i love you to middle earth and back

[cocorae3]

DAY 22 

(Part three)

[cocorae3]

DAY 22 

(Part two)

[cocorae3]

DAY 22

(Part one)

Today was a gold star day.. Forgive the creepy Notes on a Scandal reference. But truly, it was. We began with a trip to Wharariki Beach famous for its dramatic low-tide scenery, but even more famous for its seal colony. Basically every summer day all the mama seals drop their pups off at a “seal daycare” in a few shallow pools on the beach.. And then they go get loaded and look for mates. No I’m jk, I’m sure they have very respectable day jobs. Anyways, we walk up to a little beach swimming pool full of toddler seal pups playing with each other. Swimming about, splashing, jumping, chasing a seagull feather as if it were a tennis ball… All right in front of us! Courtney and I looked at each other with similar expressions of OMG this is not real life and proceeded to find a place near the pool where we would stay for the next hour and a half. We learned that seal pups are basically the exact same as dogs. There were a few that were completely obsessed with this large feather.. They were swimming around it and playing with it like dogs with a tennis ball. And there was one baby seal that I just really bonded with; I would put my foot in the water and he would come up and touch it with his nose/whiskers and swim away.. Only to come back 10 seconds later to do the same. It was too much for my heart. He was playing tag with me. It was amazing that they were so unafraid of humans and their mothers so trusting to leave them there with us. Reluctantly, we had to leave to get on with our day. It was only when I was walking away through the perfectly carved white sand dunes that I looked back and really looked at my surroundings (I was kind of in a baby seal trance the whole time) and realized Whararika was truly one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. Next time we’ll really have to do some exploring.

Next we headed east to the Abel Tasman National Park to check out Rawhiti Cave. Scott Cook, our friendly guide book author said it was a “difficult 45 minutes” hike.. We have found from experience that he does not exaggerate when he uses the word “difficult.” And just as promised, this shit was DIFFICULT. We hiked straight up a mountain, or zig-zagged up a mountain rather. A very hot, humid rainforest mountain I might add.. But once we came to the cave’s entrance, we sighed with relief because of course it was so so so worth the hike. Everything in New Zealand is worth the hike. Rawhiti Cave looked like some other-worldly landscape. Thousands of spiraling meter-long, stalactites jutted down from the overhanging ceiling cave, while simultaneously a thousand stalagmites protruded out of the cave’s floor. The place gave me the absolute creeps. To make it worse the stalactites were dripping water.. It felt like thousands of sharp icicles melting in the sun.. Just waiting to slip off the roof and kill you. I made Courtney only speak in whispers because I didn’t want to disturb the cave’s fragile nature.. She slipped in a few loud “ECHO”s just to disturb me.

We were pretty tired after our two adventures.. But we had one more easy walk in Abel Tasman to attempt.. A short loop through a densely canopied rainforest and limestone jungle called The Grove. I found a particularly thick and sturdy vine coming down from a tree.. It was just begging for a quick swing. So I made like lady-Tarzan and swung from tree to tree on it. As a side note- from an early age I have been climbing, swinging, and jumping out of trees whenever I can.. It’s just something I do. So I’m sure I made it look easy. So easy that Courtney thought she’d give it a go O_o she made it about 1.5 seconds on that vine and then BAM. George of the Jungle-d it into a tree. It was really, a highlight of the day. I’m giggling just thinking about it.

AND THEN, as if this day couldn’t get any better.. We retired for the night in our luxury chalet with its own bathroom, kitchen, and tv, on a privately owned herb/produce farm. GOLD STAR DAY.

