General Category > The Breakroom
Adventures in New Zealand
GBSfan278:
Hi Everyone!
PHOTOS!! Okay, they're all done. I tried to limit the number, lol. There are 14 albums total, so just click "View All" & you'll be able to see the rest, I hope you enjoy!
http://photobucket.com/NZAdventures
As many of you know, I just spent the most amazing 10 weeks in New Zealand for a term abroad with my university. I got home late on Friday, March 16th with a pile of pictures, stories, new friends & memories. This was the adventure of a lifetime & I had no idea you could pack a whole country into a 25 day tour! But our tour guide did & we had a blast, this was an experience I will never forget. I thought maybe some of you would like to hear a few stories from this adventure.
N.B.: Please don't feel pressured to look at every last picture, I know there are a lot!
Click "Show Content" to read about my adventure!
Show contentJan. 6th-Feb.18th: January 6th was departure day for NZ! We all gathered at Pearson Int'l Airport to depart on our flight to Dunedin, via Auckland, via San Francisco. By the time we arrived in Dunedin, it was 9am on Jan. 9th (NZT), that's mid-afternoon Eastern Time on the 8th. ;) These first six weeks were spent on the Uni of Otago's campus, living in St. Margaret's College. We took two courses with the summer school program, participated in fieldtrips & enjoyed campus life!
Feb. 18th-20th: Oamaru Trip! After completing our Ecotourism exam on the morning of Feb 18th, we departed for the city of Oamaru. About 3 hours drive north, it's a Victorian city with old architecture and a flare for Steampunk. We had a tour spread over 2.5 days, and we learned a lot!
Feb. 21st: Dunedin to Invercargill: The official beginning of the fieldcourse. We met "Burto" our guide & began our drive south to the city of Invercargill. We stopped in various locations and got our first taste of the rest of NZ.
Feb. 22nd: Stewart Island Day Trip: A ferry ride south took us to NZ's southern most point, Stewart Island. A small, fairly secluded island with few people, it has beautiful bays & beaches.
Feb. 23rd: Invercargill to Te Anau: A couple hours took us to our next destination, Te Anau. In the evening we did Glow Worm Caves (fascinating) & had some time to explore the town of Te Anau.
Feb. 24th: Te Anau to Queenstown (via Milford Sound): What an incredible journey this was! There are no words to describe the beauty that is Milford Sound. We did a 2.5 hour nature cruise & probably took over 100 photos each, this place was stunning.
Feb. 25th-26th - Queenstown: We had 2 free days to explore Queenstown, the adventure capital. A bunch of people went bungy jumping & we all went canyoning. We also had dinner atop the gondola, with a view of Lake Wakatipu & the Remarkables.
Feb. 27th - Queenstown to Wanaka: Quick trips to Puzzling World & I went Skydiving!! What a fun experience that was! 6 of us partook in that, and we had a blast. There are no words to describe the feeling of jumping (tandem) out of a plane at 15,000 feet.
Feb. 28th - Wanaka to Franz Josef Glacier: We stayed in Franz Josef, but toured Fox Glacier. I never thought I'd get so close to one, but it was so beautiful!
Feb. 29th - Franz Josef to Christchurch: We took the TranzAlpine train across the middle of the South Island, back to the east coast. It is said to be one of the world's most beautiful train rides & I don't doubt it.
March 1st - Christchurch: We visited the Antarctic Centre, and had the chance to see the earthquake damage to this beautiful little city. It was hard to see, but the city is still gorgeous.
March 2nd - Christchurch to Abel Tasman (via Kaikoura): Last destination for the South Island! In Kaikoura we went Sea Kayaking & had a fur seal swim amongst our kayaks.
March 3rd - Abel Tasman: A chance to just explore the area, as it's home to Abel Tasman National Park. For those that know they're history, Abel Tasman is the Dutch explorer responsible for the FIRST discovery of NZ.
March 4th - Abel Tasman to Wellington: Our first time to the North Island! We took the InterIslander Ferry across the Cook Strait to reach the city (and capital) of Wellington.
