Christchurch New Zealand
We have arrived to our next location, New Zealand!
Our flight was direct from Brisbane to Christchurch and we caught a short bus ride to our hostel in the city center. Both Jesse and I immediately felt more at home. There were surrounding mountains and grassy plains giving us the sense of being back in Colorado, which we are missing around the holidays.
In Christchurch we spent time wandering around the city and even had a nice date night on the tram. Due to the many earthquakes that New Zealand has experienced most of the city was still in heavy construction mode. Old churches and buildings were often seen vacant or under repair from the 2011 earthquake that hit the hardest, but if you research further New Zealand seems accustomed to frequent earthquakes. It has taken so long to repair because there was so much damage the government didn't know where to start and we all know that insurance companies are the fastest. With the slow onward movement they are still making decisions about large monuments in the area.
To help hide the repairs of the destruction the government paid local graffiti artists to spread their love around the city. Each street seemed to have something new. We were able to see a scenic route of the city by our tram dinner date night and the gondola ride. This will be a must see location in 5 years.
After a few days in Christchurch we started moving our way south. As we passed along we quickly became in love with the landscape. Monstrous mountains lingered in the background with cliff sides to the ocean we often thought these sheep have a better view than we do at home. Another thought we had was the hope that Q-Tip (nickname for our new van with 315,000 miles on him) can make it up all these hills. We seem to be a bit slower in Q, but we find him to be very homey and much easier to park. For our resting locations only beautiful places have welcomed us with no bugs! There are also no spiders, sharks or snakes that want to kill you which has been a very pleasant surprise. The biggest threat are the sheep.
On our third day here we drove to Queenstown, which has been a must see in every article we have read. We found it a bit busy, but one of the most beautiful mountain towns. The mountain shape the valley with a large lake in the middle of the town. It is thought that a monster lives at the bottom of the lake and that his heart is what causes such drastic rise and falls in the water levels. Speaking of heart beat... I barley had one as Jesse plummeted towards the earth on the second largest bungy jump in the world. The $50 support fee to go out with him was worth it as I saw him a bit pale before he leaped out of the door. So proud and very impressed!
After a few longer days in the van we have finally made it to one of our highlights of the trip Fiordland and Milford Sound. We have accomplished a few hikes and have a kayak adventure in days to come. Although the locals say there has been a drought... we saw moss growing on every inch of our Mt. Burns hike yesterday. Sadly I don't think they know what drought means. Stay strong California.
Our flight was direct from Brisbane to Christchurch and we caught a short bus ride to our hostel in the city center. Both Jesse and I immediately felt more at home. There were surrounding mountains and grassy plains giving us the sense of being back in Colorado, which we are missing around the holidays.
In Christchurch we spent time wandering around the city and even had a nice date night on the tram. Due to the many earthquakes that New Zealand has experienced most of the city was still in heavy construction mode. Old churches and buildings were often seen vacant or under repair from the 2011 earthquake that hit the hardest, but if you research further New Zealand seems accustomed to frequent earthquakes. It has taken so long to repair because there was so much damage the government didn't know where to start and we all know that insurance companies are the fastest. With the slow onward movement they are still making decisions about large monuments in the area.
To help hide the repairs of the destruction the government paid local graffiti artists to spread their love around the city. Each street seemed to have something new. We were able to see a scenic route of the city by our tram dinner date night and the gondola ride. This will be a must see location in 5 years.
After a few days in Christchurch we started moving our way south. As we passed along we quickly became in love with the landscape. Monstrous mountains lingered in the background with cliff sides to the ocean we often thought these sheep have a better view than we do at home. Another thought we had was the hope that Q-Tip (nickname for our new van with 315,000 miles on him) can make it up all these hills. We seem to be a bit slower in Q, but we find him to be very homey and much easier to park. For our resting locations only beautiful places have welcomed us with no bugs! There are also no spiders, sharks or snakes that want to kill you which has been a very pleasant surprise. The biggest threat are the sheep.
After a few longer days in the van we have finally made it to one of our highlights of the trip Fiordland and Milford Sound. We have accomplished a few hikes and have a kayak adventure in days to come. Although the locals say there has been a drought... we saw moss growing on every inch of our Mt. Burns hike yesterday. Sadly I don't think they know what drought means. Stay strong California.
In the days to come Milford Sound and more beautiful views!
Your in Paradise
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