Katie and I had a jam packed day chalked full of adrenaline rushes and thrills. We started with the Shotover Jet.
Yes, we're the fun ones in the back row!
The shotover jet ride makes it seem like you're about to crash into something but does a 360 degree spin at the last second to avert contact.
The ride was a little slower than I would have liked. I was shouting for more spins and faster spins from the back. However, the cold wind gave me a constant ice headache, so I kept trading my hands back and forth from the heated handlebar in front of us to my forehead. This was blatant and retarded looking in the video we watched following our ride.
We rode between canyon walls, often too close for comfort.
me and Katie on the shotover jet.
Our next stop was the world's first ever bungy jump at Kawarau Bridge. I'd already bungy jumped twice in Taupo in February so Katie went first. Again, I thought I was going to die of an ice headache with cold wind ripping across me while I waited for her to be tied up and jump. She jumped right away, and I was never so ready to jump down off that freezing bridge when my turn came.
Here I am at the top of the bridge ready to jump.
5-4-3-2-1! There I go. This lucky shot has both Katie (gray sweatshirt) and me in it. She jumped first and walked back up to the top to be able to take pics of me while I jumped. So thoughtful.
Down, down I go!!
I don't recall ever being so close to a tree, must be photo magic.
Free fallin...
I made it, survived a third bungy jump!! Amazing.
We both did it, what rockstars!
Our next adventure was wine sampling in the Central Otago region.
Our first stop was Gibbston Cheesery & Winery.
The cheesery made a beautiful sampler platter of cheeses for us to take with us over to the winery to eat while we sampled the wines. The 'Balfour' sheep cheese was our favorite.
We were sufficiently impressed to buy some Balfour cheese and Gibbston Sav Blanc for Mom and Dad. Next we went to Waitiri Creek, an old church turned library turned town hall turned winery where we met some Australians, Americans, and a young kiwi guy.
We ended our winery tour at Peregrine where I fell in love with their two black labs Chief and Nelson.
Katie fell in love with their wine. She sampled 11 of the 12 wines available for tasting. All but one were good and we bought a nice bottle of Pinot Noir, the wine of the region. Our new Kiwi friend had worked in wineries in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand. She said NZ wines tend to be better overall because the wineries are a lot smaller and business relies on quality rather than quantity. I tend to agree. A NZ wine is generally a safe bet.
After a quick stop by our hotel, Katie and I hit up the Minus 5 Ice Bar, one of six located around the world. No flip flops for Katie. We had to rug up in coats, gloves, and ugg boots.
The bartender served drinks in triangular ice cups. After we finished our drink, we smashed it into a plastic bin.
We took turns taking photos with all the ice sculptures.
Doesn't this look like a UND Sioux head?
What a catch!
Sisterly love!
We went to dinner at The Cow. They asked if we minded sharing a table, we said no, and ended up dining with an Irish brother and sister. We thought it was great fun. Then we made the rounds at the bars starting with Ruby Luby's at World Bar, followed by Monte's, Fraser's, and Buffalo but it was a sleepy night. All the skiiers were bunkered up at home in anticipation of the snow expected overnight.
