Oamaru, Queenstown

Place 63 & 64 – Day 3 & 1: Queenstown & Oamaru 🇳🇿 – 300m Swing, 134m Bungy, Seals & Blue Penguins!

We were up early(ish) today and ready to go out.

We had to drive to Kawarau Bungy Centre, but firstly we had some time to kill, so we went into the centre of Arrowtown for some walking around.

Whilst there, there was a small Sunday market going on, which we had to go and see! There was a Swedish food stand, so we got a cinnamon bun each.

We walked around a bit more and Tom got a pie, then we had to get back to the car and drive to where we needed to be.

We arrived and got checked in. This meant we had to get weighed, get our weight written on our hand and on the other hand we got a number written as well as an indication of what we were doing.

We eventually got onto a bus to take us up to Nevis Canyon. The ride was bumpy and down some tiny, tiny mountain roads, until we eventually reached the top.

Unfortunately, it was on a ‘wind break’ when we arrived, but we could still look around and see how incredibly high up we were!

This is where the swing went from

This is where the bungy went from

Eventually, after about 3 hours of waiting for the wind to die down and for them to get all other people completed, we got harnessed up and sent right out to the swing.

It became windy when we got there, so it was briefly delayed again, but a few people went and then it was our turn! We went together and then Kim went again but with her mum.

The swing is a very thin swing which you are clipped into and you then do a very sharp drop 70m downward and then swing 300m, before swinging back a little and then you get pulled back up.

Kim loved this and Curtis didn’t mind the actual swing but the drop was not too fun!

Kim went again with her mum and still loved it then! Maggie had a great time.

After our swings, we walked back up but Kim wasn’t done there. Right after, she had to go right to the bungy area where she was doing a 134m Bungy, which is the largest in New Zealand!

Kim had a briefing and then was taken across onto a suspended platform in a small cage with a few others, ready to jump.

Kim was all fine until right before her jump, where she struggled to wave and smile at the cameras whilst standing on the edge. Kim did a terrific swan dive off the ledge and bounced a few times!

We got the bus back to where our car was and then drove on up to Oamaru, with a stop on the way for some food.

Once we got to Oamaru, around 21:00, Kim read that there should be penguins near the harbour, so we went down to try and find some.

After an hour or so of waiting for penguins, we didn’t see any and were asked to move on from where we were standing. We were able to see some seals, though!

When walking back to the car, someone pointed out two penguins who were really close! We were unable to get photos as the lighting was awful, but they were tiny and cute!

We eventually got back and were all tired. We showered and then headed to bed. We are driving straight to Christchurch tomorrow.

This time last year!

Poroporoaki!

– Mr & Mrs Hale

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Queenstown

Place 63 – Day 2: Queenstown – River Bodyboarding

Curtis and Maggie both woke up with colds this morning!

We all had croissants for breakfast and then Tom & Kim went out to do some river bodyboarding.

The river bodyboarding was a 4+ hour trip in which they had to drive down to Queenstown, get picked up by a bus and get driven out to a river. Kim and Tom ended up being with an American family, but their guides were very good!

They eventually got to the river and were told that they couldn’t use the GoPro, which was a shame, so we got no footage of the event.

The first go was a bit more difficult as they had to get used to it, but on the second run it was much easier and it was all a lot of fun!

Once completed, there was a small snack area with musli bars and juice and then they had to get back on the bus. The bus took a very long time to get back to Queenstown and once back there, they went to the supermarket and then back home.

Whilst Kim and Tom were out, Curtis and Maggie chilled. Curtis got a lot of visa related things done and watched hockey.

When everyone was home, we had salad again for dinner and watched a bit of TV. All of a sudden, it was 22:00 so we all headed off to bed. Tonight is our last night in Queenstown but we have some fun planned tomorrow!

This time last year!

Poroporoaki!

– Mr & Mrs Hale

Queenstown

Place 63 – Day 1: Queenstown 🇳🇿 – Car Pickup, Arrowtown & Luge!

We were up nice and early at 05:30 to get showered and ready to fly!

We booked an Uber and got to the airport with about 2 hours to spare. We went to check our bags but realised they were too heavy, so had to re-jig them to ensure they were of an acceptable weight.

We checked our bags and went to McDonald’s for a spot of breakfast and a coffee.

We breezed through security, waited briefly and went onto the plane! The flight was nice and easy, we listened to some music and before we knew it, we were there.

Queenstown is very mountainous, which is the first thing we noticed.

We all collected our bags and walked outside to the transfers area where we were to wait for our free shuttle to our car rental company. We had to wait for 45 minutes for the shuttle, but eventually got there.

The car was very dirty, but to be fair to them, they are currently working on a construction site! We have the car for a couple of weeks.

After picking up the car, we drove to Arrowtown for a look around and for some lunch. Our airbnb host was kind enough to recommend a nice pub to go to, so one we walked around, we went there for lunch. Curtis had fish and chips whilst Kim had a chicken wrap.

We walk around a bit more after lunch and then just before driving to our airbnb, we had a brief walk around the old chinese settlement.

We drove to the airbnb and met our host who was lovely! We are in our own apartment out in the back garden of the house and it is perfect! Exactly what we were looking for!

We relaxed a bit and then drove down to Queenstown’s Centre to see what all the fuss is about.

We found a parking spot and went for a wander. We sat on the pier and watched some boats and looked at the mountains. It was perfectly relaxing!

Kim got a crepe and then we walked up to the cable car to do the luge!

We got 5 rides each and it wasn’t too busy.

We attempted to race but it didn’t work too well, until the last run which was a really good battle, until Curtis got stuck!

The views were exceptional from the top of the mountain.

Once we finished this, we walked down to the car and stopped at a supermarket for dinner supplies before heading home.

We got back to the apartment and had some salad for dinner with some other things and then pretty much went to bed! We did a bit of admin but got too tired so went to sleep.

More fun things ahead!

This time last year!

Poroporoaki!

– Mr & Mrs Hale