In the evening I went to Fergburger to see if they really are as good as everyone says. I ate at a beautiful park nearby where the cherry blossoms resembled falling snowflakes. It was really beautiful! But the burger was disappointing. In my opinion it was nothing special at all.
The heli tour took place the next morning. I was a little nervous because the wind was pretty strong but the view was truly breathtaking. We flew for 30 minutes but the planned snow landing was cancelled due to the weather.
There is a one-hole golf course on top of the mountain... why?
Shotover Canyon
After lunch I decided to do some more exercise and walked up Queenstown Hill. It was surprisingly warm and thus pretty exhausting. At least I had the feeling that this time I earned the stunning views I saw from the top. On the way back I drove past Closeburn and Twelve Mile Delta for some more locations before I returned to the hostel for the weekly movie night with free - but unfortunately salty - popcorn. I've now been in New Zealand for exactly two months, I can't believe it!
Basket of Dreams
Twelve mile Delta - Where Sam, Frodo and Gollum first saw the Oliphaunts
The next day I walked the Mt Crichton Loop Track as the Department of Conservation had recommended. It took me a little more than 2 hours and not 4 as expected... In the afternoon I played cards with a few people at the hostel. Then I went to a karaoke bar with two girls from my dorm. We ended up going to the Below Zero Ice Bar though because I still had those vouchers and it was pretty cool! They gave you a jacket and gloves and off you went into the icy paradise.
A real bread!!! Heaven on earth!
An old goldminer's hut where you can actually stay overnight...
On the 26th of September 2017 I woke up at half past 6 am to get the shuttle bus to Glenorchy. There I had booked another horse riding tour with Dart Stables. Quite spontaneously I changed it from The Ride of the Rings to The River Wild which gave me two hours on horseback instead of one. The walking paced ride was nice enough and the many (deep) river crossings quite exciting but I was the only one who had ever ridden a horse before so it got a little boring for my taste. But our guide had been an extra in the Hobbit so he entertained us with many fun stories from the set.
In the evening I returned my final rental car. It made me realize that sadly my time here was almost over... To cheer me up I found some vanilla pudding in the free food area and had a little farewell feast.
The next day would be the worst and the best in my life: I finally did a bungy jump! The highest of course, the Nevis which is 134 metres and 8,5 seconds free fall. In the bus I started to feel a little nervous and that got worse when I realised that everyone there was only doing the smaller jumps or the swing. I was actually completely on my own!
When they took me over to the platform I was so scared I almost cried. Up until now I had though of myself as being fearless but this height really made me swallow. Dan did a great job in comforting me though and let me take my time. I don't know if that helped but in the end I jumped by myself. It's probably the most terrified I've ever been, including my Skydive 5 years ago, but afterwards I was completely and utterly happy!
In the foreground the Swing platform, in the background the Bungy platform.
The tension before...
...the jump!
The happiness afterwards!
I stayed for another hour to watch others jump (the next bus had brought a few others) before I returned to the city, grinning wildly. People must have thought I was completely mad!
After such an experience I thought I was invincible so I decided to also go to the Fear Factory. No one in the hostel had wanted to come with me and although I was sure it would either be extremely boring or super horrifying I booked my ticket. I must admit I waited at the entrance for a few minutes to see if anyone else was coming but I was on my own. I went in anyway.
It was pitch black inside and you only had to follow the red lights. Sometimes though they disappeared or they lead in two different directions and that was the worst. The actors there did a great job in making creepy noises and most of them even talked German with me. I got scared so many times but to give up and chicken out was no option for me.
Look who was here!
The pure terror on my face!
When I finally found my way out of there I was relieved but also very glad that I had ventured in. The guy behind the counter, Sebastian, was really friendly and we continued talking for quite some time. I even sang a little piece for him and then a door opened and out of the dark came a creepy voice thanking me for the nice song!
At 8.30 pm it was time for the HappyTravels pub tour. We got free pizza and a free shot in every of the four bars we visited. There were games like Limbo and a dance battle and people actually won great prizes like jet boating or helicopter tours! I wasn't that lucky though and at the end of the night probably the only one still sober...
The next day it was actually time for me to leave New Zealand again. I had some time left though so after I packed I visited Sebastian at the Haunted House again. Luckily he had his lunch break soon after and we took a stroll through the city. Of course people stared at his skeleton make-up but I thought it was fun walking the streets with a half-ghost. It was great spending time with him and I wish I would have gotten to know him earlier... He even bought me a Cookie!
When he had to get back to work I took the bus to the airport. My plane left at 4.30 pm. By then I realized for the first time that I was actually leaving and I couldn't help myself. When the plane left the ground I cried. It was a little better than 5 years ago though for know I know for certain that someday soon I will come back to this beautiful country at the beginning of the world!!!
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