Go 360° Jetboating Down A River

Hold onto your seats, this is gonna be a wild ride.


360° Jetboating is quite popular in thrill-hungry New Zealand.  I love New Zealand for offering so many wild adventurous activities that would never fly in Sue-Happy United States.

I went on THREE.  Yes THREE of them. 

Basically, it requires you to hold on to dear life as you speed down rivers, while nearly missing cliff rocks and trees in the process. In case your heart wasn't racing enough, then the driver quickly spins you around in a 360° turn.  Yes, I paid to go on three of these.

My first jet boat ride was the Huka Falls Jet in Taupo, New Zealand.  When we arrived at the jet boating place we donned on unattractive bright blue ponchos and life jackets.  We started off slow, and stopped in front of the falls. 

Our driver would warn us by spinning his hand around when he would attempt a 360° turn.  That was our cue to hold on tight!  As you can hear from the video above, I laughed pretty much the ENTIRE time, so it wasn't as scary as one might think!  I'm sorry I had to cut the video short just before the spin (the climax), but I liked my camera, and I didn't wanted it tossed in the bottom of the river.

My second jet boat experience was the Shotover Jet in Queenstown, New Zealand.  This one is the most popular, and apparently the most thrilling.  Because of the narrow canyon gorge I was almost certain that this would be my favorite.  I left feeling a little let down.  It just felt a little "safe" for me.  I know, I know, when does anyone complain that a boat ride is too safe?  The scenery was beautiful, but that is the best thing I could say about it.

My last jet boating experience was with Dart River Jet Safaris in Glenorchy, New Zealand.  This was by far my favorite of all three. This jet boat ride was the longest, and also included a hike through some really picturesque areas (truth be told, all of New Zealand is picturesque).  We were fortunate to have two buddies leading our jet boats that day because they provided us with some competitive entertainment.  They purposely tried to get each others boats soaked, and this was the only jet boat that I nearly fell out of the boat!   The driver even grabbed my arm at one point because I slid so fast.  FUN!!!!

The ride only got more memorable when we were off the boats and it was time to see our photos....

 

I did not get the memo that my life jacket had slid up my back.  It just screams, "Hi, I'm a dork."  Till this day, my friends on that boat remind me, "Hey, remember how ridiculous your life jacket looked when we were jetboating...."

Anyways, jetboating was definitely fun, adventurous, and perfect for those of us that like doing adventurous things without having to jump off bridges!

Date Accomplished:  March 16th, 2009

Go To An Ice Bar

With my friend Jen at the Minus 5 Ice Bar in Queenstown, New Zealand

 

With a summer heat wave hitting nearly every corner of the United States, just imagine yourself chilling (literally) in an Ice Bar.  It's just how it sounds, a bar predominately made of ice.  You betcha that the cups are made of ice, so are the chairs, and if you have an ice sculpture fetish than this place is for you. 

When my friend Jen and I were roaming the streets of Auckland, New Zealand we got a flier to go to an ice bar.  I put the flier in my purse as an option to do in the evening.  We ended up skipping the ice bar, and meeting people at our hotel, going to a bar, and then watching my friends do a Bungee jump sling next to the Sky Tower.  Just a normal evening right?  A normal evening in New Zealand at least!

I was a bit bummed that I missed my Ice Bar experience opportunity, but I knew I'd eventually come across another one during all my travels.  Well, I didn't have to wait very long, just my luck I found another Ice Bar in Queenstown, New Zealand.  This time all the bungee jumping occurred during the day, so once the sun set we were off to the Minus 5 Bar!

We payed our entrance fees, and then got dressed up in thick coats, hats, socks, shoes and gloves.  Brrr....there was a reason why we had to wear those thick coats!  We headed to the bar and got a complimentary drink in our little ice cups (thank goodness for the thick gloves!).  After a few drinks, and posing in front of silly ice sculptures, I was done and ready to get out of the restrictive clothing (don't forget I am a SoCal gal not used to wearing anything thicker than a cardigan)!

The next stop on my IcY adventure:  An Ice Hotel

Date Accomplished: March 15th, 2009

Have A Flaming Shot

This is something I've always seen in movies and TV shows (pretty sure I saw it once when I still watched MTV).  I got the opportunity to try one in a little bar in Queenstown, New Zealand.  Little did I know that they would light the bar on fire as well, and then proceed to blow the flame in the general direction of people.  I'm pretty sure that is a big fat no-no in the USA, at least I've never seen it in any bar I've ever been to. Note to anyone that wants to try it, take one of the inner glasses, cause the ones on the outside were piping hot.

Date Accomplished: March 16th, 2009

Gaze Upon The Beauty Of A Reflecting Lake

Queenstown is one of my favorite places in the world.  The beauty that oozed out of this area was infinite.  One of my favorite places was in Lake Wakatipu.

The view of Lake Wakatipu from the Queenstown Glenorchy road was amazing.  We stopped at the side of the road and spent a few minutes to awe at its beauty.  I got chills up my spine by the beauty that was in front of me.  Is this real life, or am I in heaven?

The reflections from the lake and the sky made the lake appear like a hazy mirror.  I had the strange inkling that if I tried to walk on water that it would work, that's how solid the lake appeared to me.  Reflecting Lakes are nature at its finest.


Date Accomplished: March 15th, 2009

Have A Fergburger!

Anytime I have a friend that is planning to go to New Zealand, I tell them, "You need to go to Queenstown and get a Fergburger."  It is hands down, one of the best burgers I have ever had!  I had met a couple from New Zealand while traveling around Europe in 2007 that recommended the awesome burger joint to me. 

Fergburger is internationally known, but only has ONE location in Queenstown, New Zealand.  I fell in love with Fergburger so much that I had two in one day!  The first Fergburger I had was called the Cockadoodle Oink, it had breaded chicken, bacon, onions, lettuce, avocado and an amazing aioli sauce.

When I got back to my lodge my friend really wanted to go to Fergburger but did not want to go into town by herself.  I told her that I would gladly go with her.  We were on a time constraint so walking to Fergburger was out of the question.  We decided that we would take a taxi specifically to go to Fergburger and back!

Take us to Fergburger!

Taxi Driver:  Hi ladies, where to?!?!
Me:  Take us to FERGBURGER!

The taxi driver wasn't all too surprised as I am sure he probably gets tourists that only want to go to Fergburger on a regular basis.  I think he was more surprised that an Asian girl was wearing a "Kiss Me I'm Irish" top hat. 

This time I went for a more traditional burger and got a Fergburger with cheese.  Was it just as delicious?  Of course!  My friend, who is not a big eater, even finished her entire burger with delight!  Two Fergburgers in one day.  I call that a double success!  Check and Check!

Date Accomplished:  March 16th, 2009