The Eigth Wonder of the World

After Queenstown, the Stray bus cruised at last into the famous Fjordlands National Park. The wettest region, Milford Sound can reach over 250 mm of rainfall within 24 hours. The bus ride there is as beautiful as the Sound itself, with waterfalls cascading down the cliff faces.

 This was the view into the valley:





Before we boarded the ferry that would take us through the Sound, our bus driver had to maneuver the bus through a handcarved tunnel, barely wide enough to not scratch the bus roof.

Once on the ferry, the cruise was actually as breathtaking and magical as advertised. The clouds that were obscuring the view in the beginning gradually cleared up, revealing the enormity of the Sound.

Sadly, New Zealand internet refuses to let me upload pictures without painfully long loading times, so here are the best ones:

After viewing the Eigth Wonder of the World, which is unfortunately in the middle of nowhere, we spent the night in a camp without power, heating our little huts with firewood.

Many are left underwhelmed by the Sounds, as they are one of the most hyped actractions in New Zealand, but I think it's safe to say that you can't tell from just the pictures.

Definitely worth being called a Wonder of the World!

Leap of Faith

So a 20 minute bus ride from central Queenstown, there is a river, flowing through a gorge, which has a bridge running across it, which is where decades ago a couple of crazy fellas decided to jump off, a cord attached to their feet.

Thus, the Bungee Jump was born.

Guess who jumped off that very bridge today?

Yep.

There is no doubt that the ten minutes before the Bungee Jump were the worst and longest minutes of my life. But the adrenaline rush, the ground coming towards you, the pure terror and freedom of the jump - it's all completely worth it.

Other than that, I think the video says it all! One more item ticked off the bucket list!

Franz Josef

It's finally glacier time. The next day we drove towards the Franz Josef glacier, where we would be staying in a beautiful little glacier township for an extra day of ice-based activities.

With some friends I went on a brave 21km hike (there and back) to the face of the glacier. The view of the snow-capped mountains was stunning and weird at the same time, since the sun was beating down on the valley and we were hiking in our t-shirts.

You can actually hike all the way up, and I mean all the way up, to the face of the glacier. 500 m away from it, we had a lunch break.

The valley on both sides, with sharp edges and clouds wrapping around it made for an interesting view.

 Aaaaand another goddamn waterfall.

Fortunately, the clouds started coming in as we were moving away from the glacier.














On our way out of the glacier area we made a stop at Lake Matheson, a glacial lake which is so clear and so clean, you can see the Fox Glacier reflected in it. (Seriously, if I turn the pictures around, I can't tell the difference.)

Other than that, thanks for over 1000 pageviews, I never expected that much interest!

 Stay tuned for some crazy stuff. :)

Wanakaaaa

Making our way down the South Island, we drove through the beautiful Aoraki National Park, where many Lord of the Rings and Avatar scenes were filmed. No wonder, the place looks like from another world.

Next up are the Blue Pools, glacier water collecting in shockingly blue water.

And it wouldn't be Stray if the driver didn't make some of his passengers jump in.

Lake Wanaka was our last stop before reaching Wanaka City, where I would do one of the craziest activities I have ever done.

...Flying a stunt plane.

For 200 dollars, you get a thirty minute flight. The pilot takes off, lands, then leaves almost the complete flight to you. It's terrifying, exhilarating, completely insane. Not even three minutes of flying and then your hands are on the joystick.

And of course, because it's a stunt plane, the pilot teaches you to do tricks and such. That involves a barrel roll and a loop. Each trick is completed four times.

The first time, the pilot does it.

The second, you do it with his hands near the controls.

The third, his hands are on his lap, but he is talking you through it.

The fourth, he is sitting there, silent, while you fucking fly the plane into a loop, five thousand feet above Lake Wanaka.

If that doesn't fill your daily dose of adrenaline, I don't know what will.

West Coast

Due to the sheer amount of distance covered, pictures taken and activities done, I will upload the past few days in separate blog entries, be prepared!

The Stray bus follows the incredibly scenic beach highway down the West Coast of the South Island, driving over windy roads and occasionally stopping at viewing platforms.

The water is, as always, a bright turquoise color.

Then we had a stop at the Pancake Rocks, which are formed by wind and weather and end up looking like pancakes stacked up on top of one another. Sometimes the crashing waves spray up through blowholes in the rocks.

