From Bungy Jumping to Milford Sound
Trip Start
Jul 20, 2004
1
38
157
Trip End
Jul 20, 2012
Queenstown,
New Zealand
Saturday, February 19, 2005
It was short and sweet; we got picked up at "The Station" in downtown QT, drove 20 minutes to the AJ Hackett jump site at the Kawarau Bridge, a 43 meter Bungy Jump above the Kawarau River. We were weighted and sent off to the jump site. I put on a harness and then my feet were wrapped into a towel and the bungy cord around it. I think the hardest part was stepping to the end of the platform and then letting go. Before you go off, you smile and wink into the cameras (you can get a dvd and 3 photos for 75NZ$) and then the countdown begins... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and go. And off I went... arms spread like an eagle and down I went
CC - Rose in Mona Vale
. It was awesome but soooo short. I didn't dip into the water as I had opted not to since I wore the clothes I was planning on wearing for the next days hike. After your helpless body swings back and for and you enjoy the view, the crew in the boat is coming to catch you and lifts you gently into the boat. Another smile, another wink into the camera and you are saved. Short and painless, but it wetted my appetite for more.After my bungee experience, it was time for some solemn trekking. From Queenstown, I took the bus to the small hamlet of Glenorchy, the last stop for hikers wanting to do the Greenstone/Caples track and the Routeburn track. There are nine great walks in NZ. Great Walks are the DOC's (department of conversation)premier walking tracks, through areas of some of the best scenery in the country. The huts (ranging from NZ$20-NZ$40 per night)and tracks on the Great Walks are of a higher standard than other tramping tracks, and many of the Great Walks have booking systems to manage visitor pressure. I opted for caples track and was planning to go from there to Te Anau to do some kayaking in the Milford Sound. Caples track, not listed as one of the great walks, diverts off the Greenstone track. Though much of the first 1/3 of the track went through lush green forest and open grass land, the rest of the track was a night mare (after Upper Caples hut). I had to climb over fallen tree trunks or crawl under them, navigate the river because of missing or collapsed footbridges
CC - with Leith in Mona Vale
. It was more like an obstacle course designed to break the spirit of the unfit. And why not, I thought to myself? This is wilderness after all. I had been spoilt by tramping around the groomed Abel tasman Coastal Track. Most of the 9 hours I spent from Mid caples Hut to the Divide included struggeling up a steeply ascending trail that didn't resemble a trail at all; it was so riddled with twisted roots, loose stones and tangled branches. Water gushed down the path (I would not have liked to hike there in the rain as the water would have been converted into torrents)rendering the ground muddy and slippery and leaving me cursing this adventure and worring about my boots that were supposed to last another 2 years. But alas, i made it to the divide in time to catch the bus to Te Anau, my base for visiting FNP and Milford Sound. Within Fiordland National Park is Milford Sound, the best known of the many sounds like Doubtful, Dusky, etc. that indent the coast here. It can be reached by airplane, car, bus or on foot. The land route (NZ 94) to Milford Sound is one of the world's finest alpine drives. From Te Anau the road winds down the Eglinton and Hollyford Valleys then through the Homer Tunnel to be met by Mitre Peak towering from the glassy waters of Milford Sound. This Sound is the most famous and accessible of the fiords. The sound or fjord was carved by glaciers and then flooded by the Tasman Sea
CC - with servas host Leith
. Average annual rainfall of more than 7,010 millimeters (276 inches) makes Milford the country's wettest spot. The Sound measures about 19 kilometers (12 miles) long and 3 kilometers (2 miles) wide. With steep rock walls eroded by glaciers, the inlet is a scenic tourist attraction. At its entrance, visitors can see the reflection of Mitre Peak, which rises 1,695 meters (5,561 feet) above sea level. Here, I booked into a "full-day" sea kayak adventure at Milford sound (which means sitting in the kayak amounted to about 3 hours only). Milford sounds swarms with tourists from all over the globe. But the most annoying part are the sightseeing airplanes over the sound that disturb the wilderness. My last day at Te Anau was spent visiting the Wild life sanctuary where I got the see the almost extinkt Takahe. I also hiked alond kepler track for a couple of hoirs before returning and catching a bus back to QT. From QT, I left for Dunedin where i stayed with my servas host Jo, who lives about 20 minutes out of Dunedin in Purakanui. A university city of Scottish heritage, Dunedin, New Zealand's oldest city, possesses a unique combination of cultural riches, fine architecture, and world-famous wildlife reserves on the Otago Peninsula. Situated on the south-eastern coast of New Zealand's South Island, Dunedin has a population of around 120,000 and is the main centre of Otago, a region recognised for its spectacular scenery. The sheer physical beauty of Dunedin, dramatic bush-covered hills and valleys at the head of a long natural harbour, attracted Maori settlers to the site over four centuries ago
Dunedin - Taieri Gorge Railway
. Then, in 1848, Scottish migrants established a town here, giving it the ancient name of Edinburgh. Thirteen years later gold was discovered about 120 kilometers inland, in Central Otago, and the small settlement of Dunedin became the centre for the nation's wealth. Soaring cathedral spires, a magnificent Flemish-style railway station, fine banks and office blocks, a nineteenth-century castle, old university buildings and a neo-gothic convent are among the city's architectural treasures. The Otago Peninsula which lies within the city boundaries has internationally renowned wildlife reserves, including a rare Albatross breeding ground and Yellow-Eyed Penguin colonies. As i was not apt for hanging out in the city, I decided to take a train ride on the Taieri Gorge Railway. The Taieri Gorge Limited runs from the Dunedin Railway Station through the Taieri River Gorge to Pukerangi.Leaving Jo and Dunedin behind, i headed north to Chirstchurch to visit with my servas host Leith, a former ESL teacher. Leith, her chinese student Ray and I attended the CC symphony which performed their first 2005 concert South to Antarctica. The NZ prime minister, helen Clark, also attended.
