo opportunity. After stood there for a moment or two, we drank hot chocolate by the clear blue view of Fox Glacier. Worth the early rise as you rarely get that in England!
Heading for Wanaka, we crossed the bridge at the gates of Haast Pass, early enough to spend a hour for a cool dip in Lake Wanaka. The boys had few apprehensive duck dives after witnessing measly eels down under. Again, the tomcats cooked simple group meal of bangers & mash, before hitting the local pub, Red Rock. Couldn't waste the 2 for 1 drink offers included in the Kiwi package, we drank the bar dry, with André cracking jokes with the bartenders & us girls up for pool challenges with the tomcats. Eventually we staggered back to our rooms at whatever time it was.
With hangover looming next day, I held up the bus for quite a time, not knowing that we were set off to a museum for mind-numbing puzzled @ Puzzling World *why today?!* Being stuck in the maze wasn't the brightest idea but then again there can be only one way out, André & I were desperately determined to finish the task of finding all 4 coloured corners before we bailed out through the emergency exit.
After the morning visit, we stopped by at a fruit-picking store to stock up our daily intakes of vitamins, seeing that we are not getting our 5 portions of fruits & vegs lately(!) There they made the best ice creams and frozen yoghurts, with real fruits of your choice (Carole-Ann would've love this place!)
With hangover gradually dissolving, feeling 'very bad' to better, i peered out of the bus window to see a signpost 'Arrowtown', off the highway. Less than half-hour drive from Queenstown, it was a beautiful avenue lined with arts-enriched personality, the quaint town was so pretty with antique shops, local crafts and their 'enigmatic' Chinese settlement. Other than toilet opportunity, we grabbed homemade pies takeaways from the local bakery before heading on to the Kawarau Gorge. With prickly hairs, we contemplated about our pre-jump feelings, arriving there.
Built in 1880, the famous historical suspension bridge over the Kawarau river was set at 43m, we entered in the AJ Hackett underground site. Being adrenalin junkies, we all dared buying the Thrillogy package, including 3 jumps in Queenstown - one @ Kawarau Bridge (43m), one @ The Ledge (47m) and last & final one, the deadly Nevis Highwire (134m). It was a sunny afternoon, when we viewed jumpers bracing themselves from the platform and peered the height through the pane glass.
In brief, Aman was the first to jump - well one of us has to go first! After asking questions and adjustments made to her ankles, she smiled for the camera and leapt forward. Blocked to to see her fall, I only knew that she has got her hair wet when she intentionally wanted to soak her fingers only. Guess she's thankful for remembering to remove hearing aids.
I was next, thinking 'this is it... it I don't do this then I'd probably never can do the rest!' so I dived right out from the platform, thinking 'how am I gonna fall?'. The feeling is indescrible, only the people who have done the Kawarau bungy will understand. The scene was almost beautiful, blue-green marine water down below, with a bright yellow-red raftboat to unhook you to safety.
Came André's turn after a couple of jumps, he looked nervous after having to wait in the queue. Asking questions to reassure his pre-jitters nerves, he dived right out topless and got half his body dipped in the river. He instantly knew what we were talking about, the wild cool rush.
After we left the bungy site, with our photos & dvds, we wondered what the next one would bring, the Ledge only be few metres higher when we drove into the buzzing city of Queenstown. Few people from the Kiwi group have also managed to do it while the rest thought we were going raving mad, doing more jumps programmed for the next few days.
Located at Discovery Lodge, we finished the Kiwi pass off with a big night out in one of NZ's self-styled outdoor-adventure capital. We spent the night at Altitude bar downstairs as well partying the lasting hours @ World Bar with Kiwi complimentary rounds of margheritas. Ended up back in our rooms, crashing out at 2am.
We had two free days to indulge in Queenstown to check out why it was NZ's most action-packed city as there were plenty of things to do. Unsure where to start, we eased ourselves strolling around the shops & cafes before our next jump, programmed for 4pm.
Up on The Ledge, it was situated on the top of a hill, overlooking the heart of Queentown, we took the ride up, with our free Skyline Gondola tickets (cable-car return trip, part of Thrillogy package) Feeling literally on top of the world, with the excellent views & couple specks of sheep here & there on the mounds(!), the Ledge was surprisingly only 47m from the hillsides, yet the gondola was a terrifying 400m above!
Embarking high above town, we were strapped with a body harness, the most 'scenic of the latex-rubber cord' so we knew we'd be safe, doing somersaults(!) André & Aman took their first turns, throwing themselves as if it's what they do everyday. Having not seeing the depth from the platform, I could only brave myself, jumped out star-shaped, having faith in my body harness. With arms and legs stretching outright like I was back in my trampoline days, I bounced quite frequently causing the straps hooked into my crotch! Mm, so it happens.
