I had planned to spend the next
day at the Bay of Islands, which is the northernmost region of New Zealand. It
was a 3-hour drive from my apartment, so I started at 7am.
With nothing but a
strong coffee and music to keep me company, I enjoyed the drive to Paihia, one
of the more popular towns in Bay of Islands. After grabbing a quick breakfast,
I took the ferry ride along the bay. The surprise element of this ferry was
that it went through one of the nearby caves, which was a unique experience. I
then drove to Waitangi, which is where the Maori treaty was signed. After
spending a couple of hours learning about the Maori history, I stopped at their
café for lunch.
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| Cape Reinga |
New Zealand is famous for its green-lipped mussels, which are rarely
found in other countries, and not all restaurants serve this delicacy. To my
surprise, this café was serving a lot of gourmet dishes, including green-lipped
mussels, at very reasonable prices. I treated myself to a portion of fresh
mussels, and also had a seafood chowder. Both dishes were lip-smacking
delicious!
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| Road trip to Bay of Islands |
After a heavy lunch, I drove
further north to the Cape Reinga Lighthouse. This literally is the northernmost
tip of New Zealand. The view was spectacular. I stayed there till sunset, and
then decided to drive back to Auckland.
I had planned to spend the next 3
days in the South Island, primarily in Queenstown and Milford Sound. I took an
early flight from Auckland to Queenstown, and headed to the Adventure
Queenstown Hostel. I have stayed in a lot of hostels in the last few years, but
this is by far the best hostel in terms of service and facilities.
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| Queenstown view |
The staff
was friendly, and helped me chalk out the details for my time in
Queenstown. What impressed me the most about this hostel was that they had
GoPro cameras that could be rented, free of cost! I took advantage of this
opportunity, and borrowed their camera for all my adventures in Queenstown.
The Ledge
The
first of my adventures was at The Ledge, situated at walking distance from my
hostel. I took a gondola ride to the top, and got strapped up for the Ledge
Bungy and Ledge Swing. Both activities were absolutely mind-blowing.
Most bungy
locations require the harness to be strapped to one’s ankle, but the Ledge
bungy provides more freedom by allowing the harness to be strapped to the
waist. The view from the top was amazing, which made the experience even more
memorable. Post completing both activities, I decided to try the Luge rides at
the same location. Racing with the kids was definitely fun, and it instantly
made me feel more energetic.
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