South Island Day 5

We got an early start and packed up from our Alexandra motel and headed to Queenstown (the adventure capital of the world). We stopped at a famous bungee jumping point and ooed and ahhed at the crazy jumpers! We all thought it was pretty amazing. Cody would have done it in a heartbeat if we weren't pressed for time and if it wasn't so expensive! But, we had to continue onward to Queenstown for a very important appointment…a jet boat ride! We left with plenty of time and we sure needed it because it took us ages to find a parking spot in the extremely crowded downtown area…that city was hustling & bustling with lots of excited tourists anxious to get to their adventures. We got there just as the tour bus pulled up. We didn't have to sign any papers or provide any information but just piled onto the bus and headed on one craaazy bus ride down to the river. We took a windy one lane bumpy dirt road all the way down to the turquoise river. We were holding our breath in some areas as we had to make room for oncoming cars. There was a mountain wall on one side and a steep cliff on the other side. The bus ride alone was an adventure! Our driver was awesome and got us to our destination safely.

The jet boat was invented in New Zealand (as well as bungee jumping). Jet boats can run in just 6 inches of water and can hit amazing speeds. We looked at a lot of companies and places to experience the jet boat and knew this was the best around! The ride was wild and awesome! We were zooming through a canyon at 50 mph (80 kph) with the wind whipping our hair around and huge smiles on our faces. It was quite a rush and we all loved it!

After our fun boat ride, we decided to explore downtown Queenstown a bit and did some shopping. I found some greenstone earrings and a mother of pearl bracelet and the kids found a few trinkets. We were so tired and some of us a bit cranky after a long day. Mike & Lois were smart and chose to eat dinner on their own with a little peace and quiet while our little family got fish & chips from our hotel and ate on a nearby farm. We topped our meal off with freshly picked cherries that we had bought on our journey that day. It was hilarious trying to teach Reese how to eat cherries!

We were to stay in Mossburn for 2 nights. Our accommodations were on a hotel property that had a little bach with 2 bedrooms with 2 bunkbeds each and bathroom. It was tight quarters but we didn't need much room. We had breakfast of muesli and toast provided for us while we stayed there.