Emily and I ventured into the wild today. We created an adventure of our own in the wilderness of the mountain where the Queenstown gondola is. Up the Tiki Trail, down the Skyline Road and back up the (not so) One Mile Trek. As you might know, I am a huge fan of waterfalls, and so is Emily since they don’t really have them in England. We heard rushing water coming from somewhere off the One Mile Trek, so we figured why not explore. The waterfall we found was a spectacular treat and another test to how New Zealand never fails to surprise you with all kinds of hidden gems. We clambered over fallen tree branches and endless limbs to get the first shot posted.
We didn’t realized how much we detoured off the “marked” trail to play in the water, and needless to say, we strayed much further away than we thought. We were both practically on our hands and knees crawling up the mountain to a spot where we thought the top of the gondola might be. “Hey, Emily! I’ve got good news, and I’ve got bad news. The good news is, judging by the shrinking treeline, I think we reached the top of the mountain. The bad new is, I don’t think the gondola is anywhere in sight.” We were a hot mess. Who knew it would be such an adventure to stray off the beaten path?
Luckily enough, a friendly mountain biker shared his map with us and we finally made the hour long journey to the top of the gondola about 4 hours later. And no injuries to report. Expect for the fact that Emily ate it probably less than 20 feet down on our return. She has the bloody knee and ripped pants to prove it.
Steph Dobson 