More NZ Fun

More pics from drive from Wanaka to Queenstown, bungy jumps and more Kiwi Experience fun!! Sweet as!

hanging out in Wanaka

New Zealand is Awesome!

so beautiful


forget the name of this lake, but will update it later if anyone cares



our kiwi exp skydive group!

horrible angle, but me and Suda when the chute is open

looking at my toes from the sky

Fox Glacier from the sky

Our swanky private lodge with hot tub! (only $2 more a night)

Franz Josef Glacier

Franz Josef Glacier

Franz Josef Glacier

getting ready for the jump!

Hot Pools - 40 degrees C!

Franz Josef Glacier

2.07.10: 9 hour hike on Franz Josef Glacier - really awesome! Difficult hikes, really hot and really, really cold at times, but fun to hike around a glacier for the day! Natural hot pools immediately after, and then a low key night of cards, in preparation for my jump tomorrow!

2.08.10: wake up for a 6 am sunrise sky dive over franz josef glacier! 12,000 feet, and voted #2 best scenic sky dive by Us Skydive Association. Lots of fun, and beautiful scenery! I really enjoyed the jump. then on the bus stopping at various beautiful view points on the way to wanaka. once to wanaka we jump in the water, lay on the beach, and enjoy a nice day out.

2.09.10: start the day on the bus, stop at puzzle world, and finally make it to queenstown (adventure or extreme sport capital of the world). stop in at the original bungy site, first in the world by aj hackett, walk through museum and watch fun video on the making of bungy jumping. watch people jump from the bridge, my friend wants to bungy and asks me if I will.. think about it for a second and say "ok" - 10 minutes later I'm jumping off the bridge with her! I got a discount too since I had jumped at another AJ hackett site in Acapulco, but the jump was awesome! great pics and videos to follow. make it to queenstown and get ready for my 109m high, 60m free fall canyon bungy/swing. I did it with my friend Andy (although I got to do it for free from the contest I won) and it was awesome!! First I tried doing backflips off the platform (have really great pics but can't upload now, great video too) then went for another go (for only $39, one jump is $190 usually) and this time did what they call Gimp Boy goes to Hollywood (they have a different name for each way to go off the platform, lots of variations, very creative) where I was dangling with feet in air head to the ground and they pulled the plug and let me go. It was lots of fun and I can't wait to show you all the pics and video. Then back into Queenstown to see what all the hype is about this place and their night life! :)

Kiwi Experience!

Lewis Pass


NZ Coast

2.04.10-2.06.10 - Been on the "kiwi experience" for only 2 nights now but it seems like I've been with these guys and on the bus for a week at least! It's been nice having someone figure out accommodation and transportation and such although it is kind of a drag traveling with 50 other people. everyone is really nice though and we've been enjoying all of our activities so far. Most of it included riding in the bus and going on walks along the coast looking at the scenery. NZ is BEAUTIFUL! It's really gorgeous and I wish I woulda scored better pictures along the bus ride. Drive from Christchurch to Westport, had a fun night at the local pub getting to know everyone, very small town! Then more driving and scenic walks, made our way to Lake Mahinapua where we stayed at this place run by a guy who they say is 126 years old! he is hilarious and has been hosting these crazy theme parties at this pub for over 16 years so he's got it down pat.

So we had 30 minutes at the salvation army to find something to create an outfit for the "fancy dress" party. we had to dress up as a famous person or animal, fact or fictional. I made my Scar (from Lion King, or could have been Lion from Wizard of Oz) costume out of 2 sweatshirts and a bunch of safety pins! I was voted best dressed too by everyone on the bus, and got a free canyon swing (kind of like bungy, 106m high, 60 m freefall) in Queenstown, worth $200!! :) Had a lot of fun that night at the Poo Pub, and then on the bus the next morning for more drives, scenery and stopped at the Bushman Center for lunch and some people went to the museum. Everything they had on display was pretty cool though without having to pay $4 to get in.

Now taking care of business in Franz Josef - staying in a really nice rainforest lodge thing, and going sky diving in 2 hours! Can't wait! It's only from 12,000 feet but it was voted #2 best sky dive in the world by the us skydive association, so I'm expecting it to be good! Looking forward to it! Then a full day hike up and down the Franz Josef Glacier and then dipping in the hot springs after! Once we arrive in Queenstown I'll get to use my free canyon bungee/swing. Our guide said its the most fun thing to do and he does it a lot so I'm happy I won! :)


NZ Coast + Me

Pancake Rocks

"fancy dress" party at the Poo Pub

the whole gang at Poo Pub

Bushman Center - had museum about how they used to catch wild deer for deer farms... quite an interesting and funny place! They sure love their meat!

New Zealand

Botanical Gardens


Rose Garden



Bridge of Remembrance





Cashel Street - shopping, eating, and drinking!

