So I realise we spent a whole year in New Zealand and delivered very little on the blog front. The reason for this is because nothing much happened. And when I say nothing much happened I actually mean we don’t have any dramatic stories. Stories, for example, about one of us falling down a toilet, or ninja rolling off the train, or starring in a Bollywood TV Commercial. You know…the sort of dramatic tale that one would take for granted in Asia. And to us, a blog should be full of drama and comedy. Not informative, useful information, because…well…there are way too many of those blogs around.
That said, I feel like we can’t just bypass NZ completely, because that simply would not do it justice.

New Zealand is one of my new favourite places. It has everything you could ever wish for. From mountains and ski fields to beaches and rolling green countryside. It has surf and wineries, glaciers and hikes. Lakes and bungee jumps, wildlife and volcanoes. Caves, glow worms and sand dunes, waterfalls and national parks. Some of the friendliest people I have met, a laid back vibe and an outdoorsy nature. It also has bus drivers that will escort you home when you fall asleep and miss your stop (it happens to everyone, it’s no biggie).

So, with that in mind I decided to comprise a short list of my favourite things that I did, saw and experienced in New Zealand. There are soooooo many more but these are my stand out faves… so far 😉

1. Waiheke Island
Situated a 30 minute ferry ride from Auckland, Waiheke is a beautiful little island with lovely beaches (and more importantly) lots of vineyards. I’d go as far as to say that it’s one of my favourite islands ever. And I’ve seen a lot of islands.  Definitely worth a visit. It’s also the place I did my first ever hitch hike…to the pub.

2. Hobbiton
Is ace, just because it’s Hobbiton. I loved it. Probably because I felt like I belonged. And it made me feel tall. Now, if you’re expecting a house behind the hobbit holes, or even a room, you’ll be very much disappointed because there’s nothing. Even so, as a big Hobbit and LOTR fan I’d say it’s a must. It’s a beautiful setting and you even get a complimentary drink in the Green Dragon at the end. AND, there’s fancy dress available to play with (which we took full advantage of).

 

3. Mount Cook
I would say this is one of the most impressive things I’ve seen. Maybe it was because I wasn’t expecting it but my eyes enjoyed it. Plus, it’s featured in The Lord of the Rings and that’s good enough for me. On the way to Mount Cook you pass Lake Pukaki (Lake Town in The Hobbit) which is impressive in itself. Then, once at Mt Cook village there are options for hikes. I did the Hooker Valley Track which ended at the impressive Hooker Glacier Lake and this is the view which captured me. Now, I went to Mt Cook in October time so I’m not sure what it would be like in the summer, but it was cracking in October. Think mountains, snow and glaciers. And the water was cold. As you’d expect from a glacier lake.

4. Marlborough – Wine Trail
I mean, the reason I enjoyed this was because it involved wine and cycling. A perfect combination if ever there was one, especially if you throw a cheese board in there. Hire a bike for the day, get your wine trail map and off you go. Bob’s your uncle. A lot of the vineyards do free tasting as well, so there’s not much to complain about really. By the end of the day you’ll have tasted that much wine you’ll either be a) drunk pedalling b) looking like a grape or c) both. One things for sure – your pallet will be living the Marlborough dream.

5. Bungy Jump (Kawarau Bridge, Queenstown)
This was hands down one of the best things I’ve ever done. It was the best feeling, even though I did wonder if I had actually shit myself. When we started travelling I’d decided I was going to do a bungy and that NZ, the home of adrenaline activities, was the place to do it. However, after a while I did start to wonder why I’d committed to foregoing my Sunday brunch in favour or plunging myself head first into a river by a piece of dental floss. I’m not going to lie, I hadn’t been that scared since we visited the Baba in India and he told me I had a blocked heart chakra. Naturally I’d assumed I was dying of some sort of coronary disease (I didn’t know, at that time, what a chakra was). Anyway, I’d mentally rehearsed that moment of stepping off the ledge and experiencing the ‘plummet’ of the bungy for weeks, every night, before bed. On the count of three, don’t think. Just do. Easy. Nothing to fear.

Except when your 43 metres up on a bridge with a raging river below you.

Bungee Guy: “Do you want to get dunked in the water?”

Me: “I don’t care. By the time the dunking occurs it’ll be over. It’s the getting off the ledge that scares me.”

Bungee Guy: “Ok. Great, I love dunking people.”

On the count of three, don’t think. Just do.

Bungee Guy: “So just make sure as soon as you jump, you put your arms above your head and your chin on your chest, so you’re in a pencil position. Otherwise you may really hurt your face and get black eyes.”

Sorry, what?! Black eyes? Hurt my face? Isn’t that against Health and Safety?

Brilliant. Seems that being dunked isn’t all that easy then, is it?!

I think now is the time to mention that I’d just recently jumped off a bridge into a river, landed at a funny angle and spent the next few weeks with a cracked rib (by my diagnosis). And now it was fair to say that I was panicking I would break my face.

On the count of three, don’t think. Just do.

Ok, so it didn’t quite happen like that, it took me a moment to gather myself and decide on the best course of action for assuming aforementioned pencil position. There was a lot at stake. Namely my face.

On the count of three, don’t think. Just do.

And off I went in my erect pencil position. And then I was dunked. And then I bounced around for a while, wondering where my bowels were. Now, at this point it would have been nice to know whether my dunking session had officially finished. Was it one dunk and out? Or would they send me back for more? I was unsure and so far my face remained unbroken, hence I maintained said pencil position, just casually bobbing around in my erect pencil state. For what seemed like forever. Eventually the guys came over to pull me into the boat and remove the dental floss from around my ankles.

“You can put your arms down now” they informed me as the erect pencil lay rigid in their boat.

My face was saved.

And holding a pencil position for that long was completely unnecessary. And somewhat embarrassing.

So the moral to this story is; if you do a bungy jump into the Kawarau River you will only get dunked once. And then you can come out of the pencil position to enjoy the post jump, bouncing sensation…your face will be fine. If you choose to continue with your rigid stance your bungee videos and photographs will look ridiculous. Trust me, I know (and no, I didn’t buy them so you can’t see them).

I wish I hadn’t been so worried about my face and could have enjoyed the moment during and after the jump more. But still, it was amazing. And scary as hell. Almost as scary as a trip to the hairdressers in Asia.

6. Queenstown
I lived there for 6 months and it blew my mind every single day. I used to think of paradise as tropical beaches, coconuts, palm trees and the man off the Diet Coke advert. But then I found Queenstown. It’s surrounded by mountains and ski fields, hikes, scenery, nightlife, wineries and numerous outdoor activities. Dubbed the ‘adventure capital of the world’ if you’re an adrenaline junkie or just fancy giving yourself a heart attack (not advisable with a blocked heart chakra) Queenstown is the place to go.

You can also partake in a spot of frisbee golf, consume $6 drinks, sit and admire the lake or queue for 8 hours to get a Fergburger. Drinking and dining options are endless, luging is a must and hiring wheels gives you numerous options for scenic drives and experiencing more stunning locations. You can even throw yourself off a 13 metre high rock jump into icy cold water if it tickles your fancy.

What more could you want? Even the tourists don’t ruin its beauty, the hills are worth it because you’re rewarded with the views at the top and the sunsets can rival those anywhere. Plus, there’s a man who plays a piano in the street and he’s great.

 

So I reckon, if you can only ever go to one place in New Zealand, let it be Queenstown. I’m going to put it out there…it is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. You don’t even need a filter on Instagram.

And who knows you may even learn how to adopt the perfect erect pencil position…