Entry #6 New Zealand South Island: April 15 - 25, 2019

See Ya Later South Island of New Zealand,

We have had a busy week, and it’s been full of all kinds of awesomeness!

We moved on to the exciting city of Queenstown, which is known as a hub for extreme sports.

It also happens to be the birthplace of bungy jumping!  So… as the saying goes, “When in Rome…go Bungy Jumping!”

The kids and I cheered as we watched Lee hurl himself off of a ledge that was 300 metres high.  He made the leap without a moment’s hesitation.  He had a second of Superman-like flight before a swift free fall that ended with bouncing into a flip and then dangling in the air, looking out at the spectacular view.

I was too much of a wimp to make the same daredevil jump, so my Queenstown thrill was slightly tamer; paragliding.  This was a beautiful 4 km flight over the hills after running off the edge of a mountain top at Coronet Peak.

Jamie was chomping at the bit for a chance to jump off some sort of precipice, but instead he and Jessie became speed demons on an awesome luge track that we rode all day long!

Jamie was able to drive his luge by himself.  After 10 runs down the steep and twisty track, he was a pro at taking the hairpin turns and then tearing through tunnels at breakneck speed.   Jessie also squealed with joy as she co-piloted with her hands on the wheel, “driving” like a maniac, making Lee and I scream as she raced along the track.  

While Queenstown has something for every type of adrenaline junkie, it also happens to be a beautiful place.  We had a chance to enjoy the gorgeous lakeside setting with more relaxed activities as well.  We loved the 18 holes of disc golf that took us through the botanical gardens on the peninsula of the crystal clear lake.

After getting our fill of fun in Queenstown, we moved on to Wanaka; a place where we could get back to nature.  It’s pretty special to start the day with a hike that gives us a view of the hills decorated with fall coloured leaves; like the view from the top of Mount Iron.

The views just became more and more dramatic as we made our way towards Fox Glacier.

A pit stop included a short hike to a river of incredibly clear glacial water.

We could see perfectly to the bottom of the deeper pools, giving them the look of being shallow.  This made it extra exciting to watch people drop off the side of a bridge and plunge into the frigid water.  Jamie thought he could brave the cold and tried to wade into the river, but after getting in past his ankles he quickly retreated.  He said it was so cold, it hurt!

Moving on, we reached the ice covered mountain range that included Fox Glacier.

There were moments when we’d be hiking around this area and find ourselves speechless as we’d catch a look at the perfectly still lakes reflecting an image that more resembled a painting in a gallery than a scene you’d expect to see in real life.

It was especially beautiful to go to a lookout that featured the frozen tongue of Fox Glacier, right beside the South Island’s highest peak, Mount Cook.

Sometimes we are in awe of the big stuff.  And then sometimes it’s the small stuff that makes this place feel magical.

The real magic though, is having the opportunity to slow down time, have fun and be silly, and be together.  We love watching our kiddos grow more and more each day.

There were so many spots where we’d be overwhelmed with the spectacular natural beauty.  Lucky for us, living in a camper van meant that we had the chance to stop at random spots along the way, where we'd pull up to some uninhabited point along the coastline, and call that bit of wilderness home for the night.  We would eat our dinner watching the sun go down over the sea and wake up with high tide feet away from our beds.

The kids also love that life in the camper means frequent visits to holiday parks, trampolines, and the opportunity to make new friends in every town along the way.  There was this one occasion when the kids were jumping and doing flips beside another pair of kids, just chatting about everyone’s strategies for the best way to bounce.  Then Jamie went up to the boy about his age as said, “You wanna be friends?”, and the boy replied, “Sure.”  And that was that.  The kids were inseparable all day long.  It’s been a  point of pride to see how flexible the kids have been about forming new friendships that spark after about 5 minutes in the same playground, and then expire after a few hours of fun when we have to say goodbye.

We had almost made a full circle around the south island.  There was so much variety to be found.  Sometimes the landscape and vegetation would be completely different after turning the corner.  The three pictures below were taken 1 hour apart.

We started in dry sandy coloured brush, and then the world transformed into lush, dense greenery, and then changed again to rugged coastline. 

There are surprises everywhere we go.

A display of bras that contribute to an effort to raise money for breast cancer.  It was an unexpected sight.  We saw it in a blur as we drove by and then did a u-turn to get a good look.

The small town of Hokitika was full of artistry.  This town is famous for creating driftwood sculptures on the beach, such as the one with the town’s name that they keep up year round.

Up in the north, on the west coast, we checked out a very cool and mysterious natural occurrence - the Pancake Rocks in Punakaiki.  The thinly layered rocks look like stacks of pancakes.

The rough seas have eroded the shoreline and sculpted coves with cracks that create blowholes.  Waves crash into the coves and force the water to erupt out of fissures in the rock.  It makes for a fun spray in the face and the perfect conditions for lots of rainbows.

We were approaching the end of our time in the South Island.  We circled back to Christchurch and had some city time, visiting the museum and art gallery.

We had one final destination to hit.  For Jessie’s birthday we surprised the kids with a day at Hanmer Springs - a hot springs water park!  We spent the entire day going from pool to pool, slide to slide, and  racing around the not-so-lazy, lazy river.  It was a fantastic day and great way to celebrate our little girl’s 6th birthday!

Then it was time to say goodbye to the South Island.  However, the New Zealand stretch of our journey continues… in the North Island!  We have just flown into Auckland, picked up another camper van  and we’re ready to start exploring more of this absolutely stunning country.

Until next time… Lots of love ~ The Zwaigens