Hey, everyone! This week has gone by very quickly. The highlights of the week were a day trip to Glenorchy and… well, becoming a circus freak. Haha. Read on!

Glenorchy

I had seen signs for Glenorchy since I first arrived in Queenstown. While I’ve had the intention to go for weeks now, I FINALLY made it happen. From what I understand, Glenorchy is popular because:

A) It is surrounded by beautiful mountains
B) Some scenes from Lord of the Rings were filmed nearby
C) Its close proximity to some popular hiking tracks

There are probably other reasons, too. Personally, I just wanted to see what it was all about. I had no expectations.

One of my friends from the hostel, Jerome, mentioned he was going to be driving past Glenorchy to go on a multi-day hike with our other hostel mate Jakub. While having breakfast, I asked Jerome if maybe he’d be able to drop me off at Glenorchy along the way. I didn’t have a ride back but I know a few people who have had a lot of success hitchhiking around New Zealand. Glenorchy is a little less than an hour away by car… but it is a VERY long walk. I had my fingers crossed I’d be able to find my way back.

Jerome agreed to give me a lift which was really nice of him. We talked about camping, hiking, and more. He is a really cool Canadian guy from Quebec. Like me, he doesn’t have much interest in the party scene so I am hoping we’ll go hike together in the future.

The drive to Glenorchy was beautiful. At first, it was much of the same but there was a certain point when we turned a corner that I gasped and was like, “Oh, my God!” I had to snap a few pics from the car.

Once we got into town, Jerome dropped me off. Without a plan, I walked down to the water. Along the way, I saw a tūī! It always makes me happy to see those guys. I think they are probably my favorite New Zealand bird. They are kind of my “guide” here. Appearing to let me know I’m on the right path (delusions of grandeur haha).

Sure enough, I found my way to the “red boat shed” which I guess is an iconic structure in Glenorchy.

I was more interested in the views by the water. The water there is also part of Lake Whakatipu which is the largest lake in the South Island.

A few dogs jumped in the water nearby. Then they came out and ran around.

After the lake, I saw a sign for the Lagoon Scenic Walkway. Sign me up!

Lagoon Scenic Walkway

At the beginning of the trail, the walkway was a little congested with people but it cleared out after some time. There were lots of interesting and colorful birds flying about. I am not sure of the names of most of them. One is, I think, some type of thrush?

There were some tiny birds that had red colorings on their faces. Others that had bright green faces. I had seen those ones before on a trail near Queenstown. There were also some falcons or maybe hawks circling overhead.

OH – and some black swans! They were massive. They always remind me of my time in Perth. Love you, black swans!

Along the walk, there were occasionally boardwalks. If you’ve been following along for a while, you will know that I LOVE boardwalks. I don’t know what it is haha. It was such a lovely view – a boardwalk weaving through the marshland with gorgeous mountains in the background, etc.

The boardwalk would sometimes split off into a really nice scenic area with picnic tables or benches. Who knew a bench could look so photogenic?

The walk was a little less than two hours. While it had been cloudy for most of my walk, the sun came out during the last half hour or so.

I was keen to see if there were any more trails to do in Glenorchy but it seemed like most of the others required a car to get to. It was also a little later in the day at this point – maybe 4pm, so I wanted to try to hitchhike back. I was a little worried that maybe I wouldn’t be able to find a ride back and would have to walk for eight hours haha. Imagine.

As I walked back into town, I passed a park which was having an event going on. They were racing horses. I passed a lot of horses and a lot of horse poop on the walk back into town. Horses are so cool. Such massive creatures!

And then… the inevitable hitchhike endeavor. I stood on the outskirts of town and stuck out my thumb. A car went by. Another car went by… another car went by. And another and another. And yet, it really didn’t take that long to get picked up. Maybe all of ten minutes? While I was waiting, two young Kiwis started chatting with me. One of them had put on a fluro visor and was pretending (I think?) to be some kind of security officer. He wanted to check my bag for booze. I am NOT the guy haha.

Two girls ended up driving me back to Queenstown – one from New Zealand, one from Australia. They were both actually hiking guides on the Milford Track which is one of the most popular hiking tracks in New Zealand and also the whole world. I only just learned that fun fact yesterday haha. They told me about their experience as hiking guides – most of the people who do the trip with their company are very wealthy. They also told me people have gotten engaged while on the hikes. Cute!

