Wanaka/Queenstown n South

"The south of the south island is all about scenery. Mountains are covered in lush forest and snuggle up to one another like sleeping giants. Between them plunge undisturbed fiords that harbour treasure-troves of sea life. Windswept beaches stretch lazily across a coastline that snakes into countless bays." -Lonely Planet

My perspective:
The south of the south island is breathtaking. There are mounatins covered in luscious greenery & blooming foliage and filled with the smallest of birds with the biggest callings. Spring is in the air at eye level but let your eyes drift toward the sky and you still get freshly coated snow capped mountains! What lies at the foot of these mountains are prestine rivers and creeks that harbour the sea life but not so much of the traffic and activity we have grown accustomed too. It is a spectacular site to take in- untouched beaches and no sign of destruction to be had. This is a magnificent island that seems to have kept its secret. Although tourism is growing, the land is not changing. The local kiwi's are thrilled to share their home and believe every town, no matter if the population is 40 or 25,000, is 'sweet as'. I'd have to agree.....

So- Queenstown is truely NZ's adventure capital. One can choose to paraglide, sky dive, bungy jump, jet boat, fly a plane, take a helicopter ride, sledge (white water rafting on a boogy board), ski/snowboard, luge and/or swing in a canyon if their heart so desired. I opted to try the luging and what a riot!!!! Germany vs. the States is how I rolled and it was surely a close competition. When all was said in done though, I think my friend Laura and I did more laughing than keeping score. To safe a few bucks (b/c I'm in the mood for fine foods and samplings of lovely wine(which we make room for almost daily) I found much excitement in hiking up the top of the hill and doing some yoga in the woods all by myself (and I mean by myself----nothing but a bird for an hour). Oh how you can forget why we go on vacations in the first place......

Some time to myself and a little relaxation came with my loop around the south-south. 1st I started by gladly hoping off the bus in Wanaka. It is thought to be similar to Queenstown but without the boost. It stole my heart with it's crisp fresh mountain air, clean streets pumping with dub from all the local art boutiques, and vineyards that surrounded the lake. It was a place I will return to and recommend to anyone who will listen.

Too soon I was speding more time on the bus traveling through gorgeous streets you'd think were only in fancy car commercials. To Milford Sounds which provided a lovely boat cruise that took us through a fiord carved out by a glacier back in the day. Today it is filled with overflowing waterfalls and the scenery described above. The cool thing about this boat trip is that it let you get up close and personal with a couple of these beauties...... check out photo.

Next came a couple of towns that I couldn't really get a grip on. Places where the population truely was around 200 and you could walk the main street in about 2 minutes. On the plus side, the star viewing from the southern hemisphere..... breathtaking!! Shooting stars to be had on 5 minute intervals.
(although Laura (pictured above while luging in Queenstown) tried to photograph this spectical; the photo is unfortunatly not available.....ha; you can guess why)

Also to note was the weather. I definitely could tell that the next stop was Antartica!! The wind wipped through you and in the morning you would always find a fresh coating of snow on the mountains that rose above the city limits. The chill didn't keep me away from checking out some wicked surf and spotting sea lion along the way. Sadly, no piguins came to play. So yea, the weather was pretty cool to experience but it was a day for the park when we got back to Queenstown for 21 degree sunshine. Anyone know the conversion? Regardless, the sun was welcomed and the shorts were pulled from the bottom of my pack. Ahhh...nice to know that maybe, just maybe, I did pack appropriately. Moving north should help the situation.

So, I'm on my way back up via the east coast. I am sad to put the west coast behind me but I already have my return trip planned out. (For anyone planning, @ this point I recommend Wellington-Queenstown via the west coast but not to rush through the north of the south island. Time to be spent on the treks, beaches and caves along the way) It feels rather yummy in my tummy to be making the loop though b/c that brings me closer to home. I know, I know.... have you ever...... it is true though- my heart feels love in the States. The traveling and the adventures are not to seize but it's time to share them-- Mark my love, has a spot right by my side! He deserves mad props b/c he's been there and it is evident that he loves even the crazy lady that lives inside of me. He cares about my dreams and my days. He loves me and is teaching me LOVE along the way. So, all the way on the other side of the world and this is my lesson-- Distance does make the heart grow fonder. So much so that nothing else really seems as appealing!