Although I was working in New Zealand for over two months, I was offshore nearly the entire time so just today began on my exploration of this little country I have heard so much about!
Despite how long I ended up working offshore here, I felt fortunate because the job provided me with the opportunity to get to and explore New Zealand. I started my adventure in Wellington where I disembarked the vessel. I didn't stay very long as, due to the length of my time at sea, my visa expiry would be coming up soon and I was keen to start exploring! I had two weeks to explore and, based on many recommendations, I decided to focus on the south island. After a short two days in Wellington I flew to Queenstown, New Zealand's adrenaline capital (think bungee jumping, jet boating, skydiving, skiing, snowboarding, hiking, biking and much more!), where I rented a car and drove to the southwest of the south island to Milford Sound where my plan was to kayak and check out a part of New Zealand which is supposed to be reminiscent of my home Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
I was told by more than one local Kiwi (I worked with many while on the vessel) I would need to be careful of my driving times given that New Zealand's roads are narrow, winding, can have lots of sheep and other livestock and the facts it takes much longer than expected to get around. The only thing is that nobody told me that the biggest thing slowing me down would be the amazing views I'd encounter around every corner! Prior to starting my adventure I was sure to check on the times I could expect me to drive from one point to the next but I soon realised that what was supposed to be a 2.5 hr drive would actually become a 5-6 hr drive for me... I couldn't help but stop and take in the views every 20 minutes!
Following are some photos of my first couple days exploring onshore New Zealand. I've already had such a fabulous time!
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| View of Wellington from my hotel room |
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| A beautiful, sunny morning stroll around Wellington |
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| Views over the south island flying toward Queenstown |
Landing in Queenstown can be a little unnerving as you fly quite close to the surrounding mountains as can be seen in the following video:
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| Views of the surrounding hills on one of my many stops on the way to Te Anau the first day | |
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| Views of Lake Te Anau en Route from Te Anau to Milford Sound |
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| Since I was traveling on my own I decided it would be fun to get photos of my self on my little adventure |
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| Having fun and feeling great! |
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| En route from Te Anau to Milford Sound |
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| En route from Te Anau to Milford Sound...with me in the pic |
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| It really was this quiet here...not many people for miles around :) |
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| En route from Te Anau to Milford Sound |
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| En route from Te Anau to Milford Sound |
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| Warning signs for bait stations with poisons to control Possums...a species introduced to New Zealand in 1837 and quickly adapted due to the lack of predators and abundance of food. Read more about Possums in New Zealand here. |
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| I went on this forested walk for a break from driving and couldn't believe how much the forest reminded me of my home in British Columbia! |
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| This moss...love moss! So similar to the moss at home! |
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| Amazing views en route to Milford Sound |
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| One of the many signs warning tourists to not feed the Kea (Nestor notabilis), one of New Zealand's endemic parrot species |
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| Kea (Nestor notabilis), in a parking lot en route to Milford Sound...shortly after some tourists were feeding them and, fortunately, after some other tourists gave them hell for doing so! |