-J

[cocorae3]

DAY 21 Nothing much to report on today...the drive took longer than expected and we left later than expected from our perfect beach cottage hostel. So really, today we drove...and drove and drove through windy mountains. Jenna ended up getting carsick and we had to pull over because she pooped her pants...just kidding although that would have been more interesting. We pulled over and waited out the carsickness (nothing a little free wifi couldn't cure). And we were back on an even more windy mountain...I even got a little carsick driving. Once we finally made it to our cozy quant hostel it was too nice to leave. I took a nap with the cool breeze blowing in and Jenna did who knows what on her phone (I'm sure it was very important though). I cooked a bomb dinner and we have been playing catch up on the blog ever since. Resting up for a huge day tomorrow! Can't wait to get back at it -C

[cocorae3]

DAY 20

(Part 2)

[cocorae3]

DAY 20

New Zealand is well known for being “Jade Country” so Jenna and I were on a mission to find our mamas jade and the west coast of the South Island is where it’s at. We went at low tide to Motukiekie Beach on the west coast. The moment we hit the beach our heads were down looking at all of the pretty stones at our feet. We had found the jackpot. Of course we had not fully researched HOW to find jade so we came walking back from the beach with heavy pockets full of beautiful green stones. It wasn’t the expensive kind of jade we were looking for… only Pounamu (the Maori word for jade or greenstone) which is still very beautiful!

The beach was really fun. There was so much to look at- mountains, buried rusty cars that has fallen from the highway above, tide pools, rocks, hidden caves…the list could go on and on. Although we often had to remind each other to look up from jade hunting to enjoy the beach around us.

Our next adventure was a the Charming Creek Walkway that followed along an old railroad track from the early 1900s. It was something that neither Jenna or I would pick out from our guidebook but Scott (the author of the books Jenna used to plan the trip) said that if we had come this far with him, “trust him” and do the walk for him. And that we did. Of course it did not disappoint. We learned about the land, chatted along the walk, admired the mossy rocks, walked through old railway tunnels, and past waterfalls. I am really glad we took the time out for this. It was a great little piece of history amongst the typical New Zealand beauty.

Xo C

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The Crystal Pool.. Nature's perfect lil swimming pool and diving board 👌 #riwakaresurgence #newzealand #travel

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DAY 19 It's crazy to think we have already been in New Zealand for 19 days, it seems like we (we as in Jenna) were just working on planing everything and now that we are here it seems like we've been here forever. Day 19 started off later than we thought it would....typical. Knowing we had a long unexpected drive we wanted to be on the road at 7:30am when the road reopened to try and make up for lost time. HA! Yeah. That didn't happen. It has been harder and harder to start the days as early as we once did. We have very long days and go to bed much too late to try and wake up that early (it's so hard to go to sleep early when it's not dark until 9pm). We snoozed for probably two whole hours and were on the road. Our first stop were the Blue Pools along Haast Pass. It was a short 15 minute walk through a great jungly forest (Note Jenna's Game of Thrones tree picture) to a fun swing bridge lookout point. The water was so blue it looked fake and you could see clear to the bottom. What a beautiful sight. We, of course being the adventurers that we are, walked to the waters edge to get some more photos and touch the freezing water. On the other side of the pools we noticed there were hundreds and hundreds of rock stacks. We would have stayed to make our own mark next to the Blue Pools if it wasn't for the pesky sandflies that will get you if you stay still for too long. Side note- sand flies are like Mosquitos, but smaller, silent, and their bites itch twice as bad. They are only on the west side of the South Island. Thank Jesus. After driving three more hours, with a few stops, we were rewarded with the perfectly opaque blue waters of Hokitika Gorge. Jenna looked at me with disappointment and said "Huh, I really thought it was going to be bluer" and I laughed, looking back at the waters, and told Jenna that I think this was a sign that we had been in New Zealand too long for that not to be beautiful. As we got closer we realized how insanely beautiful the waters were next to the surrounding white rocks. The setting was too picturesque, too beautiful, too perfect. We wanted to get closer so we climbed down to the rocks by the water and realized stopping for a quick photo meant a full on attack by sandflies. So we tried to keep moving and when we'd finally had enough retired to the track back to the carpark. Sand flies and all, it was worth it. So unreal and beautiful you'll have to see the photos. And then something happened that Jenna and I have been waiting for since the very first day of our trip. . We were driving through farm land, when we happened upon some very friendly looking cows (okay actually there are cows EVERYWHERE, we just got lucky stopping here). We stopped the car, rolled down the window and had a staring match with two of the cows. After about a minute, to our amazement they both took steps forward.. Usually they always run away. So we quickly seized the opportunity and got out of the car, only to find all of the other cows running over to us (clearly they had some FOMO). The first friendly cows we've come across!! And then one of them broke the magic up by forcing himself atop a female, she was taken by surprise and not pleased. We ran away when a farmer in a tractor started heading our way.

