I arrived to Queenstown in the early afternoon and was able to pick up my rental at the airport, it was super easy! Walking out of the plane was so eye opening with mountains surrounding and snow on top, beautiful view, and crisp air (a little colder than Auckland). My new rental was a lot fancier than the last one (the first one was this Swift mid-hatch cute small car) and this one was a 2016 Mazda Start/Stop engine car where I didn't know how to work half the buttons. I was very hesitant but it was only option available, so I headed to my hostel. I found parking right across the street for $1/hour and unpacked to check in. This hostel was like no other, very advanced they had kiosks and the rooms were filled with "pods" where 8 people in a room and as if I was in a freaking spaceship. I didn't like it right off the bat but had already paid for 4 nights and it was super cheap so I figured I would suck it up for this expensive area. I unpacked and then walked around and found a nice spot with the best sunset of the snow-capped mountains in the background and ordered a beer. I hadn't had a beer since Auckland and felt like I should enjoy this scenery with one. Then, as I was taking an IG video some RANDOM big guy, probably in his late 20s or early 30s comes up to me and asks "Are you on the South Island Tinder?" LOL I couldn't believe it, it was the first time being asked that and I was like straight up "No I'm not." And then proceeded to enjoy the rest of the sunset and go get a pizza at the rooftop bar of my hostel. I did some more planning and then headed to bed. I couldn't fall asleep for s*** so probably got 3 hours of sleep (the only thing that saved me the next 3 nights is the lavender essential oil I had from f***ing Blue Osa- thank god I had that cut it didn't smell so good, there was no f***ing window). I feel like I'm also becoming more and more claustrophobic the older I get. I went to pay for 8am parking and then went back to bed and woke up just in time for the call with my family to plan for Italy. I went to a really sweet cute Cafe, Vudu cafe and ordered a Matcha latte and the cooled oatmeal bowl with flowers while we all chatted. Then I walked to the gondola and went up to see the Skyline which had the best view of Queenstown. I went on 3 luge track rides and felt like a little kid again. I knew if my sisters and I had been able to do this when we were little we would have died and gone to heaven…literally a little kid's dream to drive a little car and act like you're in a race course. With the most beautiful views of the mountains in the background might I add..they got it going on! Once I was done with that, it started raining so I decided to go get fitted for skiing the next day, which took about 30 minutes or so (thankfully got the 20% Spring discount). Then I walked to the gardens and took a nap on this bench next to a lake and there were people biking around, walking around, and playing with frisbees. I saw this restaurant that had tons of people waiting earlier so I decided to go there for lunch and when it wasn't so crowded (mid-afternoon). Only had to wait 15 minutes and devoured the hamburger sitting outside the lake of Queenstown. It looked like it was going to start down pouring so I walked back and showered and then had leftovers for dinner and went to get my 10% off gelato the burger place gave me. The burger wasn't the best but it was certainly good meat. The gelato was also decent but not the best - I got this berry fruit that was yummy, and of course pistachio. It was raining again so I tried falling asleep since I had to be up to go skiing the next day. It was tough getting up but I did and got up the mountain around 10:30pm. Thankfully no one stopped me for chains as I didn't have any! But the roads weren't bad so they weren't needed anyway (it was a sunny day, not many clouds). I was finally on the slopes around noon, after renting a locker and realizing where everything is…I forgot how much work it is to ski! Like figuring out where everything is and all that. I skied for a few hours and did all the slopes before stopping for my lunch/snack. Then I did another hour and walked back to my car around 3:45pm as they closed at 4pm. Something wasn't right when I tried opening up the car, the car wouldn't click open and the light wasn't turning on. I kept trying and trying and it still wouldn't work. Instead of freaking out, I noticed there was a clip on the back (that no one told me about) that opened the manual key. Thankfully I was able to open the driver door but then the car wouldn't start. I tried everything and I looked to see if there was a lot for the manual key but there wasn't. I tried even opening up all the doors but there's no freaking button to do so, only the key thing can do that. Once I realized something was wrong and it was about 4:25pm, I called the rental company. They sent AA and said it would be about 30mins to an hour and mentioned a cost and I was like HELL NO. So I waited for an hour until AA came and this nice chill guy in a t-shirt (when it was freezing out) comes and realizes it's the battery of the car. I told him I didn't have the car for long and he mentioned that it's probably Jucy (the rental car company) as they're his most popular customers with issues all the time. He recharged the battery and told me to try to get reimbursed and get a new car tomorrow morning. So I went back to my hostel and charged my phone (it was on 3% the whole time dealing with this) and called Jucy right away. Thankfully a guardian angel was watching over me or it would have been a hassle to have to charge my phone and deal with this at the same time. Not to mention my portal charger broke that morning and my IG account was messing up (and still is as I'm writing this). So bad things come in 3s and this was the 3rd thing. That night I went to get Mexican tacos and then went to bed to wake up early to go get the new rental the next morning before skiing (I bought a 2 day ski pass since it had a good discount). Turns out there's no cost savings when downgrading and they put a new battery in the key so my car was good to go so I just kept the same car and the cute guy at Jucy gave me chains for free. Thank goodness because this day it was snowy and I actually got stopped to put chains on. They showed me how to put the chains on and it was pretty tough in the cold windy weather. Then I was on the ski lift by 10:30 this day and it started to hail/snow as soon as I was on my first lift. Different conditions this day than the day prior, very very different. - much colder. I lasted about an hour before having to go inside for some nose blowing and water as I wasn't feeling too well. I went back out for another 2 hours and then back inside to the bathroom a couple more times before leaving around 3:30pm. It was just too cold to handle any more, but it was fun because you couldn't see anything so you didn't know what to expect, like if there would be a bump or where the freaking trail ends/where the trail side stops. It was scary and thrilling at the same time and I really enjoyed it other than it being freezing cold. So I got back to my car and the light on my car wasn't working again and I somewhat freaked out but didn't and thankfully the car started this time, after opening the car with the manual key. I went straight to Jucy and they were mad that I still had the chains on my car but no one told me I couldn't drive with the chains on on normal roads. And no one told me the temperature stops the key from working. So yeah…got the chains off and my key started working again and then I was off to my hostel. I went straight to get Malaysian food and then packed up my car as I was off to the Milford Sounds the next day on a boat cruise! I chilled and blogged and then went to bed.

