11 posts tagged “queenstown”
We spent all day recovering from the night before.. what more can I say?
Today, Tony decided he wanted to complete the trilogy of bungy jumps and do The Nevis. The highest bungy jump in New Zealand, coming in at 134m...
It was a 40 minute drive out of town up to Skippers Canyon. The bungy jump is jumped from a suspended platform in the middle of the canyon, and a moving carriage takes you out to the platform. We watched from the edge of the Canyon other jumpers jump. It made me feel funny just watching them. They jumped and seemed to fall for an eternity before the cord kicked in.
We now had to go out to the platform. The carriage came accross bringing the other jumpers back and guess who was one of the jumpers. Gill who we had taken from Queenstown to Te Ano, then she had gone to Dunedin, done the same things as us and then come back to Queenstown and done the Bungy jump on the same day. What a coincidence!!!
We arranged to meet for a drink and then we went accross to the platform. I found it hard to look down as it was so high. We got over to the platform which had a glass floor, so after people jumped, you could see them as they bounced back up through the glass panel. It was scary, especially as when they jumped, the whole platform swung from side to side. Well It was Tony's turn and was he scard or afraid? No, just pumped up with adrenalin and when it got to his turn, he didn't hesitate one bit, just diving into the Canyon.... There was no way on earth I would do that... no way.
We met up with Gill and went for a few drinks. We ended up in this really weird club. When we walked in, everyone was holding Teapots and pouring the contents into shot glasses... it was very sereal...
Back in Queenstown and guess what we did today.... the Skydive. We got kitted up and got in the smallest plane in the world. There were eight of us in the plane, al squashed in, sat on the floor. When we got to altitude, 12000ft, Tony was the first to go out. We then shuffled towards the door and before I had time to look down, the instructor had pushed us out. I was free falling at over 200km/h, looking down over Queenstown, wanting to scream to the instructor, "Why the f*ck have you just pushed me out of a plane." It was exillerating and all I could do was scream. I would scream and scream, take a small breath and then sceam and scream. After the parachute had opened out, we got time to take in the snow capped mountains and the beautiful lake. It was great, except I felt a bit motion sick when the insrtuctor starting swooping from side to side with the parachute.
When I landed, I could not stand, I was shaking and Tonycame to see if I was alright. I didn't know what I was doing. We had a photo taken together and I was shaking so much I couldn't even take my googles and hat off!!!
I did enjoy it although I am not sure I would do it again. Tony love it though. His instructor jumped in competitions, so when they jumped out, they did summersaults and alsorts. It was definitely worth doing and I got some funny photos.
It was time for a beer....
Today we went on the Taieri Gorge Railway which is a touristy train ride across a gorge and viaducts. We then got dumped in a small town for an hour, which had a craft fair selling knitted baby clothes and nothing else, we then got back on the train and came back. It was really nice scenery but it took too long. We were on the train for four hours and ended up where we had started. When we got back to Dunedin, we went to Cadbury's world, then on a wim left Dunedin and ended up back in Queenstown...
Tony is gutted. He loves this place and doesn't want to leave, but we have been there for a while so must move on. We picked up Gill and went to Te Ano, then onto Milford Sound. By the time we arrived, it was going dark so we decided to find somewhere for the night. If we had been organised we would have read about Milford Sound before going there. There was only one place to stay, and when we went to book a room, there were none. The place was fullly booked. Because this is all a conservation area, they can only have one accomadation up there. The nearest accomodation was 45 minutes away. They had room for our van, so Gill ended up sleeping on the floor of our campervan, which was cosy!!
Well today, we had to cancel sky diving as I am bed ridden again, so Tony went to do the Hackett Bungy, this claims to be the first Bungy in New Zealand, a 43m jump off the Kawarau Bridge.
Tony was mad enoguht ot do this jumping off a bridge thing. When you hit the bottom, you get a free hairwash from the amazingly cold river which runs under the bridge. Tony said he felt a bit nervous stood on the edge, but after doing it, he wanted to do another!!!
Today, still feeling a bit rough, we went to breakfast with the Cockney lads. We were supposed to be meeting Gill to give her our South America book, as she is goign there next, but she didn't meet us because she was still hungover and in bed. We got the Cokney lads to show us where her hostel was (I am not saying how they knew but I am sure you can guess!!)
We woke her up, dragged her out of bed and convinced her to go up on the Gondola, to luge. We all went up to and had seven luge rides, many of which I won. I got really competivie though and on the last go manged to hit a barrier and fall out of the cart, sliding along the barrier and grazing my elbows and knees, which I haven't done since I was a kid!!!
I wasn't hurt too bad, I was too busy laughing!!! After the luge ride we decided to go and have a look at the Ledge Bungy. This a a ledge you run off and jump towards the bottom of the mountain, trying to avoid the Gondolas coming up in the other direction.
Gill had come here to overcome her fears, she had done the Hacket bungy the day before and decided to do the ledge, even though she was hung over... then Tony decided to join her.... He screams like a girl and I have video proof...
Today, still feeling a bit rough, we went to breakfast with the Cockney lads. We were supposed to be meeting Gill to give her our South America book, as she is goign there next, but she didn't meet us because she was still hungover and in bed. We got the Cokney lads to show us where her hostel was (I am not saying how they knew but I am sure you can guess!!)
We woke her up, dragged her out of bed and convinced her to go up on the Gondola, to luge. We all went up to and had seven luge rides, many of which I won. I got really competivie though and on the last go manged to hit a barrier and fall out of the cart, sliding along the barrier and grazing my elbows and knees, which I haven't done since I was a kid!!!
I wasn't hurt too bad, I was too busy laughing!!! After the luge ride we decided to go and have a look at the Ledge Bungy. This a a ledge you run off and jump towards the bottom of the mountain, trying to avoid the Gondolas coming up in the other direction.
Gill had come here to overcome her fears, she had done the Hacket bungy the day before and decided to do the ledge, even though she was hung over... then Tony decided to join her.... He screams like a girl and I have video proof...
Well, we had to cancel river surfing today...grrrr.... I am still not well but feeling a bit better. The doctor gave me some tablets to stop the sickness so I can stand up without throwing up.
Some cokney lads had parked their van next to us, and Tony wanted to go fishing. He couldn't go alone and needed more people for a charter trip so decided to ask the cockney lads...
After three hours fishing and catching nothing, they all decided to go out for a beer. Feeling a bit better and sick of being in bed, I joined them all, and met Gill through them.
After being thrown out of many a pub I remember why I went travelling... to get away from all this. They were hyper young lads, who never stopped talking. They had so much energy and by the end of the night they got a bit much, so we went home leaving Gill to entertain the lads....
We were supposed to go Sky Diving today, but I wasn't well. My stomach infection has returned and I am in bed again...grrr.....
We went to the doctors who said I have probabally got some weird parasite in my intestines, so they are going to have to do lots of tests....ggrrr.....
