The South Island of New Zealand is CRAZY!!!!!! After Nate and I finished our 3 weeks of working in the vineyards in Blehnheim we blitzed the South Island over 2.5-3 weeks. I've seen and done more awesome things in the last month than you can shake a stick at. It's really been an incredible experience, one that I would most definitely recommend to anyone interested in breathtaking landscapes!
In the last few weeks I've climbed mountains, camped on beaches, seen amazing lakes, walked around with glaciers, seen TONS of waterfalls, and witnessed several of the most beautiful sunsets imaginable! Throw in the fact that I also have been Canyoning (traveling through a canyon/river using ropes, swimming, jumping, zip-line even) and jumped off of/swung on the world's tallest swing and I can reasonably say that these days will go down as having been some of the most amazing of my life!
Franz-Josef Glacier
Glacial Pool - Fox Glacier
The mountains are very accessible here, almost weirdly so. I've been very impressed with the National Parks System where all the trails have been in very good shape. The trails are kept up with very well and it seems that all trampers have an appreciation and respect for the places they are visiting. There is very little vandalism and misuse of the parks here which seems to allow you to feel more in touch with the fact you are in a raw place not disturbed my man.... almost like you have your own pristine little slice of earth that you are seeing not yet spoiled by the wrath of mankind.
On more than one occasion I was able to simply walk to the top of a mountain! It was a very physical and challenging adventure making the climb to the top. It was generally a set of switchbacks and then ridge lines that were super steep. The trips were always incredibly rewarding. There is no other feeling similar to when you have hiked and climbed your way to the top of mountain and when the summit is conquered you can stand there and truly feel on top of the Entire World!!! There is a certain sense of awe and astonishment at how amazingly beautiful and rugged the world can be when you look and everywhere within your 360* point of view there is nothing but the peaks of vast mountains surrounding you. Some of these mountains and peaks are completely covered in snow, some are snow-capped, and some have no snow, only the green base of a dense beech forest and a brown stone-faced look as it goes about the tree-line. In the valley floor, a couple thousand feet below, there's the river that has made it's home where a massive glacier once slowly crept along, cutting and chipping away at the giant mountains as it moved. There are certainly waterfalls to be found around if you look; beautiful streams of water falling in such an innocent way that it causes you to just stare in a daze for a second. When you finally snap out of your period of mental silence you go back to looking around at everything you see and wondering to yourself how in the world you are at the bottom of the earth, standing on the top of a mountain and able to experience something as wonderfully humbling as it is to be YOU!
This is very similar to my experience in Arthur's Pass National Park. Nate and I spent a couple days there where we hiked the Bealey Spur Track and the climb to Avalanche Peak. I have climbed to the top of Avalanche Peak in Arthur's Pass National Park. The peak is 1,863 meters with roughly a 1 km vertical ascent from Arthur's Pass Village, where we started the climb. The climb was not much of a hike as it took us doing quite a bit of climbing rocks and ascending up really steep switchbacks that destroyed the legs and back until we made it above the bush line. We then hiked and climbed through grassy steeps and over huge piles/chunks of rocks to reach the top. When we finally reached the base of the peak we hit the snow. Had to walk up the last couple hundred meters through 2 ft. of snow. When I finally hit the top I scrambled over 100 meters of rocks or so until I at last was standing on the absolute pinnacle of Avalanche Peak! I had ascended 1km vertically over a not-so-long distance up the side of one New Zealand's most challenging day walks and I had done it in exactly 2 hrs. It was a subconscious goal once we got out of the bush line in around an hour and I realized it could be done. The top had an amazing view that was somewhat the basis of the description above being surrounded by peaks and mountains and staring at the snowy Southern Alps. I had hiked and summited peaks before in the Rocky Mountains while snowboarding that were equally as tall and maybe even more massive, and Avalanche Peak was just as sweet, fulfilling, and definitely more difficult.
About 1/4 of the way down from Avalanche Peak... look closely to see the road
It really cannot be put into words, nor can a camera really capture the essence and beauty of any particular moment. I continually found myself saying "Wow.... I understand why they filmed Lord of the Rings and King Kong here. This entire place is like a wonderland. I feel like I'm going to see a Smurf pop out from behind that bush!" Many moments existed where I had the ability to look around and see at least, if not more than, 3 completely different ecosystems.
The beaches are pretty sweet! There is a beautiful greenish-blue tint to the water and there's generally driftwood around. Some beaches are even rocky. What really makes the beaches beautiful here are the sunsets. The sunsets here on the South Island are completely and utterly NUTS! Because we were so far south (roughly 40-46* latitude) the sun doesn't completely give way to light until around 11:15pm. The sun begins to go down around 9pm allowing a sunset that really does last for 2 hours! The most amazing oranges, reds, purples, golds, and yellows light up the sky. Clouds bring about amazing colors and patterns as the light hits and reflects off of them. As the sunset progresses and the sun's light gets more and more dim the sky becomes divided with one side giving way to millions of stars and the moon while the other still echoes the last beautiful rays that the sun has to offer the day.
Sunset - Hokitika
Even crazier is the thought that while you are on the beach watching this most incredible sunset over the ocean, you can look to your left and less than a mile away is a 13,000 ft. peak and snow-covered mountain range shooting out from the earth. The last few brilliant orange rays of the sun strike the mountain and give it the craziest and most brilliant of looks. In one complete moment you can take in the most beautiful snowy mountain peak you've ever seen alongside and playing a part in the most beautiful slow and gradual sunset you could imagine, all while laying on the beach beside a small campfire and a big piece of driftwood looking at the millions of stars and constellations above and behind you. This was my night on Gillespies Beach overlooking Mt. Cook and Mt. Tasman.
