Last Thursday, I was talking with some friends about who was doing what for the weekend. I had no plans, and was hoping to catch a ride out of town...to where, I didn't care so long as it was somewhere new. Everyone who was going someone I wanted to go had a full car...everyone who was going somewhere I'd already been was begging for others to split the gas with. My flatmate ,Curt's, family had arrived and they were all heading to Queenstown for the weekend. It was #1 on my list of places to see. Unfortunately their car was full as well. Kat, Curt's friend from home, also had an interest in weekending in Qtown (as it's become known). When I mentioned hitching out there, she surprised me and insisted that we do. We met the next day at noon.
We caught a ride out of Dunedin with a friend. You never get any luck inside city limits. I assumed that with Kat on my side (see bottom picture) we'd have no problem catching a ride. Unlucky for us, almost every car that past us for the first hour was driven by a middle-age woman (not exactly our target market). It was a guy in his mid thirties who worked in the pest control business that gave usour first hitch. I sat Kat upfront, guessing she was probably the reason he stopped. Being that he spoke primarilly to her, I assume I was correct. Although he lacked any sense of appropriateness, we didn't complain when he decided to go out of his way and hitch us an extra 45min. We got dropped in a town that was literally one block in size. There was a bar/store, a couple houses, and a sheep farm. That was it. We walked a few hundred yards, to a spot where two roads came together and ran towards Queenstown. Although there wasn't much traffic, we caught a ride with a man in his mid 40's/50's who had been in Dunedin to see his son, and get some surfing in. He was a nice guy and got us about 10miles outside of Qtown. From there we hitched two short rides into the center of the city. We arrived just in time for sunset, and it was beautiful.
We caught a ride out of Dunedin with a friend. You never get any luck inside city limits. I assumed that with Kat on my side (see bottom picture) we'd have no problem catching a ride. Unlucky for us, almost every car that past us for the first hour was driven by a middle-age woman (not exactly our target market). It was a guy in his mid thirties who worked in the pest control business that gave usour first hitch. I sat Kat upfront, guessing she was probably the reason he stopped. Being that he spoke primarilly to her, I assume I was correct. Although he lacked any sense of appropriateness, we didn't complain when he decided to go out of his way and hitch us an extra 45min. We got dropped in a town that was literally one block in size. There was a bar/store, a couple houses, and a sheep farm. That was it. We walked a few hundred yards, to a spot where two roads came together and ran towards Queenstown. Although there wasn't much traffic, we caught a ride with a man in his mid 40's/50's who had been in Dunedin to see his son, and get some surfing in. He was a nice guy and got us about 10miles outside of Qtown. From there we hitched two short rides into the center of the city. We arrived just in time for sunset, and it was beautiful.
Kat and my flatmate Curtis had a friend, Steve, that lived there who was willing to give us a place to stay for the weekend. He got off work at 8, so Kat and I got dinner at Furgburger (a world famous burger joint found only in Qtown, NZ). I paid NZ-9$ (U.S.-$6.50) for a cheeseburger that blew my mind. The beef was amazing...the toppings were amazing...the special sauce was out of this world. It was by far the best burger I have ever eaten. We met with Kat's friend Steve at the same time we found Curt and his family. They drove us to their condo on the west end of town. Besides the fact that the place was 1st class all the way, Curt's dad passed out some beers to us guests, while Curt made dinner for his family. Afterwards we all drove up to Steve's flat, which was just up the hill. By that time it was dark, and we had no view of the city. We hung out for awhile, drove back to Curt's condo to drop off the car, and walked to town for some drinks and a game or two of pool. We made it to bed around 1am that night...Saturday was to be busy.
I woke up Saturday morning, to a beautiful day, and an incredible view (see next picture). This was the view from the deck of Steve's house. After I got over the view, it was time to figure out what to do that day. Kat and I desperately wanted to find something to jump off of. Queenstown, besides being beautiful, is known as the adrenaline capital of the world. Whether it be boogie-boarding down grade 3 rivers, or bungee jumping, it's hard to not do something "extreme" while your there. We walked about 30min down to the center of town, and started looking for things to do. I wanted to bungee jump or skydive...but I preferred to have some company. She had already bungeed, and skydiving was too expensive. We asked around, and decided that the "Shotover (a river) Canyon Swing" was right down our alley. We booked a 3pm visit. Having about 3hrs to kill, we decided to get to the top of the main hill in Qtown. The gondala was too expensive, so we started to hike. It took us the better part of an hour to get to the top, but when we arrived, it was worth it. There is a very large cafe'/restaurant/observation building that juts off the top of the hill. Almost entirely comprised of giant, blue, glass windows, it was a perfect place to sit, take pictures, and grab a bite to eat. We sat on the deck, and enjoyed the view (see pics 4,5, & 6).
