georgiarose89
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South Island ▷ Fiordland ▷ Doubtful Sound ▷
Doubtful Sound Overnight Cruises
5.0/5
Absolutely fantastic.
If this was all I did in New Zealand I still would have come home in love with the place.
After a week travelling in a tiny campervan this cruise was pretty luxurious. Drive along the Milford Highway because you'll be hard pressed to find a more spectacular road, and take your camera (and your sand fly repellent to Milford sound) but spend the extra money and do an overnight cruise on Doubtful instead of joining the flotilla on Milford for a few hours.
We had perfect weather on our cruise, circumnavigated Secretary Island and headed out into the Tasman sea where wandering albatrosses circled the boat, fiordland crested penguins played in the waves and young seal pups had their first swim in the big blue. Absolutely magical.
The staff were helpful, friendly and knowledgable. Open bridge policy offered great views and a wealth of information from the captain. Nature guide was great and pointed out some really interesting things that I never would have noticed on my own.
Kayaking our on the sound really gives you a chance to get a sense of the massive scale of the fiords.
Dinner and breakfast were both buffets filled with a misture of local foods and old favourites (a nice change from camping stove meals!)
The scenery was obviously spectacular, but its worth staying the night in this remote part of the world to see the stars and hear the sounds of nature once the engines are switched off.
I could write about this experience all day but its already getting pretty long, so I'll end it here.
Have a look at RealJourney's Website: http://www.realjourneys.co.nz/Main/Doubtfulovernight/
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South Island ▷ Queenstown Region ▷ Queenstown Township ▷
Skyline Luge Queenstown
3.5/5
More fun than I thought it would be!
I was worried that I might find it a bit boring given than I'm not 5 years old, but the scenery was great and the luges actually travel pretty fast if you let out your inner speed demon.
Buy the trips at the bottom of the gondola, they're cheaper. The first ride of the day has to be on the scenic track, great scenery, not as fun as the 'advanced track'. 3 trips will probably do the trick.
Make sure you spend some time out on the viewing deck too watching the paragliders, mountain bikers and bungy jumpers too.
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South Island ▷ Fiordland ▷ Milford Sound - Fiordland National Park ▷
East Homer Nature Walk
4.5/5
I'm not usually into nature walks but this one has beautiful views of the Gertrude Valley and a of a spectacular waterfall next to the Homer Tunnel.
We were there in the middle of summer and there was still ice and snow at the bottom of the waterfall. If you're happy to do a bit of clambering over rocks at the end of the track you can reach the snow without too much trouble and have a bit of a snowball fih which was pretty cool.
If you are stopped at the lights at the tunnel youre looking at a 10-15 minute wait anyway so even if you don't do the walk, jump out of the car enjoy the view and say hello to the kea's who will do their best to eat your lunch!
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South Island ▷ Fiordland ▷ Milford Sound - Fiordland National Park ▷
The Chasm
4.5/5
If youre spending a day or two on the Milford Highway this walk is definately worth a stop.
The walk is really short and thr track is well maintained, you could probably manage it in a wheelchair without too much trouble.
You turn a corner and see spectacular waterfalls and amazing shapes that have been carved out of the rocks by the water. Tour buses do stop here a lot because its so accesible and photogenic so be prepared to share the views.
You could probably do the walk in 10 minutes if you don't hang around and the chasm for too long.
Its also a good place to stop and let the engine cool down if youre driving and older car because the road back up to this walk is pretty steep and winding.
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South Island ▷ Fiordland ▷ Milford Sound - Fiordland National Park ▷
Key Summit Track
4.5/5
We didn't have time to do one of the great walks, but if you allow yourself two days to get from Te Anau to Milford and back you can do some short day walks with spectacular views.
Probably worth allowing more than the recommended 3 hours if its a clear day just because the scenery will have you walking around every corner, going oh wow! and then reaching for your camera.
The walk is steep and there are parts of the track where the track is just a pile of fairly lose rocks. Nothing too intense though.
Take a day pack and chuck in some water, some snacks, your camera, and a few extra (and waterproof) layers just in case the weather changes. We didnt get any rain on the walk but the weather can change quickly in Fiordland.
Park at the Divide (its pretty well signposted) and enjoy the walk!
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South Island ▷ Wanaka Region ▷ Wanaka Township ▷
Skydive Wanaka
5.0/5
I did the 12,000ft jump which was absolutely fantastic.
Staff were great, both the instructors and the admin staff.
Scenery was specatacular. The instuctors pointed out all the sights on the way up, mount cook, glacial lakes, gorgeous rivers weaving amongst the mountains, almost beautiful enough to distract you from the creeping terror building up inside you!
Freefall is the most amazing feeling which I'm not even going to try to describe, you'll just have to do it yourself to find out!
Video options are great or you can just do the dive itself which actually works out to be relatively cheap.
The first thing I did when i got back to my family was to show them the dvd of my dive and the manic smile on my face after we hit the ground.
You'll get more of a rush than bungee and you don't need to spend money on a scenic flight later in your holiday!
Awesome to hear you loved your skydive here with us and Wanaka !! Thank you so much for taking the time to write a review for us. I too always struggle to put the freefall feeling into words, all I can say is that it is much more fun than scary :-) Thanks again - see you next time you're in Wanaka!