Lien-Thanh's Blog: February 2023

Feb 1-2, 2023: Travel Day

My cousin Jess and her husband Matt were visiting me and Bill in Hawaii the week before our trip to New Zealand. They dropped us off at the airport around 11am. With TSA precheck, no checked luggage, and a decently empty airport, we figured we had plenty of time to get onto our 1pm flight. We were unable to check in at home online or at the airport kiosk, which we thought was because we needed to verify our passports with a gate agent. Due to poor signage, we wasted our first 15 minutes standing in a line that wasn’t a line at all. We then got into a line that was fairly short but moved at a snail’s pace, and 45 minutes we made it to our gate agent Jennirose. By then, it was about 12pm, 1 hour until our flight was going to take off. Well, it turns out our check in hadn’t worked because we had completely forgotten to look up whether we needed a travelers visa… which was in fact required. A couple years into COVID, and I guess we’ve both forgotten how to travel.

There was another stressed out couple who was in the same predicament; they had arrived at the airport earlier than us and had completed last minute applications for visas. The woman received her visa in about 20 minutes, but the man was still waiting for his to be approved and had been on hold with a New Zealand visa authority for over an hour. We didn’t have 20 minutes to spare, and we definitely didn’t have an hour. This was not looking good.

Panic stricken, we stepped out of line and filled out our applications as quickly as we could, including taking passport photos of ourselves crouched in front of the counter. The estimated time on the website for processing the visa was an hour. I received an email that my application had been approved in about 5 minutes (though it felt much longer than that) and I was able to get a boarding pass. Bill, however, received nothing. The couple in a similar situation finally got through to the visa agent and were able to check in, but it had taken them over 90 minutes on the phone. They passed the international phone number they had used over to me. We weren’t feeling optimistic, but we dialed it for what it was worth. It was now 12:23pm, and the rest of the line had dwindled down to the very last customers. We asked our agent Jennirose, when does boarding close? “It’s already supposed to be closed… and also, the boarding gate is very far away.”

Most rushed passport photo ever

We overheard someone telling Jennirose it was time to close her line. We asked if we could book Bill a plane ticket the following day, but Jennirose seemed reluctant to have me give up and leave Bill behind quite yet. Each minute that went by was a debate whether we should send Bill home and have me make a run for it. It was 12:45pm and we’d been on hold for about 20 minutes (which would later be a $50 international phone call fee) when we got through to an agent who approved Bill’s visa! We made a mad dash to the precheck line, and our incredible agent Jennirose arranged for another agent to pick us up and drive us in a van to our gate. We were handed new boarding passes at the gate with different seats (I guess they thought we weren’t going to make it so had given away our seats), and we made it onto our flight right at 1pm.

Our plane got stuck taxiing around while waiting for some sort of runway back up, so we didn’t actually take off for another hour. The adrenaline was still settling down and the relief was so strong that I barely registered or minded the delay. I had been separated from Bill with the new seat assignments and was seated across the aisle from a flirtatious guy who took full advantage of the fact that you can get unlimited free alcoholic beverages on international flights. His total number of drinks was somewhere in the double digits by the end of the flight.

9.5 hours later, we arrived in Auckland, were stopped briefly by a very cute airport security dog, and took a taxi to our hotel Quest Parnell. It was past midnight and we were exhausted. The new converter I had bought for the trip immediately sparked on me and died when I plugged it in. And so began our trip.

Feb 3, 2023: Auckland

Bill and I walked 12.5 miles through Auckland in a day. The first 7 or so miles were in the morning rain. We grabbed a couple lattes and wandered to Albert Park, Victoria Park, the Skytower, and the Waterfront. We had planned to do the Sky Walk, where you get harnessed up and walk around the top of the Sky Tower, but the visibility wasn’t good due to all the rain. Instead, we visited “Weta Workshop Unleashed,” a touristy interactive exhibit of movie special effects.

Little pedestrian bridge that opens for boats

"When you walk through the shrinking door,
side effects may include nausea and denial."

King Bill

Jamie and Bentley arrived from Portland around lunchtime and we all went out to Oh Calcutta for Indian food. By the time we finished eating, the rain had finally stopped. We visited the Auckland Art Gallery, Albert Park (again), and big city park called Auckland Domain. The highlight of Auckland Domain was the Wintergardens, which had a beautiful greenhouse of tropical flowers We were also fascinated by the Sensory Gardens, which was designed for people who can’t see; it has handrails, raised flower beds, and focuses on the touch and smell of plants.