2.02.10 - 2.04.10: Arrived in Christchurch safe and sound. Hostel is great, right in the Cathedral Square area in the center of the city. It's the second largest city in NZ, but still pretty quaint, pretty, and quiet. Found out that I couldn't start the Kiwi Experience tour on the 3rd, the day I had planned (although I booked my trip Dec. 13th, grr), which now sets me back a day and I'll now have to miss one day of events in NZ to make up for that loss. Frustrating since I did it so far ahead of time, and I would have preferred to use this free day in another location, but what can ya do? (damned if you do, damned if you don't, you really just can't win'em all I suppose) So, just going with the flow with my extra day - walking around the city, laundry, catching up on sleep and planning the rest of my travels. :)







Victoria Square with statue of Captn. James Cook

Cathedral Square

Christchurch Cathedral

Starting the hop on hop off 20+ day bus trip around both islands of NZ and Fiji tomorrow, called the Kiwi Experience. From what I hear the best way to see the most of the country and it's nice to have travel and accommodation arranged for you as well as tours and an easy way to meet people, so soon I will see!

Whitsunday Islands and Airlie Beach

Whitsunday Islands


Happy Happy Carrie

1.30.10 - 2.01.10: My 3 day, 2 night sailing trip was dampened a bit (literally) from the piss-poor weather and rains on the first day and a half, but the beautiful sights in the end, beautiful sunshine in the end and the great group of people I met on the trip made it all worth while. We had about 25 in our group, we all had a teeny little bed to sleep on, 2 bathrooms for the group, and a captain/skipper, host/cook, and two dive instructors as well as two other crew members. Had great food, some diving (although not much because visibility was so bad), sun bathing, bush walk to aborigional caves, and just hanging out and having a good time. We missed out on a few great dive sites and the famous Whitehaven Beach because the weather was too bad to travel there, but we made the most of our trip anyway. Originally I thought this was my "Great Barrier Reef" diving... which technically it is still the GBR, but more of the outskirts. I guess the "classic" dive sights are from Cairns, but from what I hear the weather there was worse than in the Whitsundays so I guess it's all good.

View from Whitsunday Island, other side of WhiteHaven Beach

Capt'n Kurt let me drive the boat!

Hanging out enjoying the sunshine

Yeah Whitsundays!

Met some groups from Sweden, London, and Italy. We had a great time despite the gloomy weather in the beginning (as the 7 people who were sick on the back of the boat the last night can agree). Had a nice afternoon relaxing by the large salt water pool called the Lagoon which is right on the water (too many jellyfish to swim that area this time of year) with some of the people from the boat, enjoyed a nice lunch and got ready to head to the airport. Sad to be leaving Australia but looking forward to New Zealand!

*I love how the aussies shorten just about every word out there, (pressy for present, mozzy for mosquito, etc.) but here are the oz-isms I'll miss most: singlet/tank top, thongs/flip-flops, "good on ya!"/good for you or good going, "how are you going?"/how are you doing, "ta"/thank you, HEAPS/lots, and instead of saying good bye/see ya/later to someone you know you'll never see again (ie. flight attendant, waitress in restaurant you'll never bet at again, etc.) all say "SEE YOU!" in an optimistic, promising tone, as if I will really see them again :) you gotta love'm!

Group Shot

SCUBA Carrie

Brisbane/Moreton Island

super bummed I didn't get to see the koalas and kangaroos (at the time), so this statue had to do... until I saw heaps and heaps of 'roos on the side of the road on the way to the airport to New Zealand! :)


HEAPS of 'roos!!

Brisbane

Moreton Island



Leaving Moreton Island by ferry - in front of the Wrecks


Brisbaine from my hostel



Moreton Island


Moreton Island

1.27.10 - 1.29.10: Spent two nights in Brisbaine, tried the bars and restaurants around the hostel. Woke up bright and early to see Moreton Island, the 3rd largest sand island in the world. It was absolutely beautiful! I'm super bummed I didn't take a pic of the first beach we went to because it was absolutely stunning, but it was fabulous anyway. Driving in the 4WD cars on the sand roads (no roads on the island!) was super bumpy and totally crazy driving, craziest road situation I've been in, people needing to be towed everywhere and so on - it was fun! Went sand boarding down this really high hill in the Desert (it was SO hot, my feet were on FIRE). Did some swimming in gorgeous clear turquoise warm water, saw some turtles and rays in the ocean from Cape Moreton Lighthouse- very beautiful views! did some more swimming at Eastern Beach and saw some dolphins playing in the waves, then had some food out of the back of the truck, then went to a freshwater lake, "Blue Lagoon" which wasn't as beautiful but I cool as it's infused with tea tree oil and in the middle of a sand island. The next day I had planned to go to the koala and kangaroo sanctuary in Brisbane before my flight out to the Whitsundays, but I had major issues with my credit card and spent about an hour on the phone dealing with that and trying to straighten stuff out so I could have money for the next few days... so I'm super bummed I didn't get to see any, but that just leaves something else to do for next time :)




Moreton Island



in the Desert - here I go sandboarding... weeeee!!!


I did it! yahoo !!



Moreton Island