last day with Jody

I was secretly hoping today would never come, but it did.  Luckily, we were all able to sleep in and start recovering from the hectic week of travel.  But there was still so much I wanted to accomplish, I was tempted to wake everyone up in a frenzy, to get them out the door to sightsee on our last day.  Eventually, Jody and I headed into the city to do a bit more sightseeing and souvenir shopping, while Bret stayed behind to pack a suitcase that we were desperate to send back with Jody to lessen our load as we continue our travels.

 

Traditional Maori haka in Cathedral Square

     

After getting back to the flat, I helped Jody with her final packing (thank goodness for vacuum sealed space bags after all the stuff she bought!) and Bret presented our overflowing suitcase too.  Going out into the rain one last time, we set off for the airport, for the dreaded goodbyes.  Helping her get checked in, we had time for one last NZ beer and chips in the airport bar.  Reminiscing about the trips highs and lows (there weren't any) and what we'll have to plan on doing upon returning and reuniting in Omaha, it was a bittersweet way to end the trip.  With a tearful goodbye, I promised Jody I would see her soon, and Bret and I went back home, in the cold rain, almost as if nothing had happened since the last time we went to the airport in the pouring rain.  I was numb and sad, and wanted nothing more than to decompress and sleep away my worries.  It was an amazing, unforgettable adventure, that will always bring the fondest of memories to my mind.  I just wish it could have lasted longer!!!

back to Chch

Another early wake up call to catch our last bus back to Christchurch.  By now, the week was really catching up to me, and I was ready to head back home to Chch.  A quiet, long day on the bus, with a few stops.

Lake Tekapo
     
Once back in Christchurch, we were greeted with rain (does the sun ever shine here anymore?).  Tired and hungry, Jody and I picked up groceries and made a yummy spaghetti dinner and sampled some NZ Sauvignon Blanc while watching Rhys Darby and looking at all of our pictures.  I can't believe how quickly the week has flown by!

Milford Sound

Getting out of bed today was a struggle.  Bret was suffering from a migraine at the end of yesterday and Jody had unexplained food poisoning symptoms throughout the night, and I, well, was just plain exhausted after yesterday's crazy events.  Today's itinerary had us meeting a bus to take us to Milford Sound, at 7:45 am.  This was a separate part of the KiwiExperience tour, that we decided not to cancel, but true to form, there was a giant miscommunication.   They told us the wrong place to meet, and they didn't pick us up.  We ran through the center of Queenstown as I see the bus rolling down the street.  I am literally standing in the road flagging it down.  Aaarrgh, the frustrations.  We got on, and settled in for the very long ride.
   

Milford Sound, in the lower south island, is one of the world's protected natural reserves, and the only in NZ.  Much of it is left over from a glacier that has melted, and driving through the fiordland was straight out of Lord of the Rings.  The protected land is highly prone to rock slips and avalanches in the winter, sometimes cutting off its only roads for weeks at a time.  The driver of our bus even shared that this particular area is 20 years overdue for a landscape altering earthquake.  Therefore, I was anxious to get in and out of Milford Sound as quickly as possible.  We were so fortunate to even have the opportunity to do Milford.  On the previous KiwiExperience itinerary, there was no room for the trip, and Bret and I really struggled at the thought of missing out on it and probably never getting down that far south again while we were here.  So many people had told us it was a 'can't miss' experience, and one bus driver described it as going in with an open mind and coming out with an open jaw.  So we were glad to fit it in.

The valley is where the glacier used to be...wow!

 

  

New Zealand's famous Mirror Lakes

 

Love the water color!

 

Bret refilling his water bottle right out a NZ glacier-fed spring...wouldn't mind doing that everyday!

Oh, just doing a bit of yoga while we wait for the green light for the tunnel, that goes down into Middle Earth!

 

I can't believe how expansive the terrain is.  Bret is in front of the rock in the foreground in the middle-left...amazing.

 

Bret's view of the bus from where he was.

Descending into Milford...the road where lots of car commercials are filmed...very winding!

   

After the several photo stops, we finally arrived in Milford Sound, where we boarded a cruise into the sound and out towards the Tasman Sea.  Milford only experiences 40 days of sunshine a year, and today was not one of those days.  The water was incredibly rough at times, forcing us to stay within the sound.  We had a hot lunch, and caught some great views of the landscape.  Normally, there are only a few major waterfalls to be seen, but when raining it's known as the land of a thousand waterfalls.  We enjoyed the scenery, the underwater world exhibit that we stopped (with 150 year old black coral, that's actually white) and then back on the bus to Queenstown to arrive after 7 pm.  It was a very very long day!

cruise views

 

underwater observatory

 

Bret treated the ladies to a delicious last meal on our trip at Speight's Ale House.  We had exceptional service from Ross, a Scottish waiter, who even took us out for drinks afterwards.  I had yummy manuka honey (famous in NZ) glazed glacier-fed salmon, Bret had lamb, and Jody couldn't resist the filet mignon.  A relaxing end to our energetic trip!

Adrenaline Adventures in Queenstown!