Fig tree at Albert Park

Albert Park magnolias

Gold leaf speckled flooring at Auckland Art Museum

Brains! (cockscomb flowers) at Wintergardens

We initially had planned to attend the annual lantern festival, but it was canceled due to recent flooding in Auckland. For dinner, we ate at Gerome for cocktails and Greek-inspired food. Bentley is a professional aerial artist and shared some of their super impressive photos and videos with us. On the walk back to our hotel, I met a cream golden retriever named Jonty. Our hotel came equipped with its own washer/dryer so we had the luxury of cleaning our wet clothes before bed.

Feb 4, 2023: Waiheke Island, Queenstown

Bill went on an early morning run through the city while the rest of us slept in. The four of us grabbed some snacks at a grocery store: feijoa juice, coconut yogurt, and smoked salmon with crackers - yum! Our original plan was to go hiking on Rangitito Island, but the ferry was fully booked so instead we took a ferry to Waiheke Island and walked to Cable Bay winery. We tried 3 wines that were made on the island.

Pretty walk along the vineyards

Waiheke Island

New Zealand wine

Bill and I split a meat pie at the ferry station. The 1-hour ferry ride returning to Auckland was just as lovely as the first. We stopped by Auckland Domain again to revisit the Wintergardens and to walk through Fernz Fernery which had been closed the day prior.

Ferry ride

Auckland Domain

Fernz Fernery

More Wintergardens

I was nervous that Auckland Airport would still have delays after the recent flood, so we got to the airport 2 hours before our flight. We had plenty of time to spare and Jamie introduced us to the card game “Tranquility” at the boarding gate. Driving very slowly on the left side of the road in a rental car, we arrived safely at a pretty VRBO. Out house had a gorgeous view of Lake Wakatipu and was walking distance from town. We grabbed Fergburgers and ate them by the water for dinner.

Even the airport is beautiful in Queenstown

Duck would like some french fries please

Feb 5, 2023: Queenstown! (Shotover Swing, Jetboat, Ben Lomond Hike)

Queenstown was epic. Bill and I woke up early to a completely purple room which prompted us to go outside to enjoy a surreal pink and purple sunrise. When we left our VRBO that morning, neither of us realized at the time that we wouldn’t be returning for over 14 hours. The two of us walked into Queenstown for some coffee, split another meat pie, and relaxed at Queenstown Bay. Then our exciting morning tour activities began!

I'd never seen a sunrise that looked like this!

Not the worst pies in London

Queenstown Bay

I always do an adrenaline-fueled activity in Queenstown, and this time my choice was the Shotover Canyon Swing and Jetboat. A van took us to a breathtaking location overlooking the Shotover River. Bill and I did the tandem swing; we were harnessed next to each other and dangled 109m above the river. There were a lot of creative options to really build up the dread. The one we went with was “Lucky Dip,” where you can choose to pull the pink, yellow, or blue tab. One of the tabs will drop you from the sky but you don’t know which one it is. Bill pulled the blue one, but we were still hanging in the air and all the blood left his face. I pulled the yellow one, and we were plunged into a 3-second 60m free fall that transitioned into a rather pleasant pendular swing overlooking the river. I opted to do a second swing. Bill wanted nothing to do with that, so I went solo by running off the platform and diving into a front flip.

Stunning view over Shotover Canyon

Bill's pure terror

Diving off the edge

Love that rush

The Shotover swing was my favorite part of the whole trip, but Bill definitely preferred the somewhat-calmer second part of the tour where we took a jet boat ride down the same beautiful river. We twisted and turned through a narrow canyon, got super close to incredible cliff faces, and did more 360 degree spins than I could keep track of. I’d never ridden on such a boat and didn’t even know boats could do that. It was both thrilling and gorgeous.

Jet boat!

When we returned to Queenstown, it started to rain so we ducked into Beech Tree, a dog-friendly bar, for some wings and beer. Then we met up with Jamie and Bentley at the Queenstown Cemetery. The rain was coming down pretty hard at that point, so we decided to postpone our hike. Bill was intrigued by some VR games in Kingpin arcade, and we ended up killing a couple hours playing various arcade games. The rain ceased right as we were finishing up.

Queenstown Cemetery in the rain

Hungry Hungry Hippos

Dance Dance Revolution

King Bentley

Our arcade prize was some chocolate and this rock that grew crystals

The four of us took a 480m ride up the Queenstown Gondola and we saw blue skies for the first time on our trip. We hiked from the top of Queenstown Gondola to the Ben Lomond saddle (8 km, 860m elevation). We were rewarded with spectacular views of Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables, saw a couple goats, and admired the prettiest outhouse you ever did see.

Blue skies at last!

Ben Lomond Track

Outhouse painted to match the surroundings

Goat!