March 5th - Wellington: We had a free day to see the city! It's very different to the South Island, in that it's a HUGE city with actual skyscrapers, lol. We visited The Weta Cave (home to special effects for LotR & Tintin), Mount Victoria & the funky district of Cuba Street. Also was Te Papa Museum, a must see for all visitors.
March 6th - Wellington to Napier: This is known as the Art Deco Capital of the world, and it's easy to see why. It's has an air like parts of Florida, with its groovy architecture, and pastel colours.
March 7th - Napier: This was Cape Kidnappers Gannet Safari, a trip on a tractor trailer along the beach to the reserve. Yep it smells, but it was neat to see so many birds nesting in one spot.
March 8th - Napier to Rotorua: On our way to Rotorua, we stopped at Pa Harakeke and had the chance to do a native tree planting. This was an exceptional experience that I want to do again! We even got certificates, and GPS coordinates to track our trees as they grow. In the evening, we were taken to Hot Pool to soak & enjoy ourselves.
March 9th - Rotorua: We visited Whakarewarewa, a living thermal village. Rotorua is a geothermal hot spot, and home to bubbling mud pools and spa treatments galore. It is also the Maori heartland of NZ with cultural activities all over. In the evening, we participated in a hangi meal & cultural evening. This was fascinating, and the best opportunity to learn about this amazing culture.
March 10th - Rotorua to Coromandel: Our one night that we got to spend in a Resort! What an experience that was, three floors & a whole lot of room! This was just an overnight stop, with a few beach stops along the way. I've never set foot in the ocean so many times in my life.
March 11th - Coromandel to Russell: This was by far, our longest drive of the trip (around 9 hours). However, we stopped a lot (thank goodness our guide liked to stop) & again enjoyed a couple beaches. Russell is a tiny town, and NOT the centre of this part of the trip.
March 12th - Cape Reinga Day Trip: The point of staying in Russell! This was a trip the most northern tip of NZ (literally). We drove along 90 Mile Beach (beautiful coastline), stopped for lunch & another swim, went sandboarding & saw the lighthouse at Cape Reinga. It also has a directional sign post to various cities around the world (including Vancouver!).
March 13th - Russell to Auckland: Before leaving Russell, we stopped at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. This is an important thing in NZ & Waitangi Day is celebrated every year on Feb. 6th. It commemorates the day a treaty was signed between the British & the Maori. After a tour & exploration, we made our LAST drive of the trip to Auckland.
March 14th-15th - Auckland: Our last two days were spent in NZ's biggest city, Auckland. It reminded a lot of Toronto, and was a good transition before leaving. On the 15th, I even mustered up some courage and went bungy jumping off the harbour bridge & am I ever glad I did! What fun! We also went to a few more beaches, and had one final dinner together.
March 16th - Flight Home: After being shown a couple more neat areas, we were driven to the Auckland Airport to go our separate ways. Our prof went to Thailand to visit his wife & baby girl, 3 of us flew home & the other 7 were driven back to Auckland for a couple nights before heading to Australia.
Well that's it, my trip in a (rather large) nutshell! The fieldcourse portion of this trip WAS schoolwork, during weekdays we were technically in class! As my prof mentioned to us a few times, doing seminars on the beach does not compare to a boring classroom. Not a bad way to spend class if you ask me. Even tour guide wished something like this was around during his time (he was 100% kiwi & 27, a great guy).
If you guys & gals have any questions, please post them! I'd be glad to fill gaps, and answer any questions you might have. If you're curious about any places, I have links in my bookmarks that I can also post! As soon as my photos are done being uploaded, I'll post the link to the album!
CountDracula82:
I am glad you had a wonderful trip there GBS! It sounds like it was a trip of a lifetime! Thank you for sharing the pictures, I can only imagine how beautiful and breath taking it all was! Welcome back! :)
FLCruise7:
What an exciting time for you Mariko! I know that you had a great time & I'm looking forward to seeing more pictures and hearing more about your trip. Welcome home!
SusyQ151:
Welcome home GBS. You're trip sounds fascinating. The photos are wonderful. Thanks for sharing with us. <3
LittleOne:
Welcome home! Sounds totally amazing! Glad you had a blast. Those are the types of trips that you remember for a lifetime!
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