Roys Workout

We had one full day we could devote to either the Milford Sound or Roy's Peak. The sound would have included 7 hours in the car so we elected to try Roy's Peak which was only an hour or so away. We headed off and took a shortcut through a mountain pass. 

We caught some pretty neat views on the way

After winding through the local roads we arrived at the trail head. 

The guide book said the whole trip would take 6 hours so we headed up.

We were surrounded by free roaming sheep for the first half of the trek. 

They were not the smartest creatures I have ever encountered. 

The trail was also littered with an overwhelming amount of sheep crap. Avoiding it was not an option.

As we reached higher ground the dung path lightened up a bit. Peter decided to show off his adventurous side.

We eventually started to reach the peaks of the lower mountains. We were still only halfway up to the peak.

It was at this point we decided to take a break and grab some lunch. The whole hike is uphill and both of our legs were killing us. Before leaving town we had grabbed a few things for our picnic. We had a loaf of bread, some cold chicken thighs, a block of blue cheese, and some water. We made tasty little sandwiches and enjoyed the view. 

After some much needed rest it was back to the trail.

After around 3 hours we finally made it to the top.

The views did not disappoint. 

It was really windy at the top so after we got our fill we headed right back down. 

All in all it was a pretty awesome hike that took most of our day to complete. I was able to get a shot showcasing how deep I really am.

We made it back to town and were both pretty whipped. The 4,200 feet of elevation change was a little more than we were expecting. We grabbed some takeout and ate dinner in bed. We will see how these legs feel tomorrow. 

Souph

The south island was calling us so it was off to the airport. We said our goodbyes to the sunny and headed in. A giant gollum sculpture (thanks google!) greeted us. New Zealand really loves their LOTR's connection and it is evident everywhere. 

We were also greeted by a giant mural which featured this gem.

I think I will pass. We boarded the plan and bid farewell to the san fran of Oceania.

The south island is littered with mountains and with the plan flying rather low for the majority of the trip we had a good view.

The decent into Queenstown was quite horrible for me. The city is nestled in the mountains and the landing is a calculated run between peaks. The turbulence was overwhelming for this squeamish flyer.

Still alive having survived my panic attack I stepped onto the tarmac. I was greeted with some incredible views that calmed my tension a bit. 

We headed to omega to fetch our rental car. Meet the Tiida! It is apparently the newer version of the Sunny. Welcome back old friend. 

We drove into town and checked into the hostel. This was probably the nicest hostel I have ever stayed in. We had originally booked a room for three because the rooms for two were full. Seeing only two of us at his counter the owner only charged us for a double room. It was one of the many perks they offered. The room was super nice and we had a balcony to ourselves with a great view. So if you are in Queenstown, Adventure Queenstown is the place to stay. 

We noticed there were a few Mexican restaurants in town. Morbidly curious we decided to try what southern New Zealand Mexican food tasted like. I got the tacos and Peter got the Burrito. The humorous part about it was the menu explained all of the dishes in detail. Having grown up with so much Mexican influence in our culture it would have never occurred to me to describe on a menu what a taco is. 

The results were predictable. The salsa was much like marinara and the meat was bland and chewy. It was a good change from all of the Indian food we have been eating however. They also featured an interesting selection of hot sauces. 

How much can you take? After our late lunch we headed back to the hostel and inquired about a good hike in the area. The owner pointed us to one that would wrap up right around sunset. We headed up the mountain. 

It was a rather enjoyable trail and there were lots of neat things to see.

The views from the top weren't too shabby either. 

The pilots in the area must have really good eyes as to be able to see this from the sky.

As promised the sun set right as we made it down the trail again. With a few hours of hiking under our belt we headed back for the hostels Sunday roast beef dinner. I forgot to take pictures of the event but it was a decent meal at a decent price. We ended up talking to the hostel owner for quite a bit about sports and travel. It was good to learn that not all of the world hates us Americans.

Kiwi!

The wind in Wellington is relentless. Our windows rattled all night as the sea air blew through the city. When I awoke it was still howling. As we left for our first attraction we drove by the sea line where all of the artwork is designed to interact with the local breeze.  

We grabbed a quick breakfast at a cafe down the street. I got the breakfast burger. They sure do know their breakfast sandwiches around here. 

Our first stop was the Weta Cave. This is the workshop for the special effects company co owned by Peter Jackson that is known for its work in films like Lord of the Rings, District 9, and the Narnia series. They had a small museum in the front lined with movie props.  

It looks like the engineers frequent the same cafe that we stopped at for breakfast.

Photos were not allowed in the actual workshop so here are some shots of us with trolls. 

Movie magic at it finest. With the tour out of the way we headed back onto the other side of the mountain through a tunnel that is carved through the base.

Having yet to see a Kiwi we decided to go hunting for one at the local zoo.

It featured questionable advice on animals and their various dietary needs. 

This diet must have contributed to the odd behavior we noticed in the animals. 

We were able to finally spot a Kiwi but the photographic evidence is marginal. Kiwis are nocturnal so the enclosure was pitch black other than some strategically placed red lights. This was the best photo I was able to snap. What I can say is they are pretty neat little birds. 

The zoo also featured an operating room with a viewing area where you could watch the veterinarians perform live surgeries. They wore a microphone on their collar so you could hear what they were saying as they operated. There was also a button to ask questions. We watched a head surgery on a bird of some sort. Its outlook did not look very good. 

Having checked the Kiwi off of the bucket list we ventured onto the New Zealand Cricket museum. 

As we entered the curator confidently asked 'You know who this is don't you?'

Bashfully admitting our limited cricket knowledge she took us under her wing and gave us a personal tour of the museum.  

We learned quite a bit about the game and its players. One of my favorite items in the museum was an aluminium cricket bat that was used in a single game. Apparently there were no rules on the material of the bat at the time so a guy just showed up with an aluminum bat and destroyed people. It was banned shortly after.

Continuing on the museum tour we hit up the Museum of New Zealand. This was a huge building that contained everything you could ever think of. It was quite overwhelming but kept us busy for the rest of the afternoon. 

Unfortunately the rock exhibit was out of order. 

We shall try again later. Outside the museum was the most amazing thing ever; the taranaki wharf jump platform.

It was just a big staircase to nowhere that you would jump off into a small hole in the wharf. It was closed due to pollution in the water but that did not deter everyone from using it. 

It now being dinner time we searched for a suitable restaurant. I think this fits the criteria...

Tomorrow we head to the south island to see the other side of New Zealand. Everyone keeps saying how different it is down there so I guess we will see tomorrow.