After your inbound flight landed in Auckland, you boarded another to Queenstown. It might seem that you are skipping most of New Zealand but you have an appetite for the dramatic, you are bound for the confines of the Earth. As you emerge from the airport, it dawns on you that you have indeed travelled to a land distant and marvellous. Is this Middle-Earth? Or Lyra’s Norroway? The land has a distinct Kiwi flavour: freedom. It is a white canvas whereupon you can paint your own adventure… As a matter of fact, adventure finds you soon enough, as you board a helicopter that flies into the heart of the Southern Alps, see, where you are going there are no roads, other than those of the sky.
You wake up in a remote luxury lodge, in a high alpine valley, surrounded only by nature and mountains. Your choice of activity for the day suits the season: heli-biking. Sometimes, going uphill is necessary, even enjoyable. But sometimes you just wish you could dessert first, it’s only natural. A helicopter flies you to the trailhead and thereon it’s on you to bomb the descent. There are trails for all skill levels and styles of mountain biking. You choose the scenic route, it is breathtaking. Then you choose a faster line, it is exhilarating. Finally, you go for epicness. It’s your choice, the slopes are yours for the day. If it were winter, you could take advantage of the snow and ski all day. Metal note: come back in winter to have your very own Alps.
Adrenaline is but one of the attractions of the Southern Alps. You wake up early for a guided fly-fishing tour that takes you to pristine streams and the best catch. It can’t get fresher than this. You spend your last full day in the Alps hiking distant trails (having a heli always comes in handy) and enjoying the deep, fantastical nature of New Zealand. Speaking of dessert, let’s add a cherry-on-top skydiving experience, just for fun.
You fly to the shores of Lake Te Anau. A beautiful lodge will serve as your base for the next three nights. The lake is a beautiful setting for you to unwind and explore. Early in the afternoon, you take to the waters to learn the pleasures of jet-boat fishing and enjoy a quiet bike ride as evening sets. Hungry and smiling ear-to-ear, go back to the lodge to find dinner already served as you see the last eddies of light vanish over the lake. You cuddle by the fire and enjoy the wine. Ah! This is the life!
The beauty of New Zealand was legendary much before Peter Jackson brought it to international attention. Famously, Rudyard Kipling called Milford Sound the eighth wonder of the world. A cruise in the quiet fjord waters reveals why. Towering cliffs sprout for the sea and reach towards the misty sky, while white waterfalls rush down their precipitous course and crash back down. The waterfalls run down like veils on the rock face of the mountain. They are titanic in scale. Awe-inspiring yet calm-inspiring. The Milford Sound could very well be the gateway to a parallel world, or to something even more wonderful.
It is your last full day in Lake Te Anau. You are determined to make the most of it. Hiking, biking, joining the resident naturalists on guided walks, joining a photography workshop… you name it. It is a day to relax and it so happens that in the Sothern Island that means business. You treat yourself to a long dinner, and relax by the shores of the lake. It is not painful to think of departure because you feel recharged and ready to tackle any challenge back home.
You fly to Queensland and from there the long journey north. Rest is not about lying all day without doing nothing. It’s more about engaging your mind in something different. During the last few days, you’ve hardly had a moment’s rest. However, you feel full of energy. This is the secret of nature: everything springs forth from her.
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