Christina’s Journey Journal

Tag: Milford Sound

  • The Adventure Capital of the World —Queenstown, New Zealand 🇳🇿 ; Day 8 (March 23, 2026)

    The Adventure Capital of the World —Queenstown, New Zealand 🇳🇿 ; Day 8 (March 23, 2026)

    They don’t call Queenstown the Adventure Capital of the World for nothing. This is where commercial bungy jumping, jet boating, and tandem paragliding were all born—because apparently someone looked at these mountains and thought, “How can we make this more intense?”

    Milford Sound: Worth Every Bit of the Hype

    We kicked off the day with a scenic flight with Glenorchy Air to Milford Sound—often called the “8th wonder of the world” (Piopiotahi in Māori) and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

    Take one didn’t exactly go as planned. We took off and then had to turn right back around because the cowling (covers the engine) flew open mid-flight. Nothing like a little pre-adventure adrenaline spike. Our pilot, Annabelle, handled it extremely professionally.

    Round two was much more successful—and absolutely stunning. A few snow-capped peaks, glacial lakes up high in the mountains, deep valleys, and scenery that doesn’t even look real from above.

    Once we landed, we boarded a boat to explore deeper into the fjord (and yes—it’s actually a fjord, not a sound, carved by glaciers).

    Towering granite cliffs clinging to impossible angles, and waterfalls everywhere—some permanent like Stirling Falls and Lady Bowen Falls, and others that appear out of nowhere, especially when it rains (we had a blue sky day).

    And then there’s Mitre Peak—rising straight up 5,551 feet like it’s showing off.

    At the entrance to Milford Sound, opening up to the Tasman Sea.
    Stirling Waterfall – one of two permanent waterfalls. Most of the waterfalls are temporary and happen when it rains.

    Just when it felt like it couldn’t get any better, we spotted a New Zealand fur seal having a little snack in the water, completely unbothered by our presence. Watching it in that setting, with waterfalls crashing around it, felt like we had somehow wandered straight into a nature documentary.

    Lady Bowen Waterfall – the other permanent waterfall. It provides water and electricity to the local town.
    Flight back to Queenstown.
    A glacial lake high up in the mountains.

    A Quick Kiwi Encounter

    Back in Queenstown, we stopped at a kiwi (bird) sanctuary—because you can’t come to New Zealand and not see one.

    Since they’re nocturnal, the sanctuary flips their schedule so you can actually spot the birds foraging “at night” (in the dark). What surprised me most? Their long, skinny beaks with nostrils at the tip, which they use to sniff out food.

    This is the famous Kea bird. It’s a world‘s only Alpine parrot, native to the South Island, New Zealand. The Kea is very curious and mischievous, pick pocketing small car parts and things off a backpack. It makes a very distinctive kee-aa sound in flight. It took me a back the first time I heard it as I thought it was a kid laughing. 

    And Then… We Floated.

    To round out the day, we tried one of Queenstown’s signature inventions: tandem paragliding with Gforce Paragliding. I had to be talked into this by Brendan but very glad I did it! After all, it was invented here in Queenstown.

    You run a few steps off a mountain (which your brain strongly objects to), and then suddenly… you’re not falling, you’re floating. Quiet, peaceful, and completely mesmerizing as you glide over Lake Wakatipu with views that don’t feel real.

    And then you do a few twists and turns and before long, you’ve landed on your rear end.

    Queenstown doesn’t do passive sightseeing. Good thing we are not passive people!

    Interesting to note: Tipping is not common in New Zealand. Traditionally, you don’t tip, but you can leave something if you think the service was really good.

    Dessert: The dessert of NZ is pavlova. There’s an going dispute between New Zealand and Australia who invented it. The Kiwis are holding firm to historical facts that point to it being invented in 1926 to honor the Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova, who visited the country. It’s meringue with a creamy marshmallow-like center, topped with fruit. Yum!!

    Pavlova at Public Italian Kitchen in Queenstown.
  • Kia Ora 🇳🇿! Off to the land of 🐑🥝🏔️🎬🏉🌿…

    Kia Ora 🇳🇿! Off to the land of 🐑🥝🏔️🎬🏉🌿…

    I feel like a kid on Christmas morning about this adventure!

    New Zealand🇳🇿

    Home to 25 million sheep, that’s 5 sheep per every person.

