Today, I embark on an epic side quest to Queenstown! I can’t believe this all worked out, and I’m actually going! 😁🤗. I sort of had it in mind as a possibility, but honestly, I didn’t think it would happen. Turns out, the universe had other plans in store for me, and who I am to deny the great unknown? Tee-hee 🤗🥰
Dana drove me to an airport about an hour away in Palmerston North, and from there, I flew back to Auckland, where I caught the flight to Queenstown. I arrived in the afternoon with plenty of sunlight to burn, so I checked into the hostel and set out to explore. Queenstown is breathtaking! And quite possibly the most idyllic and serene place I have ever seen. The city sits on a lake surrounded by towering mountains. It’s so surreal, and the water is super clear, and I just can’t stop taking photos and admiring the views. 😍🤩
I walked a good amount of time around the Queenstown Gardens, and then I found a watering hole to quench my thirst. Beech Craft Beer was nestled in the middle of a pedestrian only area. I ordered a flight of beer and enjoyed the variety of selections. Next up was a trip to Fergburger! Not only did Dana and Hayden make me promise to go, but another friend of mine, Jacinda, also suggested I wait in the super long line wrapped around the block to try the famous burgers.
Okay, I get it. I have to go! Haha. So I did! And it turns out I timed it amazingly because the line really wasn’t that long. I got the Southern Swine burger and waited. Soon, my number was up, and I collected my food and took it down to the beach to eat while I ogled the view. After eating the ENORMOUS burger, I decided to lay down and take a little snooze. 😴
After a solid cat nap, I decided I wasn’t ready to go back to the hostel, so I found another brewery called Atlas and decided it was fitting, being travel related and all, and therefore worth a visit. After indulging in a beer there, I walked over to Smiths; making my own little bar crawl in Queenstown:). I HAD to visit ‘Smiths’ because of Dana and Hayden… Smith. Not related, but still neat 🤗. I did plan to obscond with a few name-sake coasters for my dear friends, but alas, there were none to be had. Oh well. By the time I finished, I was done for the day and walked back to the hostel to relax and get ready for tomorrow’s adventure to Te Anau!
I woke up early, trying to be as quiet as possible while I got ready in the hostel room. I had to leave in the dark to make it out to the bus pickup location on time, which was conveniently located directly in front of a cafe. Yay! I ordered a coffee and some yogurt with granola. Perfect! 😊
On the bus ride to Te Anau, the driver gave us all sorts of commentary. I learned that New Zealand was one of the last places in the world to be inhabited, and that the untouched forests of New Zealand offer some of the best insight into what the mega continent, Gondawana, was like in terms of flora and fauna. Birds were pretty much the sole inhabitants of the islands before humans arrived and brought with them everything else and then some. That is why New Zealand has so many species of birds, especially flightless birds.
Another very practical tip the driver gave us was a safety one, applicable in all facets of life. He suggested that if one finds themself in need of emergency help or is lost, just take a photo! The phone will log the information of said photo, including where it was taken. So even if you have no clue where you are and no signs around, your phone will outsmart you! Then you’re able to let emergency services know where you are. Genius!
While I’m on my Southland adventure, Dana was asked to sing at a funeral. She summarized it so beautifully that this woman who passed had lived an extraordinary life. One well lived, one that we all could aspire to have. And yet, in the end, it’s all compiled and organized into speaking points for a one-time eulogy. The bigger picture here: no matter what you do in life, we all end up in the same place. So why not live life to the fullest right NOW? To take risks, to take that trip you’ve been dreaming of. In the end, money doesn’t matter, just memories and the experiences you took advantage of. So get out there! Have fun and be yourself, do what brings you joy, and spread the love! 🤗🥰
I arrived in Te Anau way too early to check in at the lodgings, so I headed to town, surely able to occupy myself for the morning and afternoon. Well, if you don’t know, Te Anau is VERY small, haha. You can walk the entirety of the main street in under 5 minutes. So, I decided to walk along the shore of the Te Anau Lake. It’s gorgeous! On the opposite side of the shore are impressive mountains nestled within the Fjordland National Park, and the beaches are covered in beautiful stones. Not easy to walk on, but beautiful.
