"Easter & Getting Closer to God!"

Queentstown from the top
see all photos »

The scene was set for our Queenstown extravaganza when as we drove though the South Otago hills just before entering Queenstown we stopped off to pay homage to the first commercial bungy jump in the world, the Kararau Bridge. As we stood and admired the mad fools gleefully launching themselves 43m down into the gorge you could feel the adrenaline starting to surge and we knew that it wouldn't be long before we felt compelled to join in some crazy stuff.

So what was it to be? The choices of ways to try and kill yourself here are endless with flyers for white water rafting, river sledging, Fly-by-Wire, parachute jumps, bungys etc etc everywhere. As we thought about it we headed up to see the sights at the top of the Skyline gondola which gives you great views over Queenstown. However at the top there is another bungy to look at plunging you 47m back down the mountain towards the town and to be honest I thought that it looked pretty tame.....so much so I lulled myself into a false sense that i could do this easily without getting too stressed. Before I knew where my mind had gone I ran off, paid my money, got weighed in and headed off to tie a piece of elastic round me so that I wouldn't hit the ground just get close enough to lose bodily functions!

Check in to view more photos and commentary...

Not a bird or a plane - a flying Lousie!!
see all photos »

The nice guys from AJ Hackett seemed professional enough as they wound me up telling me the harness was a bit wonky and it was his 1st day etc. They told me it was probably not such a good thing to look down at the rocks and just to go for it.....and as Marissa had mustered a large and noisy crowd of supporters going for it is what I did.

For those that have never done it, yes it is scary, yes it makes you question your own sanity but it is a great headrush!

Anyway more to come including Milford Sound, Blanket Bay and.....wait for it JUMPING OUT OF A PLANE..... soon.

Just before the plunge!!
see all photos »

My turn to do the commentary again (Marissa). Our last couple of days in Queenstown have been just amazing. We gave Nick an honorary birthday for Easter Sunday as his Birthday in March was hard to buy a card or pressie for because of where we were (South America...on a remote island). He loved the March birthday (remember the dressing up and local Peruvian dance)...well this Birthday was crazier still! The adrenalin was still pumping from the bungee and Easter Sunday bore clear blue skies in Queenstown, so we decided to do a Skydive (as you do!) to make the most of the fantastic scenery around - lakes, snow-capped mountains etc. We phoned up to get availability and managed to book in for 1pm with NZ skydive based in Glenorchy - supposedly THE place to skydive due to the crazy views. The photos tell the story anyway - the adrenalin rush of falling free fall for 30 seconds is unimaginable - those couple of seconds when you actually realise that you are 9,000m up just falling...well the "sporty" guys who did it with us said bungee is a "head rush" and skydiving is a "mind fxxk" and boy did they get it right! You are just shell shocked for ages after...thinking about what you just did. Nick, with his "vertigo" was desperate to get back up there as soon as we got down.....I, however, was in shock...and probably still am to be honest!

Extreme mini-golf
see all photos »

I had then booked us in for a night at a gorgeous hotel to break the "normalness" of hostels again. Blanket Bay http://www.blanketbay.com/index.htm well what can I say...it certainly was a Birthday treat! The hotel is stunning  - the views, the privacy, the rooms, the food (cooked up by a "chef of the year"). The photos start to show how amazing it was but to truly see it then you had to be there to really appreciate how gorgeous the setting was. We chilled out in the jacuzzi before dinner looking at the same view you see from the gardens - mountains, the lake etc. Nick even got a small birthday cake with a candle to ensure that it was a proper birthday celebration - he's been pining for it since the photos of the ballies, swanns and smiths celebrating in our absence! Next day we were up early for a fab breakfast and then off to do a couple of hours horse-riding, with the Wyuno Station, up into the mountains - another first for Nick and it's been about 15 years since I last got on a horse. Well, it was certainly a laugh with our two trusty steeds - Rio and Patches. Rio was good to Nick apart from when he realised that he wasn't at the front and would trot on every now and again with Nick bouncing precariously on his back and my horse, Patches, was just unpredicatable, a bit lazy (always at the back) and very greedy so at every opportunity when our guide wasn't looking he would try and turn round and take us home, or stop to eat and I clearly wasn't going to stop him - hilarious and truly lovable!!

Heading to Milford Sound
see all photos »

Our day in Glenorchy ended with a visit to the cafe for superb sandwiches to fuel our bellies after the riding and then we headed back to Queenstown to the YHA to meet up with our "when we're in town" traveller buddies - Ben and Geri. A slightly quieter night was had than for Groove Armada in Auckland - but never the less...always a pleasure guys! Next day...great cooked brekkie....a bit more scenery....fantastic crazy golf with B'n'G...lunch.....tea 'n' cookies chez B'n'G and then more food in the evening - this clearly is the life.

The Mirror Lakes
see all photos »

Next on to the franz Josef glacier with a 5 hour road trip....