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  • Darcy Porter
  • Darcy Porter

New Zealand

A 16-day adventure by Darcy Read more
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  • Trip start
    February 21, 2016
    Darcy PorterNew ZealandDarcy Porter

    Day 1

    February 21, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Kia ora,

    The first official day in New Zealand has been a good one, but I should also touch on the travel time it took to get here. It was nice to drive to Chicago and see Chad and his family again. Our time together was short, but still good. The flight from Midway to LA had one of the strangest delays I've experienced. Apparently, one of the seats broke on the plane; and it took almost an hour to repair and get us in the air.

    We still arrived in LA with plenty of time to spare, and I ate before boarding the plane, which then kickstarted my 16-hour fast to overcome jet lag. The fast itself wasn't a difficult challenge (the concurrent season of Lent is good prep for that); the biggest challenge was telling the airline staff twice that I didn't want a meal. One was pretty insistent I have something, but he was in good spirits too. He was just doing his job, and the entire service staff were top-notch the entire flight. (I've always liked Southwest Airlines, but they felt like MLS vs the EPL in this case). Upon arrival and clearing customs, I had just passed the 16-hour window. Unfortunately, my only warm breakfast option at the airport was McDonalds, so I replaced an empty stomach with stuff that should not enter a stomach...it was delicious though.

    I was able to drop my bags off at my hostel this morning - check in was not until 2 pm. I spent the next few hours wandering the city streets, and went to mass at the cathedral. Just before heading to the hostel to check in, I found an awesome gelato place that was supposedly award winning (according to their sign). I was sold, and it was tasty.

    After checking in, I finally got the nap my body craved, as I only mustered 4ish hours of sleep on the red eye. (The ambien helped for a bit, but seemed to lose its effect after a bathroom break during the flight.) I got a really nice nap in, and then headed back out for a walk and to find a place for dinner. That is where I write this post from. I don't imagine much more to talk about today. My body feels like it is on a New Zealand schedule as a result of the fast, but we will see how I feel when I wake up tomorrow. Not a ton of great scenery, as most of these photos are in the city, but still plenty to yap about. Tour kicks off tomorrow morning, booya!    Read more

  • Darcy PorterNew ZealandDarcy Porter

    Day 2 - February 22

    February 22, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Kia ora,

    I am realizing it is going to be difficult to post every day, as this tour is really packing things in, which is good. Today, I met up with my tour. I am still learning names, but getting better with it. I have met people from the UK, Germany, Australia, Netherlands, Austria, Canada, and Belgium on my tour. Both tour guides are native Kiwis. There are a few of us from the States, but I am the only one from the Midwest.

    So far, the North Island has a lot of green, rolling hills. Our first stop was at Tairua, the home of Hot Water Beach. This place was really unique, as we grabbed shovels and dug our own pool at the beach. Some of the pools we dug had cold water, but there were a couple with scalding temps. I then went into the Pacific Ocean and swam and jumped waves in the mightiest of oceans for the first time ever.

    After this, we drove and hiked to Cathedral Cove, which was very scenic with rock formations protuding from a beautiful turqoise ocean.

    We set up camp for the night, ate dinner, and then a few of us went eeling with our tour guide, Jonno. This was a fun late night experience as we put bait (fish and chicken) in a stream and then watched the eels come up. We caught two eels on our line. The things are ugly, but they will hopefully taste good when we cook them in a couple nights. I will write about that later.

    So far, all the people I have met are really nice, and a few good conversations have been had.    Read more

  • Darcy PorterNew ZealandDarcy Porter

    Day 3 - February 23

    February 24, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Kia ora,

    Note: I have had trouble uploading photos here, but will hopefully have good wifi access when we get to Wellington in a couple days.

    Yesterday, we drove through a lot of farm country in the morning. I really enjoyed seeing so many green, rolling hills; and I would have loved the opportunity to run up and down a few of them - assuming a wouldn't be arrested for trespassing on someone's property. We made a stop at a town known for the soft drink L&P, and took a group photo in front of a large bottle. Their slogan is "World Famous in New Zealand." I then bought some of it and tried it. It was good, but also my first soda in a couple years, and made me remember how sugary those drinks are.

