Queenstown and more

As I said mom and I signed up for a jam packed 8 days... but I think it was even more than we expected! Firstly I have to comment on the tours we were put into... a bunch of old fogies (mostly fat Americans) and Japanese families. We were not the right fit at all!
We stayed in a place called Earnslaw Lodge... it seemed nice at first with lake views (unlike anything you have ever seen... beyond beautiful)... it turned out to be almost like a B and B... for the exact reason why I hate them... nosy, pushy owners... we couldn't get away from them!
I have to interrupt my entry to write about the flight in. I forgot to mention how breathtaking it was. We flew into mountains... and when I say flew into.. I couldn't be more literal... it seemed like I could reach out of the plain and touch them. I have never experienced a flight like that before.
I love Queenstown... it is really cute and looks like a Vail, Colorado type of ski town. The only thing that kills it is the chain fast food joints... though as much as we complained about seeing them... every time mom and I got a whiff of KFC we couldn't help but crave it!

The next day we went to Fox glacier. It was a bit of a let down, I can't lie. It was nothing compared to the Glaciers in Argentina. We did a two hour walk there... what was so amazing about it though, was that the glacier was in between massive mountains. We also had a great tour guide that really appreciated all the questions mom and I asked. We got to try some of the glacier too... yummy ice! The glacier was tall and we got pretty close to it, but it wasn't as pretty as Argentina because they are covered in dirt. Now I know it is natural earth... but dirt is dirt and just doesn't look pretty!

What did look pretty was the drive up to Fox. It was a full days drive... with the most annoying bus driver ever.. he just wouldn't keep quite! In all of the brochures and tourist info we read, it said to get bug spray for all of the brush flies. I bought some in one of the rest stops we made and the driver made fun of me! I spent a pocket breaking $13 on it (remember I am a backpacker now) and didn't appreciate him patronizing me! Well... it didn't stop there... he teased me in front of the entire bus multiple times... even the next day! I will admit, it turns out we didn't need it after all and I sent it home with mom, but boy did he get under my skin! I think mom had many laughs off of it though... so did I.
Well, this bus driver went on and on about the lunch spot at a Salmon farm... we walked into see three pools of muddy looking water where they farmed them. Mom and I were not impressed but were very hungry! That tubby driver doesn't know good food like I don't know anything about bug spray!
Along the drive we saw a stream that was filmed in Lord of the Rings... do we believe the tubby man? I have a feeling every stream tourists pass or every mountain they claim it to fame... but what the heck, I believe it... it was that beautiful! This guy named Matt that mom and I befriended a few days later made a great point... when you see Lord of the Rings you think a lot of the scenery is digitally enhanced, but going to the south island of NZ make you realize it wasn't... it IS that beautiful... I have seen other parts of nature in other parts of the world like it... but not the vastness and compactness of it all that the South Island has. It makes it so much more impressive.
We also saw a beautiful waterfall in the middle of the rain forest as we got closer to Fox. Mom and I saw the most amazing spider web... sounds wacky, I know- but it was. It most have just rained as the spider web was all dewy. It had water drops all along the web. The way the sun light now hit the web, showed little rainbows in the drops of water. The web was completely iridescent... I have never seen anything like it. It made mom and I late for the bus... once again, as we were always the last ones on.

We had a great dinner together. I had the most delicious lamb ribs ever... they were tiny and tender. It was such a treat from what I have gotten used to eating!

The next day we were headed back to Queenstown. We stopped at Hawea lake- wow! It was a reflective lake. Wait till you all see the pictures. I think it is one of my favorite things I have seen in NZ so far. They call it a mirror lake... there are snow capped mountains behind it and they perfectly reflect in the lake. I have to go back it was incredible. We also hit the halfway point of being in between the equator and the South Pole. I thought that was pretty cool.