New Zealand: part 1

I'm so excited to be finally blogging about my trip to New Zealand! Husband was there climbing and mountaineering for a few weeks before me, and then I flew into Christchurch just before Christmas to meet him.

It was his sixth trip to NZ so he had a pretty good idea of what he wanted to do and I just followed along. We rented a little car and drove all over the South Island for 2 weeks, seeing just as much as we could.

I LOVED it. New Zealand is such a stupidly beautiful country that my most common reaction to the scenery was, "Guffaw, I mean really, c'mon?!?!" And Kiwis, well they're just the friendliest people around. They're so helpful and obliging, it made it super easy to travel. In fact, writing about it is making me miss it...

So anyway, these are photos from the first part of our trip: Christchurch to Hokitika to Fox Flacier....

Christchurch: We were in the city for less than a day, and just missed the big pre-Christmas earthquake. I don't think I realized before I got there just how much damage these earthquakes have done. In the picture below, you can see what downtown looks like. It's completely blocked off because of damage. Above is the Re-Start Mall, a post-quake innovation for the city involving shops and restaurants being housed in shipping containers. Brilliant.

Castlehill: This was a brief pitstop for us, but oh so beautiful.

Funny story: I wore my new Black Milk leggings all day and I have to say that it took some getting used to the constant staring directed at my legs :) I overheard a guy saying "Wow, look! She has the Virgin Mary on her legs!" At a shop, I was paying for something when I felt a little hand on my thigh. I looked down and there was a toddler stroking my leg, completely transfixed by the pictures! Later that day I was walking down a street in Hokitika when a woman leaned over a pub balcony, only slurring slightly, to shout, "Where'd you get your tights?"

Moral of the story... Don't wear Black Milk if you want to be a wallflower.

Hokitika: A sunset and a coffee. Yum.

Fox Flacier: Ok, so this was one of the highlights of our trip. For my birthday, husband and I flew in a helicopter up to Fox Glacier where we spent the night in a hut. The flight up to the glacier was SPECTACULAR, and utterly terrifying! I can see why people get hooked on flying though, once you're up there you kind of forget your fear.

p.s. this guy isn't husband, just so you know :)

The hut is perched on a little rocky outcrop, surrounded by towering peaks and glistening snow. You can even see the sea. The view is mesmerizing; we did little else but sit and admire it.

We did do a little snow wander and climb, if you could even call it that. Husband loves mountaineering and ice climbing. My verdict: so beautiful but too bloody cumbersome!

Me in thermal underwear. Hot stuff.

See that little red dot? Yeah, that's where we slept.

Eating dinner outside. It was surprisingly warm!

My favourite NZ purchase by far are these hand knit booties. I adore them!

Backcountry toaster.

Thanks for taking a peek at our NZ adventure! Part 2 coming soon...