Taken from Gillespies Beach:
Mt. Cook
Midnight..... little lights are from my tent
Waking up to this?!!!!
Lake Matheson - overlooking Mt. Cook & Mt. Tasman
Mountain or Reflection????? Reflection
We also hit Queenstown, the adrenaline capital of the world, for a of couple days. Most of you that know me understand that I like to do crazy stuff as often as possible, so a stop here was mandatory. Queenstown is settled on a lake, nestled within the Alps, allowing for more awesome views and sunsets. It's an incredibly expensive place but cool as hell. It reminded me a lot of a small ski-town in the Rockies somewhere. The first day we went Canyoning which was sweet. We were high in the mountains jumping, sliding, climbing, swimming, and absieling our way through an extremely clean and COLD mountain river that amounted from the snow-melt. Had to wear wetsuits and helmets. The water was clean enough to drink and I must say that it was the best water I've ever tasted. At some points we were jumping around 10-15 meters off of waterfalls throwing down tons of water into deep pools. We also absieled 50-60 ft. a couple of times and on more than one occassion, dropped from the rope 15-20 ft. into deep pools. Really cool experience!
Day 2 in Queenstown saw us jumping from the Worlds Tallest Swing. The swing sits 109m above a river in a canyon and consists of a 60m free fall and full swing of 200m! As centrifugal force takes hold it accelerates you to speeds of 150 kph. Of course I was suited up in a really serious harness and what not and at no point felt in danger. I jumped it twice, the first time doing the "pin-drop" where you basically jump and try to stay as straight up and down as possible to be more aerodynamic, thus reaching faster speeds. The guys working the swing were cool and were aware that I wanted it to be as scary and crazy as possible, so when they pulled up me from the first jump they told me I was going to be a terrorist next jump. When round 2 came around I walked up and started getting clipped in and what not when all of a sudden a f'n trashcan gets thrown on my head/body. The trashcan went down to about my waste, so I couldn't see a damn thing but my feet. It was a green trashcan so it was dark and didn't let in much light through the plastic. I could see the outline of something drawn on the can though..... and it looked like, like a stinking terrorist. In fact, it was Osama Bin Laden himself, complete with massive beard and turbin. This was special treatment, as only a few people get to be Bin Laden. The guys told me to hold the ropes that kept the trashcan from flying around behind my back and as they were "arguing" with each other about clipping the safety harness (already clipped), Will, the operator, pushed me off the ledge. Keep in mind the fact that I couldn't see anything so it was completely unexpected. The feeling of falling almost 200 ft. and then swinging at 150 kph all completely blind was the wildest of feelings! It wasn't scary, but it was certainly something I'll never forget. It was awesome! Interested in checking it out then Google or YouTube ShotOver Canyon Swing or check out
http://www.canyonswing.co.nz/
Lake Wanaka - road to Queenstown
This was the last day of good weather we got. It rained for about a week non-stop after that which killed the views. We saw Milford Sound during a storm which was cool because there were hundreds of waterfalls and rushing rivers but we couldn't see very far due to the low clouds and fog. We then headed towards Christchurch, our final destination before heading to Thailand. On the way, we stopped on the back side of Mt. Cook and the mountain range that I had camped on the beach in front of. It was also rainy and foggy there for the most part but still beautiful. The lake approaching Mt. Cook was crazy. Blue and green water like a tropical ocean in front of snowy mountains... it was awesome.
Waterfalls - Milford Sound National Park
Mt. Cook National Park -(Mt. Cook covered by clouds)
We sold our van in Christchurch and hung out with some awesome people for the week we were there. I was a little worried we wouldn't sell the van because there were HUNDREDS of cars/vans for sell and no one there to buy them. All the backpackers were leaving before the holidays and no one was showing up that close to Christmas. Nevertheless, we sold the van to a few guys from Israel which is ironic because they don't care about Christmas, Hannukah had just ended. With all the loose ends tied up, we left New Zealand and headed to Bankok, but not before missing a flight and spending a night sleeping in the airport. New Zealand was quite a blast.... I am ever so glad that this was a large part of this trip as it provided me with many lifelong memories.
Bangkok is insane! It's so busy here. There's a constant buzz of scooters, cars, buses, motorcycles, and tuk-tuks. The air is by far the worst I've ever seen. There's a constant smoke, not a haze but a smoke, that always prevails. You can find anything you could ever imagine here, and by that I mean anything. There are about 7.5 million people here in the city and I think I've seen them all. Cool place, but I'm ready to go sit on a beach and drink a beer.
I haven't shaved in nearly 3 months and have an awesomely huge beard that will put me in the running for best Santa Claus in Thailand. Asians can't really grow a real beard, thus they all love mine. I've recieved quite a few compliments and laughs/smiles regarding the thing. We are heading to Ko Tao in the Gulf of Thailand tonight and will be there for Christmas and New Years. I'll be getting my Advanced Openwater SCUBA Certification over the next week and a half. I'll be doing lots of diving for the next 9 days and also lots of partying as I'll be taking a day trip to hit up the Full Moon Party on Ko Pha Ngan on Christmas Eve. These parties attract tens of thousands of people who get down on the beach all night long. The last DJ's shut down around 11am! With that said, I'm much more excited about the SCUBA diving. I've snorkeled in so many amazing places throughout my life and I've always been interested in going a bit deeper. Apparently there are at any given time whale sharks, sea turtles, a few sharks, pilot whales, and other awesome sea creatures in the waters off Ko Tao.
I hope that everyone has a wonderful Christmas and New Years filled with good food and family time. I will definitely miss you all and wish I could be there with my family. Say a prayer for me as I'll definitely send one out your way and please please eat some really good southern soul food for me if at all possible!
Merry Christmas & Happy New Years!