    Our next stop was in a town where the Hobbiton tour was. I did not go, because there are other Lord of the Rings areas I would rather see. The ones who did attend it, said it was good.

    A few of us got dropped off at the Redwood Forest, and I went on a trail with a girl from Portland, Oregon. We covered a lot of ground. She said these redwoods were not as big as the California ones, but I was impressed with it being my first time among redwoods.

    At night, a few of us got a ride into town and went out to eat. It has been fun meeting people from around the world and learning about their life back home. I was enjoying learning about life in the Netherlands while eating fish and chips last night.    Read more

  • Darcy PorterNew ZealandDarcy Porter

    Day 4 - February 24

    February 24, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    Kia ora,

    Today was another amazing day. We got to sleep in a bit, though I was still awake before 7. After breakfast, we headed to Wai-O-Tapu. This was the heart of the geothermal activity I had been anticipating. We checked out some bubbling mud pools, and then drove to the Lady Knox Geyser for her daily eruption. We were told that sometimes the geyser will only erupt a few meters, and other times it will shoot up much higher. On this day, we were fortunate to witness a very impressive explosion that was between 20-30 meters. I took a video of it that I will probably upload to Facebook at some point.

    We remained in Wai-O-Tapu a bit longer and attended the thermal wonder park. I had the pleasure of seeing very uniquely coloured lakes among steaming craters and additional mud pools. I was amazed at seeing so many landscapes I had not seen before.

    For as great as this day was shaping up to be, it got even better in the afternoon. I ended up doing something I did not plan on trying - skydiving. Each day, our tour guides send a list of activities for us to sign up and do. I initially passed on skydiving, but as time passed, I couldn't stop thinking about it. So, I went for it - and I could not be happier with the decision. We arrived and got registered, and then went straight to putting on our jump suits. Our plane was waiting for us, me and a girl from our group boarded the plane. I did not even have time to build up anxiety. The plane was packed tight, and we made our way up to 15,000 feet to jump. Wearing the jump suit had me imagining myself in Top Gun. Our turn came, I smiled at the exit camera, and my jump partner did the work to get us out of the plane. He was great and kept talking with me during the plane ride. I was surprised how little nervousness I felt. Once in the air, I was having a blast. I saw amazing views on a sunny day, and once our parachute opened, I got to control it and spin us around a bit. It was an incredible time.

    In the evening, we had a fantastic grillout of sausage, chicken kabobs, lamb chops (gotta eat lamb in NZ), and the eel we caught the other night.

    Now it is off to bed, as we have to hit the road for the highly anticipted Tongairo Crossing hike at 5:45 am.    Read more

  • Darcy PorterNew ZealandDarcy Porter

    Day 5 - February 25

    February 25, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Kia ora,

    This was the big day of the Tongairo Alpine Crossing. I was up at 5 to make sure I was packed and ready for the shuttle. One of the challenges with spending the night in a different place each time is that you are constantly packing and unpacking. I misplaced my contacts for my right eye (still haven't found them), so I had to use two left eye contact lenses instead. They worked fine, and will have to work fine the rest of the trip. The searching caused me to not have time for a cup of coffee, and I went the whole day without caffeine for the first time in a few years.

    We made our way to the entrance for the 19.4 km hike (over 12 miles) before 7, and then I hit the trail with a few others. Many people were there at the start, but eventually things started thinning out. The scenery was breathtaking, and I took more photos than any day so far. I had the Lord of the Rings theme running through my head many time throughout the hike, as this was the setting for places like Mordor and Mt. Doom, which was great to hike around.

