August 2018, New Zealand
During my junior year of college, I studied abroad in Auckland, New Zealand (NZ) for the semester. I did not know much about NZ other than the kind people, kiwi accents, and amazing views. The University of Auckland gave their students a two-week break in between their studies so naturally, my friends and I decided to do what every NZ study abroad student does: visit the Southland. The girls I planned the trip with were Bailey, Syranda, and Julia. We were virtually strangers, but we all shared the common bond of wanting to explore the Southland of NZ. Although we were all intimidated by the ambiguity of this trip, we booked our flights and a van for a 14-day road trip. I did not realize the challenges I would face on this trip, but with excitement and curiosity, we landed in NZ for our journey into the unknown.
Mount Cook
As we traveled along State Highway 1, it was hard to keep driving for more than an hour as we passed the teal blue Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki. Growing up in Michigan, I was very familiar with lakes and grew up on one more entire life. I have never seen a lake as bright and clean as these two. We got out of the car to gaze as they went on for miles both surrounded by white-capped mountains and Kowhai trees. As we continued driving through the endless and unpopulated road we were surrounded by the most dramatic-looking mountains I have ever seen. My first glimpses into the Southland of NZ I couldn’t believe a place like this in the world exists.
We parked our van next to the trailhead of Mount Cook in awe knowing we would be pitching up camp here for the night. Mount Cook is the tallest mountain in NZ reaching 3,000m high, containing sky-scraping peaks, snowy rivers, and glaciers. Walking along a wooden, rocky bridge into the heart of Mount Cook, the winter wind hit my face. It was a striking wind that acted as a wake up from reality rather than an obstacle. The words that come to mind when describing this place are dramatic, unworldly, and pristine. When we began to prepare our dinner van-style. This was no normal van. It was large, green with purple lining and the words “Juicy” in bold on the side. It was equipped with a stove and storage space. The first time we tried to use the gas stove seemed like rocket-science in the bitter cold. We switched from flipping a switch outside to reading the instructions and finally were able to turn it on and make our spaghetti with vodka pasta sauce. A staple of our travels. Waiting for my friends to come back from brushing their teeth in the communal bathroom, I heard a scream. I immediately shot up and watched as they quickly got inside the van to find out a possum with red beady eyes snarled at them in the pitch black. Our first night in the van I was nestled in a sleeping bag and looked out the tiny van window to notice the star-studded sky.
Queenstown
As we arrived at the skydiving shop, we were immediately greeted with white documents that essentially signed our lives away. I headed on the bus to the skydive grounds trying to think of anything but the activity I was about to partake in. As we got suited up in these elaborate run jumpsuits and black helmets, I tried to keep Bailey and Julia calm by playing some Black-Eyed Peas pump up music and talking about anything else but falling from the sky. Walking on that tiny grey airplane I knew there was no turning back. Once we were in the air the only way of getting back on the ground was by falling 12,000 feet. Whether I liked it or not I was falling out of the sky that day and all I could think of was “Well if I die today, it was meant to be this way, right?”. The airplane was shaking and loud as we went higher and higher. I looked over to Julia and she had a look of pure panic on her face. I stopped and noticed the view around me of blue accented alpine ranges I was soon to become a part of. The door flew open and this was it. I closed my eyes, felt my stomach drop like it never has before and opened my eyes to mountain ranges from every view and Lake Wakatipu underneath me. The blue sky’s forceful air made my cheeks flap. I was being elevated by elements and felt as though I was one with the atmosphere. I am falling from the sky in Queenstown, NZ. The most magical mountains surrounding me, so defined by their white peaks and dramatic ridges I was in awe. It all happened so fast and I was on the grass-filled ground.
Wanaka
I wake up in a panic thinking I slept through my alarm. I immediately wake up the rest of the van explaining that we need to get ready soon if we want to hike Roy’s peak. To say we an interesting night before I suddenly woke up would be an understatement. We spent the prior hours in an Irish pub in Wanaka, NZ talking to a group of reckless kiwi boys who somehow convinced us that drinking a gallon of beer before an incredibly hard hike was a good idea. We scrambled to get ready, ate breakfast, and prepared our backpacks for Roy’s peak. No one was doing well as we approached the beginning of the trail. We spent the first 10 minutes of the hike recapping our night and the ridiculous boys we met the night prior. I was probably doing the most unwell as I could hear my heart thumping through my chest. I wanted the rest of my crew to go ahead of me so I could go at my own pace. I put The Rolling Stones in my headphones and watched my friends walk on the steep slope ahead. I soon realized they weren’t kidding when they talked about the difficulty level of this hike. I felt as though I was at a 12% incline on a treadmill the whole time as my legs began to ache. I wanted to give up, turn around and sit in the car while my friends continued.
However, I found something within me to keep going. My backpack and feet kept feeling heavier and I regretted the decision to pack copious amounts of rice cakes and peanut butter. I tried to keep these thoughts out of my head, changed my music to Bob Marley, and continued. This hike had a well-paved dirt path through the tussock grasslands. As you got close to the top the view of Wanaka Lake became more apparent. When I got close to the top, I could see I wasn’t too far behind my friends and felt a sense of relief that I was almost there. The air was thinning out and my breaths were shortening. Reaching the top, I was so excited to see the unreal views of an endless lake and the surrounding peaks of Mount Aspiring. It was as they say “worth the hike” but I was also glad to say that I made it. To this day, I tell people that the hike up Roy’s peak was one of the hardest things I have ever done.
Franz Josef Glacier
The place where things go very downhill. Franz Josef Glacier is another stopping point on our van trip. An easy walk to the foot of the glacier which has moved along a river. While walking through this valley of ice, I passed multiple rushing waterfalls. One waterfall, in particular, sprinkled my face as I walked across the stepping stones to avoid the water. The water was cold but refreshing. Me being the naïve person I am decided to listen to a fellow traveler who told me the water that comes from the waterfall is safe to drink. In passing, I take my water bottle and put it under the waterfall taking a large icy swig. Days pass by as we see the coastal paradise of Abel Tasman National Park and the enchanting. Nelson Lakes National Park without skipping a beat. Both of which include the same beauty the other destinations did.
When we arrived at our second to last stop on our trip at Hammer Springs in Canterbury things start to go downhill. We decided for the first time on the trip to treat ourselves to staying in a small wooden cabin in town. I wake up in the middle of the night feeling uneasy. I go to the bathroom thinking it could help. Nothing happens. Take a shower. Nothing happens. I have a deep pain in my stomach and have no idea why. When my friends eventually wake up, I tell them how I feel but don’t want to make a big deal about it. We continue to our final destination of the coastal town Kaikoura and on our way there I can’t stop crying. I am in so much pain that I am sobbing and begging that we find a doctor. The pain goes in and out and I think I’m fine and decided to go with my friends to go gaze at the fur seals near the coast. I came across a dead seal and felt like the universe was trying to tell me something. We then walk around the town so tired and stir crazy Bailey and I start uncontrollably laughing about absolutely nothing. Of course, the second we get back in the van my pain starts up again and I stop laughing. We rush to the nearest clinic. Sitting in the waiting room sobbing in the fetal position I hope someone notices me. It is crazy to think back before that trip I hardly knew these girls and now they are sitting here, comforting me, as I encounter the worst pain I have ever felt. A doctor finally sees me and has no idea what is wrong. She prescribes me pain killers and a sleeping pill. This pain persisted and for at least two weeks I did not feel like myself. After blood tests and doctor visits, they still didn’t know. I know it had to be the water I drank from Franz Josef. I am telling you do not mess with glacier water.
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