Thrill-seeking in Queenstown

Christchurch was a bust.  The entire city center is blocked off, stained glass and bricks on quaint churches were shattered, houses were completely knocked down because they were deemed a lost cause... It sounds as though there is a shortage of construction crews and money to fund them, in a reconstruction effort that could take 5 years, 10 if lawsuits are plentiful.  Sheesh.

To add to the dismal picture, I spent my first two nights in New Zealand in a jail-house.  Although it was quite cool!

But otherwise, New Zealand is absolutely amazing.  Every new place I go to is different and more beautiful than the last and I keep wondering, what could possibly beat this?  Someone had said, skip Europe, New Zealand has it all.  Although I love Europe, I can see what the guy meant.  The land of kiwis has rainforests, large sheep-filled pastures, bright-blue lakes, fjords...  All of it is so incredible and I feel so lucky to be here enjoying it all!

After my two nights in Christchurch, I headed to Lake Tekapo, a lake with the most beautiful baby-blue water, a small church that seems to attract Japanese newlyweds, and a night sky that people around the world flock to because of the absence of ambient light from big cities.

Southern Cross is just left of center

I hiked up Mt. John to the observatory and joined an astrophotography tour.  Apparently the secret to good night pictures is a really fancy, most likely very expensive tripod that rotates at the same rate as the Earth!

One way to enjoy the scenery..

I arrived in Queenstown two days ago.  Queenstown is considered to be the adventure capital of the world, so I had to follow suit.

Among my pursuits were.. Bungee jumping on the Kawarau Bridge (43 meters!).  Zip-lining.  And, this morning, horse-back riding in Glenorchy, where a number of scenes from Lord of the Rings, Xmen, Prince Caspian, and an upcoming episode of America's Next Top Model were shot.  My horse, Courtney, was a stubborn teenager of a horse, staring at me maliciously when I tried to get him to move, refusing to walk through mud, huffing at me when he wanted to take a break.  Even tried to bite me once.

The Remarkables & Queenstown

Tomorrow morning I'm heading to Te Anau, southwest of Queenstown, to go on a 4-day hike in a combination of rainforests, mountains, and fjords.  It should be absolutely amazing!

Lake Tekapo