New Zealand: Queenstown Lakes District

Having always wanted to visit the beautiful mountains in the south, we spent the remaining seven days of our voyage exploring the center and western coast of the South Island. The two islands of NZ are very distinct. We flew into Queensland and were greeted with range after range of snow-capped peaks.

As soon as we arrived, we headed to Mt. Cook, the highest mountain in NZ. It was cloudy up north, so we were not able to see its peak, but it was still a beautiful hike.

At the summit, we showed Whit the shrouded Mt. Cook (to the right) and the Hooker Glacier field at its base. Here it appears as soil and rock, but it is really just dirty ice. You can see the icebergs that have broken off in the water.

Unknowingly, we had come to southern NZ at the peak of the autumn colors, and everywhere we went the trees were glowing.

AJ Hackett, the pioneer of bungee jumping, started the first business for the sport in 1988 on the Kawaru bridge. This site is regarded by many as the birthplace of bungee jumping. Seeing as Andy and I both have a fear of heights that manifests in very unique ways (thankfully we can both drive in the mountains, even on the opposite side of the road), we kindly passed on this opportunity. But it was a lot of fun to watch young'un after young'un do it. They have quite a well-oiled machine there, with someone jumping roughly every five minutes. The nerdy nurse manager in me was enamored with the streamlined safety check process. That's a lot of liability swinging in the wind.

The Otago region is known for its amazing wines, and this vineyard, Chard Farm, produced our favorite NZ wine that we had on our trip. Again, I think it is because it is made from the happiest grapes. Yes, like the sheep, these plants have the most amazing vista. The picture does not do it justice, but you can faintly see that their vineyard is on a cliff (between those rocks and the foliage is a deep river gorge). A narrow road hidden in a nearby mountain pass leads to their property and nothing else. How downright peaceful.

On the shores of Lake Hawea

Lake Wakatipu, looking north toward Glenorchy.

Whit and Andy taking in the vista.

The minerals in the soil and water in Glenorchy accent every part of nature, making the scenery appear surreal. Biff, my imaginary assistant, had even placed a rust-covered bottle along the banks for me. I really should give him a raise.

Many scenes from The Lord of the Rings were filmed here, and it was easy to see why. The sharp blue mountains in the background and the green carpeted dwarf hills could make any fantasy come to life.

One more post to go. Come back soon to see Fiordland!