II. Milford Sound
Milford Sound was by far the most dramatic and scenic of all the places I visited in New Zealand.
I took the Real Journeys bus tour from Queenstown, which provided a phenomenal drive through prairie land (and “Lord of the Rings” filming locations) on our way to Fiordland (named because it was formed by glaciers). The bus dropped us off at a ferry boat that traveled around the moody and lush fiord landscape. The windy, bus ride there seemed to take 12 hours, but the ride back was pure joy because the mystique of the Fiordland was vivid in my mind. The views were so magnificent -- rainforests, waterfalls, mountain peaks, penguins and sea lions -- that I quickly ran out of space on my digital camera's memory card. I was glad to have worn both my sweater and fleece because the wind and rain seemed stronger than Chicago’s worst winter day.
III. Southern Lakes
I highly recommend renting a car in New Zealand and driving out into the middle of nowhere. Everything in “nowhere” is SPECTACULAR! I loved getting "lost" among the snow-capped mountains and glacier lakes. After renting a car at Queenstown Car Rentals for $50 a day, I drove from Queenstown up the quiet 6A highway to Arrowtown, a cute gold mining town with boutiques and delicious bakeries. A local baker led me to a hike that traversed the mountain above Arrowtown and peaked at a 360 degree view of the entire Lakes region.
IV. Wanaka
After counting hundreds of sheep on the hills beside the narrow highway, I arrived in Wanaka to find paragliders above the lake and kite boarders skidding past boaters – all with mysterious mountain peaks in the backdrop. It was such a breathtaking landscape that I decided to sit by the lake and stare at it for an hour. After walking along the main street and meeting fun backpackers from Spain, I decided I liked Wanaka better than Queenstown because it was smaller and less touristy. The accommodations at the Purple Cow Backpackers Hostel were clean, large and had a terrific view of the lake, but the noise was hard to fall asleep to.
