This weekend I went to Queenstown, about a five hour drive West of Dunedin.
Queenstown is known for being the "adventure capital of New Zealand," and has a ton of fun touristy activities that are all about adrenaline -- speed boating on rivers, luging, bungee jumping, and hiking.
When I went, I was lucky enough to do these things. I got to experience and eight second free fall from a huge bungee called the Nevis. It was amazing. I had to pushed off the ledge from the hanging "jump pod" because I got so nervous before I went, but after the initial three seconds of being sure I was going to die, I realized I was falling and started screaming and trying desperately to look around and take in the upside-down scenery while I could! It was awesome.
However, my favorite part of this weekend was hiking the Routeburn Trail, which was a snow-covered Lord of the Rings tramp with amazing views that I hope my camera did some justice to. When I got to the top of Conical Hill, which was just a resting lookout point, I even got to dance a little bit on the top of a frozen lake and slide around. It was awesome!
Perhaps the most important thing that happened this weekend was talking to an American I met in the hostel we stayed at. She and her boyfriend are in New Zealand for the year on work visas, doing day jobs up in Auckland, and travelling/tramping most weekends. They live in a flat of eight other people, walk and bike to work, and save all their money for travel. I tried to soak up every piece of advice and wisdom from this girl that I could, because I really want to try living like that for some time after I graduate from Rice.
Right now, my dream is travel South America (I need to start learning Spanish), and work enough to propel my travel down the West Coast all the way to Chile!!!!
So far, New Zealand and a new relationship in my life has really caused me to question what I want from my future. I know education and a career are very important, but part of me doesn't ever want to get tied down by a demanding, exhausting 9-5 where I am limited to shopping malls and television on the weekends.
Cities are great, but I want to be able to be close to nature and adventure. Maybe I don't need to be wealthy. In fact, I've really taken a lot of pride out of learning how to be cheap and live basically here. Back in the states I take so many goods for granted -- the beautiful dorms (well heated!!!) at Rice, affordable food (or food prepared for me by the cafeteria), my car, my coffee (coffee here is so expensive it's a choice between oatmeal for a week or one coffee in a coffee shop). In general I throw around money as soon as I want something. Learning to be disciplined and frugal is hard but actually kind of fun. I just want to save all my money for camping now!
Maybe this hippie, I want to live at one with the earth and camp all the time and eat nuts and drink stream water (which you can actually do in some places here!!!!) phase will pass, but at least for this time in New Zealand I just want to be exposed to as many of mother nature's amazing views as I possibly can.
Queenstown is known for being the "adventure capital of New Zealand," and has a ton of fun touristy activities that are all about adrenaline -- speed boating on rivers, luging, bungee jumping, and hiking.
When I went, I was lucky enough to do these things. I got to experience and eight second free fall from a huge bungee called the Nevis. It was amazing. I had to pushed off the ledge from the hanging "jump pod" because I got so nervous before I went, but after the initial three seconds of being sure I was going to die, I realized I was falling and started screaming and trying desperately to look around and take in the upside-down scenery while I could! It was awesome.
However, my favorite part of this weekend was hiking the Routeburn Trail, which was a snow-covered Lord of the Rings tramp with amazing views that I hope my camera did some justice to. When I got to the top of Conical Hill, which was just a resting lookout point, I even got to dance a little bit on the top of a frozen lake and slide around. It was awesome!
Perhaps the most important thing that happened this weekend was talking to an American I met in the hostel we stayed at. She and her boyfriend are in New Zealand for the year on work visas, doing day jobs up in Auckland, and travelling/tramping most weekends. They live in a flat of eight other people, walk and bike to work, and save all their money for travel. I tried to soak up every piece of advice and wisdom from this girl that I could, because I really want to try living like that for some time after I graduate from Rice.
Right now, my dream is travel South America (I need to start learning Spanish), and work enough to propel my travel down the West Coast all the way to Chile!!!!
So far, New Zealand and a new relationship in my life has really caused me to question what I want from my future. I know education and a career are very important, but part of me doesn't ever want to get tied down by a demanding, exhausting 9-5 where I am limited to shopping malls and television on the weekends.
Cities are great, but I want to be able to be close to nature and adventure. Maybe I don't need to be wealthy. In fact, I've really taken a lot of pride out of learning how to be cheap and live basically here. Back in the states I take so many goods for granted -- the beautiful dorms (well heated!!!) at Rice, affordable food (or food prepared for me by the cafeteria), my car, my coffee (coffee here is so expensive it's a choice between oatmeal for a week or one coffee in a coffee shop). In general I throw around money as soon as I want something. Learning to be disciplined and frugal is hard but actually kind of fun. I just want to save all my money for camping now!
Maybe this hippie, I want to live at one with the earth and camp all the time and eat nuts and drink stream water (which you can actually do in some places here!!!!) phase will pass, but at least for this time in New Zealand I just want to be exposed to as many of mother nature's amazing views as I possibly can.