After Puzzling World we walked around the city checking out the shops and then headed to Paradiso, and old church converted into one movie theatre. This theatre is not your typical theatre! It is decked out with old, comfy, clean donated couches and even an old car that you can sit in if you so choose. Let me tell you, best movie theatre ever!! So comfortable! Not only that but we had a pizza there before the movie and then had some dessert, while watching the movie...delicious homemade ice cream! Think we're done? Oh no! Then came the intermission where we were able to purchase HOT fresh out of the OVEN cookies and beverages! I chose a hot chocolate and Jordan had (according to him) the best beer he's ever had that was made in Wanaka. Did I mention that you got to eat/drink this during the rest of the movie? Like I said, best.theatre.ever!!
We ended up staying at a DOC (department of conservation) campsite for $14 and woke up to some beautiful mountains! We then carried on to Queenstown. The drive to Queenstown was one of the prettiest of all NZ...endless snow topped mountains and beautiful yellow bushes (not sure what they are called but the sign said NZ's Golden Forest). The whole West Coast was absolutely gorgeous and we found ourselves going for little drives (taking the seniors scenic route like my parents always used to do when we were kids...I hated it!! But Jordan and I had some good laughs now that we are doing it and looking at real estate while we are at it...old foggies now!). Anyways, Queenstown, we both think, is the prettiest town in NZ...surrounded by snow covered mountains and beautiful lakes...absolutely stunning! When we got to Queenstown we headed straight for the luge (same thing we did back in Rotorua if you remember). We had such a blast last time that we just had to go again...we were the first people of the day (eager little beavers we were!) and raced the luge 5 times. Of course I won 3/5 times...Jordan only won those two times because I told him my winning move...if any of you end up going to NZ, you absolutely to have to do the luge, and then I will tell you my winning move! :)
After the luge we hit up Makkas for some Internet and charging. While cruising Facebook my Dad told me that the fam would like to buy us a ride on a jet boat. We've heard lots about how fantastic these boats are and took him up on his offer immediately! Thank you Dad and Jen!!! We had such a great time on this boat. We went with ShotOver Jets and these boats cruise up and down the river going, at points, 85km an hour and hucking mad 360's. It was freezing out and we were getting drenched but it was so so worth it!! Little tidbit: some fellow riders (unfortunately at an earlier time) included Ryan Reynolds, Allanis Morsiette, Kenny Rogers, many actors from LOTR including Sir Ian McClellan (?) and even Sir Peter Jackson. After the jet boat ride, for at least a day after, when we were driving our van it felt like we were drifting the corners..the strangest feeling ever...slightly nauseating actually haha but we got a kick out of it!)
After the Shotover Jet we headed back to town where we cruised the downtown area and had a few beers at this cool little bar called Red Stone where this band was playing some great Reggae music, even a little Marley! We then headed up to our campground (it had been a few days...we needed showers!!) and cooked some din. We had heard about these awesome private hot pools (a massive wooden tub). The tub is in its own room and with a touch of a button the sliding door goes up and you are looking at a beautiful view of the mountains and river! Totally gorgeous and so peaceful! We had tried to go the night before but unfortunately they were booked out so we made a booking for the next night and spent the day wondering around Queenstown again. In the afternoon we drove up the coast to Glenorchy, a small town with pretty much nothing. However, the drive to this town and when you got there was totally stunning! At this point though, we were both exhausted and ended up having a 2.5 hour nap in the van (the van isn't as comfortable as our last one when we went up to Cairns in Oz so we haven't had the best sleeps...also our damn bug bites still keep us up at night!). Anywho, that night we drove back to Onsen Hot Pools (totally recommended them). We didn't want to pay for accommodation again (we have a kitchen and bed in our van...we shouldn't have to pay!) and went south until we found a little picnic area with no signs saying we weren't allowed to camp there...we took full advantage. This little spot was right on the lake and was surrounded with mountains! If the water wasn't so damn cold we would have had a little dip and probably did a little laundry...however it was painful enough just washing our dishes!).
The next am we took off to Te Anau, which is south of Queenstown. We did a little grocery shopping and then continued on to Milford Sounds. Unfortunately we didn't really research this area before we got there and realized after 2 + hours of driving that the only thing to do there was take a cruise that would cost us $180. We have already spent over what we had thought we were going to spend and decided against it. However, the drive up was really beautiful and I was even able to touch snow for the first time in a year!! (Of course I whacked Jordan with a good snowball as soon as I got my hands on it!).
We ended up staying at another DOC campsite for $10 and ended up spending the whole night and next am in the van as it was pouring rain!! I have never held off going to the bathroom for so long-such an ordeal!!!
That afternoon we drove to Invercargill, the biggest most southern city in NZ. At this point it had been a couple of days since we had showered (nothing new) so we hit up the local swimming pool! Haha we were playing around in the water and on the indoor slide for hours and then headed on out of town to find a free spot to camp. We randomly saw a sign for a scenic reserve 7 km off of the main road and took a chance. Essentially just in the middle of a field with a circle of trees around and a picnic table and long drop (porta potty) toilet. We were the only ones there (you don't say right?). That night once we had shut the lights off in the van, some kids (we think) came into our little circle of grass and started racing around in their car....with no lights on. Scared the absolute shit outta me because at that point we didn't know what the hell was going on because we couldn't see anything! The next am though we noticed doughnut tracks in the field and decided that it was just a bunch of punk kids coming in to have a bit of fun.