I was really glad that I was able to get a ride back to Queenstown. It would have SUCKED to have walked that whole way haha. And now I know… hitchhiking in New Zealand really is possible. Yay!

Becoming a Circus Freak

I know I’ve mentioned this a little bit in the past couple of weeks but… the saga continues. Every Wednesday, I’ve been going with my friend Jose to hang out with the circus freaks. And when I say circus freaks – I mean it with love haha. At this event, people practice juggling, balancing on slackline, balancing on wooden planks that are on top of cylinders, etc. While I’ve attempted a few things, my main objective has been to get good at the slackline.

My attempts have been in vain up until this week. I have found it really hard to balance.

And yet… this past Wednesday, I was actually able to take a few steps!

At one point, a guy that I had never talked to before came over – his name is Enon and he is from Israel. He said to me something like, “You’ve been really improving. Do you have your own slackline?” I told him I didn’t and he offered to give me one of his old ones. I was a little shocked. I was thinking, ‘He thinks I am worthy of owning my own slackline?’ haha. He proceeded to tell me that particular slackline has been passed from person to person and I think I am its fourth rotation. I suppose I have been inducted. Enon showed me how to set up the slackline and how to take it down, too. I gave him a hug and told him he made my day. What a gem.

I felt a slight bit of imposter syndrome because I was like – well, am I even going to be practicing this?! I actually have been practicing every day since Enon gave it to me. It is a fun thing to do for an hour or two and it is quite sociable too. People are constantly walking along the waterfront. People like to try to give it a go. It’s funny to see how bad people are when they first try it. It is honestly very difficult at first!

Time seems to pass quickly while practicing. One night, I was hanging with my friends Jose and Daniel and before I knew it, three hours had gone by practicing slackline, juggling, and hanging out. I think it is kind of a special activity because aside from the social aspect of it, it really helps me to get “in the zone,” and to be present. It also is exercise which is always a bonus.

Funnily enough, two days after Enon gave me the slackline, I was able to walk across the entire length of the slackline. Sometimes I still fall off but I think I am finally understanding the balance. The next skill I want to learn is walking backwards on the line – I can do a few steps at the moment. People learn all sorts of tricks. They jump in the air then land on the line, turn forwards to backwards, etc. It’s fun and interesting to learn new skills.

Speaking of new skills, my friend Daniel likes to juggle and he was trying to teach me the other day. I never thought I’d be able to juggle. By the end of the night, I actually was able to do a few rotations. Wowzers.

So… yeah. I guess I am a circus freak now!

Miscellaneous

This actually happened a few weeks ago but one morning I went with some friends from the hostel and we went for a jump in the lake to start our day. It is so cold but it’s a good way to start the day. My skin always feels really good after I do that.

I know I mentioned I went out dancing on New Year’s Eve but I don’t think I mentioned this: a couple weeks back, I went out dancing with Jasper, Yvonne, Katherine, and Katherine’s friend (whom I CANNOT remember the name of). That was the first time I’d gone out in Queenstown. I enjoyed myself.

When I was in Glenorchy, I saw a family in an open Jeep that had a dog. The dog looked like a grey version of my parents dog Gizmo. As the Jeep drove by, the Grey Gizmo looked at me and stared until it was out of view haha.

The Spanish-speaking saga continues. I am trying to speak Spanish more and also studying it online a little bit. The past, present, and future verbs are really confusing the hell out of me but I will get there. There are so many words to learn but the more I am trying to speak Spanish, the more I am remembering words that I haven’t thought of or used in years and years. It is really inspiring to hear that some of these Spanish-speaking peeps came here and couldn’t speak ANY English and now eight months later they are speaking rather fluently. I hope that will be the same for me (in Spanish). Fingers crossed! I can’t learn it overnight but I am trying to practice often.

Art of the Week

Reflections

It has been a great week. While Glenorchy was the main “activity,” there was a lot of other fun bits for me. I am enjoying being more sociable in and outside of the hostel. I think overall, I am feeling a lot more fulfilled in my life than I have in a long time. Less stress, less anxiety… More balance, more friends. There are still insecurities for sure but I think my quality of life and my perspectives are in a pretty positive, healthy place. Yay!

That’s all for now.

Until next time, I’m sending you all my love. xx