Back at the gondola, Bill and I went luging, where you basically take a ski lift up a hill and ride down a twisty track in what looks like a Mario Kart. We were initially planning to do just one of the two tracks but the ticket agent offered us free rides for some reason, so we went ahead and did both. We met back up with Jamie and Bentley to take the gondola down together.

The luge

View from the gondola

Dinner was a two parter: oysters and drinks at Boardwalk followed by Vietnamese food at Saigon Kingdom. The rain picked back up as we trudged back to our VRBO in the dark. Once again I was thankful to have access to a washer and dryer to clean all my wet clothes.

Feb 6, 2023: Lake Alta Hike, Te Anau

Jamie and Bentley had bought groceries the prior morning and fixed everyone a delicious breakfast. We ate on the porch to take advantage of our view overlooking Lake Wakatipu.

Breakfast with a view

We spent the morning hiking to Lake Alta (2.4 km, 200m elevation). The start of the hike was at a ski-park in the Remarkables Ranges, and we needed to drive up a steep and windy road to get there. The hike itself wasn’t long, but it was uphill and the wind made it chilly at times. The alpine lake at the top was pretty, and apparently it’s where a bit of Lord of the Rings was filmed (Dimrill Dale, the scene immediately following Gandalf’s death in Fellowship of the Rings).

Overlook on the way up

Trekking over mossy fields

Many different kinds of moss!

Lake Alta

Bill got used to driving on the left side of the road during the beautiful 2 hour drive to Te Anau. We checked into a spacious VRBO, grabbed some groceries, and ate a late lunch / early dinner consisting of salmon, cheese, crackers, tomatoes, cucumber, and fruits. Our original plan had been to do a tour of the glow worms, but it was canceled at the last minute due to high water levels. Instead, we walked around Te Anau lake, visited a free bird sanctuary, and started an escape room board game.

Te Anau

Takahē, one of New Zealand’s flightless birds. This is Mohio.

At the lake

Feb 7, 2023 Milford Sound! (Fjord Cruise/Kayaking, Octopus, Lake Marian Hike)

This was our other epic and busy day. We woke up early, ate a quick breakfast and left at 7am to drive 2 hours to Milford Sound (which is actually a fjord, not a sound). Our tour across the fjord lasted about 5.5 hours and included a boat cruise where we saw seals, visited a floating underwater observatory where we saw an octopus, and went kayaking. It rained over half the time, so there were tons of waterfalls everywhere. After kayaking, we were cold and wet so we all huddled around an indoor furnace that made our clothes steam.

Sunrise

Fjord!

Seals!

Waterfalls!

More Waterfalls!

Waterfall mist

Bill's idea

Right after getting splash with water

Happy

Black Coral

Octopus!!

There was a pretty cool kayak launch dock that lowered us into the water,
but I forgot to take a picture of it

Tandem kayaking

Definitely our best group photo!

Our tour wasn’t over until about 3pm. We were soaked and glad we had brought changes of clothes. The sun didn't set until about 9pm so we were able to squeeze in a hike at Lake Marian (6 km, 412m elevation). The track took us to a waterfall, through mossy forests covered in ferns, and ended at a spectacular alpine lake. Jamie was brave enough to get into the cold water to her shoulders. I only got in to my waist, Bentley got in to their mid-calves, and Bill wanted nothing to do with the idea.

The hike started at this big suspension bridge

Waterfall

Fern goblin

Lake Alta!

Bill & Lien

Jamie & Bentley

Cold!

On the way home, we saw some Kea parrots which are unique to New Zealand, and we swung by Mirror Lakes to admire the reflections in the water. We returned to Te Anau around 8:30pm. By then, the grocery stores and most of the restaurants were closed so we were momentarily nervous that we wouldn’t be able to find something to eat. We were relieved that we were able to squeeze into Ristorante Pizzeria Paradiso and devoured some pizza. That night was the third time I threw drenched clothing into a washing machine. Thank goodness for washing machines!

Kea Parrot

Mirror Lakes

Feb 8, 2023 Glow Worms, Pukekohe

We took it easy in the morning, eating breakfast and packing up at a leisurely pace. Jamie and I finished our escape room board game, which Bentley and Bill seemed more than happy to sit out of. I had rebooked our glow worm tour for this morning and hadn’t wanted to get my hopes too high, so I was thrilled to find that the water levels had come down enough for the tour to be running. We played on a ride at a nearby playground while we waited for the tour to start.

Such a good playground ride!

The tour was nothing short of magical. There was a beautiful rainbow sitting low in the mountains during our cruise across Te Anau lake. Once we reached the western shore of the lake, we were led by a tour guide on a short walk into a cave. There were walkways built above stream water that flowed below us, and we even passed a small underground waterfall. Deeper into the cave, we loaded onto a small boat. Everyone was silent and turned off all lights/phones, and our tour guide pulled us along cables through a dark grotto filled with hundreds of glow worms that twinkled like stars above us. It moved Bentley to tears. As always, glow worms is a definite highlight of any New Zealand trip.

