Queenstown- I couldn’t have asked for a better last weekend in New Zealand. I was told we were “going on a hike.” What I wasn’t told, is that we’d climb 4700 feet to reach the summit. 5:00am wake up, 6:00am beginning hiking the Ben Lomond track in pitch black. Guided by our headlamps and iPhone flashlights..not knowing when the initial two hour of steepness would end, it is safe to say “why am I doing this???” is going through my head just a bit. Then, just as darkness was beginning to break and we get out of the forest, I’m of course thinking ‘phew! Almost sunrise!’ Of course thick fog and clouds were actually the only thing that awaited us. Bummer, eh?
Thankfully, just an hour later we reached the point that reminded me why I did this, and why I have always said yes to new adventures in New Zealand. All of the sudden we found ourselves watching sunrise, literally above the clouds. Immediately, it was already worth it. As if this wasn’t breathtaking enough, my friends then pointed to what I thought was a joke, the mountain we would climb to reach the summit. 4717 feet later, exhausted, legs on fire, and I couldn’t have been happier. This was hands down the most amazing view I had seen of New Zealand. 360 degree views of snowcapped mountains, sun, clouds, and peace & quiet. This, this is why you say yes to things you know will challenge yourself. We end our weekend at the “Eighth Wonder of the World,” Milford Sound. Milford was the first place I went, and now it was the last. There’s something about feeling so small in such a vast, enormous, beautiful place. New Zealand, you have been the adventure of a lifetime.
