So this is most likely my last post on my time in AU and NZ... although I might update it a bit as I finish some photos... or transition a blog to my life in SF, who knows :)
Let's begin with the NZ trip that I haven't covered.
After Franz Josef, I took a long bus ride through interesting terrain on the way to Queenstown. Initially we were still on the western side of the Southern Alps, which meant we began in lush rainforest and abundant evergreen. We made our way past the alps and into more of the middle of the South Island. The environment changed pretty instantaneously from the green rainforest to high desert... with different flora and whatnot. It was very pretty... reminded me a lot of Rohan from Two Towers. We headed down further past the 45th parallel (half way between the equator and the south pole), which is ideal for wineries. We saw a bunch along the way to Queenstown. Made it into Queenstown fairly late, so I just explored a bit before going to bed.
Woke up really early to start my day trip to Milford Sound. The day was perfect and it was amazing how quickly we became dwarfed by the mountains and forests in Fjordland Park. Stopped in a nice spot for lunch and then headed through the mountain (big tunnel that goes under the mountain). Once out, we made our way down to Milford Sound and took a 1.5-2 hour cruise around. It was awesome.... if you haven't seen Milford in photos, you can check out my facebook album, but googling it is best, because you can see how cool it looks in all types of weather.
After that trip, it was mainly making my way over to Christchurch and then flying out. Christchurch was quite bizarre to see, as the CBD is a red zone, with all entrances to it blocked off by military personnel. To add to that, most houses looked fine, but occasionally you'd come across a partially destroyed home/church or a pile of rubble on a lot. It was also cloudy and cold that day and people were eerily quiet... so it was very post-apocalyptic looking... like something out of Children of Men or The Road.
Early (and I mean early as in 2AM) I got up and got ready to catch my shuttle to the airport. Then I flew back to Sydney. Overall my NZ trip was exactly what I was hoping for, and I can't wait to travel back there and see more of the country... and bungee (didn't this time) :)
So that's it for my last trip. More to come on my final days in Sydney.
:)
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