So I may have been wrong with the sign off on my last post. Lake Mahinapua was not my final stop before Queenstown. To be honest it was quite a rushed few days. Plus I'm writing this a month after it happened because I've been slacking when it comes to sharing my tales.
Lake Mahinapua was responsible one of my worst hangovers of all time. Thankfully there is a mean breakfast of all you can eat bacon and pancakes. As we all know, nothing curse a hangover like bacon and carbs. The journey to Franz Josef was painful to say the least. However upon our arrival the gods decided to provide mercy with an all you can eat pizza buffet in the evening. Now I'm not a man known for his religious beliefs but two all you can eat affairs in the same day is nothing short of a divine miracle. A special mention goes to the big man Karl for consuming 20(maybe 21) pieces of pizza, I only did 18 as I wanted to actually enjoy my evening 🙄
What can we tell you about the big man Franz? Well he's a glacier, but not just any glacier, the only (if I remember correctly) glacier in a rainforest. Now you can't tell me that's not cool? It is also one of the best places in the world to skydive. The wonderful Dayna, my Canadian partner in crime for the duration of NZ partook and I can confirm on her behalf it is fucking awesome! Sadly my pockets weren't deep enough to facilitate a skydive so we gathered a crew to hike up to Franz himself. There was a moment when we were hiking that I noticed I only seemed to be travelling with only girls. A special shout out goes to the following ladies; Dayna, Holly, Katy and Rosie.
The walk through the valley was excellent, the sheer size of the glacier and the surrounding area is awe inspiring. This felt more like Lord of The Rings than Mt Doom. One thing I must say is that if you're going to visit, it might be better in winter as you can't really get close enough to the glacier itself.
There is now a very important thing to mention. I met an absolute legend called Ania who pointed out that Fox Glacier has no foxes, naturally I went to check. I can confirm there are no foxes and urge NZ govt to look into this case of false advertising.
Next on the hit list is one of my favourite places in not just NZ but the whole world thus far. Burritos, Mountains, Skiing (in season), a tree in the middle of a lake, delicious ice cream and another bloody glacier! It's Wanaka baby! That's right we managed to see 3 glaciers, climb 3 mountains and eat 3 of the best burritos in a very short time in Wanaka. It has got a very chilled vibe with a huge lake and surrounded by mountains. Without a doubt one of the most beautiful town's I have ever been to. You arrive and immediately feel happy, or at least I did. In and around Wanaka there's lots of me talk about a man called Roy. Who Is Roy? Why is he so popular? What's he ever done for me? There's Roy's Peak and Rob Roy's Glacier, two of the more prominent attractions bearing his name.
Going on a trip like this is about trying new things. So with this in mind I lost my hammock virginity, boy that was special! But it wasn't just about hammocks. For the very first time I hitchhiked. If you've been to NZ you may already know that literally everybody travelling hitch hikes. The noble Kiwi and even foreigners are happy to hand out a lift to people popping a thumb. This provides us with transport to many of our hikes as they're always just a little too far out of town. Guess who found out who Roy was as well!?!! I'm sure you can guess, it was me and Dayna. Whilst hitch hiking to Rob Roy's glacier we asked a very knowledgeable and cool Kiwi guy, "What's up with all the stuff named after Roy?" It turns out he was an explorer and general legend in the area who climbed most of the local mountains before anybody else.
Before we move on to Queenstown, I need to talk to you about Burritos in Wanaka. There is no better burrito in NZ, maybe even the southern hemisphere than Burrito Craft and their Pulled Pork number. Also the new hot sauce, Trinidaddy Longlegs was lit!
Queenstown. What can I say about Queenstown? It's a very special place, that my h is for sure. In my head it had been built up to be this huge city of gluttonous debauchery and extreme sports. It turns out the debaucherous side is true, as is the extreme sports. However it's really quite a small place, but boy is it beautiful. I can't tell you how magical in words so there are photos to attempt to do the majesty of this fair town justice. Like Wanaka, QT is surrounded by mountains and perched on beautiful lake. Whilst Wanka is the place you would want to live, QT is the place to party, it is a magnetism and the energy is palpable on arrival.
Burgers, Beers, Babes, Bondage and Backgammon. Well, I witnessed all apart from the last two which I understand are available in QT. Whilst I didn't partake in any debaucherous acts whilst playing Backgammon I did use QT as a base for travelling to see the "8th Natural Wonder of the World" and also to climb one of New Zealand's best peaks. Ben Lomond is a great hike and in my opinion the best peak in NZ. You've got Mount Aspiring National Park on one side, The Remarkable's (A quite remarkable mountain range) and the beautiful Lake Wakatipu. Truly and awe inspiring spectacle, which I was struggling to conquer if it wasn't for my able bodied companion's whom I'd been drinking to excess with the night before. A special thanks to Kezia and Karl for making sure I didn't bottle it half way and conquered that big ol' mountain.
You're now probably wondering what is the 8th Natural Wonder in the world? Well as you may already by aware the Kiwi's are a fiercely proud nation. So if they think they've got something good, they will let you know. Milford Sound is really spectacular. Small caveat however, it's not actually a sound. It is in fact a fiord! I could explain the difference or I could direct you to this handy link. The drive to Milford alone is spectacular, you go through what is fondly known as the valley of a thousand waterfalls and it's really really awesome. I even had one of those "Wow I'm really here doing this" moments that you get travelling and it was really excellent. The weather is a big deciding factor when booking Milford. It nearly always rains there and we were super fortunate to get the best day in ages! However with some rain the valley of a thousand waterfalls would be even better.
The one problem with Queenstown is the number of great food establishments to relieve you of your hard earned cash. Fergburger, Fergburger, CookieTime, Devil Buger, Taco Medic and I even had a KFC simply because they had a double burger. All were incredible to eat and I could see myself gaining many kilo's eating all that shit erry'day!
The end of my NZ affair is coming thick and fast with a quick stop in Christchurch before back to Auckland and away to South America. Christchurch is a city with heaps of potential but after the terrible earthquake they suffered it's still a work in progress with many severely damaged buildings still. Thankfully when you've got an old mate from Harrogate there he can keep you on the right path and show you the ropes. Jamie Grant is a legend in his own lifetime and if you don't know him you should get to. We spent a day mooching around the city drinking beer and looking at what Christchurch used to have and what it will have in the future. I also managed to squeeze in a music festival called Electric Avenue. Saw some good people, saw some not so good people but had a banging day nevertheless. David Dallas is the best rapper New Zealand has FYI.
Before I left though, there was one thing on my NZ bucket list to be ticked off. A bloody rugby game! I got to see the mighty Chief's of Waikato destroy the Blue's, their bitter rivals. I even got to witness a Waikato legend in action, the infamous Possum. A Chief's fan who used to rev a chainsaw whilst atop a cherry picker every time the Chief's scored a try. Sadly he's been relegated to the stand's now but is by no means quiet.
I love New Zealand a lot. It's so much like home but just a touch better in most areas.
It's been a pleasure New Zealand, see you soon.
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