    Th trail had a lot of up and down activity, and a lot of climbing at the beginning. There were really strong winds at the highest points, probably 60-70 mph. I usually like to stand at the edge of a drop to take a nice photo when I hike, but didn't do so today. The wind was as incredible as the scenery. The steepest climb was my favorite part, as my low center of gravity form allowed me to pass a lot of people going up. I also passed a lot of people going down the volcanic ash on the other side. I wasn't necessarily faster, but proper form is everything on those steep climbs and descents. Once the descent was over, I was greeted with the view of two blue lakes that were gorgeous.

    We had packed sandwiches with us, so I took a well-earned break. Shortly thereafter, I got in view of a hut in which a helicopter was making runs every 5 minutes. Apparently, they were repairing the septic system. At this point, most of the climb was a descent, which was harder on the knees. Ascents can take a lot out of you cardiovascularly, but descents are the ones that can take more of a toll on the body. I made pretty good time on the trail, even though I wasn't trying to be competitive. I finished in a little over 5 hours, and was the first one back from the tour group. I had to wait a few hours for everyone to get back, but it was fun sitting and hanging out with folks from the group as they gradually came in.

    We then embarked on a long bus ride to our spot for the night, but we made a few stops, and I got some ice cream to reward myself for the long hike. We had fish and chips at the beach for dinner just after sunset, and then made our way to the lodge for the night.    Read more

  • Darcy PorterNew ZealandDarcy Porter

    Day 6 - February 26

    February 26, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    Kia ora,

    We traveled to the capital city of Wellington today, and what a fun and quaint national capital it was. The city is surrounded by hills and sits at the bottom of the North Island. This was also our last day on the North Island.

    After leaving our luggage at a hostel, I left with a couple others from the group to head to the Te Papa museum. On our way, we stopped at a cafe with outdoor seating and bean bag chairs in which you could sit all day. After forcing myself from the chair, I made my way to the bank for some NZ dollars and then went to the museum. This is the national museum, and is as large as three football fields. There was some interesting stuff there, including a giant squid.

    I wanted to take the day off of hiking, and didn't even bother to put hiking shoes on today. That being said, I can't help myself when I know there is a fantastic lookout I can get to. Mt. Victoria had a fantastic lookout, and there were some steep climbs to get to. I found out later that I went up the steepest trail, because my route down was stretched out a bit more. The view from up top was incredible, and a photo will be coming most likely when I get home, because it doesn't work too well on this app.

    Later in the afternoon, we rode the ferry across to the South Island, and it was much bigger than I anticipated. It was very scenic and windy as we navigated through the Cook Strait for 3 hours. I had a little fun, competitive conversation with a couple English girls along the ride as we were determining who said certain words the proper way. I am pretty sure I won.

    We checked in at the hostel and I was finally able to get some laundry done. A group from the trip went to a bar for drinks and late night grub, and I eventually met up with them. I was out until about 1 and even busted a few moves on the dance floor. Six hours later, I am awake and finishing this entry. On to day 7.    Read more

  • Darcy PorterNew ZealandDarcy Porter

    Day 7 - February 27

    February 27, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    Kia ora,

    We had a relaxing morning and did not have to hit the road too early. After we left, we picked up 2 new travelers (after 2 left yesterday) - a guy from England and a girl from Scotland. The ratio of guys to girls on the trip has been 1 to 3, but it sounds like another guy is joining tomorrow as well.

    We drove through some very scenic, mountainous country along the east coast and came across a fur seal colony this afternoon. We stopped for photos and I even got a good video of them.

    We then got to do a hike along the coast in Kaikoura that took a couple hours. I hiked with the new guy from England and learned he is a Preston North End supporter, and we talked soccer for a good portion of the time.

    After the hike, we noticed a spectacular sunset while waiting for our fish fry to complete, and then enjoyed an excellent dinner. Early morning calls, as I am leaving for a dolphin swim at 5 am.    Read more

  • Darcy PorterNew ZealandDarcy Porter

    Day 8 - February 28

    February 28, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    Kia ora,

    As if a 4:15 wake up time wasn't difficult enough, the winds were really strong and I woke up even earlier than that. However, heading to swim with the dolphins in the ocean was definitely worth it.

