Adrenaline Rush Capital of the World - Queenstown Pt. I

The skydive in Wanaka was just a warm-up for the next couple of days. We were now headed for Queenstown -- the self-proclaimed Adrenaline Capital of the World. Queenstown began as a gold rush town in the late 1800s but it truly became world renowned when A.J. Hackett started the first commercialized bungy jump on the Kawarau Bridge over river of the same name in 1988.

The Kawarau Bridge jump was our first stop on the way into Queenstown. We watched a video that tried to convince us to willingly tie a giant elastic band to our ankles and throw ourselves off a bridge. No one signed up to do the bridge jump, but a couple signed up to the do the Nevis bungy which is the highest in Australasia at 134 m. Unfortunately you can't watch that one, but we did witness a couple brave souls jump at Karawau.

After our brief stop at Karawau, it was into Queenstown to get situated and figure out what I was going to do for the next couple days. Did I want to swing myself through a canyon? Maybe jump off a ledge high above Queenstown? Go skiing? Snowboarding? The options were endless and expensive. It would cost about $50 000 to do everything there is to do in Queenstown and surrounds. I, fortunately, did not spend nearly that much, but I definitely spent enough. I chose to be less daredevilish than most and signed up for some skiing at Cardrona the next day and a jet boat and the flying fox the day after. Once I got myself sorted, it was off to get my head around the layout of Queenstown and eat supper at the famous FergBurger just down the street from the hostel. When you go to Queenstown, FergBurger is a must. The burger is about the size of a dinner plate. DO NOT order fried. You're not gonna finish them. Fantastic.

Walking around Queenstown is a visual overload. It is built on the shore of Lake Wakatipu. Wakatipu is the name of giant from a Maori legend. He was tricked into falling asleep and then burned by a Maori warrior so he could save the princess. The burning of his body left the person-shaped hole that filled with water to create the lake. The lake also 'breathes', its level rising and falling every half-hour. This seems to be caused by atmospheric pressures and the strange shape of the lake.

The lake is surrounded by mountain peaks, the most famous being the Remarkables (seen below). These mountains have been seen in such movies as Lord of the Rings (the Misty Mountains) and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. At sunset on a perfect day, they change color and make a spectacular sight.

After some shopping and a walkabout around Queenstown, it was time to go rent my skis and get ready for my big day on the slopes of Cardrona.

It was a beautiful day, though a bit windy. Lack of snow in New Zealand made it really icy too. It made it really difficult to show off my sick moves -- or lack of on the skating rink that was Cardrona. I was very proud of the fact that I didn't fall once or hurt myself in any way. All in all, the opportunity to enjoy snow again (even if it was in July) after 18 months made it worthwhile. That, and the scenery the took your breath away around every turn. Nothing like a day on the ski hill with a German, 2 Irish and a couple Canadians.

Sarah, Katerina and Eva

After a long day on the ski hill, trying hard to not slide down the hill face first, it was time to get our groove on during the Big Night Out pub crawl. Most of our Stray crowd joined the pub crawl as it would be the last night we were all together. Some of us were headed back North and some of us were headed south to Milford Sound for a couple days. 10 bars in 6 hours with free pizza on the way. Where could you go wrong?

Eva, Casey, Katerina, Grainne and Scott

Setting the bar on fire at SkyBar

The Ice Bar - coolest place ever (pun intended)

'Playing' a little table hockey

We are Canadian, at home in an ice booth

Who knew that you could find the Stanley Cup in New Zealand?

Yeah. I really don't know what I was thinking other than licking
a giant ice penguin seemed like a good idea at the time.

The next morning it was time for my jet boat ride through the Shotover Canyon. The boat moves at speeds of 85 kph and at some points, the captain spins the boat 350 degrees. The canyon walls seem close together in the photos, but they are actually wider so once you're in the boat and flying through the canyon, the danger seems a little less. It was fun, but not the adrenaline rush that is advertised, or maybe I just lost some of the thrill after jumping out of a plane. Who knows?

After my morning in the boat, I spent the afternoon on Bob's Peak. I took the Skyline Gondola up to the top and took some time to walk around the top and check out the views of Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables. There was also time to see people flinging themselves off the Ledge, the AJ Hackett Bungy located 400 m above Queenstown. This bungy experience is different as they hook the bungy around your midsection instead of around your feet. This means you can flip, spin, run, karate kick or any other unique jump you can think of. You can also do the jump at night. I myself did not experience this, but I enjoyed watching complete strangers.

