...I wake up tired and walk around Queenstown, wondering how on Earth they squeezed so many adrenaline activities in one place: you can do everything here from canyoning, rappelling, all kinds of surfing, cave exploring, jet boat rides, jet ski, skydiving, paragliding and everything else you can dream of...I find out that in limited time parking streets city police mark your tire with chalk and then check again if you're still there after a certain time has p...

...the sunrise is indeed amazing but I wake up a little late for it. Still, I take nice morning shots of the surrounding mountains and glaciers and there even is an avalanche coming down in the distance...I check out at the visitor center and drive the same way along the lake Pukaki back toward Tekapo. Views are amazing this time on account of clear weather....I marvel how many times I leave my valuables on the front seat (iPad, camera, phone) and go to eat in pe...

......I spontaneously decide to do the Mueller Hut route (2 day trek in the Mt Cook national park) and even find an available. Nuke bed in the hut but before I decide to book it gets taken. So I opt for a tent. Apparently there is snow and high winds up there (1800 m asl) but I feel I can survive the night. By the way the hut booking system is all electronic and works flawlessly online. Impressive....I drive to the trailhead along the crazily scenic lake Pukaki. ...

...I drive to the cottage of my friends, who are staying at the same town, and we have a proper European breakfast consisting of surprisingly good pastries (croissants and such) bought locally...we decide to spend the day with Astrid and Razvam by driving to the nearby town Tekapo on the lake of the same name: the name is beautiful and so is the drive with some amazing sunny weather...we climb a small hill to a local observatory and then go down and spend the res...

...I drive to Arthur's Pass on the last of my gas and make the car drive 100km and climb 900m after the low gas light comes on. There's simply no gas station open in the early morning in Moana and I decide to risk the trip to save time. On the final ascent the car has almost no power but I do make it to Arthur's Pass!...I stop on the way there in a little inn at Otira where I try something called lolly cake. Weird. It quite good....I consult the visi...