DAY 107: More Hiking in the Rain, then Wanaka

We hiked out of there in the drizzling rain, which wasn't that terrible. We made it out in 5 hours, 30 minutes, so we felt accomplished that we had beaten our time. I took some pictures of the cool hot springs we went in the night before.

We ate lunch in the car and then headed to Wanaka for the night. It was a long drive, but at least we were toasty! More beautiful views along the way. Called my brother for his 23rd birthday! Yay Joe!

Got the BEST fish and chips in Wanaka. Went to bed warm and happy :)

DAY 106: Pancake Rocks and the Copland Track

We got up at sunrise to see the famous Pancake Rocks of Punakaiki!

FUN FACT #53: The Pancake Rocks are heavily eroded limestone that looks like stacks of pancakes. During high tide, there are a number of blowholes located throughout the limestone.

Because it was so early, we were the only ones in the park! We took tons of pictures - the place was gorgeous! After only about an hour, we got back in the car to get our butts to the Copland Track.

On our way to the track, we passed both the Franz Josef and the Fox Glaciers! It was a long drive, but we finally made it to the track around 2 o'clock.

We were a little bit worried about how fast we would have to hike to get to the Welcome Hut before dark, but decided to don our headlamps when the time came and get to it. The track said it was a 7 hour hike, and we were determined to do it in 5.

The track was relatively flat- we were hiking in between mountains mostly on the side of a glacier fed river. The river's water was so blue, it looked like a Tiffany's box. It was so cool. There were a number of suspension bridges over the raging river, but we weren't too concerned about those. That is, until the sun started to set, everything was getting covered in frost, and the 30 yard long bridge could only hold one person at a time and it was pitch dark. When I got to the other side, I flashed my headlamp and Catherine made her way over. To fend off the possums, we sang LOUDLY as we continued our journey.

We finally heard voices after 5 hours and 45 minutes, and soon we were at the Welcome Hut. And boy was it welcoming. We met a nice Kiwi woman there on her first camping trip with her 25 year old daughter. They were very funny and very nice. We made and ate our mac and cheese with them. The woman told us about the hot springs about five minutes from the hut, so we grabbed our towels and went.

I was so cold from the sweat drying from the hike and the frigid temperatures of the South Island that I really didn't want to go in. But Catherine convinced me, and we jumped in the hot spring pools like they were our personal hot tubs. It was sooooo nice. It warmed me up so well, and the mud between my toes and the bubbles all around was so wonderful. There wasn't a cloud in the sky as we looked up on the Milky Way. The snow capped mountains around us were illuminated by the stars, and we sat there for quite a while.

I put on every piece of clothing I had and bundled in the sleeping bag in the hut. I swear, the Department of Conservation in New Zealand has nicer huts than there are Backpacker's Hostels. That mattress was pure heaven.

DAY 105: South Island with My Main Girl, Catherine!

After photography class, Catherine and I packed up and headed for the airport. We had planned for about 5 days in the South Island for adventuring! I couldn't let her come to New Zealand without seeing the South Island, it's just to beautiful.

Once again, went through without security. After a quick flight to Nelson, we picked up our rental car and headed for Punakaiki. It was about a 5 hour drive through beautiful countryside. We jammed to the ipods the whole way and checked into our hostel after dark. Met some very nice people and headed to bed.

DAY 102: Bay of Islands Part II

While we were up north, we decided to take Catherine and Caroline to the Bay of Islands. We stopped in Paihia (where we went skydiving a few months before) and took the ferry over to Russell Island. It wasn't as beautiful a day as we had the first time, but it was still fun to walk around and hunt for shells.

We stopped by Tito's, and Tito remembered us! He said he recognized us because of the Heinz ketchup. Must be our trademark now.

We had a long drive home, but it was totally worth it because Fifi made us an AMAZING dinner. It's good to be home!

DAY 101: Raining on Cape Reinga

So we had all bought these "Sand Safari" tickets to take us on a tour bus around Cape Reinga. Unfortunately for us, it was raining ALL day. But that didn't stop us.

They drove us to Cape Reinga point to see the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean touch. We all ran up this hill with the wind pushing us back- - we felt like we were running in slow motion.

Hole-In-The-Rock is behind us!

We got pictures by the lighthouse, then hopped back on the bus for a ride to 90 mile beach. During low tide, the bus drives around on the sand and takes you by the "Hole-In-The-Rock" before they loop back to Kaitaia.

During the drive, the tour brought us to these giant sand dunes.

Tour bus lady, "So this is where I take you guys Sand Surfing. But I doubt you guys would want..."

"WE'LL GO!"