The Remarkables with Queenstown in the foreground

The Ledge

After watching people strapped to harness, strapped to a giant elastic band, it was time to strap myself into a harness and onto a wire and glide myself through the forest back to Queenstown on the Flying Fox. Coincidently, one of the guides was a Canadian from Whistler. As we made our way down the mountain, we learned alot about the history of Queenstown and the ecological impact of the Maori, the Europeans and the tourist industry on the area. Most of the trees are transplanted North American trees like Douglas Fir.I had a great time flinging myself backwards and upside down and as a cannonball. 

By the time I got to the bottom, I had time to grab a Fergburger, meet the Stray Bus travellers for a drink before packing my bags and getting ready for my departure to Milford Sound the next morning.

Wanaka Go Skydiving? I will if you will

The rainy weather that postponed my skydiving adventure followed us through the Haast Pass towards Wanaka.  This did not detract from the spectacular views along the way. It seemed that every bridge we crossed had a waterfall nearby and every corner a new view. The clouds and mist made everything look otherworldly. We made a quick stop at Knights Point Lookout for just one of the many picturesque views. One view we did miss out because of the rain was the mirror effect on Lake Matheson, again leaving me with something that I'll have to someday come back and visit.

Knights Point Lookout

Another misty valley

 Our next stop was at Thunder Creek Falls. It is a 28 m waterfall that falls into the Haast River. The coolest thing about this waterfall is the visual effect that happens when you stare at bottom of the waterfall for a long period of time. When you look up after about 20 seconds it looks like the trees are moving up the mountain.

Thunder Creek Falls

Just one more beautiful view

 As we got closer to Wanaka, the mountains got taller and the views even more spectacular. We stopped at Lake Hawea (a man made lake) which is surrounded by snow capped peaks. The sun began to peek out through the clouds, highlighting the greys, greens, whites and blues that make up New Zealand's palette.

A common view on the Stray Bus

A white-tailed deer farm in New Zealand

We arrived in Wanaka to blue skies mid-afternoon. This gave me enough time to check out Puzzle World. This museum would make M.C. Escher proud. It is full of optical illusions and gives you opportunities to create your own (like the one above). I had a great time playing, especially when I got into the labyrinth. As frustrating as it was, I was able to make it to all 4 towers, and then get myself out of there. All within an hour.

Just can't ever get away from school

The labyrinth - half of it anyway

I'm really standing straight

Lake Wanaka

That evening I watched "Salmon Fishing in Yemen" at one of the coolest movie theatres I have ever been to. There were no theatre seats. It was all couches and armchairs and beanbag chairs. Also, you could order food (like pasta, pizza, steak, etc.) before the movie started and then there was an intermission where you got to eat. All movie theatres need to start doing this. It was awesome.
After the movie, it was time for a karoake contest. Stray vs. Kiwi Experience. We won on the beautiful vocal stylings of Catherine Platt as she sang "You Shook Me All Night Long". I also took my turn to sing "Bitch" with Jennae. Not gonna lie, a lot of that evening was spent trying to forget that I again had convinced Scott and Jennae to go skydiving. I spent most of the night tossing and turning and questioning my sanity.

The next morning, I packed my bags (possibly for the last time), put them into storage and tried not give into the nerves that were beginning to build. Jennae, Scott and I piled into the van to watch a video that made our idea to jump out of a plane seem like a good idea. Then they gave us waivers that literally signed our lives away. Soon after, we arrived at the airfield and it was time to get ready for the jump of (for?) our lives.

I'm going to let the pictures tell the story.

Getting suited up

My super "funny" jumpmaster and I. He spent most of the
time trying to make me laugh, at one point pretending that my
harness was too big, just as we were taking off.

Our jump area

Scott ready to fall out the door

The scariest moment of the dive. There is nothing like watching
a person just fall out the open door of a plane at 12, 000 feet.

"Holy --it!" is all I could really think at this point with my
feet hanging out the door 12, 000 feet above the earth

Here we go! Pretty sure my eyes are closed.

Safe landing

The intrepid adventurers and their plane

After the jump, legs still shaking and mind still blown, it was time to head back to town to catch our bus towards the adrenaline capital of the world -- Queenstown. 

Before getting on the bus, there was one more stop in Wanaka to be made the at the famous cafe shown below. It is famous because the coffee is pretty good, but also because of the name. WH is pronounced /F/ in Maori. See if you can figure it out.