I know, you’re probably thinking “Hunter, it’s only been a week and a half, why are you blogging”? I’m asking myself the same thing.
Haha, no I’m not. I’m blogging because 1. I just went on an adventure and 2. I’m about to go on another one. Be ready kids.
Last week was pretty average. Oh, well I did have a few tests and a few short assignments due. Thursday, however, the Otago University Snow Sports Club held their annual Dirtbag Ball. This ball was very much unlike the Commerce ball I went to with Dev. The theme of Dirtbag was, clearly, dirtbag. My flatmates and I took this to mean trashy and ‘high-class’. Kate and I went to this ball in thrift store fuzzy coats and older cocktail dresses. Sorry, there are no photos from this event. We, unfortunately, forgot to take some beforehand and weren’t really in any during the event (plus they were also kind of blurry).
Saturday morning, the women of 854 set off on an adventure towards Queenstown for a weekend of hiking (and partying). The day started off early with a late sunrise drive through Middle Earth, also known as New Zealand (sorry, the flat and I recently watched the Lord of the Rings Trilogy). I cannot emphasize enough how FOGGY this drive was. I can also say with certainty I can sing the entire Mama Mia 1 and 2 soundtracks now. And a handful of classic Disney songs.
Devyn lives between Dunedin and Queenstown so we made a stop at her family farm in a little town called Alexandra. Her family has the cutest little sheepies. Along this drive, we saw all kinds of sheep, naked sheep (freshly sheared), fully wooled sheep, TINY BABY SHEEP, all the sheep. It was so exciting, we all squealed when we saw little lambs.
Our first stop in Queenstown was the bungy (yes, that’s how they spell it here) jump off of a bridge. Maria, Martina and Kate were all crazy enough to try this daredevil experience. I stayed firmly on solid ground. After this adrenaline rush, Kate, Dev and I headed into town for a late lunch and a good wander around. Queenstown is pretty well known as a ski resort and it truly felt like I was in a Colorado ski town, which was great, I really miss the mountains. Unfortunately, we didn’t spend all too much time in Queenstown but I hope to come back a few more times.
Saturday night was an eventful night of drinking and Queenstown nightlife. Devyn was dead set on riding the mechanical bull at one of the bars in town so we all had a go at the bull, spoiler alert, we didn’t last very long. We met up again with Maria, Martina, Anna and the boys they were staying with as we bar hopped a bit. Drawn to the sounds of music, we found a live musician in one bar and stayed for a good chunk of the night. After a while, I had called it a night because I had intentions of hiking in the morning.
The hike on Sunday morning was completely worth ending my night early. Unfortunately, Kate stayed out too late and was too tired to come with Dev and me, and she missed out.
We hiked Queenstown Hill, known for being a marker of the future of Queenstown, a nod to things to come with the Basket of Dreams near the summit. From this point, you can see 360º views of Lake Wakatipu and the surrounding mountains and ski fields. It was an amazing way to start off my day.
The drive home was long. Again we stopped at Devyn’s house and met her father and her horses (who were hiding the day before). Her father is a hunter for personal meat and gave us a ‘chilly bin’ (cooler) full of sausages, a roast and other meats. We were grateful to have some fresh meat for stews and roasts and brunches to come. The rest of the drive was quiet, we were all tired and ready to get home and nap.
This was a nice little prelude trip before my mid-semester break this week. I am travelling to Auckland and various places in the North Island with Kate and Martina. Be prepared…
Hunter Hall 