The South Island of New Zealand has the most natural beauty I have ever seen. One moment that really did it for me was just after we swam with dolphins in Kaikoura, I went for a surf off a point break just off the costal highway. After I paddled out and duck dove some of the coldest water I have ever been in, I looked back at shore waiting for the next set. The view was stunning, a backdrop of mountains covered in fresh snow, coming down to beaches that went forever covered in smooth black stones with fur seals littered around the shores! It was sureal I surfed with an American guy and 2 guys from Chile who agreed with me that day!
We carried on in the next few days to Christchurch and stayed the weekend. The downtown area has a great feel to it. Jaclyn kept saying how much it reminded her of Europe. The large Anglican church was the star attraction with its huge courtyard area in front, where we watched this large man dressed only in a kilt swallow a sword and lay on a pile of broken glass with a large Aussie man standing on his chest! The nights we spent checking out little pubs or restaurants, or driving around looking for a place to park the van so I did'nt have to pay for a campsite!
Dunedin was a really class city as well. Again a large old Anglican Church with great architecture and the center of downtown was what they called the octagon cause of the shape the streets make. It also made for a reall cool area full of cafes and pubs. After Dunedin we traveled further south down through the Catlins. It was the most southern part of the South Island and was again visually stunning. There were signs for penguin crossings everywhere and they would come up onto the beaches at night! We next headed for the Milford Sound. We were told by everyone how great it is and we couldnt miss it. As we drove up we realized how right they were! Snow peaked mountains ran down into crystal clear lakes and lush forests that had waterfalls flowing from everywhere. We did a hike for 3 hours up into this mountain lake called Marian Lake. It was literaly breathtaking, the hike was killer and the view was too! A large lake surrounded by snow capped mountains! We spent the next day doing a kayak trip through the Milford Sound! All around us were waterfalls and glaciers up high in the mountains. We headed for Queenstown next where I did the Nevis Highwire Bungy Jump! It is 134m high and you freefall for 8.5 sec! I jumped off of a platform that was suspended between a valley by cables. There was a river below and parts of the floor were glass so you always could see just how high you were! Everybody that was jumping that day was so freaked out before the jump including me! Was one of the best thing that I have done on this trip by far! After Queenstown we stopped at 2 glaciers the Franz Joseph and Fox glaciers! Its amazing how fast they can more, some times they flow at a pace of 1 meter a day! Which isn't alot normally but for a 2 km long piece of ice its pretty cool!
We picked up Holly in Christchurch after this and started our trip north for Auckland. We stopped near Nelson at this Salmon farm where you can fish and whatever you catch the owner would clean it and smoke it with any flavor. The fishing was like fishing with dynamite, there was 8000 fish in a small pond and every cast you got one before your hook hit the water! But it was really good fish and cheap as! One night we slept by a big marina and boat launch. There we seen a flock of blue penguins nesting in the rocks right beside our van! They swam out to sea in the early morning Holly seen them go just as the sun rose! We made it to Auckland in time for Holly's flight and said goodbye to her! She enjoyed her time teaching in NZ and I'm sure she had a blast with me and Jaclyn, best ever Im assuming!
After this Jaclyn and I went to lake Taupo. We really both wanted to do a skydive, and our previous plan to skydive over the Fox Glacier had'nt panned out. We signed up to do a skydive and within 1 hour we were getting suited up to jump! We got in the plane a bright pink plane, and set off. I was strapped to a large German man named Sonkey, and crammed into this plane. Just before we jumped at 12000ft I was hanging out the door and I reached back and grabbed Jaclyn's hand. Then I asked her to Marry ME ??? and then jumped out of the plane watching her face drop like sand bags as I fell away from the plane! I then free fell for 45 sec looking at Lake Taupo below me and a large snow capped volcano called Mt Ruapehu to the south. We were floating down and I gave here the thumbs up or thumbs down signal and she gave me a big thumbs up! On the ground I asked her again and gave her a lil ring that I bought and she said....I DO.! ha she will do fine at the wedding. We spent the rest of our time in NZ working on a sheep and beef farm. The family was really friendly and cooked amazing meals! The landscape of the farm was amazing they had 1600 acres of land and it is all rolling hills and rivers. One hill you can stand on and see the 2 coasts of the Northland, the west cost, the Tasman Sea, and the east coast, the Pacific Ocean. We herded sheep and sorted bulls and did some gardening! It was great, when I say hearded sheep our first job was helping scan 1600 ewes for pregnancy. We herded all the sheep down a chute into a small pen where they scanned the udder and could tell within 30s if the animals with 1 or 2 lambs or dry or none. We separated all of them based on this, then ran them back up to the grazing fields with the help of 4 great sheep dogs. I had to say goodbye to Jaclyn shortly after the kiwi farm experience and I think it was a bit easier to say goodbye as she got to collect her engagement ring we got for her just before she boarded the plane! I am in Australia now and am up to my ears in things I am doing that I should tell you all about ......but......Im too busy doing them ! ha This year has gone by at jet speed! But I will have a few more entry's before my tour is done!
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