My accommodations were about a 20 minute walk from town, so I began heading there around 1pm, hoping I could check in a tad early. I was in luck! I got to my single little room, and it was adorable! Once I was settled, I took a nap, organized my things, and then walked back to town for some refreshments and groceries. The place I was staying in had a shared kitchen, and you had to rent a kitchen basket with all the dishes and silverware one would require. I’m not sure why that couldn’t be included in the rate, lol, but all is good.
I bought some frozen veggies, some frozen chicken tenders, and some quick noodle packets. I thought I was golden! Until I was eating my dinner, hastily microwaved because the electric cook top was just taking too long, and I realized the chicken was raw! Omg. Haha. I had NO idea the breaded chicken tenders were raw! And they were frozen! I just assumed they’d be fully cooked. So weird. Serves me right for not really reading the box, and just looking at the pictures, 😅. So I’m obviously concerned I’ll get food poisoning and / or salmonella, and won’t be able to do my day trips in the Fjordland National Park (they weren’t exactly cheap!) Uggggghhh. But, on the other hand, I went through some serious bouts of stomach issues while living in El Salvador, so maybe this is a true test of my rock solid gut! I’m sure hopeful my body will rise to the challenge 😅🤣.
Well, time for bed. And here’s for hoping I don’t wake up in the middle of the night with a severe problem. 😬
Sooooo happy to say I made it through the evening with no issues! I think I’ll be alright! I’m going for the day cruise and hoping I still manage to be okay because food poisoning on a boat does not sound like fun. Haha.
Today I’ll be headed to Doubtful Sound, and to get there, I’ll need to take a bus, to take a boat, to take another bus, to finally embark on the cruise. Very fun and adventurous, but daunting, when living with an ever ticking time bomb of potential food poisoning, lol. Wish me luck! Here I go!
The first bus ride is rather short, and once you arrive in Manapouri, you collect a picnic lunch if you ordered one, and it comes in the cutest metal bento box! I love the consideration for the environment. The little cafe here also allows you to take the ceramic cups onto the boat, as they do not have disposable cups. Amazing!
This first boat will take us through the Manapouri Lake to the other side, where we will again take a bus to the dock for the Doubtful Sound cruise. It was overcast, but the impressive mountains surrounding the lake were still visible. It was like getting a little teaser of what was to come. 🤗
Once we get to the second bus, we’re only 50 minutes away from our final stop. No wonder this is an all-day event, hehe. Our driver gave us some commentary on the way, and she pointed out a few things, one of them being one of my now favorite trees: the New Zealand Beech Tree. They look so old and are covered in moss that hangs low, and the limbs are gangly, and they give the impression they’ve been taken straight out of a fairytale. We passed one gigantic tree that was 650 years old! WOW!
Another point of interest was the peak of the road, which officially divides the East from the West, and as promised previously, the weather is usually significantly different across the divide. And sure enough, not a moment sooner, the overcast sky opened up to a crystal clear blue sky. Perfect weather for the cruise!
The cruise took us all the way out to the Tasman Sea, where we were hoping to spot some wildlife. And success! We were lucky to see some seals lounging on a big rock. Once we were all the way into the ocean, it was a marked difference from traveling within the safety of the sound. The waves were quite large and made for a fun yet perilous ride through. I didn’t know the cruise was taking us that far, and I was very pleased to wander out into the Tasman Sea!
On the way back to the dock, one of our guides on the boat asked us to observe a moment of silence. The captain turned off the boat engines while we picked a spot where we wouldn’t move from. We were asked not to speak, not to use our phones, but rather, just soak it all in. I LOVED this. And everybody abided! Nobody spoke. There were no noises besides some birds in the distance and the small waves crashing against the rocky shore. What a meditative moment in time, shared but a group of strangers. That may have been my favorite part of the whole cruise. How often do you just take a moment and live in the now? Just being, breathing, looking, listening, and feeling.
While on the cruise, I made a friend! Jack, from Arizona. He was also traveling alone, so we chatted a bit about our travels, as solo travelers do, haha. Once we made it back to Te Anau, we had dinner and a celebratory beverage after a wonderful day. Soon, it was my witching hour, and it was time to head home and get ready for the next adventure!
Taking Off With Amelia 