Adventures to Embrace the Summer in New Zealand
Do you remember in primary school on the first day after the holidays they would ask you to write a recount story? Or the first hour or so of school on the first day we would all just sit in a circle and everyone would get a turn to share news? This year I am embracing having new experiences and going on adventures. I would love to share my adventures with you.
So this is my adult version of a recount story:
In January I have been on many outings and holidays, fully taking advantage of uni break.
Waiheke
I have been to Waiheke island a few times before, going to the beach and to the shops and markets. Waiheke island is the second largest island in the Hauraki gulf and is a 40 minute ferry from downtown Auckland. Since I had been to Waiheke before I wanted to do something new and different this summer.
Wine Tour
One lovely Saturday a friend and I did the Waiheke Vineyard Explorer Tour. This is a self guided tour across three vineyards on Waiheke island. At the vineyards we did a tasting and got to know a bit about each of the wines. At each vineyard we got to try three different wines. My favourite vineyard was Batch Winery. I loved that the tasting was done inside the winery and the winemaking process was explained to us. We also went to the Ostend market for lunch which had a lot of variety. At the end of the day we went for a swim on Oneroa beach. It was a marvelous long day and we took the 6:30 pm ferry back to downtown.
Christchurch
I spent the weekend in Christchurch visiting friends. I have been to Christchurch before so we did a few new and unusual activities.
Cave stream
Cave stream is a 500 meter cave with a river going through it. It took us about an hour to trek from one end of the cave to the other side. Most of the time the water was up to our knees but there were points when we were chest deep in water. There were also some challenging parts where climb up the cave and there was gushing water pushing you back down. It was pitch black in the caves so it was great that we bought torches. Overall cave stream was an exciting adventure and a great experience for my first time caving.
Castle Hill
A short drive from cave stream is a place called castle hill. Castle hill is named for the large limestone boulders which look like the remains of a castle. This is a very popular location for rock climbing and bouldering. Since we didn’t have any equipment we had fun climbing up some of the slightly smaller rocks and then sliding down the other side.
Little Fiddle
I had the most amazing lunch at the little fiddle. I was expecting much and was pleasantly surprised. This restaurant is an Irish pub located in Christchurch city central. I ended up getting the pork roast and it was very nice. The meat was tender and flavorful and I loved the crispy roast potatoes on the side.
Turangi
I have been to Turnagi for quite a few weekends away in the last year. But there were still a few attractions I had never done that I really wanted to do. These were the Tongariro crossing and the white water rafting. Both were amazing and I would definitely recommend them.
Tongariro crossing
I have been wanting to do this day walk for ages and damn I wasn’t prepared. This day walk is the king of all day walks. It is 19.4 km long and it took us about 6 hours and 45 minutes to complete. This day walk will take you through many backgrounds and across varying terrain. From wooden boardwalks to loose volcanic gravel and even lovely flower field pathways. My favourite part was the descent towards the emerald lakes and then walking around the lakes. There was a lovely bit of grass to sit on and have a break.
Tongariro white river rafting
The day after the crossing we did the white river rafting which was an amazing experience. The rafting involves a 13 km trek in an inflatable raft going down the Tongariro river through about 60 rapids. This was such an exhilarating experience and I would love to do it again. As someone who had never been rafting before I was able to learn quickly how to maneuver the raft with my team and have a lot of fun going down the rapids. My favourite parts were going down the rapids at top speeds and we would launch into the side of the cliff and then bounce off. It was a great experience and I would recommend it highly even if you have never been rafting before.
Overall it has been a very adventurous janurary and I hope to carry on with this theme for the rest of the year. I have loved exploring new places and try new activities. What have you been up to in the month of Janurary?