    This was also my first time putting on a wet suit and snorkeling. I had a bit of a struggle getting used to the snorkeling form of breathing, but I had numerous dolphins swimming around and under me. It was breathtaking. On the ride back, we had an extra treat of seeing an orca that came really close to the boat. I got some great video of it blowing through the blowhole.

    It was an incredible start today, and only 9:30 am. We then headed to Christchurch for lunch. This area has had recent earthquakes, but also is still rebuilding from the devastating 2011 earthquakes. After lunch, we bid farewell to a German girl who had been with the group for 28 days and picked up a new guy from Germany. I believe the current group will remain this way until I and a few others leave in Queenstown.

    Our bus ride was one of the most scenic yet, with water on one side and mountains on the other side. At night, we camped at an old sheep farm located at the foot of the mountains. The view was incredible, and the stars were the best I had ever seen. I learned where to locate the Southern Cross in the sky, and hope to see a few shooting stars tonight. I tend to always miss them as others point them out. Tonight's view is supposed to be even better as long as we have a clear sky.    Read more

  • Darcy PorterNew ZealandDarcy Porter

    Day 9 - February 29

    February 29, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Kia ora,

    After lucking out with great weather so far on the trip, today was the first day with rain. Most of the group headed out early for white water rafting. I have done it before, so I opted to stay back and go for a hike; however, the rain kept the hike from happening. It was actually a good morning to relax and not feel like I needed to be heading somewhere.

    We finally hit the road around noon and made a brief stop in the town of Geraldine. There were a lot of nice, little shops, and this place was also home to the world's largest knitted sweater (pic will be coming eventually).

    After Geraldine, we traveled to Lake Tekapo, a really scenic lake with turquoise water and mountain landscapes behind us. We also saw the infamous Mt. Cook for the first time. I asked about summiting it, but when I was told it took Sir Edmund Hillary (the New Zealander who was the first man to summit Everest) 62 hours to climb it, I realized I would need more prep and practice to do so.

    In the evening, we arrived at the most beautiful campsite I have stayed at to date. We are along Lake Pukaki, with a view of Mt. Cook and billions of stars lighting up the night sky. I am now off to bed with the sound of lake water moving in the background.    Read more

  • Darcy PorterNew ZealandDarcy Porter

    Day 10 - March 1

    March 1, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    Kia ora,

    Love is in the air on the Flying Kiwi tour. No, I am not referring to myself. A guy and girl from Germany who have only known each other for a couple days are apparently still hanging out at the beach as I write this entry and creating a buzz around camp.

    The plan for today was to head to Mt. Cook National Park and do a 3-hour hike to the base of the mountain. This was an absolutely gorgeous route with a glacier along the way. I was able to hear the sound of an avalanche, but did not see it. The hike was far away from an avalanche zone, but positioned to be able to see one. I took many pictures along the way, and it is worth noting how lucky we were to have to the weather we had. One of our tour guides said it rained every time he was here last year, so the sunny and clear day was not to be taken for granted.

    We made a couple stops in towns along the way to camp, and I purchased a couple snacks and supplies ahead of the big Routeburn Track commencing on Friday. A few people on tour are under the weather, so we are doing our best to make sure no one else gets sick. I was on the dinner crew tonight, and we enjoyed some delicious nachos. Afterward, a few of us chatted over wine and beer.    Read more

  • Darcy PorterNew ZealandDarcy Porter

    Day 11 - March 2

    March 2, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Kia ora,

    We had our second consecutive night at a camp with no showers, but we were near the water again and got to witness a spectacular sunrise. The driving was a lot less than other days today. We made a short drive to the Moeraki Boulders. Our tour guide said it was basically the New Zealand equivalent to Stonehenge. They boulders were interesting as they were perfectly round rocks in the beach that weighed 4 tons each.

