We have mounds of pictures and GoPro footage to go through, especially since we're not even really done going through the GoPro footage from our Asia trip. Here are just a few of my favorite phone pics...
Me at Lake Wakatipu
Michael at the top of the gondola in Queenstown
Lake Te Anau, on the way to the glowworm caves
Mintauro Hut - one of the basic huts along the Milford Track where we spent a night.
Kea, cheeky native alpine parrots, love hanging out at the summit
On top of a mountain in the middle of the day, the sun was right there.
Walking above the clouds
The loo with a view (when it isn't as cloudy)
Sutherland Falls (it's a lot higher than it looks from this angle - 580 meters)
After hiking for four days, we were rewarded with these views of Milford Sound
Scale in the photo below is deceptive. The waterfall to the lower left of that mountain is about 150 meters tall, so you can imagine how tall the mountains are in relation.
Enjoying one of Queenstown's cafes
Michael and his new moa friend
New Zealand was pretty fantastic. The Milford Track was amazing, and it only made us want to go back and do more of the 9 Great Walks. Michael went bungee jumping (video to be posted in the future), and we also went canyoning for the first time. We also enjoyed more lowkey activities like a Zealandia night wildlife walk in Wellington, and the skyline luge and playing disc golf at Queens Park in Queenstown.
New Zealand is really an epic place with a unique history. It's the only place I've ever been where the only native mammals are bats. There were no other mammals there until the Maori and then other settlers came, which makes for lots of birds that still don't know how to properly react to mammals and predators (and thus many are endangered). There are little robins that will just hop up and sit on your shoe and look at you if you stand still on the trail.
I also like how the Kiwis do such a good job of honoring and integrating Maori culture, compared to how other countries try to pay homage to their indigenous people (but often come up short). I can't speak from their perspective, but it just seems that Maori culture is very prevalent in the arts and education. For example, in the Te Papa museum, all of the informational signs were both in English and Maori, and there is a television channel that is entirely modern Maori programming. Many NZ company designs seem to reflect Maori patterns and icons. I'm sure I could write a thesis about my observations in comparison to what I've seen in Australia, but I won't.
Now it's time to unpack and get our lives back in order. More pics/posts/reflections to come about NZ.
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