Queenstown

We walked over to the Skyline Gondola to see how much it would cost to get to the top (I had done this on my previous trip to NZ).  It was $25 NZD a person and we were prepared to pay it until we noticed a hiking path around the back.  The sign at the head of the trail said the Tiki trail went to the top and took an hour (no mileage, no elevation).

So we went back to our hostel to prepare for the hike.  We made sandwiches (avocado, cheese, sun dried tomato hummus, tomato, and chicken on pita) for lunch.  Then filled up our water bottle, packed some snacks and headed off to our hike.

The trail was steeper than we thought it would be, but the hike took us almost exactly an hour. At the top there are incredible views of the surrounding mountains and lake below.  Words really cannot describe it. I think the whole scene would be a bit more picturesque if the mountains were snow capped, but I'm not complaining.

A view from another side:

We spent a good two hours at the top wandering around. We talked to a guy from Munich for a while who wants to be a travel guide, so he gave us his email address to contact him when we are in Munich.  Andy had his first ever wedges (deep fried wedges of potatoes then dipped in sour cream and sweet chili sauce).

Back at the bottom was this tube thing. It was the entrance to a kiwi bird (and other birds) sanctuary.  We ended up not going into the kiwi bird park because it was $36 NZD a piece.

For dinner we made macaroni and cheese from a bag, baked beans from a can and orange juice.

Tomorrow we leave for our four day hike of the Routeburn Track, so you won't be hearing from us for a few days.  Do not worry!  We will update with pictures once we find our next hostel.

New Zealand!

We made it.  A 12 hour flight to Auckland followed by another 2 hour flight to Queenstown.  The flight to Auckland wasn't too bad in coach, you get a pillow and blanket plus a tv in the back of the seat in front of you.  I watched Salt, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 1 (again), and Inception.  There were also tv shows and games. (Andy's aviation nerd aside - the Boeing 777-300 is a really nice aircraft. Also it turns out Air New Zealand only has one of them).

We both asked for the vegetarian options before the flight.  For dinner we had a veggie patty with a vegetable medley, a fruit cup, salad with no dressing, and granola bar.  Andy asked the flight attendant for ice cream (which was the dessert for other meals) so we each got a small thing of chocolate ice cream.  For breakfast we also got some sort of veggie patty with tofu and vegetables, fruit cup, and granola bar.  I thought this was a little strange since one of the breakfast options was vegetarian (fruit platter and muffin), but tasty.

In Auckland we went through customs just fine.  We had to show them the bottom of our shoes to make sure there wasn't mud on them.  Then we spent 6 hours in the airport until our next flight.  I slept on a chair while Andy used the free internet.  After some downtime in the airport we decided to go through security to our gate.  Security was easy and so much less stressful than the US.  There was a metal detector no requirement to take off shoes or liquids out of bags.  It was awesome.

As we were flying south we passed over a volcano (which we think is Taranaki) and it was seriously amazing.   I don't think I've ever seen a classic volcano before (not counting Mount Haleakala on Hawaii).  There is a dark ring around it which I assume is lava from it's last eruption.

The airport in Queenstown is incredible.  There really isn't a good way to describe how amazing it was landing in a valley surrounded by gorgeous mountains.

We checked into the Flaming Kiwi (a hostel) and got a private room for the rate of a dorm room.  Tuesday was around 22 Celsius (77F) but today is only going to be a high of 16C (61F).  This morning we went out for a walk but we haven't decided what we are going to do for the rest of the day.

We'll keep you posted.