[cocorae3]

DAY 19 (part two)

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Speak friend and enter. #newzealand #rawhiticave #lotr #moria #travel (at Rawhiti Cave)

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DAY 18

Today was such a beautiful, fun and happy day until about 6:40pm…in the spirt of a little suspense I’ll take you through our day.

We woke early again today because we decided to embark on an unexpected journey…”The Ride of the Rings”. Which included a scenic bus ride and a 1.5 hour horse ride through Paradise forest (which has been featured in “Lord of the Rings”, “The Hobbit”, “The Lovely Bones”, “The Chronicles of Narnia” and Wolverine” just to name a few…) The 45 minute drive to Glenorchy (aka a sunrise drive looking at the Misty Mountains (I’m learning so well)) was really quite beautiful. mmm nope it was fucking magical.. Jenna here.. The sun was coming up through the mountains, reflecting off the lake and very low hanging clouds, giving everything a surreal pinkish glow. It was basically Rivendell.. I mean it wasn’t really, but it basically was. It was nice to not have to drive (even though Jenna does offer all the time) we were able to take the drive in together thanks to our trusty driver Trevor. I will say that I really enjoy the trivia that guided tours spit at you- they know so much about the scenery and “Lord of the Rings”. Once at Dart Stables we were all paired with horses, Jenna was with Lordy and I with Presley.

Presley was a sweet (unless their were flys on him) stout little guy that loved to fart. Which I thought was great as Jenna and Lordie stood downwind. We looked good together although he only had eyes for another…damn Oscar. I can’t blame Presley though, Oscar was a movie star in “Lord of the Rings,” a horse of Rohan, and a beaut of a horse I must admit (pictured he is the lone horse atop the hillside, he would be). When I asked Jenna to describe Lordie for me she said, and I quote… ” Lordy was anxious to move up in rank (their was a pecking order with the horses), not very sure footed going down hill, not keen on going up hill- a lot of heavy breathing, a very beautiful horse though… You know he kind of reminded me of you in a way.” Isssssn’t that sweet.

I’m actually going to let Jenna take it from here, Well let me tell you what.. I saw the Misty Mountains today. I saw Isengard today. I saw Lothlorien today. I saw the slopes of Amon Hen where Boromir died, Aragorn fought that big terrible Orc, Merry and Pippin were taken. Hell on our way out of Queenstown I even saw the place where they filmed The Pillars of the Kings. Today was a good fucking day. And then came 6:40pm came.. on our way to our hostel on the West Coast, Fox Glacier Inn. We were stopped by some orange cones and a plump pleasant woman on our way through Haast Pass. She told us the road closes at 6:30pm because they recently had a large rock slide.. But it will open up again at 7:30 in the morning >:/ feck. There was very conveniently located a bar and accommodation just to the right of the road.. And god they are really making a killing every night on their less-than-inviting, very over-priced rooms. As we sat on the porch, bitterly sipping away at our beers from the bar, we saw car after car of very frustrated people pull over and begrudgingly head into the bar, leaving behind their hopes of watching the sunset on a west coast beach and their dreams of a much nicer hostel (that they’ve already paid for), in the dust.

