Kia Ora friends! Welcome to my sixth (and hopefully final) travel log featuring my adventures visiting the South Island (Te Waipounamu) of New Zealand. This post will be a bit longer, but will conclude my extended travel log.
A quick recap, if you haven't been following along...I just returned from traveling to New Zealand with my momma and second dad for an adventure-filled few weeks. We arrived in Christchurch a few days before meeting up with our tour group to hike the South Island for a couple weeks. There were eleven of us, plus one guide. We traveled daily in a Sprinter van to grand locations throughout the South Island and experienced some incredible trails, scenery and excursions.
After our day at Doubtful Sound and our final evening in Te Anau, we packed up the following morning and headed to the Kepler Track (another one of New Zealand's "Great Walks") for a 6+-mile hike. This was a secluded, magical beech forest hike with glimpses of Lake Te Anau...incredible ferns and lush vegetation surrounded the track with moss-covered branches, stumps and mounds...a truly remarkable trail (I believe this one was the favorite of both my parents). At a clearing, we walked down to the beach, where we watched and listened to the boisterous paradise ducks (pūtangitangi). After this truly enjoyable hike, we made our way to Kinross Winery, outside of Queenstown for a wine tasting and lunch. After a delicious lunch (I had Martinez Chorizo and Chili Pizza) and sampling some of best wines NZ has to offer, we started the drive to Aoraki/Mount Cook. We stopped at a perfect roadside viewing area to photograph a very visible Mount Cook...then headed on to our accommodations for the next couple nights in Tekapo. After checking in at the hotel we had dinner and I took a quick walk around the area...
The next morning, after breakfast at the hotel, it was time for another grand adventure - a heli-hike! Dan had signed the two of us up for a heli-hike on the Tasman Glacier. Many in my inner circle know that I am obsessed with mountain climbing (especially Everest) and read/watch everything I can get my hands on related to the subject. I know that many world-renowned climbers use Mount Cook as a training ground for climbing Everest, so I was really excited about this day. We met our guide (Charlie) in Mount Cook Village and took a van to the local airport for the helicopter ride to the glacier. Once on the glacier, we put on crampons and explored...and we found several ice caves. This was such an incredible experience - made even more special by the fact that I was able to do it with Dan (my second dad). To be up close and personal with Mount Cook was truly a breathtaking experience for me! I also enjoyed filling my water bottle with cold glacial water. After taking the helicopter back to the airport and the van back to Mount Cook Village - we had a quick lunch on the go, as we met up with the other tour guests and boarded a bus for the Glacier Explorers Trip. The bus took us to the Tasman Valley, where we had a 30-minute hike through Mount Cook National Park - then we boarded a custom boat for a scenic glacier tour. We tasted ice crystals from the icebergs while our guide shared a plethora of information with us - it was a really interesting tour. After the hike back to the bus and a quick drive back to Mount Cook Village, we had dinner at the swanky Hermitage Hotel....followed by a drive back to our hotel in Tekapo.
The following morning, we set out on our last hike on the Lake Tekapo Peninsula Walkway. We started in the Tekapo Village and hiked along the shoreline - crossed the stunning 125 meter MacLaren footbridge to the Church of the Good Shepherd (one of the most photographed churches in the world - situated on the shores of Lake Takapō amongst the natural beauty of the lake and the mountains, this church was built to the glory of God and as a memorial to the pioneers of the Mackenzie Country using materials found within a five-mile radius). This was a peaceful hike, with surprising amounts of wildflowers (lupine) and a breathtaking view of the lake and surrounding mountains. Following the hike, we visited a completely automated restroom - an ExeLoo - it was the talk of the day. I took a fun video, but it is not quality enough to post on my blog (there are several videos on YouTube that are similar). We then started on our journey back to Christchurch (where we started two weeks earlier). We stopped in Geraldine for a delicious lunch at the Foodstore Eatery (I had Warm Noodle Salad with Teriyaki Salmon) and a little window shopping...AND I found an open quilt shop (The Pin Tin). Our next stop was in Ashburton at the Ashford Store (a textile store carrying a full range of Ashford Wheels and Looms along with a range of quality New Zealand knitting and specialty yarns)…and there was a lovely coffee shop...and beautiful rose/flower gardens. After reaching Christchurch, we dropped several travelers at the airport, said our goodbyes, and then we were dropped at our hotel. My mom and I decided to walk to grounds and the area and then have a perfect dinner of salad and soup (fresh tomato).
On our final day in Christchurch, we visited the International Antarctic Centre and it was so much fun! We rode the Hägglunds, did the cold water challenge, endured the storm room (where we rode snowmobiles and I got inside an igloo), met some very intelligent sled dogs and learned all about Antarctica. We had special VIP Penguin passes, so after a penguin feeding, we got to go behind the scenes and learn all about the penguin rehabilitation center.
…and that concluded our trip to the South Island. It was then time to fly to Auckland, then fly to LAX, then fly to Chicago, then take a bus to Rockford and then drive to Davis, IL (where I stayed at my parent's house)…then it was time for a drive to the Amtrak train station, a very delayed train ride to Kansas City, where my husband happily picked me up for the drive home. All in all, about 40 hours of travel for me, each way...but the time with my parents, the scenery, the adventures and the memories were well worth it!
Since arriving home, I have been down with a terrible case of the flu - at the time of this writing (several days before posting), I still have a deep chest cough and sore throat...I'm sure all the travel and my stress level just elevated it. I have pretty much been down for the count since my return. I had grand plans of new cross stitch releases by now, but plans change...I will be back soon with new releases AND my 2022 Cross Stich Christmas Ornament. Thanks for visiting!
