Feels like ages since I've posted online, I guess it's been a week but it feels like about three. We've strayed quite far and done so much it seems in such a short space of time. I feel like I'm overusing the words 'stunning', 'beautiful', 'awesome' etc but there really aren't enough words in my vocabulary to express it any better just how incredible the South Island is to explore. Where the North is quaint and pretty with rolling hills (as well as the occasional huge mountain), the South is much more rugged, on a grander scale and the scenery is more breathtaking.
We arrived in Queenstown this afternoon and have already fallen in love with the place. I could stay here a long time, spend a lot of money and do so much. But even to just sit and admire the awesome location from a cafe sipping tea/hot chocolate/wine/beer (edit as you see fit) would be enough for a couple of days. It is very much an adrenaline junkie town with the options of skiing, snowboarding, and the usual bungy jumping, skydiving, hang gliding, paragliding etc. But there's plenty for the more sedate with trips to the wineries, walking, mountain biking. I think I'm going to be hard pushed to decide between it all. But we've got four nights here, the longest I will have spent anywhere for a few weeks. I'm going to soak it all up and make the most of it (without bankrupting myself hopefully).
So what on earth have I been up to in the last week? Well, there's been sea kayaking in the Abel Tasman national park. It was a beautiful day and we saw several seals sunning themselves on the rocks as we paddled by a couple of islands. It wasn't too much hard work for a full day of kayaking as the sea was just mill-pond calm. And so clear you could see so far to the deep bottom. It was a pretty relaxing day just taking it at a nice slow pace and enjoying the sunshine. Got totally soaked though, perhaps I need a better technique with the paddling so as not to get seawater dripping all down your arms.
I've also spent the day hiking the Franz Josef Glacier, one of the top things on my list while I'm here. Never having done any ice hiking I was intrigued to see how tough it would be and how unique the ice formations would be. I wasn't disappointed. Photo-wise we could have done with a sunnier day to really distinguish between the sky and the ice but I managed to get some good shots of ice caves and lakes. It also helped to have a very fit guide (in more ways than one) from Alaska!
Other than that my days have been filled having a laugh with my new-found travelling companions and spending a lot of time getting from one place to another with several scenic stops in between. We seem to have themes for the day (unintentionally I think) of either lakes, waterfalls or mountains to stop and photograph when in need of a break to stretch our legs.
The great thing about travelling this way with such a great bunch of people is the ready-made social life in the evening, even if you're stuck in a dead-end town (like Greymouth) or in the middle of nowhere (like Makarora). We've stayed in some really nice places, accommodation wise, and then some not so. In Abel Tasman we were staying on a farm in little cabins that were really only suited to summer temperatures! Showering practically outdoors in the middle of winter isn't always my idea of fun though it toughens you up pretty quickly.
Greymouth was very much a man's town, probably because of all the mining going on there but it was strange to see most of the people walking round the hostel were middle-aged guys, a bit of a contrast to elsewhere on the backpacker trail.
We've had a pretty packed bus most of the way, despite buses either side of ours having much fewer numbers. Just the way it works I guess but despite the lack of space to put your stuff and not being able to stretch out it's not been a hindrance or annoyance at all. But the group is getting split up from now on which is a shame as people are spending different amounts of time here in Queenstown and then doing different passes round the rest of the island from here on in. So we've got a last night out together in the best party town in New Zealand. It could get messy!
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