Cycling, Trekking, Surfing, and Sky-Diving over Southland – January 2007

Cycling, Trekking, Surfing, and Sky-Diving over Southland
We arrived in the southern town of Queenstown on the South Island and dove right in – literally! – to some of the world’s most spectacular, unspoilt, and awe-inspiring scenery. Belou joined us from France with his bike and we spent three unforgettable weeks with him in Fiordland, which was described to us by one Australian as “God’s country.”

Queenstown, which is New Zealand’s self-styled “adventure capital of the world,” was a good place for an introduction to New Zealand. There is a lot to see and do, and adrenaline junkies can choose from any number of activities in a city which is located in one of the most scenic spots on earth. There is bungy jumping and jet-boating (both invented in Queenstown), sky-diving, river surfing, paragliding, hang-gliding, canyoning, canyon swinging, sailing, caving, rafting, kayaking, diving, mountainbiking, and a host of other outdoor activities, such as cycling, canoeing, mountain biking, caving, horse trekking, sailing, trekking, and heli-tours. Money’s the only limit in Queenstown.

We didn’t waste any time hesitating over what to do. We jumped into Grade 2 & 3 rapids in an adrenaline-pumping river surfing trip our first day, and I have to admit I wasn’t great at riding the fiercer rapids, because I was invariably sucked downward into the swirling whirlpools. We went above the earth on our second day, when we sky-dived into Paradise, beautiful countryside near Queenstown made famous in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. I had been dying to sky-dive for years, and it certainly couldn’t get any better than this.

It started with a ride to a tiny airfield over windy countryside roads made famous worldwide in car commercials, and continued with a 40-min. scenic flight over the very clear blue Lake Wakatipu, glistening green countryside, and towering mountains, and climaxed with a freefall jump from 12,000 ft. to watch the earth approaching very quickly below. I wasn’t at all nervous until the door of the plane opened, and then when I suddenly felt the wind and saw the cameraman climb onto the wing, the fear hit me and I wondered whatever had possessed me to want to jump from a perfectly good airplane! I saw Belou sucked over the side of the plane and his cameraman fall after him, and then I closed my eyes and couldn’t watch Stephane go. Before I knew it, it was my turn, and my legs were hanging over the side of the plane and then I was sucked out into nothingness. I screamed all the way through the freefall, all 45 sec., until the chute opened up and we glided gently to the earth for 6 minutes. It was the most awesome thing ever!!! Once we landed, I couldn’t stop laughing for an eternity. An all-natural high. If it hadn’t been for the money, we would have gone again the next day!

From Queenstown, we took an old steamboat across the lake, where we biked for two days on an old dirt track through beautiful countryside that had far more sheep than people. There were no settlements along the way, in fact, and the lack of traffic is one reason why we had chosen the road. Clouds of dust warned us of the occasional passing vehicle. The road was highly scenic, although cycling over a mountain pass on an unpaved road was anything but easy. There was a lot to remind me of Tibet: the mountains, the lakes and rivers, the unpaved road, the almost non-existent traffic. We enjoyed the cycling, and were told by some cyclists that it was their preferred road in all of New Zealand. I guess we got lucky on our first ride!

We arrived then at the small town of Te Anau, which is the departure point for many of the area’s famous hikes and Great Walks in an area known as the “Walking Capital of the World.” We waited two days for the rain to clear, and then we hiked the 3-day 67-km. alpine Kepler Track. Trekking is one of the best ways to experience the wilderness of Fiordland first-hand. The track led us from lakeside red beech forest to limestone bluffs and then along a ridge system that offered panoramic views of mountain crests and superb alpine vistas before descending steeply through a series of zigzags into a hanging valley and a rainforest with a dreamlike quality and otherworldly atmosphere. The track eventually led us back down through beech forest and riverside clearings to the shores of Lake Manapouri. We were surprised at the lack of animal and birdlife (except for the sandfly!), but a lot of the area’s birds are nocturnal and hard to spot. We were amused by the playful kea, however, which is the world’s only alpine parrot, and who seems to love performing for people.

After our trek, we continued cycling on through Fiordland, which is one of the world’s most scenic routes, but to read more about our time spent in the “Lord of the Rings” scenery, please go to the next journal entry.