Rainbow!

Glow worm cave

Back in Te Anau, we grabbed lunch at Olive Tree Cafe where I opted for some indulgent seafood chowder. We made our way back to Queenstown airport (2 hour pretty drive), flew to Auckland (2 hour flight), and checked into Heaven’s Rest, a lovely bed and breakfast on a farm in Pukekohe (30 minute drive). For dinner, we indulged in fancy Asian fusion tapas at SuMei. The stars were beautiful on the farm. Goodbye South Island, and hello again North Island.

Feb 9, 2023 Hot Water Beach (Late Afternoon)

Our bed and breakfast had an amazing breakfast spread. My favorite part was the homemade jams. We pet two beautiful white goats and a cow on the farm and relaxed until it was time to check out.

Farmland

Morning tea

Bill didn't believe us that this fence was electric

Well, hello

The road to Hot Water Beach had been destroyed in a recent rainfall, so we needed to drive an extra hour to get there. Our detour took us by Owharoa Falls, a beautiful waterfall just a couple minutes walk from the road. At a roadside fruit stand, we indulged in blueberries, raspberries, cherries, nectarines, and peaches that were grown near Hamilton. Our last stop was in Tairua, where we bought some groceries and played at a playground by the Tairua River.

Owharoa Falls

Fruit!

Professional aerialist!

Fancy tire swing

Fancy monkey bars

Spinny thing

A "roktopus"

By the river

Selfie post - cute idea!

Taken with the selfie post

On arrival to Hot Water Beach Top 10 Holiday Park, we checked into our cabins and took a short walk to the beach. Hot Water Beach is named for its underground hot springs. When the tide is low, you can dig holes in the sand until thermal water escapes to the surface and creates a hot water pool. Our first attempt to make personal hot tubs was only partially successful. Low tide was late afternoon, and it was difficult to compete with the crowds for a good spot. Additionally, the low tide wasn’t particularly low so there was only a narrow portion of exposed sand over the hot springs. It was neat to stand in the cold ocean with our toes in hot water, but any of our attempts to dig a pool were quickly washed away. Jamie and Bentley took a walk on the beach and looked for seashells, while Bill and I futilely continued to attempt to dig a hole. Luckily for us, a New Zealander eventually took pity of us and shared her geothermal pool with us.

Here my legs are cold and my toes are hot! Wild.

Sitting in a hot pool at Hot Water Beach

Back at the cabins, Bill and I bounced on a big bouncy cushion called a “jumping pillow” until Bill twisted his ankle. He spent the rest of the evening icing his injury while we started another Exit game. This was the third time we had played on some sort of playground, so maybe it was just a matter of time before one of us got injured.

Moments before injury

It was bound to happen...

Swollen and bruised

Feb 10-11, 2023 Hot Water Beach (Early Morning), Cyclone Gabrielle

Our next hot water beach experience was much more successful (for everyone but Bill). Low tide was at 4:40am, and I woke everyone up a little before 4am to head out. Bill had to decline due to his ankle injury. After scaring Bentley with the unexpected wake up, Bentley and Jamie pulled themselves out of bed to go on a walk under the stars with me. When we arrived, we had the whole beach to ourselves and were able to dig a huge hot tub in the sand that all of us could lie down in! Occasionally some cold ocean water would break through and cool the water, which would then gradually get heated back up from the hot water below. It was surreal.

Digging a hole

Personal hot tub on the beach

Success!

The three of us took showers and went back to sleep until it was time to check out. Our original plan was to drive to Waitomo for some walks, waterfalls, and more glow worm tours. However, a couple hours into our drive we saw worsening weather warnings about Cyclone Gabriella. The cyclone was forecast to be hitting New Zealand in two days, which is when we were all planning to fly home. We had the tough decision of whether to carry on with our original plan or to try to reschedule our flights to leave earlier. Ultimately, we chose the later. Cell service was spotty, so we stopped at a gas station for a pressure-filled hour to make some phone calls and flight changes.

Bill and I rescheduled our flights to leave that evening, and Jamie and Bentley rescheduled their flights for the following morning. We nervously drove 2 more hours to the airport and arrived just a couple hours before Bill and I had to board our international flight back home. We lost a chunk of money, had to take a longer flight, and worst of all, we didn’t get to experience the black water rafting Bill and I had planned to do in Waitomo. Despite the abrupt ending to our trip, we had a wonderful time and certainly plan to return to New Zealand someday.