we've got some new photos up...check out the link - we've added some new North Island and South Island photos :) the little picture is now just the new South Island ones.
HUGS!
Saturday, 14 March 2009
Queenstown
Quick update!
We're at the laundromat on a saturday night (we are sooo exciting) in Queenstown. We've decided to park ourselves here for a while (queenstown - not the laundromat)...the city has a great vibe, and the weather has been gorgeous, so no need to leave. Today we went hiking up to the Ben Lomond Saddle, and then chilled out on the lakefront in the sunshine watching a hangliding / sky diving competition (they are so cool... :P) while eating the best ice cream we've had in NZ so far. Yesterday, gavin went for a bike ride and did some solar stuff, and I went to the physio (for my knee...this amazing country provides visitors with 15 free physio appointments if you hurt yourself while here - wonderful), sipped a latte in the sunshine, got started on my new book, and did some window shopping (and not just window shopping...I am the proud new owner of a merino wool toque, and a pair of hiking socks...exciting purchases).
The reason I needed a bit of a day off from activity yesterday is that the day before we went canyoning!! I'm not exactly sure when I decided that jumping into a freezing cold glacial canyon and spending 3.5 hours sliding / jumping / / zip line-ing our way down it would be a good activity for someone with bad circulation - but I did. It was SUPER fun (until I couldn't stop shivering - that made it slightly less fun). We were suited up in a full wetsuit, with wetsuit leggings, two long sleeved wetsuit shirts, wetsuit shorts, wetsuit caps and helmets, and life jackets, wetsuit socks and wetsuit booties...we looked AWESOME (unfortunately, we didn't get a photo as we couldn't bring our cameras with us into the canyon)!
Gavin was a pro-star...jumping off of 8m high ledges into the canyon...I was less of a pro-star (did not go near the 8m high jump), but managed to do all but one of the jumps / slides etc. that they (our two guides) asked us to do to get down the canyon. A few examples: They spun us around backwards and sent us down these rock slides that the water had naturally carved into the canyon, we jumped off of ledges into the water, fell backwards into pools of water, slid off of ledges, were lowered (and then dropped) into pools of water...it was all very fun - a great once-in-a-lifetime experience :)
We're going to stick around in queenstown at least until tomorrow night (maybe even monday/tuesday), and then head to milford sound. We have a 3 day kayak trip booked and ready to go in doubtful sound on the 20th (next friday) - and then hopefully a four day hike after that! We're still loving it, although I am getting a wee bit tired of the camper-living (hence the laundromat - I finally needed some clean clothes again :), but I'll survive :P
Huge hug!
a
We're at the laundromat on a saturday night (we are sooo exciting) in Queenstown. We've decided to park ourselves here for a while (queenstown - not the laundromat)...the city has a great vibe, and the weather has been gorgeous, so no need to leave. Today we went hiking up to the Ben Lomond Saddle, and then chilled out on the lakefront in the sunshine watching a hangliding / sky diving competition (they are so cool... :P) while eating the best ice cream we've had in NZ so far. Yesterday, gavin went for a bike ride and did some solar stuff, and I went to the physio (for my knee...this amazing country provides visitors with 15 free physio appointments if you hurt yourself while here - wonderful), sipped a latte in the sunshine, got started on my new book, and did some window shopping (and not just window shopping...I am the proud new owner of a merino wool toque, and a pair of hiking socks...exciting purchases).
The reason I needed a bit of a day off from activity yesterday is that the day before we went canyoning!! I'm not exactly sure when I decided that jumping into a freezing cold glacial canyon and spending 3.5 hours sliding / jumping / / zip line-ing our way down it would be a good activity for someone with bad circulation - but I did. It was SUPER fun (until I couldn't stop shivering - that made it slightly less fun). We were suited up in a full wetsuit, with wetsuit leggings, two long sleeved wetsuit shirts, wetsuit shorts, wetsuit caps and helmets, and life jackets, wetsuit socks and wetsuit booties...we looked AWESOME (unfortunately, we didn't get a photo as we couldn't bring our cameras with us into the canyon)!
Gavin was a pro-star...jumping off of 8m high ledges into the canyon...I was less of a pro-star (did not go near the 8m high jump), but managed to do all but one of the jumps / slides etc. that they (our two guides) asked us to do to get down the canyon. A few examples: They spun us around backwards and sent us down these rock slides that the water had naturally carved into the canyon, we jumped off of ledges into the water, fell backwards into pools of water, slid off of ledges, were lowered (and then dropped) into pools of water...it was all very fun - a great once-in-a-lifetime experience :)
We're going to stick around in queenstown at least until tomorrow night (maybe even monday/tuesday), and then head to milford sound. We have a 3 day kayak trip booked and ready to go in doubtful sound on the 20th (next friday) - and then hopefully a four day hike after that! We're still loving it, although I am getting a wee bit tired of the camper-living (hence the laundromat - I finally needed some clean clothes again :), but I'll survive :P
Huge hug!
a
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