Hiking, Bungy Jumping and Relaxing

Thanks for the comments on the last blog posting. We get very excited about the comments, so please keep it up.

New Zealand was number one on my (Klas) list of countries to visit and I was not disappointed. The past month has been a blast with all of the hiking, recreational activities and beautiful scenery. We definitely plan to go back there in the near future.

Hiking on the Milford Track: One of the 'Great New Zealand Walks'
The Milford Track walk was amazing. We have wanted to do this track for a long time and it was one of the highlights of our travels this last year. According to the "locals" we did not get to see Milford at its best since it did not rain during our 4 days of hiking, but I can assure everyone that we were not complaining about it. The one thing we and many others complained about was the people snoring in the huts, which we shared with up to 20 people. The first morning I woke up to the World Championship in snoring, it was ridiculous, and the following nights weren't really any better. One night, a few people ended up sleeping in the kitchen and one person outside. I think you get the point. Next trip I will bring a water pistol and fill it with cold water.

Speaking about cold water...on the second day of the hike, we took a dip in a creek since there were no showers provided. It felt really cold and we later found out that the temperature was close to zero degrees Celsius. Talk about shrinkage effect.

The one thing that did go wrong during the hike was that our camera stopped working early on the second day. We did not drop it or bang it. It simply decided to stop working. Luckily Tom and Monika, who happen to live in Sydney, were on the track and they offered to send us their photos. They also ended up taking some photos with the both of us in them which was really nice of them. We are looking forward to getting together with them when we are in Sydney. We also met a German couple, Lars and Manya, and English Nick. We had fun hanging out with this group after finishing hiking each day. It was nice to meet people who have some similar interests.

After finishing the track, we went on a cruise in Milford Sound, which was very beautiful. By the way, Milford Sound is actually a fjord (formed by sea invading a glacial valley) not a sound (formed by sea invading a river valley).

Here are some photos from the track and Milford Sound...thanks to Tom and Nick for some of the photos.


At the beginning of Milford Track with bags weighing 15 kilograms/33 pounds and 54 kilometres/33.5 miles ahead of us


So far, so good


Clinton Hut on the first night


Various views on the track


Yay, we finished. Here we are at the end of the track at Sandfly Point with Tom, Monika and lots of sandflies...quick, take the photo.


Milford Sound - the cliffs were huge but it's hard to tell in this photo


With Lars and Manya on Milford Sound

Canyoning and Bungy Jumping in Queenstown
Once back in Queenstown, we rested for a day before going canyoning. Canyoning involves abseiling, flying fox, and jumping off rock ledges into pools of water. It was pretty awesome, but after 2 hours in 6 degree Celsius water we were ready to be back at our hostel.

I stopped for a bungy jump (see video) on the way out of Queenstown. This activity was not on the original list of activities to try, but I guess I got inspired. I think Melissa was more nervous than I was before the jump, but I have to admit that it was a little scary once I was falling vertically upside down. The feeling afterwards though was awesome.


Ready to go canyoning


Klas bungy jumping


Check out the tourists taking photos of the jumper

Click here for bungy jumping video

Finally We Relax...

We took it pretty easy the last few days. After leaving Queenstown, we made a quick stop at Mount Cook on our way to Lake Tekapo, where we stayed for 2 nights. The Lake Tekapo area is pretty and the colour of the lakes in the area is something special.

Our last stop was Akaroa, which might be the prettiest area we have seen during all of our travels. We really enjoyed relaxing here for 2 days before heading to Christchurch for our flight to Sydney. We were also able to swim with the Hector's dolphins, which was really cool.

We are now in Sydney where we will relax, hang out with family and catch up with some friends.


Lunch stop on the way to Lake Tekapo


Akaroa, Banks Peninsula


Swimming with dolphins in Akaroa

Kayaking, Hiking and Ice Climbing

The fun has continued on our tour through New Zealand. We've been on the south island the past week. The ferry ride from Wellington (north island) to Picton (south island) was a bit choppy but since then the weather has been pretty good.

The highlights of our last week have been a two-day kayaking and hiking trip through the Abel Tasman National Park, which has a beautiful coast line, as well as ice climbing on the Franz Josef Glacier. As in the last post, it is easier to describe the details of these activities through photos.


Sun dial at the Botannical Garden in Wellington - Do you like Klas's pose? This sun dial was unique to us but worked well. You have to stand at the date indicated on this loop with your back facing the sun and put your hands up in the sky. Then the shadow indicated the time of day. Guess what time it was here.


Kayaking along the coast of the Abel Tasman National Park (N.P.)


We stayed on a boat in the Abel Tasman N.P. It was pretty crammed as you can see. Our bed was in the bottom in the far right corner. We had a really fun time as there was an Irish guy on the boat who could sing and play the guitar. The people camping on the shore wished they were on the boat with us as they could hear the music and all of us singing into the night.


Klas jumping into the water off the top of the boat


This is the view that we woke up to in the morning. The sea was calm and the beach was quiet. It was very peaceful.


Torrent Bay in Abel Tasman N.P.


From the nice sun in the Abel Tasman N.P. to the cold...here we are hiking on the Franz Josef Glacier


Then we learned how to climb on the ice. This wall was approximately 12 metres high.


Klas climbing up the Glacier


Video of me (Melissa) climbing up the Glacier


Taking a break...


Check out the blue ice on the Glacier


We felt good after a successful day of ice climbing


Passing Lake Hawea on our drive to Queenstown

Now we are in Queenstown preparing for our 4-day hike on the Milford Track next week. We'll let you know how it goes...