    After this, we drove to the Scottish-influenced town of Dunedin. This city was settled by Scots and the streets and city formation were set up to be a carbon copy of Edinburgh, Scotland. When we first got to town, we made a stop to walk up the world's steepest street. One of the guys in our group was foolish enough to try running up the bloody thing...yours truly. I managed to make it a good chunk of the way until my legs pretty much locked up and could not continue running any longer. I walked for a bit and then decided to run the rest of the way. My lungs were opened up immensely and it took a couple hours to feel fully recovered. I am still glad I attempted the run, and rewarded myself with another dessert, which has become a daily ritual while on this holiday.

    We spent a few hours walking around Dunedin, and I finally found the New Zealand souvenir t-shirt I had been looking for. The city itself had a more unique feel to it than some of the other cities we have been to.

    This is one of the earlier arrivals we have had to our campsite, and everyone went straight for the showers once we got settled in. Now, I am doing some laundry ahead of my big hike on Friday and planning on a relaxing evening with my tour peeps.    Read more

  • Darcy PorterNew ZealandDarcy Porter

    Day 12 - March 3

    March 4, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Kia ora,

    This was our longest driving day on the trip, but there was no shortage of spectacular scenery as we ventured into Fiordland National Park.

    Everyone on the bus has been sitting in the same seat during the tour, so I have been sitting on the back bench seats with four girls from England. We decided to make the most of the long drive by playing a few card games. I even taught them how to play Euchre, which no one else on the bus had heard of.

    Our main stops were in Gore and Te Anau. I enjoyed fish and chips in Gore (I have lost track of how many times I have ate that on this trip). Te Anau was our last stop to get supplies for the multiday Routeburn Track hike. I have everything I need for it now. Unfortunately, the weather forecast appears to be quite rainy.

    We made a couple stops for some scenic photos on our way to camp. We even had a forced stop to allow a sheep herd to cross the road, which was really fun to witness. The camp was one of the coolest ones yet. They even had a hydrogen bomb on display that the US had given them. The New Zealand prime minister then decided to deactivate it. (One of the museums I went to showed there have been a lot of nuclear weapon tests in the Pacific by the US and France; and I think a lot of the island nations feel they are a little too close to home.)

    I made the decision to upgrade to a cabin over a tent for only $13. I shared the cabin with a couple others on the trip, but got to have my own room.

    Late at night, one of the couples (who are from south of Boston) on the trip made a walk to see glow worms. They told us about it, and a few of us wandered to the area to check them out. I had never seen glow worms before, so this was another first for the trip.    Read more

  • Darcy PorterNew ZealandDarcy Porter

    Day 13 - March 4

    March 5, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Kia ora,

    Today, we departed camp and drove to the Milford Sound boat cruise. We stopped to check out a waterfall along the way, and also saw a few keas on top of vehicles. Keas are a neat-looking green bird with red colors under their wings.

    When we went out on the boat cruise, we had to deal with rain and fog. Milford Sound has been described as the eighth natural wonder of the world, but we unfortunately did not to see its full majesty on display.

    The rainy weather continued as 9 of us embarked on the Routeburn Track. Fog and rain prevented us from seeing much of the scenery. The hike started uphill and we were on there for a little over 3 hours. When we reached our campsite, Sven (he is from Belgium and the person I would be sharing a tent with) and I discovered our tent did not have a waterproof cover - not an ideal situation for the weather conditions. Two of the girls in our group had the same situation with their tent. So, the 4 of us went to the warden and he let us pay for an upgrade into the hut. We were fortunate, because we thought the place had no available beds. It was also nice to have the shelter and get some of our clothes warm.    Read more

  • Darcy PorterNew ZealandDarcy Porter

    Day 14 - March 5

    March 5, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 2 °C

    Kia ora,

    We had another rainy and often slippery hike today. Our views were clouded, so we missed a lot of the scenery again. Eventually, my waterproof gear gave out and everything I was wearing got soaked. It sounds like a rough time, but I still enjoyed moving along the hike. If I had to remain stationary in the rain, it would have been much worse. Fortunately, our hike went a lot fastee than the estimated time because we were not able to take in the breathtaking views visible during good weather.

