Kia ora mates!!! (Hello
friends)! What’s going on in your neck of the woods? We’re hunkered down at
home trying to keep cool indoors. Summer is in full swing in
Bangkok, and lately we’ve had temperatures pushing 41°C (106 °F), plus humidity :( My mum and pop just returned from a holiday in New Zealand, so to say they’re
missing the refreshing fall weather in the southern hemisphere would definitely
be an understatement!
Oh, what a wonderful trip they had! I’ve enjoyed watching
their photos flash up on the television, and reliving the trip as if I was
there. As for myself, I was on a wee bit of a holiday too. I spent the time chilling out at a friend’s house…getting lots of puppy playtime! We
shared laughs, bones, and lots of snuggles! Wrestling and romping around with
that big, sexy bitch certainly left me all buggered out ;) HeyO!!!!
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| Pooped! |
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| Taking switch hits off the bone. |
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| We go together like peanut butter and jelly! |
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| My best friend, Sunday :) |
Since I have all sorts of free time on my hands, my parents
asked me if I could share their New Zealand adventure with you. I felt it best
to break this trip up into two parts…just too much good stuff to talk about!
The food really got me drooling, but I'll share all the treats
and eats my parents gorged themselves on another day.
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| Meat Pie. Whaaaaammmmmy!!!! |
First off, I think it’s most appropriate that everyone
attempt reading this post with a New Zealander accent. Seriously, what doesn’t
sound better when spoken like a cute Kiwi? This was my parent’s first
trip in a while visiting a country where everyone speaks English…well at least
for the most part. I’m going to try and pepper this post with a few of their crazy sayings…hopefully I won’t lose ya!!!
Just for shits and giggles…try slipping these into a conversation today!
Bach – Holiday Beach Home
Fart Sack – Sleeping Bag (*my personal favorite!)
Jandals – Flip flops, sandals, thongs
Mountain Oyster – Sheep’s Testicle
Ankle Biter – Small child or toddler (Also an unfortunate nickname some doxies have. I’ve never bit an ankle in my entire life, and I have absolutely no intention to!)
Sweet As – Something really good. For example, “New Zealand is sweet as!”
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| Baaaaaaaaaaah!!! |
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| Where's Frodo!?! |
The next morning they woke up early and headed to the airport.
They were off to explore the South Island, aka home of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy!!! 1st
Stop – Christchurch! Unfortunately and as expected, most of downtown Christchurch
and the cathedral were shut down due to damage from last years earthquake. Driving through the city they passed countless condemned homes
and businesses. Similar to Tokyo, they experience several earthquakes a
week…luckily most are so small they go unnoticed.
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| Little Ferbie, their sweet stickshift. |
Despite the quietness of Christchurch, they still had a wonderful time and a delicious pizza dinner
on the pier in New Brighton. With a big drive ahead of them in the morning,
they called it an early evening and headed back to their hotel to huddle up in
front of the space heater. Since we’re never cold here in Bangkok (unless the
aircon is blasting on high), the brisk fall weather was more like FREEZING for
my parents!
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| New Brighton Pier |
It was at this point that the official ROAD TRIP had begun! My parents blasted out of
Christchurch before the sun had even kissed the horizon. Next stop…Franz Josef, or Ka Roimata o Hinehukatere in Māori. During the 376 km journey, they zigzagged through mountain passes and crossed numerous climate zones on their way to the west coast, which they then hugged all the way to the glacier. Apparently there was some
seriously spectacular scenery on this drive! Trust me when I say my parents
never mumbled the words, “Are we there yet?” The final destination didn’t
matter when they had so much to enjoy along the way.
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| Kiwi Crossing! How cute! |
They reached the small town of Franz Josef just before
sunset. When I say small town, I mean really, really small town! With a
population barely over 400, you can literally drive through the
entire town in less than a blink of an eye. It was a very refreshing change from
Bangkok’s bustling population of over 12 million. As you can imagine, my mum and pop really enjoyed the fresh air, delightful weather,
peace and quiet, and most of all...personal space!
