Favorite Memories from my New Zealand trip!

"The traveler must be born again on the road, and earn a passport from the elements, the principle powers that be for him." --Henry David Thoreau

I know this blog post is well overdue, but I had a difficult time trying to write this. I traveled New Zealand for 3 weeks, and I did not know how to shove all of my stories and experiences into a blog post (and if I did, that post would never end). This blog post was also difficult to write because I knew once I wrote this blog, my trip has officially been over. I did not want to come to terms that my travel adventures have ended, but I really want to share my experiences.

So I present: My Favorite Memories from New Zealand

I was mistaken for a Hobbit

When I was exploring the North Island, I had the chance to take a tour through the Hobbit movie set! I watched all 3 LoTR movies with my friend Micki back in 2016, and after seeing those movies, I had to see Hobbiton in person. This was the cutest little village I've ever seen. The village had hobbit hole doors, the Green Dragon inn and lots of little man-made lakes. The rolling green hills surrounding the village were so lush filled with heaps of sheep! As I was taking pictures with the doors, a some people exclaimed "Hey! Look! a Hobbit!" and pointed my way. Ah yes, this was the epitome of short jokes, and I deeply appreciate the humor from those random people!

 

 

Waitomo Caves

Have you seen those videos on Facebook that talked about the amazing glow worm? Well there is a cave in Waitomo that are filled with these interesting little bugs. Pia, one of my friends I met on the bus, and I went on a 3 hour tour in the cave. On this tour, we wore wet suits and used inner tubes to float down the river through the caves. The glow worms, hanging from the cave ceiling, looked just like stars in the sky --an amazing sight to see! Turns out, the reason why they glow is from the bioluminescence components of the bug's poop. Also we jumped off a small waterfall and had to find our way out of the cave in the complete dark! This was a tour I will never forget!

Jumping off the Jetty

On the kiwi bus, our bus driver, Josh, took us to the most instagramed jetty in all of New Zealand. I mean I understand why this is such a popular jetty: crystal clear lake featuring the mountains is way too picturesque to not take a picture. At the time, I had just met Sara and Tracey on the bus, and I wanted to hang out with them and get to know them better. Josh advised the whole bus that people normally jump in the water, but is not really advised because there are eels in the lake. I wasn't keen on the idea of jumping in, because I thought it was just a hassle, and we only had 20 minutes to spend at this location. But that did not stop Tracey and Sara from wanting to jump in, and from persuading me to jump in with them. We all held hands and jumped into the frigid water (I couldn't breathe because the water was so cold). And then we jumped in again to have it on Facebook live/another video of this crazy venture. Luckily, when we jumped in, there weren't any eels nearby, but when others jumped in, the eels chased them! After jumping in twice, I turned to Sara and Tracey and said, "Y'all are crazy, but y'all are fun. I like that!" and that became the theme for the rest of the kiwi trip, doing crazy stuff and having fun doing it. And from that crazy little story grew such a strong friendship for the remainder of the trip and I am so lucky to have met them.

Kayaking in Franz Josef

While I was in Franz Josef, Tracey, Sara and I took a kayaking tour on one of the glacier made lakes. We paddled through a rare kiwi sanctuary (but did not see any kiwi birds), and the views of the surrounding mountains were so grand I was in awe the whole tour. At one point during the tour, a white bird flew by me, a white heron. In Maori culture, the white heron is known as a kotuku, is rare to see and when visited by the kotuku, that is a sign of good luck. I was lucky enough to have my picture taken with the bird in the frame. Hopefully this means that my 2018 will be lucky and have a good omen!

  

Heli-Hike in Franz Josef Glacier

When in NZ, you must hike the Franz Josef Glacier. This is a total must do activity. Tracey and I booked a tour where you first take a helicopter ride to the glacier, hike for 3 hours and then take another helicopter ride back into town. I sat in the co-pilot seat in the helicopter, where I took many great pictures of the glacier. When we arrived on the glacier, we put on our crampons for out boots, got hiking sticks and started to hike. We hiked through the switchbacks up the glacier, trying not to slip on the ice or trip over my boots. Every couple of meters I had to stop and take pictures because I thought the view kept getting better and better! Also there were two spots where we had to slide our way through small ice caves! I don't think the pictures can do it justice, the Franz Josef Glacier is more beautiful in person. Tracey and I had a great time taking pictures of each other too, making sure we got enough to document this day as a success.

 

  

Milford Sound Cruise

I normally have high expectations when it comes to my birthday, and what better way to spend my 22nd birthday than to take a cruise in the eighth wonder of the world! To start this journey, Tracey and I sat on a bus for 4 hours to get to the actual fiord. But along the way, we took a couple of stops for lunch and for great spots for pictures. When we were on the bus, we sang to the songs the bus driver played and tried to take pictures from the window.

