I am just about to leave New Zealand and looking back at my incredible time here, I can’t believe all that I have done. This country is an amazing one to visit and I’m so glad I was able to spend so much time here. The scenery has been beautiful and my fellow travelers have been awesome.

 

My visit to the South Island was a lot more chilled than the north, even though I was still on the tour. I spent more of the time enjoying scenic views and with friends I made. We had bonfires on the beach, walked around beautiful national parks, and danced at clubs until early in the morning.

 

 

 

Some highlights of my South Island adventures include:

 

Lake Mahinapua

This stop was an exclusive to the tour I was on, as it was a hotel and pub in a rural area. We were told that there would be a costume party and that the theme was ABC (anything but clothes). We arrived with some time to make our costumes and chill. It was really fun. I may be biased but I think my friends and I had the coolest ideas for costumes:

 

 

There was also a costume competition and I won second place, a free pub crawl in Queenstown!

 

Franz Joseph Glacier

Franz Joseph was one of the most beautiful stops on my journey. I was happy to enjoy the breathtaking panoramic views of the glacier while sunbathing in the warmth of summer. Many of the friends I made skydived, kayaked, or glacier treked so they got an amazing view of the glacier.

 

 

 

Wanaka and Puzzling World

Wanaka is a chilled lake town that I really enjoyed visiting. We arrived in the afternoon to a lake with breathtaking views. I swam with friends and relaxed. We also entered a pool competition that night and even though we didn’t win, it was a fun time out.

 

 

The following morning we also hit up Puzzling World. I spent time running around a giant maze and checking out some great optical illusions. There were also a ton of puzzles to play with.

 

 

Milford Sound

The longest part of my tour on the bus was a day trip to Milford Sound, which is considered the Eighth Wonder of the World. This inlet with steep cliffs provides breathtaking views. The day I visited it was raining, which made the cliffs and waterfalls appear even more spectacular.

 

 

Queenstown

Queenstown is an adventure city, with lots of adrenaline pumping activities and nightlife. There are canyon swings, zip lines, and bungy jumps. While I didn’t partake it any crazy activities, I did party a lot. At that point I had made friends with several groups of people on different busses, so a long stop in Queenstown allowed me to reconnect with everyone. I also witnessed the running of the wool, where sheep run and jump down the street.

 

 

Christchurch

I finished up the time in NZ with a day in Christchurch. Still recovering from the earthquake in 2011, many shops and homes are being rebuilt. Temporary structures have been made out of shipping containers. Christchurch is definitely still in a rebuilding phase, and I hope to one day make it back to see more progress.

 

 

So that’s it, my time in New Zealand has come to an end. The scenery has been beautiful and the travelers have been awesome. While I am sad to leave, I plan to be back and am excited for the next stop in my journey.

NZ, you have been a blast.

Off to Australia…