    Once we reached the halfway point of our hike, we were done climbing and started more downhill hiking on very wet and slippery rocks. Some of the views in the afternoon were beginning to take shape as well. I am pretty sure we were going right through a Lord of the Rings scene at one point. We were also rewarded with a beautiful double rainbow in the sky.

    Four of us reached our hut in the afternoon, but we had to wait a while to check in with the warden. The two girls who were able to use their tent last night, had a leaking tent, so they also needed shelter for sleeping. The bunk beds were taken up by a group traveling from South Korea, but we were able to sleep on our pads and sleeping bags in the shelter area. The warden was really nice and she even pointed out keas that were in our area. The Koreans were also really nice, and one of them kept offering us his food. We had plenty, but it was still a nice gesture. I let the Koreans borrow my deck of cards, and I later noticed they had a big poker game going on.

    Meanwhile, the six of us from the group had a fun time eating together and hanging out until bed time. We even took a couple selfies with us all together in our sleeping bags.    Read more

  • Darcy PorterNew ZealandDarcy Porter

    Day 15 - March 6

    March 7, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Kia ora,

    This morning was the last part of our Routeburn Track hike. If we had transportation to pick us up, we easily could have completed it the previous day. On the other hand, it was nice to have a pleasant morning to hike in, and we were finally getting a glimpse of the views this track provides. Numerous waterfalls and rapids ran along the route, and everything in the forest is very green. At times it felt like walking through a rain forest, and in many respects it probably can be technically classified as one.

    New Zealand is considered to be down under like Australia, but they do speak a bit differently than Australians. On the trail, I could easily pick out the Australians, because many would say "g'day mate," whereas I have never heard a New Zealander say that.

    We finished our hike in the morning, and then the 9 of us rode a very scenic drive into Queenstown to reunite with the group. After getting my tent set up, I went straight for the shower. In the afternoon, I went bungy jumping to give those legs a good stretch after the hike. I also snuck in a nap on a bean bag chair while waiting for the bus to the Kawarau Bridge. The bungy is a different sort of thrill than skydiving. When I dove, my instructor was the one who forced me off the plane. This time, I had force myself off the bridge. Did I wet myself? No. Did I scream? You better believe it. It was a lot of fun.

    When I returned to town, I found out about the best dessert in town at a place called Patagonia. It was incredible ice cream. While eating my ice cream, I was treated to the sound of a bagpiper playing Scotland the Brave and Flower of Scotland, along with a couple other tunes I did not recognize.

    I then rode a gondola to a very scenic overlook of Queenstown. It provided perhaps my favorite views in New Zealand, which is saying something.

    At night, the whole group went out to dinner, as it was the last evening for many of us, including all the Americans on the tour. I had one last round of fish and chips for my meal. A few of us decided to stay out a bit later, and I got a few more dance moves out of me before calling it a night in this spectacular town.    Read more

  • Darcy PorterNew ZealandDarcy Porter

    Day 16 - March 7

    March 7, 2016 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Kia ora,

    Not a whole lot to write about today as it is mostly travel time. I was able to say goodbye to most of the people at camp this morning, except for a couple from Austria that went out for an early bike ride and a couple others who were still sleeping.

    It is weird to not be with a group that you spent do much time with over the past couple weeks, but it will be fun to keep in touch going forward, and perhaps have reasons to visit new places where some of them are from.

    Currently, I am waiting to board my flight in Auckland. I am looking forward to seeing how I feel when I land in Chicago technically one hour later. I also might be coming down with a cold, but it doesn't seem too bad at the moment.

    I have a couple souvenirs and New Zealand wine and chocolate with me to take home. This trip was incredible, and it is probably too difficult to pick a favorite moment. Currently, the surprise orca sighting on the dolphin swim is running through my head. It wasn't the sighting that totally grabbed me, it was everyone's reaction on the boat. As adults, it is hard for us to react with childlike joy and wonder when someone gives us a material gift; but the way little surprises like these in creation move us to such an expression is a really neat thing to see and be a part of.    Read more

    Trip end
    March 7, 2016
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