 

 

When we approached the fiord and boarded the boat, it started to rain, but that did not deter us from experiencing this great fiord. We zipped up our raincoats and stood out on the deck in the pouring rain, trying to take good pictures and to make the most of our time. The captain of the ship told us that it rains 230 days out of the year, each year. Also, if it was a clear day, there wouldn't be any waterfalls, and let me tell you, the waterfalls were magnificent. The clouds were so low, the sky was grey and mysterious that it literally felt like I was in one of the LoTR movies. The song "I See Fire" kept playing in my head during this cruise. The captain also drove the boat underneath the waterfall, and I had to hurry to get back in the cabin because I had my camera in hand (camera + water  is not the best combination). By the end of the day, I was drenched in water. But who cares if it rained, I had my friends Tracey and Fabi with me to help me celebrate my birthday.

 

 
                        Me and Tracey                                                              Me and Fabi                        

On our way back to Queenstown, the bus driver put on the movie Matilda (there were TV's on the bus) and Tracey made a song request to play 22 by Taylor Swift. We jammed out to that song and sang at the top of our lungs! This was a birthday I will never forget.

Roy's Peak Hike

In June, I was on youtube and looking up videos about Australia and New Zealand. I knew I wanted to do some hiking, but I didn't know where some of the popular trails were. I came across this one video (link here) and within the first minute I watched the guy run on a small trail that looked like he was running on the peaks of mountains. I quickly did some research and he was at the top of Roy's Peak. This hike gained popularity through social media (especially instagram) and of course I had to do this hike. Conveniently, this hike was located in Wanaka NZ, which was one of the towns I was planning to visit. I then dug a little deeper on the internet to see what the trail is like and what I should expect when hiking, and it sounded like a walk in the park. 

This hike was not a walk in the park. When you start at the carpark, you can see that the trail is extremely steep and is not shaded whatsoever. Oh boy I thought I would not make it to the top. I hiked in 90 degF weather, no wind, no shade, with limited sections of the hike being flat. It took me around 3.5 hours to get to the top. I was so exhausted that I couldn't feel my feet or legs at some points during the hike, and it was difficult to catch my breath. But when I finally reached the top, I knew that my pain and suffering was worth the view.

If this sight doesn't bring a tear to your eye, then I don't know what will. Cause this brought some tears to my eyes, but it could've been the dirt that has been kicked up (or maybe both).

 

 

I also saw two of my friends, Wes and Dewie, from my tour bus who were also at the top, so I hung out with them for the remainder of the hike. The hike down took around 2 hours and the views still did not disappoint. We also saw lots of sheep running and frolicking through the dirt and grass. And when we arrived to the carpark, we still couldn't believe we completed the Roy's Peak Hike. This is the most beautiful hike I've ever done, the most rewarding, and my favorite (and yes, I've done many hikes before). I'm really glad that information is so accessible these days and that a short video inspired me to take this breathtaking (no pun intended) hike!

My Bungy Jump Experience!

Let me set the scene: It was a warm June day back in Chicago when I booked my bus ticket that would take me throughout New Zealand. When I told my sister, Lauren, I was going to NZ, she said that I must do something crazy. Crazy, like a bungy jump! My eyes widened and my heart rate increased. Lauren, you know I'm afraid of heights, let alone, jumping into the abyss?! And yes, she knew that, which is why she dared me to bungy jump. I'm not one to back down from a challenge so quickly, so I gave her the confirmation: I'll think about it when the time comes.

Flash forward to November 26th, the day has come where I had an opportunity to do a bungy jump, and I still haven't made up my mind. The bus driver, who helps book the tours, announced that he will pass around the sign up sheet, and I started to freak out. I was so indecisive that I called Lauren, from 8,000 miles away, to ask her what I should do. I mean, yes, I told so many people that I might do a bungy jump, but I didn't know if I had the guts to do one. Lauren told me "Just do it! You'll have so much fun!" and other encouraging words. As the phone call went on, "The Circle of Life," and "Mambo No. 5," played in the background and I knew that was a sign telling me I should jump. I then put my name on the sign up sheet and stared out the window, knowing I signed my soul away.

When I got to the jump location, I was freaking out, and the workers could tell. My hands were shaking just by signing the waiver forms and I almost walked away. But then the instructor took me to the platform, helped me put on my harness and before I knew it, I was standing on the edge, looking down, from 155 feet (47meters) above the Waikato River. I turned to the instructor, with fear in my eyes, and he told me to take in a deep breath. He counted back from 3, 2, 1 and I suddenly gained a tiny bit of courage, and well, see it for yourself.

I don't really remember jumping off the platform, but I do remember falling, well kind of. I think I had so much adrenaline in me that I forgot what even happened. But as I was helped out of my harness, I was so happy I jumped. I knew if I didn't do the jump, I would regret that choice. Would I ever do it again? Maybe. But hey, when you're in New Zealand, you just gotta do something crazy!

 


Well, like I said those were my favorite and most adventurous memories that I have from my NZ. I absolutely enjoyed my time out there, and let me say that three weeks was not enough time (I wish I could spend the rest of my days out there) but I am happy that I had the chance to meet so many amazing friends and see magnificent sights. Since this journey has come to an end, my love for travel and meeting people will always continue and inspire me to explore the rest of this world.



The world awaits!