Tomorrow, March 20th, marks the official halfway point of our time in New Zealand. While the six months have flown by way too quickly, my memories from home also feel eons away. Quite frankly, I miss the good old U-S-of-A and mostly, I miss all of you.
But my homesickness was abated last week when three of my crazy, foolish girlfriends from Hamilton invaded an unsuspecting New Zealand. The authorities were completely unprepared for their arrival. Lisa was actually able to slip through their fingers on an early flight, but August and Cate were not quite as lucky. With only hours notice from Interpol, the New Zealand border police tried to detain the other girls on hopped up charges of narcotraficante and bioterrorism. Crafty as ever, August and Cate were able to get through.
After a whirlwind tour of the North Island (Auckland–Raglan–Wellington) the girls made their way down to Queenstown where Eliott and I hosted them for the rest of their time in NZ. Eliott and I have been working pretty hard at becoming true Queenstown locals since settling here in Feb so it was nice to play host for the week. We showed off our townie status- touring the girls through local hotspots- but also hopped into the car for yet another roadtrip. Here’s a little summary of the highlights from our week with the girls!
Going Hard-core Parkour on Queenstown
After filling up on lamb steaks and sauv blanc we took to the streets of Queenstown. We most certainly did justice to the “loud” and “brash” stereotype associated with Americans. It was just like how I remember (foggily) the good old days in upstate New York.
Wine Tasting in Gibbston Valley
The Central Otago region is filled with boutique vineyards and we made sure to get heaps of tastings on our way. This region is particularly famous for their Pinot Noirs. For a taste of your own back home, drop by Whole Foods and pick up the Mohua label.
We capped off the day of tastings with a visit to Lake Hayes, where we had a picnic lunch and rejuvenated our spirits by launching ourselves off the homemade rope swing. We got some big air. I’d say we really nailed it.
Milford Sound Roadtrip
A visit from friends would not be complete without a little roadtrip now would it? So we hopped into the car for a one-day trip down to the famous Milford Sound. We made sure to take our time on the drive down, stopping for:
Exercise
Bathrooms
And of course a bit of scenery
We opted for the Jucy Cruize (because we’re hip) and were not disappointed by the breathtaking views. Milford Sound is a fiord carved out by glaciers during the ice age. What remains are 1000-meter cliffs that soar high above the clouds and plunge into deep blue waters. It’s home to a variety of marine life including fur seals, penguins, dolphins, and the occasional whale. Rudyard Kipling proclaimed Milford Sound as the “eighth wonder of the world,” and I would be hard pressed to disagree with him.
Paragliding
You can’t come to Queenstown and NOT partake in any adventure sports so Cate and Lisa took one for the team and went Paragliding. These are the nuts that Eliott and I watch from our balcony all day long. They quite literally walk off the side of a mountain with nothing but a crazy New Zealander and a parachute strapped to their backs. August and I (due to a severe fear of heights) volunteered to stay back and document the adventure.
Local Tramps
For our last full day in Queenstown we took the girls on a tramp, or hike, just outside of Queenstown. It’s a two hour loop known as the Crighton Track, listed as a “moderate” incline, but we’d actually rate it “moderate-to-difficult.” Highlights included views over lake Wakatipu, an old-fashioned camping hut, and sore legs.
Local Dining
As any tramper worth their weight in dirt knows, it’s vital to refuel after a hearty workout. So we treated ourselves to a delicious, nutritious feast at the best restaurant in town- Fishbone. Eliott and the girls got a full tour of New Zealand seafood, sampling Green-lipped Mussels from Marlborough sound, Nelson clams, pacific Bluenose, native Blue Cod, and of course the famous Bluff oysters.
But as Robert Frost once wrote, “Nothing gold can stay,” and that was the case this week. The girls boarded their plane to Christchurch, Eliott went back to work, and I walked around wearing the worlds biggest sunglasses in an attempt to hide my tears. It was an absolutely amazing week and it went by way too quickly. It was really special to share a bit of our life, here in QT, with friends from home.
Seeing old friends has reminded us of where we were just 12 months ago and made us think about how much this trip will change us. It’s quite hard to tell whether or not we’ve changed at all. I can say for sure that our habits and routines are different. We don’t go to Murphy’s Pub until 4am on the weekends anymore and we frequent the supermarket more often than restaurants these days. But will these changes stick with us when we get home? Will we undergo deeper changes in our personalities and outlooks? I don’t think we’ll be able to tell while we’re over here. It’s something that you’ll have to be the judges of when we finally do get back home, in just six months time!
Hey there Meg and Eliott-
I remember that same “longing” at the 1/2 way point when we were in Australia. My calls home got a lot more frequent. Good luck with working through all that and thoroughly enjoying your time. Before you know it, it’s 5 years later and you’re wondering how soon it will be before before you can get back 🙂
Hi Kathy, a very good reminder to look at the big picture. I know for sure that 12 months from now (and probably forever more) we’ll be longing for our days in New Zealand!
Looks like you were wonderful tour guides and everyone had a great time. Beautiful photos once again.
Really lovely, Meg! I am greatly enjoying my “armchair travels” through your wonderful text and photo’s.
xo Godma
Glad we can take you along on our travels Leisa! we certainly enjoy the company 🙂
Entertaining and insightful as always.
Thanks for following along everyone! We really appreciate your comments and we love writing these updates to share with you all back home!
[…] « The Americans are Coming! […]
Yay for more visitors! Glad you guys can share your trip/NZ experience with friends. Much better than coming back with stories and pictures…they actually lived it! I remember feeling homesick while on SAS but then quickly getting caught up in all that was going on and loving every minute of it. Had a TA get together last night and everyone is uber jealous of your travels! Miss you xoxo