Sweet As the South Island

« Return to New Zealand

After the rush, we bring it back down again, with a horse ride outside of Glenorchy, in actual locations where Lord of the Rings was filmed (http://www.dartstables.com). See that tree, that’s where an orc got his head split in two. Also filmed here was Narnia and Wolverine. See that clearing, that’s where the farmhouse blew up and Wolverine took down the helicopter. While in Glenorchy, a scenic 45 minute drive from Queenstown, I also took a 3 hour Dart River Jet Safari (http://www.dartriver.co.nz), pulling some more Hamilton Turns while learning about the fragile nature of New Zealand’s forest, the challenge to control the migration of harmful animals and destructive algae like didymo, all of which were introduced to the island with disastrous results. Didymo, or rock snot, was only discovered as recently as 2004, but has already spread around the island, as the Department of Conservation, affectionately referred to as Doc, battle to keep it under control.

After a week in the Land of the Long White Cloud, there’s very little to been down about. The landscape is as breathtaking as ever, the economy has fared relatively well, tourist numbers are up, and the pies, oh, the pies taste delicious as ever. As much as I did, there was so much more to do, and plenty to come back to. It will take many visits before one can truly hope to experience all that is 100% New Zealand, but since I’ve already got three trips under my belt, I hope to give it my best shot.

And that, as they say, would be Sweet As.

Gonzo Gallery for Sweet As the South Island

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