Rock formations can, in fact, be quite interesting.

Yay seal pups!

The night we stayed in Westport, which is not nearly as grand as the name suggests.

...but this only the appetizer for what is to come...

Back to the Road

After a week of WWOOFing I am just about itching to be back on the road again.

But I have learned a lot. I explored the two main (and only) attractions of the area:

The first was a one hour hike up slippery steps to a million-year-old cave system, the Rawhiti Caves. Pretty impressive.

Also pretty scary, standing right underneath them and having "WARNING: DO NOT LINGER AT CAVE ENTRANCE" signs nearby.

The second was the Grove.
This particular part right here should have Stairway to Heaven playing in the background.

 Odd stone formations made for an interesting hike.














Some beach bike rides to pass the time...

All in all, glad to be headed down for the glacier, but also a little nostalgic about this little piece of paradise in the middle of nowhere. Goodbye Pohara.

WWOOF

...as I have mentioned before is a volunteering program where Willed Workers can work on Organic Farms. Depending on your host, you can have anything between an intense working experience while living in a shed, or a bed-and-breakfast luxury stay.

I was incredibly lucky with my first WWOOFing experience.

Up in the Golden Bay, near the edge of the Abel Tasman Park, my hosts have built a Mediterranean guest-house and restaurant which they run with their two daughters and a few helpers.

I am staying for a week in my own cabin, have my own kitchen and can pick my own apples and avocados. The work is incredibly simple, just maintaining the Inn and serving the guests, occasional gardening and dish-washing, no sweat.



The beach is just two minutes from the orchard. There are caves to explore, little shops and cafés nearby...

Unfortunately we also have heavy, heavy rain that won't be clearing up for two days, so I'll be catching up on my reading and enjoying the pleasant change in privacy.

At least the rain clouds look cool running over the hills.

Here's an impression of my stay:

My little home

Their oldest daughter sleeps in this campervan (and I get the cute little cabin?)

Kept spotless by the best WWOOFer ever

The hosts have their own house on the property

Aaaand my crib from outside

Easter Kayaking

Abel Tasman National Park stretches along the north-western coast of the South Island. Crystal clear water and tropical beaches are only a walk/paddle/water-taxi away.

A Stray bus friend and I rented a two-man kayak and after a short safety briefing and a few instructions, we were already pushing our boat into the water. Other than a short comment on how far we could go and when we should be back, we had no limits.

We paddled out to a remote little beach tucked into the bay. I've had lunch in worse places.







After soaking up the view we cruised out to where our water proof map said there should be seals, hoping to catch a glimpse...












...and there they were. All dozing on the rocks, sun-basking...














One of the smaller seals hopped into the water and did some good-natured jumps next to the Kayak (which scared the hell out of us, almost dropped my camera) before disappearing in the clear blue below.












With sore shoulders and arms we returned and had a pleasant Easter campfire dinner with the rest of the Stray group.

The Windy City

...is what Wellington is known as.





Except when we arrived it was 25°C and not a cloud in the sky. I immediately fell in love with the capital of New Zealand; everything is within walking distance, lots to do and see and beaches only a ten minute walk from the city center.

One of those beaches is Oriental Bay, perfectly clean water at swimming temperature and a stunning view - right there near super markets and highways.

To see the sunset we climbed Mount Victoria, a mountain often used by by bikers for its steepness. It was a tough hike but totally worth the view.

I was catching my breath, feeling quite proud of myself, when ten army guys jogged past us, dropped to the ground, and did 35 push-ups.









Welly at night though? Amazing.

The next day we took a cable car to the botanical gardens. Winding walks lead us down into a mixture of native bush and foreign plants. Needless to say, the view from up there was stunning too.

The day was sweetened by an unexpected call from a WWOOFing host I had written to, telling me I could come work for his family for a week. They own an Inn near Abel Tasman National Park as well as farmland, and for four hours of work a day I get free food and accommodation.

I'm telling you, the day seemed twice as sunny after that.


My Wellington experience was nicely rounded up with a crazy beer pong tournament.








I only played one round, since I was taking the night ferry to the South Island at 2 AM...

...and I'd tell you all about it but since I hadn't slept the night before I was so sleep-deprived at some point, half of it didn't even register in my brain.

It's safe to say I am on the South Island now, have caught up on my sleep and am psyched to start "work" on Monday.