We then drove (lots of driving eh?) to Dunedin, a town just 2.5 hours north on the east coast. Right away you could see a massive difference from the west to east coast in terms of scenery. Whereas the west coast is very mountainous and snowy, the east coast has more rolling green hills and flat land for farming...farming what you ask? Farming sheep...thousands and thousands of sheep! Both islands are covered in sheep but this particular area seemed to have quite a few more. Once we got into Dunedin we noticed quite the European influence. I was desperate for something Christmassy (it just doesn't feel like Xmas here!) so we headed to the mall for some Christmas tunes and decorations...they didn't really deliver all that much so we headed to the local Starbucks where we sat by the fire drinking some hot Christmas drinks (Jordan stuck with his flat white...he's now a coffee connoisseur). The kiwis and Aussies are very particular about their coffee. I remember on one of our first days in Australia, I asked for a double double and they looked at me like I was speaking Swahili. They do coffee the fancy way here with flat whites, short/long blacks, mochas, lattes etc etc...took us forever to figure out which coffee was the same as what we like at home...conclusion-there is only one Tim Hortons coffee and you can not replicate it or the price (you'd be screaming for joy if you found a coffee under $3.50- for a small that is).
After our trip to Starbucks I researched a little bit about the town and what to do. We had heard from Isaac and Mia that you could do a brewery tour of Speights, NZ's biggest brewery. Sounds fun? Sure....now include unlimited beer in that baby! We obviously wanted to take advantage of the unlimited beer drinking so I looked up some hostels (there weren't any close campervan spots within walking distance) and I ended up finding a nifty place called....wait for it....Hogwartz!! I checked out the pics and we headed over ASAP. Best hostel we have ever been too! So unique and the owners were super nice. They even had herbs and spices that you could get from their garden if you wanted too. They also had an awesome loft that could be reached via ladder where we spent a couple of hours just lounging around while the heat from the wood fire (more comforts from home!) heated us up. We splurged on a private room which essentially came with a private bathroom...took full advantage of having a shower at our disposal and had not one but twoooo showers! Haha. Let me tell you, was I ever stoked to sleep in a REAL bed that isn't made up of six different sized cushions that you slip between the cracks in. Not only that but when I woke up in the early am, I didn't have to put on any shoes or a jacket and make the trek to the bathroom...oh nooooo, I could just walk across the hall and blam!! There was the bathroom! LUXURY!!!! The things we take for granted, oh buddyyyy. On this special night I was also, for the first time, able to wear the Pyjamas I brought with me instead of every piece of clothing I own (it's freezing every night in that damn van!).
On an absolutely embarrassing note (maybe more info then needed but I got a kick out of it)...we've been so lax lately and hadn't really gone out in public for a couple of days (before we got to Dunedin). So we are wondering around Dunedin (super populated city...for NZ) and we finally get back to the van and i realizeeeee......that I didn't have a bra on!!! Oh man, talk about hippies to the max right? Told you I just had to share!
Sorry about this extensively long post but hopefully you are enjoying it! Anyways, that night we did the Speights brewery tour....fantastic! They make six different beers including their famous Speights Gold Medal (delish!!) , a pale ale, an old dark, a pilsner, an amber and finally an apple cider that they only started making two years ago which I helped myself to generously along with the gold medal beer. Get this, the tour guides get to drink with us butttt back in the olden days, Mr. James Speight, would allow for each pair that worked together to drink....not 1 or 2 litres of beer but 23 litres of beer a day!!!! They had their own personal keg and they would flip a coin to see who would get to take home leftovers (if there were any, that is!). Best boss in the world...it's amazing they were able to make such a strong business that is still thriving 130+ years later! After the tour we headed to Speights Ale House Restaurant where I had the best meal of the trip....a lamb shank, mashed potatoes, peas, corn and broccoli....all for only $18 (which in NZ and Oz is an pretty decent price!). See Grampy, they do have lamb here! :)
Once we left the restaurant it was raining cats and dogs so we decided to head on back to Hogwartz! Overall, we have loved Dunedin and we are looking forward to checking out more of the town and its surroundings.
On another note, it has been absolutely freezing and incredibly windy down in the south. We found out yesterday that this is probably due to e fact that Auckland got hit with a tornado killing 3 (as of yesterday). Thankfully we weren't in the city (or close to it) but we will be flying back into Auckland on the 17th. Fingers crossed the tornadoes stay away!
I know it was a long post but I hadn't written in over a week so it was time to catch up! Hopefully you didn't get too bored reading it and maybe even had some laughs.
Love to all xx
Great blog entry Kirstie... Love hearing about your trip (and the jetboating). Too funny about the side slipping. You're making me want to go back to NZ! Stay safe. Dad. xxx,ooo
ReplyDeleteObviously the Kiwis have caught up with world tastes in particular tourists. What with all those sheep milling about, there should never be a shortage of lamb in that country. We had lamb shanks this past week. Hope you enjoyed yours. Thanks for your informative and amusing blog. We know it takes a lot of time and effort when there is so much to do and see but you will be able to look back and re-enjoy your tour for years to come. With our love and best wishes. Travel safe and Happy Landings. G & G C
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