She gave us these slippery boogie boards and told us not to aim for the bus. With the wind blowing us sideways and our bare feet sinking in the cold sand, we trudged up the hill. As an avid sledder, I was ready to rumble. What I wasn't prepared for was the sand face I would receive when I got to the bottom. Yuck, it was all in my ears and everything! Worth it though :)






 RANDOM- Had another crazy bus driver. She leaned out of the window to yell at her friend. She may of my not have used the N word. Why do we always get the nut jobs?

DAY 100: Rangitoto Part II

Found this on a fence! Small world

I took Cat on another ferry ride to Rangitoto Island off the coast of Auckland. I had gone previously with my friends Brett and Sarah, but I wanted her to see another larger volcano than Mt. Eden and see the view of Auckland.

We had a nice time hiking and exploring. We went through the Lava Caves which was super cool! I met a few Americans at the top of the cone and gave them advice on the best things to see in New Zealand. It really got me thinking about how much I've done! It's kind of crazy actually.

Cat and I took a cab home and freaked the driver out when I turned up Aretha and we started belting "I Will Survive". Sorry we're not sorry!

Anyways, when Cat and I got back, we quickly packed for our weekend trip to Cape Reinga! The two of us would be driving with Brett, Sarah, and Sarah's sister Caroline. The other car was Mike, Jaime, Fifi, and Lizzy.

FUN FACT #52: Cape Reinga is the northern most tip of the North Island. At the lighthouse at the point, you can see the convergence of the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean.

That night, we stayed at an actually very nice hostel and prepared for our Sand Safari the next day!

Volcanic Rock Field

DAY 98-99: Shai's Last Day and Waiheke!

Sarah, Cat, Mike, Jaime, Caroline, Me, Liz, Ellen, Fifi

The three of us decided to explore Auckland a little bit more before we had to bring Shaina back to the airport. So we thought we would check out the Auckland Art Museum.

Big mistake.

I was bored within 15 minutes. Modern Art is NOT my thing.

Anyway, we hit up the Mexican Cafe and had delicious lunch and then dropped Shaina off at the airport and returned the car. Sad to see her go, but glad to only have 2 people in that teeny tiny room of mine.

Me and Cat in the Vinyard!

The next day, our entire friend group decided to go to Waiheke Island off the coast of Auckland. The ferry ride is only about 40 minutes and it costs about $35. Waiheke is also known in New Zealand as "Wine Island" as it has some of the best wine of the North Island.

My friend Lizzy and I

The rest of the crew was a little bit slower getting up that morning than Catherine and I, so they missed the first ferry. We had all bought tickets for a wine tour, so when we arrived, Catherine and I explained the situation. The man was really nice about it and said that his wife would pick up the rest of the crew to meet us for the second vineyard.

So Cat and I got in the big bus with just us and a 50 year old couple who were there on their honey moon. It was slightly comical as we were brought to the first vineyard for our first tasting.

Here we are, standing and listening to this nice young woman telling us about the different kinds of wine they have to offer us, how they are treated, what kinds of wood are they left to sit in.

"This is our Chardonnay-- it's one of our better vintages and you can really taste the Oak undertones. The flavor really pops at you during the after taste..."

Wills 4 Freshman Year together Again!

The couple is oohing and ahhing, and Cat and I just smile and pretend like we know what we're doing. That is, until she asks, "What types of wine do you prefer?"

I draw a blank. All I can think is, Well, I like the box kind. With the cardboard smelling undertones.

Lucky for me, Cat is slightly paying attention and says, "Um, yeah, uh, we like white!"

The chick gives us a look like, what the hell are you doing here? And turns back to the old couple. AWKWARD!

They had us try 3 different kinds of wine, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I guess I now understand why my parents like it so much- - it tastes so much better when I don't pour it out of a plastic bag!!

By the next winery, our friends had arrived, which definitely took the tension off the fact that none of us know wine at all. This place gave us four more wines to taste, and then we moved on to the next winery.

The last winery was near the water with a great view of the bay. This place gave us FIVE wines to taste. And when I say tasting, I mean they filled the glass about a third of the way up the glass. This was no one-sip-you're-done kind of deal. That was when I noticed a small barrell with a little funnel on top and I had an epiphany.  It came in the sound of my Dad's voice saying, "Deanna, you aren't supposed to actually drink all of the wine. You are supposed to have a few sips and pour the rest out."

But all I could think was, "I paid good money for this tour and this wine! I'll be damned if I pour any of it out!" So I didn't.

By the time we made it to the Thai restaurant for lunch, I was definitely feelin' it. After lunch, they took us back to the 1st winery because the others hadn't gotten to go. Somehow the disapproving chick didn't recognize Catherine and I and gave us the wine to taste again. Talk about a good deal!!