Doubtful Sound and Bottlenose Dolphins!!!!

Besides catching up with my dear friend Kelly...this was the HIGHLIGHT of my NZ adventure!!!
Glaciers created this natural spectacle of beauty! This place is one reason why I LOVE nature!!

The Doubtful Sound is in a quite remote location. To get there: First by boat for 45-minutes across Lake Manapouri to the Power Station. Then picked up from there by coach for a 30-minute ride along a the 2 million dollar Wilmot Pass to arrive at the dock of the Doubtful Sound!

This overnight excursion is one that should NOT be missed on a trip to New Zealand! And the company Real Journey's is FANTASTIC!! The crew works so hard to deliver a memorable journey! The meals were outstanding...one of the passengers said, "I can't cook this well in my own kitchen, let alone on a boat!"

First activity: kayaking on the Doubtful Sound! Oh!! That was immensely liberating!! To see how small I was against the cliff faces that surrounded me is an experience that will I NEVER forget. I kayaked along the Fiordlands walls and in the spray of the waterfalls!

Second activity: swimming in the Doubtful Sound!! So while kayaking I put my hand in the water and it felt warm, so I thought great it's not going to be be too cold after all. I was too excited to go in more than ever!! So I took a leap off the stern of the boat and hit the water...the ice cold water!!!! BRRRRRRR!!! is an understatement. I really think my heart stopped and my body turned blue. So I flailed my arms around a bit in the water and called it a swim! It was FANTASTIC!! And I'd do it all over again!!! Maybe next time with a wet-suit ;)

Aboard the boat I had the pleasure of meeting three wonderful people!! Karen, Christine and Collin are from Australia. They befriended me while on the cruise and that just made the whole experience so much more enjoyable. They were so kind to me and took my photo when I requested without hesitation. We shared stories, food and drinks! Karen I'm still working off all that dessert! Cheers to my new friends! I will be over for a visit!!

The animal highlight of this cruise were dolphins...bottlenose dolphis and we saw them FOUR times!!! The crew said that was unusual to see them so many times. Usually they see them once! These characters were just as exciting as the Hector's Dolphins in Akaroa. It seems as if they even put on a little dance show for us! FANTASTIC!!!

So besides the activities, the food, the friends and the dolphins; the scenery was just amazing!! Extremely beautiful waterfalls and shear cliff faces!! We had the best weather!! A little overcast at times, rain at times and the sunshine at times!! All the weather changes made you see the Sound in many different lights.

The best part: The skipper stops in the middle of the sound on a really calm part and cuts the engine. He asks everyone to go outside and just be silent and enjoy the sounds of The Doubtful Sound. That was just AMAZING!! Very peaceful and calming...(sigh).

The Milford Sound and The Milford Road

One of three things I wanted to see on my NZ list! What an incredible scene of the beauty of nature!
Waterfall after waterfall! I will let the photos speak for the Sound.

A Hike in Arrowtown!

I hiked the Sawpit Gully Trail in Arrowtown. Initially a pretty tough hike but it was worth the view and the amazing landscape! I felt like I was on the set of Lord of the Rings...minus Frodo and the gang ;) But truly a spectacular landscape! Locals and tourists love this trail because of it's variety of terrain, views and rolling hills!

Arthur's Pass National Park

Even on a foggy overcast day this park is spectacular!! Driving up to and through the pass was thrilling!! Windy roads and scenic overlooks are a bad combination, but no worries, we arrived safely. A hike to Devils Punchbowl Waterfall was an easy 30-minute trek with a stunning reward at the end!! Once I arrived to the platform to see this gorgeous and powerful waterfall rushing down I embraced the spray! It was soft and cool and quite refreshing! This place I will definitely come back to for a more rigorous hike!

Hector's Dolphis and a Blue Penguin

Katy, Ryan and I drove to Akaroa for a harbour cruise and we saw Hector's dolphins, which can only be seen in New Zealand! Goodness these creatures are just soooo beautiful and graceful! They look like they are literally flying through the water!
My favorite part of this cruise was laying eyes on the fairy penguin or more affectionately, little blue penguin. Soooo tiny and sooo cute! When I saw this little guy I immediately thought of my niece Esha, sooo tiny and sooo cute! These penguins are the smallest of the all the penguins and the fairy penguins are only found in the southern hemisphere. They only grow to about 16-17" tall. We were very fortunate to see one!

Definitely a must do if you decide to travel to New Zealand!

The South Island Adventure Begins...

After a great week on the North Island with Kelly, I'm on my own on the South Island...well kinda...
I met two Americans on the flight from MEL to CHC and have been their best buddy since ;) Upon my return to Christchurch, Katy, Ryan and I hired a car for two days and used it to travel to Akaroa, Lyttleton and Arthur's Pass National Park.

Tour de Auckland!

After recovering from a fantastic New Year's Eve celebration, our first stop...Mt Eden, Auckland's highest natural point, for a birds-eye view of Auckland. I saw the Sky Tower, One Tree Hill (no not the television show) and Rangitoto. Look Mom!!! I'm on top of a volcano!!!
From Mt. Eden we moved on to the Sky Tower for another birds-eye view, but from 328-meters in the sky! Views of TVNZ, the Harbour Bridge, the marina, Rangitoto and Eden Park were all stunning!
My last and most favourite part of touring Auckland...the Auckland Harbour Cruise! As we left the harbour, I saw this really impressive building and was waiting for the guide to tell me...then I realized it was a hotel?? Really?? But really!! The Hilton is quite grand and with it's two wings perfectly set aside the Sky Tower, makes for a wonderful harbour picture. We cruised along harbour and saw other sights, such as the shipping cranes, the Harbour Bridge (actually cruised right under it), naval ships, the Maritime Museum, Devonport, Mt Victoria, North Head and of course my favourite "The Big Baby", Rangitoto!! Rangitoto is the youngest of the islands in the Hauraki Gulf, popping up about 700 years ago. The island's ground was like black rock/slate...you'll have to look at the photos to see what I'm trying to describe.
Last sight but not least...Devonport/Mt Victoria. Just across the harbour and another view, but from a different perspective. The climb up was definitely worth the spectacular view and the silly selfies of Kelly and I!
To end this spectacular day, Kelly treated me to a true Kiwi style dinner...Fish&Chips! With a bottle of L&P and Jelly-tip ice cream!!