I was so ready to get out of that hostel it was killing me. I didn't feel comfortable the entire 4 nights I was there, but it was the cheapest hostel I've stayed in thus far ($15/night) and took advantage of that as much as possible. Anyway, the drive out of Queenstown was breathtaking when I left early at 8am, it was about 3 hours away to Milford Sounds and driving along the coast of the lake with windy roads and snow capped mountains made me feel so good. Of course, tons of cattle along the sides of the road and not many cars. It's pretty simple to pass in NZ, as it's usually only one lane and you just turn on your blinker and pass as the car in front realizes this and lets you go..and there are many chances to pass during certain points with 2 lanes you have about 3 minutes to pass with the 2 lanes and then it goes back to 1. Anyway, I stopped a few times to take videos of the beauty and as I got closer to Milford, there were certain points to stop and saw tourist buses there so decided to stop as well to see what the fuss was all about. There were reflection pools that were just stunning and I'm so happy I stopped there and took it all in. Once I got to Milford, I had to pay $10NZ for parking and this had just started a few days prior so was very disappointed but it is what it is (and I got a refund for the cruise as they had to change the boat from Premium to Classic so got an hour of parking back pretty much).

I arrived with 10 minutes before boarding the cruise and it was a fascinating view of the sound. There were a lot of people, many families and couples, a lot of Indians and Asians. The cruise initiated and it was 2 hours or so long, it was breathtaking, seeing the waterfalls and seals and glaciers up close. I got a sandwhich and beer and felt satisfied. I had an hour and a half drive to Te Aneu (where I booked a hostel at this lake) as it would have taken too long to drive all the way to Wanaka Lake. So I headed there straight after and arrived to this beautiful lake and hostel with the cutest cat, Leroy (orange and fisty little fellow). I arrived to my room which had a kitchen in it!!! There was another room attached but that was okay because it was this awesome cabin feel and I was so happy to be in my own big room and kitchen as I didn't want to go out to eat or anything and stay put. The first thing I did was yoga, I did a full hour and a half before the other room guests arrived (right when I was finishing up). So I finished up in my room and then went on a run to the Subway to get change for laundry as the receptionist had closed already. I took a long shower and shaved my legs and then put laundry in. I realized as I was showering there were tons of these bites on me and my skin swelled up..it was scary. I sent pics to my family and assumed it was mosquitos but then when I was chatting with the two ladies in the room next to me (from Christchurch) they told me it was probably sand flies. So I put aloe vera on it and it was fine and then cooked some pesto pasta and finished up laundry and went to bed.

The next morning I went to this coffee shop in town which was busy as it was a Friday. Then I set off on a 5 hour drive to Lake Wanaka. Another beautiful drive, arriving to this cool lodge hostel above the lake with a view around 3pm. I unpacked and went on a hike to Iron Mountain which was this stunning windy hike just 5 minute drive from the hostel with gorgeous views of the lake and surrounding mountains. Probably one of my favorite hikes as it was open and windy and freeing. Then I set off back to the lake to go see what this Wanaka Tree was all about. I was pretty disappointed as it was filled with tourists and the tree wasn't even really that far In the water. I felt bad going up close to it and taking a picture as it was nature and I didn't want to damage in any way. But none theses it was a pretty view and a nice walk around the lake. I decided to get a healthy early dinner so I stopped in town which was busy and got this salad and fig for dessert. It was sunset when I finished up and headed back to my hostel to shower and do some research on Australia. I sat in my dorm room with a view of the lake and then out in the lobby area where there were a lot of young backpackers playing games drinking and chatting away. I was tired so I went to bed around 10pm and called it a night.

