At the moment I’m in Nelson, at the top of the South Island. Since Milford Sound I’ve been to Queenstown, Wanaka, Greymouth, and now Nelson. Working my way back north has made me a bit sad, but still excited for what’s yet to come. It’s hard for me to choose which has been my favorite stop since Milford. Each has been delightful in it’s own way.
Queenstown was a life changing two days for me. The bungy jump was the life changing part, in the sense that I feel like I can do anything now. If something in the future makes me hesitate because it looks intimidating, I can say to myself, at least it’s not jumping off a bridge. Not that jumping off a bridge wasn’t fun, of course! It was very fun! Just not in those few seconds when the technician is counting down, 3, 2, 1, and I’m looking down at a river 141 feet in the air.
Wanaka was a stark contrast to Queenstown where everyone participates in adventure activities during the day and goes out to dance clubs in the evening. Wanaka was just incredibly chill. I spent about 3 hours down by the lake under one of the many, (I want to say Willow, but honestly I have no idea what kind they were), trees and relaxed. It was a perfect way for me to unwind after an adrenaline filled couple of days.
In between Wanaka and Greymouth are two glaciers, Fox and Franz Josef. The glaciers themselves were spectacular, but the deep valleys they carved and receded back from were just as spectacular. All along the steep walls you can see where huge boulders gouged the rock face as the ice slowly forced them forward.
The west coast near Greymouth is gorgeous, and I was sad to leave it to head inland toward Nelson. Staying in Greymouth also gave me the chance to visit Arthur’s Pass again, which I traveled through by train earlier. It was just as beautiful the second time.
Tomorrow I’ll be heading back over to the North Island and will soon be hiking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. It is considered to be the best one day trek in NZ. I am really looking forward to it!
Pictures Don't Count 