[cocorae3]

DAY 17

Our first full day in Queenstown! The most beautiful/lively/thrill-seeking city in New Zealand! And what did we do? We slept in. . Oops. It was definitely my fault (Jenna speaking); I am the one in charge of the alarm clock and the plans. We’ve been waking up early and going so hard these past weeks.. I thought we deserved a lil sleep in. Little did I know we’d sleep until 1230pm O_o

After the slow start, Court and I headed up to “The Remarkables” road. The highest drivable road in New Zealand, I think? 13km up a windy gravel road overlooking all of Queenstown, it’s surrounding mountain ranges and lakes.. We could even see Mt. Christina, all the way over in Milford Sound. At the top of the Remarkables mountain range is a ski resort, closed in the summer, and just a small hike from the resort is Lake Alta (which also happens to be the film location for the Dimril Dale in FOTR, that’s Fellowship of the Ring to you), our destination.. Well it was our destination until construction workers on the road stopped us from driving any further. I WAS NOT PLEASED. But Courtney talked me off a ledge and said I have to stop being so disappointed when things don’t go exactly as planned. Excellent foreshadowing Court.

We stopped in a bar because I thought a drink might make me feel better.. It had free wi-fi (a very coveted thing here in New Zealand) and I got a little crazy. I ended up booking a horseback riding trip for tomorrow morning through a place called Paradise.. Sounds amazing right? It was also a big filming area for LOTR, shhh don’t tell Court. Could a place get any more amazing?! Also it’s called The Ride of the Rings. I’m so excited.

Back to Queenstown though.. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a city with more beautiful scenery every where you turn. Mountains, rivers, lakes, mountains reflecting in the lakes making more mountains. Court and I want to stay there at least a week longer, two nights is in no way long enough.

[cocorae3]

How do you know when you've been surrounded by too many beautiful things? When you're response to the Hokitika Gorge is "oh it's not even THAT blue! I thought it would be bluer." #itsblue #hokitikagorge #newzealand #travel

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DAY 16 (part two)

[cocorae3]

DAY 16  (part one)

Today might have been a favorite for us both. I woke up rearing to go at 6:15am to make a “hearty breakfast” of bacon and eggs (ya, major points). We needed the energy because we were set to go kayaking in Milford Sound for 5 hours (2.5ish on the water). When meeting in the lodge I was elated to see that a couple I had been obsessing over was in our group. Don and Julia. There was just something about those two… I had noticed them in the lodge because they were so friendly, obviously adventurous, also American, and drinkers. They were just great. From clues we learned along our journey Jenna and I guess they are around 60. Yes I had a major crush on a couple in their 60’s and Jenna soon started crushing too.

Oh right back to the kayaking…

At the lodge we met our equally crush-worthy guide Gonzo. He was from Montana and one of the happiest people I have ever met. He spent 6 months kayaking in New Zealand on The Sound and then six months back in Montana white water kayaking…how could you not be happy with a “job” like that. He was really livin’ the life, knew it and was literally enjoying every second of it.

Once at the water we began to suit up in the SUPER trendy clothes they provided- first went the long johns (mine were even Cal colored!), then the fleece pullover, then something called a splash skirt (I think), a yellow rain jacket and to top it all off the life jacket! Our group of 7 kayakers were ready to get on the water. In the beginning the wind was going and the water was pretty choppy but soon it smoothed out, perfect conditions with the sun shining and only a few clouds in the sky. It was 360 degrees of beauty at all times. We couldn’t get enough. There were snowy glacial peaks in the distance, mountains filled with lush green trees and moss, waterfalls and the most beautiful deep aquamarine water all around us. We kayaked into two waterfalls, through tour boats wakes, right by teenage male seals who were either jutting under our kayaks or doing these funny yoga poses in the water to help digest the amount of fish they had eaten the night before. It was perfect, just the right amount of adventure and beauty. I wish that we could have stayed out longer…or forever.

Jenna and I both agreed that we had such a great time because we had such a great group of people with us.

After our kayak journey came to an end we said goodbye to all of our new friends and were on our way to Queenstown after a quick car nap overlooking Lake Te Anau.

