So here is a breakdown of my spring break trip to New
Zealand. I was gone for 12 days and traveled to 6 different cities.
We arrived in Auckland on Thursday, and stayed in a hostel
right in the middle of the city. Went up to the observation deck in the Sky
Tower. From 200 meters above the ground, you got a great 360 degree view of the city.
That night we went out on the town with a few people from the hostel and
mingled with some of the locals. The next day we went on a boat cruise to Waiheke island, an island that has a population of
5k, and produces wine and long beaches. After that I separated from the group, and headed to the Auckland boat show. Here I worked on my photography
assignment, shooting the interiors of the cabins. Next day we hit up the Casino
for a little bit before the bus ride to Rotorua.
Rotorua is a small
town a few hours Southeast of Auckland. Famous for its Geothermal pools and
great landscapes. In the morning I took a trip to the Lord of the Rings
Hobbiton set. Learned a lot of new things about the movie, and saw first hand
how detailed Peter Jackson was. Later that day I rented a mountain bike and
rode up to the Redwood trails, just outside of the town. These trails were
amazing. When I got to the peak, I saw they had some downhill bike courses,
with banks and jumps. About a third of the way down the first course, I miss
judged the jump and landing. Going off the jump I was to top heavy and too
slow, this made me not only short the landing, but also land to forward on my
front tire. I went over the handlebars and took a roll into the ground, as the
bike crashed on top of me. Apparently I braced my fall with my arms. After
landing I couldn’t lift my right arm over 90˚. Last year I had broken my
clavicle snowboarding, and had a feeling I had done it again. I slowly made my
way down the rest of the trail to the road, I had to ride 3 miles to return the
bike and get to the hospital. The hospital confirmed my suspicion of a broken
bone, and sent me away with a sling and pain meds. We left Rotorua that night
and traveled to Wellington.
Having just broken my shoulder, I was not in the mood to do much. We ended up
going to an art gallery and the Te Papa museum. After, I took a nap, got some
food and tried to enjoy the slow weekday nightlife of Wellington. The next
morning we caught a flight to Christchurch, which is on the south island.
In 2011,
Christchurch suffered a massive earthquake, destroying a substantial amount of
buildings in the city center. We walked around the city, taking in the amount
of unfixed damage that there still was. We stumbled on this awesome cargo
container setup, where the containers were transformed into small stores, which
had recently been destroyed. There was no nightlife in Christchurch and we
ended up staying in and playing game of Monopoly. The next morning we took a 7
hour bus ride to Queenstown.
The first night we
were in Queenstown we went to Furgburger, a famous burger joint next to our
hostel. Later we enjoyed the youthful atmosphere of the town. With over 15
hostels in Queenstown, there were plenty of travelers our age. My clavicle had been
healing quite well and was questioning the skydiving booking I had made for the
next morning. I was told I could go to the air field and get suited up and
judge how I felt, and if I was not confident then I could back out. So the next
morning I went to check in, and my booking time had been canceled due to
weather. They said I could go on a flight later that day, but that was also
questionable. Not wanting to ruin a day, I just said no and went back to the
hostel.
Around mid-day,
after our group spilt up and did their separate activities, I decided to take
my camera and take a hike. I took a four hour hike up Queenstown Hill, which
overlooked the town and lake, with great views of surrounding mountains. Here I
stumbled upon this great artwork installation, which was made by fellow hikers,
by stacking flat rocks on each other to make a pyramid/tower. I made a few
myself, then proceeded to take some photos of the display. Once I was
satisfied, I continued my hike up the mountain. At the top I found a larger rock
installation and could not pass up the opportunity to add to it. After I took a
few panoramic photos and headed back down. Caught up with the group as they got
back from their activities, then headed back out to continue my day of hiking.
I took the Skyline Gondola up to a different mountain, and took some photos of
the area. There were some walking trails from the gondola, so I wondered around
to get some different views of the landscape. I wanted to get the best view, so
of course I keep hiking higher. I reached the top, and I took out my camera and
captured a few more panoramic photos of the mountain ranges and lakes around
Queenstown. As a herd of mountain goats moved in on my location, I took the
opportunity to get a few photos of them before swiftly moving back down the
mountain.
The next morning I
took a bus to Milford Sound. It was not the best day to do a sightseeing tour,
but with rain happening two out of three days, the odds were against me. In
Milford, I took a boat tour of the area and out to the ocean. Got some great
photos and felt like I was in Jurassic Park. The low clouds and steep mountains
made it feel like you were trapped. There was an amazing amount of waterfalls due to the rain that day. I
stayed in the Milford Lodge, and would have to say it was one of the top places
that I’ve ever stayed. I had my own 8 person bedroom, with an amazing view of
the Milford Mountains, the only thing that could have made it better would be
if it was sunny, but I can’t complain.
The next day I took the bus back
to Queenstown. The collarbone
was feeling much better and after not having to wear the sling for the past
four/five days, I decided to go snowboarding. One thing I’ve always wanted to
do, and didn’t know when the next time I’d be back in NZ. I went to a place
called Cardrona, it was 45 minutes away from town, and it was closing day.
Everyone was dressed in different costumes and animal suits! As fun as it
looked, I restrained myself from going in the Freestyle Park. Had a great day of spring boarding, just like the old days
of spring break travel to CO.
All in all, New
Zealand was an amazing experience, from the big city feel of Auckland, to the
amazing nature of Milford Sound, and the Hiking in Queenstown. I can’t wait to
go back and complete some of the activities and places that I missed!
Ryan