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| WIDE OPEN SPACES!!!! |
Their second day in Franz Josef included a trek to the glacier face. It was hard to believe a glacier was just around the corner as they tramped through thick, abundant moss and ancient ferns. Watching the glacier appear amidst the greenery and lushness of the bordering temperate rainforest was beyond dramatic. After a great night in Franz Josef and some wonderful eats, they hit the (fart) sack ready for their next stop…Cromwell! In the heart of the Central Otago wine region, these peeps make some seriously rockin’ Pinots!!!
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| Franz Josef Glacier Hike! |
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| Shorts on a glacier?!? You fit right in with the Kiwis Pops! |
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Blue Ice!!!
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On day one of wine tasting my mum and pop headed to the gorgeous Gibbston Valley. Their first stop was Chard Farm Winery, which just so happens
to be across the road from the historic Kawarau Bridge (the world’s
first commercial bungy site!) They had to swing by the bridge first and check
out all the action. Would they have the mountain oysters to take the plunge??
Having certainly not dressed for the jump, nor being the least bit mentally prepared, they promised each other they'd return on their way to
Queenstown and make it happen. What better place to jump than at the birthplace of
bungy, right?!
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Chard Farm Winery
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| Contemplating the jump... |
Kawarau Bridge = 43m
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It was time to get back to the wine tasting! Second stop was Gibbston Vineyards. They had some excellent wines and even a few cheese snacks, but mum and pop were having a hard time focusing (let alone enjoying the wine!), what with the impending jump hanging over them and all. After a parking-lot pep talk and a bit of liquid
courage (thank goodness for vino!), they turned right around and went back to the
gorge. A couple release form signatures, multiple bathroom visits, and less than thirty minutes later, there they were...standing on the jump platform
together, looking down at the seemingly endless drop below. No joke, it really does look higher from
the top! Somehow, despite terrible acrophobia, at the end of a man's hurried 5-4-3-2-1 countdown..........THEY JUMPED!!! Momentary weightlessness, their breath sucked out of their lungs, and just when they thought the icy, cold water below would be their watery grave, that wonderful bungy cord grabbed hold and rescued them from gravity's tight grip. It was over, and boy were they happy! "Try everything once", that's what I
always say. Well, unfortunately I don’t think I’ll ever bungy. I’m already
prone to back injuries, so I don’t even want to think about what would happen
if I jumped. I picture myself cracking like a whip in the wind. Yowza!!!
With the exhilarating bungy ordeal in the past, they could now properly relax on day two in Cromwell! Despite being over 7,000 miles from
California, as my parents sat on their balcony overlooking the vineyards, sipping delicious Pinot while the
sweet smell of fermenting grapes lingered in the air, it somehow felt just like
home. Sad to leave the beautiful Central Otago wine region, but excited for their next destination, they drove onward to
Queenstown, their final stop before heading back to the North Island.
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| Mum, you shouldn't operate heavy machinery while drinking! |
They jam packed their two days in Queenstown with all sorts
of outdoorsy activities. This included a ride on the Skyline Gondola up the
mountain with fantastic views of Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu, and they even
had time to tramp (hike) the Sawpit Gully Track (trail). Queenstown has a delightful South Lake Tahoe
feel, with an adorable downtown, lots of shopping, tasty food, and plenty of
adrenaline filled activities to keep you more than occupied during your stay.
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| Lake Wakatipu |
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Sawpit Gully Tramp (Hike)! Ha!
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This will certainly be a trip my parents will reminisce about for years to
come. It only took 10 days, but my mum and pop have undeniably fallen in love with New Zealand. It could be the amazing and oh-so-friendly people they met along the way, the world class wines they enjoyed over picture perfect vistas, the awe-inspiring natural element that speaks for itself, or the conquering of something absolutely terrifying together. Or perhaps its simply because New Zealand is...well....SWEET ASSSSSSSSS!!!!
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