    Where “kiwi” is used to describe 3 things—a bird, fruit (always call it kiwi fruit), and people from New Zealand.

    Where the landscapes are diverse and spectacular like the Southern Alps, fjords like Milford Sound, volcanic landscapes, geothermal fields, glacier lakes, and dramatic coastlines.

    Where Middle-Earth was created (and filmed) for the Lord of the Rings movies and the Hobbiton really exists.

    Where you find the incredible Māori culture, and rugby is almost a national religion. In fact, the All Blacks is one of most recognized teams in the sport and the haka is mesmerizing.

    10 fun (and some surprising) facts from my research.

    1️⃣ It’s one of the last landmasses humans settled on Earth when the Polynesians arrived between AD 1200-1300 🗺️. While the country is an archipelago of some 600 islands located in the Pacific Ocean, there are 3 main islands —North and South, where 99% of the population lives, and Stewart Island, which is primarily a protected national park. In fact, 30% of New Zealand is protected land. We will be traveling from the North Island, starting in Auckland, to the South Island. The two islands are separated by the Cook Strait. While in Auckland, we will we will venture to Waiheke Island.

    2️⃣ In 1893 New Zealand became the first country where women could vote.🗳️ One of the dedicated women behind the movement, Kate Sheppard, appears on the $10 New Zealand banknote.

    3️⃣ There were no native land mammals when humans arrived (except bats). Birds then evolved to fill those roles and for this reason, the Kiwi bird is flightless and ground-dwelling.

    Let’s stay on the Kiwi bird for a minute because I find them fascinating and cannot wait to see one in the wild.

    Say what?? The Kiwi’s nostrils are at the tip of their beak. Every other bird in the world has nostrils near the base of their beak, close to the face, because birds rely on vision to find food, touch, or vibration.

    But Kiwis hunt by smell and evolved differently because…you guessed it, there were no land mammals. They are nocturnal forest foragers.

    A momma Kiwi bird lays an egg that is 20 times her body weight😮. To put that into perspective, it would be the equivalent of a 150 pound woman giving birth to a 30 pound baby! The papa bird sits on the egg for 70-85 days, which is one of the longest incubation periods of any bird.

    4️⃣ New Zealand is known as Aotearoa, the Māori name meaning “Land of the long white cloud”. There are 3 official languages: English, Māori, and New Zealand Sign Language (making it one of a few countries to designate sign language as an official national language).

    5️⃣ There are glowworm caves and we will go to Waitomo to see thousands of these glowing larvae light up the cave. Starlight underground.🌟

    6️⃣ Lollies! Which means candy. And when you have a sweet tooth like me, you get to know the various lollies you’ll encounter.😂 Get ready Pineapple Lumps🍍 and Jaffas🍊🍫…I am coming for you!

    7️⃣ 🍷New Zealand produces less than 1% of the world’s wine but what they do produce is well known and dominated by the Sauvignon Blanc grape. The Marlborough region holds over 70% of the country’s vineyard area.

    8️⃣ It’s a darned long flight! It is going to take ~12 hours from San Francisco. We cross the international date line and jump ahead to the future! For example, we’re leaving SFO on Saturday at 10:45 pm and arrive Monday morning at 8:00 am.

    9️⃣ Driving is on the left and the driver sits on the right. And the seasons are opposite since we’re in the Southern Hemisphere. We’re getting ready for spring in the USA, and fall in NZ. Can’t wait to gaze at that Southern sky!

    🔟 I learned a few new words and customs in anticipation of the trip:

    Sweet as = awesome, no problem

    Togs = swimsuit

    Jandals = flip flops (my favorite)

    Tramping = hiking (which we will do)

    The Hongi = Māori greeting where two people exchange the breath of life (ha) by pressing their foreheads and noses together. It means unity, equality, and the exchange of mana (spiritual power). How beautiful.❤️

    Now I sit back, relax, and fly✈️ to the home of world class wine, the flat white, commercial bungee jumping, Hokey Pokey ice cream (per capita, New Zealanders eat the most ice cream 🍨 in the world-my idols!), jet boating, Manuka honey, Whittaker’s chocolate, and pavlova (although disputed by Australia as to which country invented it). Oh, and New Zealand has no native snakes!