Queenstown has been great to us so far. We walked a little bit around the town center (the stores were open past 5!!!!) and had Fergburger for dinner! (Thanks for the recommendation Bri!)

[cocorae3]

DAY 15 

Today we made the very hard decision of choosing which hike we wanted to attempt in the beautiful Milford Sound. I’m pretty sure it’s hard to pick a bad one since every where you look is unreal as far as scenery goes. We decided on the Lake Marian track.. An hour and a half (it always takes us longer) ascent through the dense jungles of the fiord land to a hanging cirque lake nestled between snow peaks and the very large, very impressive Mt. Christina.

The hike, which was really a “tramp,” ended up being both mine and Courtney’s favorite hike thus far. But boy does ChristinaMt. Christina really make you work to see her views (tehe). The tramp through the jungle was insanely beautiful and equally as hard. There was moss EVERYWHERE (one if the reasons I knew Court would like this hike). Moss on rocks, moss in holes, moss on stumps, moss all the way up the trees, moss on leaves. Moss on moss on moss!! So green. So pretty. So dense and overgrown. The “trail” up to Lake Marian was a steady ascent with rocks and tree roots as our stairs. It kept our minds busy trying to figure out the best way to maneuver up the trail without slipping and dying. It wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies.. this shit was straight-up exhausting. But an hour and 40 min later, as we came around a bend we were hit with Mt. Christina and her other snow capped sisters soaring over the pristinely clear blue Lake Marian.. It was just a setting that shouldn’t have existed. What kind of mountain range has a perfect little lake sitting so high right in the middle of it? Maybe it was the strenuous hike that made the setting so perfect in my eyes.. But it was definitely one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. Our pictures truly don’t do it any justice in this case, I think we were too tired to even care about whether the pictures we were taking were good. We instead sat atop a rock, ate sandwiches, and took in a view that’d we’d never be able to see again.

Our way down the mountain was a lot easier.. And our exhaustion turned into just giggles and laughing fits over the littlest things (Courtney almost peed her pants again). By the time we got back to our car our legs were DEAD. “Oh well.” We thought. “Tomorrow is an arm day.”

-J

[cocorae3]

DAY 14 Today we awoke in our freezing cold, zero insulation hostel from 1915. It was really awful, and both bathrooms had run out of toilet paper. We didn't want to cook breakfast because the kitchen was dirty.. So we each ate a Cliff Bar and headed for the beaches of Dunedin.. Tunnel Beach to be more specific. The beach gets it's name from the tunnel that cuts through a high sandstone cliff and leads down to a small cove. The tunnel was built by the landowner so that his daughter could play on the beach.. That's a good dad. Courtney being a little claustrophobic, had a little trouble with the small wet tunnel.. But once through the small cove that is Tunnel Beach proved to be quite impressive. High surrounding bluffs, a few dry beach caves, and two perfectly sculpted arches.. What more could you ask for? The rest of the day was spent driving 5 hours to Milford Sound. Courtney has pretty much been my chauffeur this entire trip and I am very very thankful for her (even though I'm pretty sure the main reason she wants to drive is because she doesn't trust me). But it kiiiinda works in my favor as the last hour and twenty minutes of our drive is said to be "one of the best drives in the world." And it definitely did NOT disappoint. There aren't pictures and there aren't words to fully describe what we saw.. At least not words that I'm capable of stringing together, but I'll do my best. I realized about 15 minutes in that I had to take my hat off, as every time I went to look up I banged it's brim against a window trying to fully see the peak of some impossibly high mountain. But these mountains aren't like normal mountains that gradually climb at a reasonable degree to a peak.. These mountains soar out of absolutely nowhere, like a graph of Apple product sales after each new release. Or perhaps my heart rate monitor if Emma Watson happened to walk into the room. Are you getting the picture? They come out of no where! Each mountain is alive with its own blood stream of waterfalls falling like veins from its snowy peak. We must have seen at least 300 little waterfalls running down those mountains on the rainy drive. Milford Sound here we come.