So just over a week ago I got back from travelling to New Zealand, both the north and south island. It was one of those trips that while you were over there, you knew something was incredibly special about it but it was only until you leave and settle back home that you
really realise that you
physically and
mentally felt more alive being there. As soon as I got in amongst the mountains of the south island I immediately noticed I gained this insane clarity that from being in the most incredibly fresh air and drinking the most purist water I have ever tasted (right from the stream or lake on a daily basis). I can honestly say, nature is the most powerful medicine and only until we realise and utilise this we will forever be looking for the answer. It's also part of the reason I eat a diet of fruit, vegetables, grains, rice, pasta etc, but that's a whoooole other blog in itself (which I would like to write about soon if anyone is interested).
I started my adventure in the south island of New Zealand, first passing by the magnificent glass lake of Lake Pukaki and making our way through the snow capped ranges to Lake Tekapo and finally staying in a lodge at Lake Ohau . Crystal blue lakes are something to be witnessed first hand; it's seriously like Mother Nature has cranked up the Saturation on her Photoshop program. Despite visiting these lakes on a partially cloudy day, they still seemed to illuminate from within and taste like heaven.
Travelling further south only brought more excitement and adventure. On the third day in Middle Earth we bungy jumped at the Kawarau Bridge (a 43m drop, which is only a baby jump) on the way to Queenstown which was a phenomenal experience to say the least. All morning I was rattled with nerves and pumping some hard tunes to get me motivated for the jump. That definitely helped but until I got to the bridge and realised to myself that I had nothing to be worried about and just let myself feel excited instead. I'll never forget that moment I was given the all clear to jump and just let my mind clear and told myself you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I can easily say I would love to bungy every single day to remind me that I am alive and capable of anything I put my mind to. If you ever have the opportunity, nod your head up and down and shout yes!
Over the 16 days I spent in New Zealand, I was able to cram pack a tonne of adventure, new experiences and explore what this beauty of a country had to offer. My definite favourites included snowboarding at Cadrona ski fields, canyon swinging upside down in Queenstown (which includes 60m of free fall eeep !), speed boating on little blue lakes dodging cliff faces, glacier hiking at Fox Glacier, winding down the day in hot tubs on the edge of Lake Ohau, exploring the hot thermal springs in Rotorua and then relaxing at the mud baths, zorbing down the green hills in Rotorua, visiting Hobbiton and drinking at the Green Dragon Inn, patting lion cubs at Paradise Valley, exploring the underground caves it Waitimo and literally dropping my jaw at the sight of thousands of glow warms illuminating the caves like a miniature galaxy, dunking my head in streams to drink fresh water from glaciers, getting loose at the -5 bar and zip trekking down the mountain sides with a magnificent view of Queenstown. New Zealand, you have my heart.
Learning to tie crampons to our shoes so we can walk on solid ice on Fox Glacier !
Rivers formed from melting glaciers ! The cleanest water I've ever tasted. I actually keep having dreams about it as well #weird
Below is the beautiful hot thermal sulphur springs of Hell's Gate in Rotorua. Literally had the most magical experience. We got there just before the sun set and were the last people through because your not allowed to wander around 100C + hot springs in the dark .... for obvious reasons of course. As we arrived and walked around for about 20 minutes, we came across one of the thermal park guides, who was taking photos of the thermal spring that had just spurted hot mud and was slowly cooling on the side. We found out this hasn't happened, or even been captured on film for almost 10 years, so we definately got pretty lucky. He told of stories about the park, people who have died there, how the traditional Mauri people used the land and even let us put the clay from the white mud spring directly on our faces. That last point for particularly special because tourists are generally not allowed to do so and he told us the healing properties of the white "magic" clay. He even told us a story how a woman came to the white clay spring every day with her husband after a car accident, and how her skin healed super quickly and that her scars dramatically faded from all the cuts she had from the glass window in the crash. We also treated ourself to an hour long mud bath followed by a sulphur bath, which was a pretty hilarious experience. The mud is super slippery and silky because it is super fine, so it felt like you were sitting on a silky cloud.
The next fews days after the hot springs, I noticed that my skin was super smooth, not a single spot on my face and i kid you not, a definite glow from my skin because it was so clear. Nature definitely knows whats up. The white clay had so many minerals and cleansing benefits that I wish I had one in my backyard. It also made me think, how ridiculous it is for people to purchase designer "skincare" products and get bare minimum results. The solution is around us! It's what we put on our skin and more importantly, what we put in our bodies too.
Above are the rolling hills of the South Island. Have absolutely no idea where, but there was something so majestic about being up close with these beautiful snow capped mouton ranges. Middle Earth definitely has a place in my heart... Especially since most of the time while crusing through the terrain of New Zealand I kept picturing Aragon, Legolas and Gimli running around being hunted by an orc pack.
Of course the beautiful Shire Hobbiton set had to be visited - and yep, it was everything and more than I expected. My hearts hurts to not be there now. The rest of the trip was captivating and truly eye opening. I was definitely surprised with what we accomplished in 2 weeks as well... I guess thats' what 6am wake up calls can help you achieve!
All photography taken by Lauren Vingilis.