Woke up and left around 10am to the glaciers with was another 5 hours of driving - another beautiful windy drive. I didn't really know what to expect but knew this was a top destination and where I was going to possibly sky dive. I arrived to the first destination lake hike in Fox glacier and walked to the Reflection Island which was a stunning view with small waterfalls and took about 1.5 hours. Then I drove to Frans Joseph glacier which was even a greater view and interesting walk. You start in the trees and then it opens up to this wide split between glaciers with tons of grey rocks to walk on to get to the meeting point with the snow and surrounding waterfalls. It took about 45 mins or so to get there and I took in the view and then walked back and it was getting dark so I headed to my hostel. It was another great hostel with worm candies as you walk in and free soup and popcorn. I unpacked and got some soup and popcorn and then admired the sunset, did some yoga and showered and then did some research on my tattoo. I didn't get as much sleep as I had hoped but it was fine, I got the free breakfast which was toast and cereal and stopped at a cafe in Fox glacier town and headed to my next destination which was Lake Pukaki/Mount Cook. I basically had to go back the way I came to Lake Wanaka and this was a long drive around the mountains to the other side…about 7 or so hours. A lot of driving but it was so worth it as Lake Pukaki was another one of my favorite lakes (Lake Wanaka was beautiful in the way it was set with a camping vibe and Lake Pukaki was more of a site too see and take in). I sat close to the bright blue water with non-stop mountains surrounding and journaled and reflected and let go of some things I needed to let go of. During these drives I listened to many podcasts that got me thinking and reflecting and it was good for my soul to let out. I drove to Mount Cook and took in the views again and definitely would have wanted to another hike but didn't have time or energy. So I drove back around Lake Pukaki did some more journaling before heading to Lake Takapo. It was sunset when I arrived to Tekapo and it was another one of my favorite lakes…the last 3 lakes I visited in NZ were my favorite definitely. Lake Pukaki had more of a turquoise color as it reached the dark green trees on one of the mountains close by while the other side was bright blue with red/brown mountains filled with some snow on top. It was breathtaking so I sat and took in the view before checking into my next hostel. The next hostel was another 4 person dorm, I made some pasta and chatted with this Brit couple as I ate about driving in AU and the different laws and differences between UK and US (in terms of metrics, weather, etc). It was nice chatting with them for a bit and then I went to look at the stars at this golf course close by (as I heard it would the best place to star gaze). But it wasn't..first of all there was a guy on his cell phone chatting away and ruining the vibe and second of all, maybe it's because it wasn't a full moon or it was cloudy but I didn't see as many stars as I had expected (seen more in CR, Lake Cresent, Bolivia). So I left after 5 minutes and watched some shows and went to bed late since the couple in the room was snoring and it bothered me.

Woke up to check out by 10am, went to a nice cafe with big vegan breakfast and then sat next to Lake Tekapo before leaving on another 3 hour drive to Christchruch. I sat and journaled and then chatted with my fam and then drove away. Christchurch wasn't what I expected. It somewhat reminded me of Copenhagen in a way, next to the coast with a modern Euro feel but bland and grim in a way. I checked into my private room and unpacked and went through all the free clothes this very backpacker feel hostel and come to my surprise found a few things I wanted. I was extremely tired so I decided to just do some yoga shower, laundry and go to this pub close by for a nice meal and craft beer. t was good and then went to bed late again for some reason, not sure what my problem was but I told myself I need to get better at going to bed earlier. I slept in and then headed to this vegan cafe next store and I'm so glad the receptionist suggested this place as I ordered organic cashew milk cappuccino and a acai bowl. In the same building there was this natural store that had lipstick so I got some lipstick that I had been meaning to get. After eating a hearty breakfast, I walked to the botanical gardens which was okay, not the best, and then to the art gallery which was somewhat interesting. Afterwards I walked to the market the receptionist recommended next to the river and it was filled with people, some tourists but mostly locals and business people getting lunch. It was a neat market with many food options and then I stumbled upon this Kombucha place that had Frejoia flavor and I was super happy because the Australian girl from Lake Taupo (said you can only get this fruit in NZ). So I got that flavor of course and it was sweet and yummy. And then walked around the shops and got some $18 sunglasses and $18 bathing suit that was was extremely excited for as it was red and in style and I had been wanting a red bathing suit like this for a long time! I was getting tired so I walked back to my hostel and organized my clothes since I had just taken some and needed to leave some. I sat and chilled out as I was in some weird mood (and pmsing), so was trying everything possible to get out of this funk but it wasn't working. So I tried doing some yoga and journaling and didn't last very long but then it was getting late again so I showered and had some snacks for dinner, packed up and tried going to bed by 11 but ended up being midnight and had to wake up at 5am for my flight to AU. I only got 5 hours of sleep and about 6.5 hours of flight/4 hour layover so wasn't in the best mood about this but at least I was on my way to a new country, AU and a country I've been wanting to go to for a long time now!