Where in the world is Rachel?

This was my last stop in New Zealand and the weather said its tearful goodbyes with thunder and storms all night long (and I swear there was an earthquake as well). It's sad to be leaving such a gorgeous country and people with a fantastic sense of humor, but I can't deny the excitement of moving onto warmer climates. Goodbye for now Kiwiland!

Met up with my aunt, uncle, & cousin Melissa tonight (who was studying abroad), and it was great to see them and catch up on family news. I can also leave satisfied and breathless, knowing I walked up Baldwin Street--the steepest street in the world according to Guiness.

The drive to Queenstown is by far the most magnificent I've seen in New Zealand! Everywhere you turned were glassy lakes, rolling green hills, and snow-capped mountains...anyone could be a great photographer here. Yet somehow I still failed to capture the scenery into my little camera...sad.

I went on a day trip to the infamous Milford Sound, which is this daunting water passage through huge cliffs with waterfalls everywhere. It was especially cool when Mitre Peak (the one you see on postcards) finally appeared out of the mist just on the tail-end of our boat ride. The town is also known for its nightlife, and one unique bar which serves cocktails in teapots...kinda bizarre, but fun.

And I couldn't travel to the Adventure Capital of the World without having something to show for it, so I decided since I was at the edge of the world, I might as well jump off it. With an elastic cord strapped to my ankles of course, don't worry. No words can properly describe the experience of bungy jumping, and at one of the higest in the world!!! Not only are you 134 meters (440 ft) above the ground, but also suspended there by cables, in a metal box, in the gusty wind, with nothing to catch your fall except this cord around your legs that looks like a bunch of rubber threads tied together, then they count down and you have to throw yourself off the one thing holding you to earth. INCREDIBLE! The surge of adrenaline going through my body could not be matched!

More photos:http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/thetravelingdancer/my_photos

Don't be jealous, but today I was in the presence of one of New Zealand's largest teapot collections (I guess they're a big deal here). And I walked to the Franz Josef Glacier, which was massive and very cool. It had just snowed the day before too so all the surrounding mountains were covered with a fresh layer of powder.

Nothing much to do in this coal mining town except the Monteith's brewery tour, which was great fun sampling the beers and chowing down on all-you-can-eat BBQ.

Back down on the South Island in the supposed "sunshine capital of NZ" (2 days of which were pouring down rain, mind you), I went on an overnight sailing trip up the coast, saw some beautiful isolated beaches, and hiked around Abel Tasman National Park. I also met some really great people from all over the globe and even got to use my 5 Hebrew words with a dear Israeli couple who befriended me on the boat. As usual, it's the people that really make this trip.

One of the most beautiful areas I've seen so far here! My South African friend Donovan, our new Dutch friend Jerome, and I hiked the Tongariro Crossing today, which is the 18km pass between 3 active volcanoes (one of which was Mt. Doom in "Lord of the Rings"). We felt like champs for finishing in 5 hours (most people take 6-8 hours)...but that was until we discovered the record is held by a woman, who ran it, in under 2 hours! Ummm...yeah. But it was absolutely breathtaking up there in the snow! Apparently the main volcano is 500 years overdue for an eruption so that added an extra thrill as well.

I'm not usually into the tourist trappings of cultural dinners, but a lot of locals highly recommended this Maori experience (the indiginous people of NZ) to me, so I went and actually really enjoyed it. The performers take you through a typical Maori village setting, songs & dances, and then a full course meal called "hangi" which is all cooked underground with hot stones. And their dessert called pavlova (basically whipped egg whites and sugar, but whipped into a delicious puffy goodness)! Mmmm...good food is always worth the money!

Your typical large city...not much else to say except they totally copied the Seattle Space Needle!

Supposedly known for its golden beaches and sunny weather, I headed to this small town hoping to warm up a bit, but was gravely mistaken when I arrived to dark clouds and rain! But I made the most of it and headed to the local pub to watch the NZ Kiwis kill the UK in rugby, hiked up the mountain, walked around town, hung out at the hostel, beat 4 guys in ping pong, and almost broke my shin playing soccer with a group of Brazilian guys! So the stopover was a success in my book!

I had a uniquely Kiwi experience today and went ZORBING! A Zorb is basically this giant double-sphered plastic ball that you slide into and then roll down a hill...except that I chose the "wash cycle" option and had water added to the inside to make it a little more exciting! I tried running down the whole way like a hamster, but soon discovered that wasn't going to happen once the momentum began. But it was great fun and I highly recommend it!

We drove up the eastern coast on the North Island to a small town called Napier, known for its excellent vineyards. So my British friend Jenny and I didn't have any choice but to ride bikes and go wine tasting. Quite the challenging combination I must say.

We had an extremely long day of traveling today which involved a ferry from the South Island to the North Island, across the Cook Strait, but all was mended when we arrived at our hostel in Wellington to be greeted with free champagne.

Well I made friends this morning with some really fun British & Irish girls AND the sun broke out! We drove up the coast to Kaikoura, which is a tiny whaling village backdropped by enormous snowcapped mountains. It was absolutely breathtaking. Oh yeah...then I flew a plane. The pilot did the taking off and landing, but then it was all up to me to keep us from dropping into the ocean or colliding with the mountains. It was incredible! Don't worry, I let the pilot take over for a minute to do some flips, rolls, and stunts though.

To see more photos, click: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/thetravelingdancer/my_photos

Decided to hop on over to New Zealand for 3 weeks, and have no idea what I'm doing here except that I'll be circling both the North and South Islands on a bus. Thought I escaped the cold weather by heading for the Southern Hemisphere, but it managed to find me here in NZ. Yet I am optimistic about the sunshine and making new friends!