Adventure Playground

Monday 30th November - Queenstown to Sydney

We got up early again and for the third time drove to Glenorchy in the hope of decent weather to do the Ride of the Rings which was a huge success. We had perfect weather and loved meandering through the Dart river on horseback. One of the horses was a star in LoR and the one I was riding was apparently the horse Prince Caspian rode out of the water in the Chronicles of Narnia. I am getting mocked by the family already about that one.

We drove back on the amazing Glenorchy road to Queenstown and Shaughan and I grabbed downhill bikes for a few hours to experience the local bike park. We did the gondola up 3 times and rode the trails down. We should have done this for one whole day of our trip. This will be an excuse to come back.

The girls picked us up from the bike store and we headed straight to the airport to catch a plane to Sydney. We landed in Sydney at 5.30pm and got picked up by the owner of the Airbnb we are staying at in his Tesla. It was my first Tesla S experience which was amazing. We arrived at the apartment in the Glebe which is gorgeous, spent the evening walking around and had a great dinner at Flying Fajita Sistas which is highly recommended.

Sunday 29th November - Milford Sound

This day rates as probably the best so far on our trip. I cannot believe we were able to make so much happen in a single day. We got up around 7.30am, had breakfast and did a drive by Starbucks downtown Queenstown on our way to the Shotover Jet which is about a 10 minute drive out of town. This is a must do experience as your rip through a canyon at 80 KMH inches away from the rocks. It will make you scream and you will most likely get wet but worth every moment. I think the entire ride was about a half hour. We were on the 9.15am boat.

We headed back to the apartment right after for a cup of tea to calm our nerves. We were then picked up by the folks from Air Milford to bring us over to the airport for a scenic flight over the Southern Alps to Milford Sound. We flew out of Queenstown with a half dozen other people in a tiny plane around noon. The flight lasted about 45 minutes over some of the most spectacular views. After landing in Milford Sound on the west coast, we were escorted to a boat for a lunchtime nature cruise which lasted about 2 hours. The food was pretty decent and the views were mind boggling. I took so many pictures which I will eventually upload here. 

On the flight back I was given the option to be co-pilot and to sit up front of the plane. This rates as one of the best things I have ever done. Honestly mind boggling. We got back to the airport around 4.30pm and drove back downtown Queenstown.

We realized that we had enough time to fire up the gondola to do the Luge again (which we did 5 times) only to finish up with a beer overlooking the lake. We headed back down the gondola and grabbed a Fergburger to eat back at the apartment. We wrapped up the evening over a couple of games of Yahtzee and a glass of wine. 

Saturday 28th November Glenorchy

We woke up early and headed out to Glenorchy for a second attempt to do the Ride of the Rings. It was another cold and rainy day but we thought it may clear up like the day before so we made the 45 minute trek around the lake. To be honest it was a miserable morning for us all. We were all put in the back of an old Landrover in the kid seats facing each other and driven on dirt roads for a couple of hours unable to see anything out of the steamy windows. We did get out of the truck on a few occasions and saw glimpses of some spectacular sites but we were all so cold and miserable that we didn't really enjoy it as much as we normally would. We arrived at the location where we were supposed to transition onto horses and we were given the option to bail and rebook for a better day which I chose when seeing the kids shivering in the pissing rain. We will go back again when the weather in nicer but only for the horseback riding. We will go an explore the sights in our own 4x4 which will be more fun.

We got back to Queenstown and cancelled our downhill biking afternoon as the rain and wind were still persistent. Instead we went to a brew pub called Smiths Craft Beer House which was just what the doctor ordered for a rainy day plan. We had some amazing food and good beers before going back to the apartment for some Yahtzee and a good nap. A good lazy day did us no harm.

Wednesday November 25th Waitomo and Hobbiton

We got up at 5.30am and packed up our bags to leave the Auckland Airbnb by 6am. We faced a 2hr 30min drive down to Waitomo to do their 3 cave exploration. We toured the Ruakuri Cave at 9am which was a good one and a half hour experience. We then made our way over to the Aranui Cave which was more cavernous and about a 30 minute tour. We rounded off the morning at the Glowworm caves on their boat tour which was fun, dark, and mind boggling. Being in the pitch black with glowing worms (maggots) above is really breath taking and well worth the trip down.

At 1pm we headed over to the cottage we booked called Earth House. This is hands down one of the coolest places I have ever stayed at. Alistair and Suzy who run the place are just legendary. Alistair had us busting a gut with endless stories and Suzy made us home made food that makes me want to stay for a month! This is the place where Sir Ian McKellan resided when making the Hobbit movies.

The cottage is  half an hour away from Hobbiton. We did the the 3.30pm tour which lasts about two and a half hours in total. It included a bus over to the Shire which leads into a 2 hour walking tour that wraps up at the Green Dragon for some beers. I still have a smile on my face from today. I don't know how we can top it.

Tuesday November 25th Auckland

This was our last day and evening staying in Auckland so we packed it in. We got up early and went to Woodhill Mountain Bike Park for some exercise. The girls did the family route and the boys took the longer route called Torpedo 7 which was a fun 15km ride with 95% single track. The climbs were easy and the downhill was fun and flowing. We rented the bikes and helmets which was all pretty affordable. 

We then headed back to the house and got cleaned up and jumped in a cab downtown around noon to catch the 1pm Fullers ferry from Auckland to Waiheke Island for the Eco zipline tour. There are three ziplines that get more intense as you go. All of us loved it and would do it again tomorrow. You get to fly over the forest which is quite something. 

After the zipline the bus driver offered to drop us off at Cable Bay Vineyard. It was such a trendy place with great music, beanbags on the lawn and a great indoor/outdoor dining area where we enjoyed some great Sauvignon Blanc and snacks. When done, we walked 10 minutes down a single track trail to the ferry terminal and headed back to downtown Auckland.

We ended the evening over a spectacular meal at Jervois Steak house with an old friend. I would highly recommend this restaurant. Not cheap but excellent food. 

A normal Monday in Auckland

I kicked off an early morning at VBike indoor cycling studio which reminded me of my experiences with Athlete Lab in London and Sydney. If you want a good ass kicking on a bike it is a good spot to train at. I spent the remainder of the day working with the folks from Suncorp and Vero walking through the steps of what it would mean for us (Trov) to launch in NZ.

One of the fun things about today was having my son shadow my last couple of meetings. He was mad keen to come with me to learn and he made me proud. The last meeting of the day was at a cool bar/restaurant near the water called Soul, which is a perfect location for end of day drinks and snacks. 

I met up with the family end of day. They had been hanging out with old friends from Muskoka Woods during the day as well as exploring the city. We decided to do a quick tour up the Sky Tower for some spectacular views of Auckland. All aspects recommended. 

Point Chevalier Beach

Sunday 22nd was our first full day in Auckland. We had a pretty lazy morning recovering from the flight, then headed out to explore the area we are staying in Point Chevalier which is about a 15 minute drive outside of the CBD. It is a lovely area with lots of modern renovated homes that are right on the ocean beside the Yacht Club. We had 25 mph winds so it wasn't a day for a swim. We did loiter and watch a bunch of crazies windsurfing and kiting in the big wind. After a late morning coffee and snack we walked over to meet the family of one of the guys I am working with over here. We had a brilliant afternoon eating great BBQ food over a few beers. 

 For our evening entertainment we headed downtown to the movie theatre to see the final Hunger Games movie which was fantastic. Best one yet in my opinion. I had not got around to finishing the last book so the end came with a few good twists.