The experience wasn't as thrilling as the Kawarau, possibly to knowing that we are secured with body harnesses, rather than our ankles. There were woodlands down below, and it was all over in couple of seconds when we had to attach ourselves to another rope, propped from above. Then we were lifted back up to the platform to view rest of the gondola.
We headed back after spending the afternoon in high altitude, we had the buffet specials @ our hostel - chilli con carne with fish & chips (fush & chups in typical NZ accent) for only $5. André made arrangements with Big Jon & some few others @ the pub, whilst us girls sorted few bits & pieces in our rooms before settling for a dvd night of Ray at Big Jon's luxurious Walter Peak Penthouse. The whole Kiwi clan turned up for the evening, tucking in takeaways and watching the 3-hour movie. Towards the sleepy hours, we hurried back to our accommodations for complete shut-eye.
Despite not getting all of my zzZs, I woke up with dreaded thoughts of the gigantic Ben Nevis. Booked for noon, we all got the 45-min bumpy ride out of town, which didn't help our nerves, to the gondola jump pod of the Nevis Highwire bungy.
The sight of the pod, being suspensed by 380m long cable, above the remote gorge, was deliberately designed to 'maximise exposure and titillate the fear factor', the Lonely Planet has put the nail on the head cos that's exactly what we were feeling.
Climbing out of the bus with Bambi legs, the fear increased when we took the cable car to the pod, greeted by smug smiles of the bungy guides. The pod actually wobbled when we landed inside, standing on glass-floor, peering through to see the reactions of the first jumpers.
Being the heaviest, André was dressed in his pixie outfit, sat down on the chair for adjustments to be made on his bungy cords. Being briefed, it was clear how nervous he was when his legs shaking, especially on film. As the chair turned, cursing to himself, André was petrified whilst being shuffled towards the abyss. After the countdown, he leant forward and vanished into thin air - he has gone and done it. Through the glass floor, he must have been free-falling for six-plus seconds, with arms outright like a fairy! Before being sprung back up & down, holding onto his tiara!
Aman took her turn in the same way, except looking very doubtful when she looked down the abyss, and looking at the audience, cheering for support. With a brave smile and some guts, she leaped out into gravity. André took a short film clip of her reaction on the deadly point before he ran low on battery. Classic!
Being last didn't exactly boost my confidence or settle my nerves but the continuous cheers from onlookers encouraged me to just take one step forward. With André's pair of wings, it flapped so hard that I am almost positive I actually flew! The feeling was immense, the best thrill in the world.
You're flying for 7-odd seconds, and not even thinking about 'how lam i gonna land?'. Not once (not that I can remember!) Since it's much higher, it gives more time to take in the sights, with the riverbed & rocks asides hurtling towards you. But when close is close enough, it was definitely a relief soon as the bungy extends and you're catapulted to the top again. With a mental pumping of adrenalin, I wanted to venture more.
After few twists rather than bounces, I had to release a rip cord and swing over to sitting position to be winched to the pod, admiring the overwhelming views, especially with an incredible ground-rush feeling.
That afternoon, feeling 'zonked out', we took the rest of the day to relax. André & Aman went out the following evening, to join drinks with the rest of the clan, telling them about the day's events. Feeling spaced out, with no distraction I instead committed myself to writing postcards to family & friends, which usually consists 12 or so postcards from every country! From chatting downstairs in Altitude to drinking sessions @ Bar Up after long hours, they returned to tell me about their merry night out.
Early rise on our last morning in Queenstown, all packed up, on our way to catch our next Kiwi bus to Christchurch, we were lucky to have bumped into some of our friends for contacts on their way to Milford Sound. Sleep morning it was, we had to take time out to check out Mount Cook, where we would be stopping for lunch. Few snaps here & there of the highest peak at 3,754m in NZ as well as the amazing aqua blue Lake Punaki (another LOTR set location). There were stunning landscapes of Mt. Cook & Lake Tekapo, when I peeked inside the Church of the Good Shepherd.
In for a long drive, straight & flat run to our final destination, gave us time to reflect on our personal Kiwi experiences. Soon as we got into Christchurch, our new driver, Scotty gave a brief tour and dropped passengers off at their accommodations, we checked ours @ Charlie B's Backpackers. Disappointed not to have lots of time in our hands, we rested indoors after doing last-minute errands before our next-morning flight to Nadi. At last, some Fijian sun we have longed for.
S x
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