November 1st and 2nd – The Road to Queenstown

Things got a little wilder than expected after the long day on the ice in Franz Josef. We were tired, but after the first few drinks the rest seemed to go down real easy. We partied until late and this was certainly the point where I felt fully part of the group and the next few days with that group were really enjoyable. It amazes me every time the bonds that can be formed between people in such a short time under the right circumstances.

The next morning came far too early for most peoples liking. I was feeling pretty good, but that couldn’t be said for the lot of the group. It was to be a driving day leading to a town called Makarora where we would stay for the night. We took the drive slow taking time to stop at various points of interest along the way. It was raining when we awoke, but the weather cooperated as we traveled along.

The weather in New Zealand is as varied and volatile as its landscapes. It is nearly summer, but I have experienced hot sun, rain, snow and hail; sometimes all in the same day.

The scenery was again stunning, a common theme of the trip; adding to the amazing landscape of the drive across the island was the mountains meeting the Tasman Sea between New Zealand and Australia. The Department of Conservation in New Zealand does a great job of marking short nature walks on the sides of the roadways as most of South Western New Zealand is a recognized world heritage location for its landscape that stunningly shows the evolution of the earth and it’s rare bird life. We stopped at a variety of lakes, waterfalls and pools (of particular interest, the Blue Pools which were green the day we went for some odd reason).

We had a great time together and arrived in Makarora in the late afternoon. Makarora is pretty much a one bar town with nothing in it, but it couldn’t be situated in a more beautiful place. It is along the highway in a valley between two ridges of snow capped peaks. Some of the bus went on a jet-boat ride, but I stayed behind to save some cash and do a nature walk for a few hours around the area. It was pleasant; I headed for the shower and then met up with the group in the bar for dinner and drinks.

I nor anyone else was in the mood for a big night as we were still recovering from the evening before, but we were treated with a bit of culture because the locals had come in to watch a Rugby match between New Zealand and Australia. I am a bit clueless about Rugby, but I respect the game and it was fun to watch with people who actually understand it and enjoy in the same ways that I do American sports.
We hit the bunks immediately after the game finished and were up early to hit the road for Queenstown. We stopped a few places on the way to arriving in the early afternoon including Lake Wanaka, Puzzle World and just outside the city at the site of the K-bridge, the worlds original bungy jump. No one was up for jumping it (I was holding off for the big jump), but this was where the excitement began to build for the next day’s activity. I paid and scheduled my jump on the 134 meter Nevis Highwire at the office there and wrangled 4 others into joining me. I could feel the excitement build inside me as this was one of my main goals for this part of my journey.

We then completed the last bit of the drive into Queenstown. The city is really an amazing place set around a huge beautiful lake in a valley. It feels like a huge ski resort city because that’s what it is most of the year.

After a few beers with everyone from the bus where we joked that we should enjoy ourselves as it may be the last for us jumpers, I headed off to bed. I slept well, but the anticipation for the morning’s jump was unmistakable.