It’s been almost a month since arriving in New Zealand, and I’ve already done so much here. My week-long orientation in Queenstown was jam-packed with cool activities such as hiking to the top of Queenstown Hill, luging, kayaking, and jet boating.
After jet boating up the river, we “funyaked” back down it in these inflatable raft kayaks. On the way back, we saw the forest clearing where Boromir was killed in Lord of the Rings, as well as the mountains where Isengard was. Fun fact, the weather destroyed their Isengard set and they forgot which was it was facing, so if you look carefully you can see that Isengard switches directions partway through the movie.
Partway up Queenstown Hill – from the summit, there was an amazing 360º view. Surprisingly, the hike down the mountain was actually worse than climbing up, it was very strenuous on the knees and joints.
View from the restaurant at the top of the Queenstown gondola – great timing with the rainbow!
Since arriving in Dunedin, I’ve settled into my flat and figured out the basic layout of the nearby town. I can at least find the campus and the grocery store! I’ve been on several tramps (hikes) since arriving here. At Sandfly Bay, I met several fur seals and a sea lion. I hiked the Pineapple Track and a trail around the reservoir here. I’ve been to St Kilda Beach, Tunnel Beach, and Aramoana Beach, where I saw two sea lions. Fun fact, New Zealand’s largest mass shooting actually occurred in the small town of Aramoana, with 14 dead including the perpetrator. A stark contrast to the high levels of violence in the United States.. here, the police don’t even carry firearms!
Getting charged by a sea lion at Sandfly Bay – be careful not to get too close, they’re aggressive and actually run surprisingly fast on land!
Crawling up Baldwin Street, AKA the steepest street in the world – please excuse the fact that I look like Gollum.
Peering over the edge of a cliff at Tunnel Beach.. don’t fall!