South Island Pt. 2 (and some North)

Just finished up an amazing three-week Easter break - another trip around the South Island and a little of the North Island with my friends Matt and Tori. After Sydney we all flew into Christchurch and started off our adventure from there. We rented a car this time, which made getting around so much easier - and I got to experience my first time driving on the left side of the road!

Gorgeous scenery while driving up the coast

Our first stop was Dunedin, where Tori knew someone who was studying abroad. On our first day we did the Speights tour. We were led around the brewery and learned about the history of the brewery as well as the process of brewing beer. Then at the end we were guided to the tap, where we tasted their range of beers. It was a pretty cool experience, I wish we had gotten to do the Cadbury one as well!

The brew room at Speights

Expertly pouring beer from the tap

At the suggestion of Tori's friend we ventured down to Tunnel Beach, where a farmer had carved a tunnel in the rocks so that his daughter could get to the secluded beach on the other side (or so we were told). We also drove along the Otago Peninsula, which was gorgeous.

The walk down to tunnel beach, during which I slipped and fell...twice.

Emerging from the tunnel

From there we made our way up to Wanaka, which I had only seen briefly when we stopped there on our way to Queenstown during our February break. On the way we stopped by the Moeraki Boulders, which are boulders on the beach that are perfectly round and smooth, formed from marine mud.

A boulder that cracked open

Tori and me on the boulders

It was finally starting to look like fall, and the lake and the trees were amazing. For some reason I had thought that it would remain summery the entire time we were here, so we were caught off guard when we discovered how cold it actually got down there!

Our campground in Wanaka

Lake Wanaka

After Wanaka we drove toward Blenheim, and on the way we picked up a hitchhiker! It was great to be able to pay it forward after having hitchhiked to Queenstown during the first break. He was a Kiwi on his way home after having worked for some time on the South Island, and was about our age so that was pretty cool. While he was with us we drove up the east coast of the island and stopped by what became one of my favorite places, Kaikoura. The view was spectacular, with the mountains seeming to rise straight up out of the ocean. We also got to see some adorable napping seals :)

Awwww

Mountain view from the coast in Kaikoura

When we reached Blenheim we went straight to our appointment with Wine Tours by Bike, which is pretty self explanatory. We were given bikes and a map and were sent on our way. I learned quite a bit about wines that day; I think the main thing I remember is how to swish it around in the glass and smell it, then throw in words like "oaky" and "fine acid backbone". Regardless, we had a great time and it was a neat way to see the area; I never get tired of vineyards.

Matt and Tori, ready to go!

Tasting some wine grapes

After that we made our way to Nelson Lakes, which was another one of my favorite areas on the trip. The mountains and the lake made for some gorgeous scenery, and the forest walk we went on was beautiful, too.

Photographing the eels in the lake

After dropping off the car in Nelson we took a bus to Abel Tasman to do a three-day, two-night hike. The first day was nice, but the rest of the time was fairly rainy. The track was amazing nonetheless, and there were still quite a few other people on the track despite the weather.

Some rainbow action in Abel Tasman

Once we finished the track we went to Picton, where we would catch the ferry across the Cook Strait to Wellington. The ferry ride started out great, with comfy seats and a view out the window. However, things went south rather quickly when the wind and waves picked up. Everywhere we looked people were getting sick, and I had to close my eyes and go to sleep until we reached calmer waters.

Interior of the ferry

Tori and me on the ferry

When we got to Wellington it was pretty rainy and windy, but we tried to see as much of the town as we could. We went to Te Papa, the national museum, which was huge! We only had time to see a fraction of it, but it was cool to learn a little bit more about New Zealand's cultural and natural history.

Tori and I left Wellington planning to hitchhike our way back to Auckland in the next few days (Matt had taken a bus back earlier that day). We started out with a handful of very short rides, never more than half an hour or so, but lucked out when we got picked up by a guy who was heading to Auckland that day! We ended up making it home by that night, and only a few hours behind Matt. Not bad for a trip we thought would take at least two days :)

Our lives had to fit in our backpacks for two weeks

Lake Taupo

It was great to see so much of the South Island on this trip, but I still have so much more to see on the North Island! We passed Lake Taupo and (the base of) Mount Ruapehu on the way back to Auckland, and the BU program is taking us to Rotorua next weekend, so I'll be able to cross some places off my list...hopefully I can get more done before I leave.


The semester is going by so quickly - I can't believe it's already been four months! I only have one month left of class, then Dad's visiting, I'm going to Fiji, then headed home! So much to do in so little time. The Auckland program is a little bit longer than most BU programs, and most students who were studying abroad have already gone home. I'm glad I have a little more time here, Auckland's actually starting to feel a little bit like home. Four months seems short, but I think by the time June rolls around I'll definitely be ready to head back to the States. I miss everyone back home, and since it's starting to cool down here I'll be ready for another summer!


xx
Tessa