At 3pm we were picked up by the Canyon Swing Van...during the 20min ride to the location, we watched a video of all the different ways you could jump off. The swing process consists of three main parts. 1) Choosing how you want to jump off, and waiting as the operators have their way with your nerves while you stand at the edge...saying "we've just got to connect the main line," as they bump you over the edge, and other cruel methods of getting a good laugh. 2) Jumping off and free falling for 60 meters (4.5 seconds). 3) Swinging out across the canyon, and realizing that you are still alive...and having one hell of time. Kat and I jumped 3 times (thanks in large part to a $5 second/third jump charity promotion). The first time, and after 30s of intense hesitation, I jumped off feet first. It was a rush I've never felt before. The second time, I fell backwards. I knew what was coming, but the fact that I couldn't see where I was going made it even more intense than the first. The third jump (thanks to some flirting on Kat's part...nobody else got one) I fell in a style that they call "Gimp Goes to Hollywood." Apparently its famous or something. Your harness goes between your legs, around your waste, and over your shoulders. The corde you're attached to extends from your belly-button. This jump entails being suspended off of the platform, back to ground below, feet towards the cliff. I then was told to lean back and wrap my feet around the corde, so that I was held upside-down and vertical, with my back towards the canyon wall (see next picture). Then I was dropped. You'd think that it would have been the scariest of the 3, but to be honest the free-fall was the most relaxed 4.5s I've ever had. I could see the ground the entire time, and it felt like flying. It was surreal. I can't explain it, it was just awsome. I was in a state of complete relaxation for the next 3-4 hours.
At 3pm we were picked up by the Canyon Swing Van...during the 20min ride to the location, we watched a video of all the different ways you could jump off. The swing process consists of three main parts. 1) Choosing how you want to jump off, and waiting as the operators have their way with your nerves while you stand at the edge...saying "we've just got to connect the main line," as they bump you over the edge, and other cruel methods of getting a good laugh. 2) Jumping off and free falling for 60 meters (4.5 seconds). 3) Swinging out across the canyon, and realizing that you are still alive...and having one hell of time. Kat and I jumped 3 times (thanks in large part to a $5 second/third jump charity promotion). The first time, and after 30s of intense hesitation, I jumped off feet first. It was a rush I've never felt before. The second time, I fell backwards. I knew what was coming, but the fact that I couldn't see where I was going made it even more intense than the first. The third jump (thanks to some flirting on Kat's part...nobody else got one) I fell in a style that they call "Gimp Goes to Hollywood." Apparently its famous or something. Your harness goes between your legs, around your waste, and over your shoulders. The corde you're attached to extends from your belly-button. This jump entails being suspended off of the platform, back to ground below, feet towards the cliff. I then was told to lean back and wrap my feet around the corde, so that I was held upside-down and vertical, with my back towards the canyon wall (see next picture). Then I was dropped. You'd think that it would have been the scariest of the 3, but to be honest the free-fall was the most relaxed 4.5s I've ever had. I could see the ground the entire time, and it felt like flying. It was surreal. I can't explain it, it was just awsome. I was in a state of complete relaxation for the next 3-4 hours.
We got back to the house, and Steve (works at Subway) had brought back his "special sub" for Kat and I to try. Probably the best sub I've ever tried...would also have been the most expensive, had I had to pay for it. Curt and his family had left, so Kat, Steve, his flatmates, and I all decided to take a night on the town. The bars in Queenstown are a lot of a fun. Steve knew almost every bouncer by name, so we never had to wait in line. We also got cheap drinks at most places. We hopped from one to the next, enjoying the different themes at each. We finally ended up at a large sports bar called "Altitude" at around 1am. It was packed, but we managed to find a couch in time for the big English League soccer match. Chelsea was playing Manchester United. We only stayed for the first half of play, but it was a great time thanks to the atmosphere created by all of the routy British tourists.
Kat and I had planned to catch a bus back to Dunedin on Sunday. Unfortunately, it had unexpectedly filled up. We found this out at 1:30pm. We had to hitch again to make it back for class on Monday, and knew it was a 4.5hr drive + hitch time. We caught a bus to the outskirts of town, and walked/waited for 30min for our first hitch. It only got us 10 miles outside of town...same place we had been dropped at on the way in. By then it was 2:30. We started to get a bit nervous when 3:30 rolled around and we were still there. We didn't want to get stuck in the dark, and were about to switch sides of the road. Luckily a woman picked us up and hitched us an hour in our direction. We had been waiting near an apple stand for 30min when a man in a brand new Honda Accord (rare to be picked up by nice cars) pulled out from the apple stand, and asked where we were going. Lucky for us, he was going to Dunedin himself. He was a doctor who had been in Queenstown for the weekend. He hitched us the entire way back, and dropped us off at Kat's doorstep. I offered to help pay for gas, but he turned me down saying, "nope, you kept me awake with a good conversation...always nice to meet someone new." And that was that. Our weekend adventure was over.
Since then, I haven't done much. Today I gave a presentation for one of my classes...it went very well. Afterwards I sat by the river that runs through campus and got some video of salmon jumping up the rapids on their way up stream. Thursday night I'm going to camp out with some friends in a large, open cave that is at a nearby beach. On Saturday I'll be kayaking with some friends at the Waiori River, which is about an hour west of town. Those are about all of my plans. I've finished all my school work for the semester, and now I'm just waiting for finals to start on the 7th of June. Take it easy.
-Ben
-Ben
Decided to add another picture
It is a picture of the flat we stayed at, and the group that lives there. From left to right, Alex-19yrs (Kiwi), Brooke-18 (Aussie), Sam- 23 (British), Kat-20 (my hitchin-buddy), and Steve-18 (Canadian)...we were a multi-cultural crowd.
Ps. Due to parental demand, I will work to get pictures of just ME with PRETTY backgrounds.
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