I couldn’t/didn’t sleep but an hour the night before my flight to Brisbane, Australia. No doubt it was because I had to wake up at 3am for the earliest shuttle to the airport to ensure I made the Jetstar check-in (which closes 60 minutes before international flight departures) for my 6:15am flight. I passed [...]

New Zealand surpassed my expectations, and while at times tiring and fast-paced, I would not trade my experiences for the world!
Highlights –

canyoning outside Auckland
haka dance in Maketu
volcanic mud bathing in Rotorua
Tongariro Crossing
trivia night in Wellington
bone carving in Barrytown
heli-hiking Franz Joseph glacier
cinema at Lake Wanaka
Christmas Eve dinner in Queenstown
jetboating
canyong swing
New Years Eve celebration in [...]

Thanks to everyone for voting on which song was my most played after 3 weeks on the road.  I was surprised to see Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” come from behind recently to list as #1 with 12 votes, thus overtaking “Free” by Phish.
Of course neither came close to “Snow” by the Red Hot Chili [...]

After a month of travel, and 3 weeks of trying to keep up with the STRAY backpacker bus schedule, I was ready to settle in Christchurch for the remaining 5 nights of my stay in New Zealand, and to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
Christchurch is the second largest city in the country after Auckland, however with [...]

Date: Thursday, December 27, 2007
Mission: Shotover Canyon Swing
Statistics: 360 feet high (109 meters), 200-foot freefall (60 meters), 650-foot arc (200 meters), 93 mph (150 kph)

6 am – Unintentionally awoken by departing dormmates
9:15 am – Evacuate bladder
9:18 am – Shower
9:50 am – Evacuate bowels
10 am – Eat light breakfast – toast [...]

 
The photo isn’t from my New Year’s celebration (in Christchurch), however it fits the holiday well enough.  I celebrated Stephanie’s birthday in Franz Joseph along with a bunch of other STRAY bus backpackers.
Cheers to 2008!

Life in Queenstown returned to normal the day after Christmas. Unlike probably any other town in the world, this meant a zillion tour operators began shuffling people to face their fears jumping the 130+ meter Nevis bungy (world’s 2nd highest), skydiving from 15,000 feet, riding the world’s highest swing (109 meters), and a variety [...]

Upon leaving Franz Joseph, we took in a scenic view of New Zealand’s Southern Alps from Lake Mattheson. On a good day, you’re suppose to be able to see a great reflection of the mountains (including Mt. Cook) because the lake is well protected. Unfortunately it was overcast when we were there.

Another scenic [...]

Spending a full day (6 hours ice time) hiking on the Franz Joseph Glacier on the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island was something I’d been looking forward to for months. It was fully my intent to do the full day hike, however…
About 3 days after I had completed the Tongariro Crossing [...]

I paid for the good times in Wellington on my travel day to the South Island. I was up around 6am, took a 7am shuttle to the quay, and set sail aboard the 8:30am ferry to New Zealand’s South Island.
The ferry ride was rather uneventful, and I spent a few minutes lounging in a [...]