I made it to New Zealand! I have to say I was dreading the 13.5 hour flight over but it wasn't bad at all. We departed at 8:45pm, I had dinner with a glass of wine, watched part of a movie, took my sleeping pill and I was out for the next 8 hours! I woke up just in time for breakfast and we landed an hour later. It was fantastic. :)
Our first stop in the adventure is in Queenstown. Queenstown is known as the adventure capital of the world and our group wasted no time seeking out adventure. Our first night, we rode the gondola up to the Skyline Restaurant. It had a gorgeous view of the city and was a great first glimpse into the adventures that were ahead for us. After the restaurant we headed into town to check out the night life. We ended up going to the Ice Bar - a bar completely made out of ice. Tables, glasses, sculptures, you name it. Everything was ice!
Our first full day was jam packed with adventure. I went paragliding with Gab and then jet boat riding and bicycle riding with some of my classmates! At the end of the day I could barely keep my eyes open and I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
Paragliding was amazing. They normally take off from the top of the gondola but there wasn't any wind so we hiked up 400 more vertical feet to see what the top of the mountain looked it. I'm so glad we did because we had a much better view and a longer ride (more for your money!). It was so peacefully floating down and my pilot added a little adventure by doing some spirals and swings. I can't wait to do it again.
After paragliding, Gab and I ran into more friends who were going Jet Boat riding so we decided to join them. These boats go crazy speeds through the canyons and then do 360 degree turns. It was a crazy adventure and I'm glad to say we survived it!
We definitely have started the trip out with adventure but now it is time to settle down and start learning. Tomorrow takes us to the wineries and education...
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| Looking down into downtown Queenstown |
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| Stephanie and I at the top of Skyline |
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| Getting ready to go into the ice bar. Their marketing is incorrect, it was minus 9 degrees, not 5! |
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| Sure am glad they gave us jackets, gloves and boots. It was cold in there! Everything was made from ice. |
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| Cheers! Prema and I with our ice glasses. |
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| Gab and I went Paragliding. There wasn't any wind at the lower jump site so we had to hike up to the higher one. 3,000 feet seems like a good height to jump off a mountain. :) |
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| Gab and I ready to go! |
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| Weeee! My pilot was awesome. We flew all over Queenstown, did a few spins and he simulated bungy jumping. Best experience ever! |
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| Flying over Queenstown |
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| Queenstown with the lake in the background. |
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| Safely back on the ground. |
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| Shotover Jet Boat Rides! We are about to get on that boat and go through the canyons at top speeds. |
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| Ready to board the boat! |
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| Weeee! |
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| As if the day wasn't jam packed with adventure already, we decided to end with a bicycle ride around the lake. My bottom is still sore. :) |