We woke up early and greeted our first full day of sunshine with our itinerary of awesome activities.  First up, BUNGY!  AJ Hackett invented the first commercial bungy site in the world at the Kawarau bridge over the Kawarau River in 1988.  Before Bret and I ever arrived in NZ and we made the list of must-do things, bungy jumping was right near the top (behind dolphin swimming for me).  And it was truly fitting that Jody was there to share it with me.  Jody and I planned to tandem jump from a single bungy cord, and the K-Bridge is the only NZ site to do such.  Bret was intrigued to jump solo and even opted to be dunked into the river.  However, upon waking up on this particular Wednesday, nerves definitely started to kick in.  We headed to the check in center in the town and while waiting for the van to take us to the bridge, sat there eating muffins and drinking tea and cocoa while watching jump footage.  Bret was getting exceptionally nervous, and Jody and I were overwhelmed with excitement.  We hopped on the van, started chatting away, while Bret attempted to calm himself with a few iPod tunes to zone out for a bit.  We arrived at the bridge 20 minutes later, and got all of the last minute details and check in procedures taken care of, and our bus driver, Greg, was suddenly interested in our story, and was eager to take pictures of the 'newly engaged couple' (it's already been two months today) and the 'bride-to-be's best friend' visiting all the way from Nebraska.  He strapped us in our harnesses, helped us take goofy pictures, and got us all situated.  We had decided among us a few days before, that with Bret's nerves, he should definitely jump first and get it over with and then Jody and I would go.  But because we were so busy being silly, Bret, by default, ended up in the queue 6 people deep (the last to go from our van) and Jody and I were moved right to the front since we were tandem.  The story that follows:

 Two views of the Kawarau bridge---the first showing the ledge and the water, the second from the other side of the bridge, showing the bungy center and the long path up!  It's a 43 meter jump, 140 feet, 14 stories!

In my gear and ready to go!

 Posing...no nerves here!

Bret's a bundle of nerves!

We each sat down on the ledge and got ankle-tied.  The AJ Hackett guys were great, joking around, asking us where we're from, etc.  I strapped my flipflops onto the red cord attached to my harness, so I wouldn't lose them on the jump.  The ankle-ties were so tight I could barely stand up.  But as the guy reminded me, I would rather have them too tight than too loose...

 Right on the ledge (photo by AJ Hackett)---the guys lined us up, showed us how to hold on to one another's harnesses, and how to hold our arms out, we had a countdown on 3...

 

All those swan dives in yoga paid off!

From up above...we screamed the whole way down!  Jody closed her eyes at first...but remembered to open them finally!

Check out our video and be sure to listen for the shout out to Bret's future wife and Nebraska!

 

Post jump, Jody and I waited at the bottom for Bret's jump, where he was dunked, and then made the hike back up the hill together.  We were on an adrenaline high for at least a few hours!

  

No worries, sweet as mate!

Thanks Greg, for all your awesome help!!!
   

So by 11 am today, I had had enough OMG moments to last me for the rest of the trip.  But seeing as Queenstown is the adventure capital of New Zealand, and we were left with a free day due to the previous bus cancellation and the gorgeous weather, we couldn't resist packing in more activities for the rest of the day.  After a quick lunch and bungy debrief, we headed to the Kawarau Jet Boat company for a bit of jet boating.  The boats can run over the smallest amount of 4 inches of water with dual jet engines ripping us across the water at high speeds.  Decked out in splash and life jackets, we boarded the boat, were seated in the front, and zoomed along the river, towards the canyon walls, and under bridges and trees, with 360 degree turns on a dime.  It was crazy!

Awesome views that I was able to snap photos of during the few moments we were stopped.  The rest of the time, I was gripping the handrails so tight, waiting for the unexpected 360!
    

The first two activities of the day left my head a bit heavy and sore from the intensity, so ice cream on the beach was a yummy break.  Next on the list was parasailing...I couldn't believe the amount of activities we were packing in!  We boarded the ParaFlights boat, and since we were a triple (it was so nice to do together) we were first up.  They hooked us into our harnesses and life jackets, gave us a safety briefing, and let out the smiley faced parachute.  As we stood up to get clipped to the chute, Bret and Jody climbed up to the platform and my harness fell off completely.  A little startled, they assured me it was no problem, reattached it, and clipped me onto the chute (I held on to the harness with all my might, just for good measure).  We were lifted into the air and witnessed some incredibly amazing views of Queenstown.  Wow.

 

Pre-flight

 

Going up

Loving Queenstown!

Pretty much describes how we felt...

Lucky Bret, sandwiched between two girls!

Our feet above Lake Wakatipu...which we ended up getting to touch with our feet upon our descent to the boat.  However, Bret got a bit more than he bargained for, when the speed pulled him down into the water up to his knees, creating quite a splash for me and Jody!

Back aboard, Jody and Bret with Buddy, the captain's dog!
    

Tired and in need of dry clothes, it was late afternoon by the time we were back on land.  We stopped at the hostel for a wee rest and change of clothes, and lastly, headed to the Queenstown gondola.  From the top of the gondola, Bret was tempted to paraglide down (as if we hadn't had enough adventure), and the view was, once again, amazing.  There is a second bungy site called The Ledge, also by AJ Hackett here, where jumpers are 400 meters up and take a 46 meter drop.  We watched a few of those and an unexpected air show, and finally headed into the city for dinner and drinks and a quiet end to the huge day!

Whew, longest blog post ever!