Emirates Flight EK 419 waiting at the gate of Christchurch Airport

I am probably one of the few people who chooses flights based on what aircraft are flying rather than price or time. I just love flying. I could have flown cheaper, I could have flown faster but I chose Emirates and my route via Sydney and Dubai because I would get to fly on the Airbus A380. Not only fly on it but be on it for 16 hours from Sydney to Dubai. After the short 3 hour flight from Christchurch to Sydney landing at sunset over the harbour bridge it was a 3 hour wait before I boarded the next leg to Dubai. I waited for the boarding queue to die down before making my way to check-in. They scanned my ticket and warning beep sounded while a red light flashed. There was a problem, my heart sank. I had pre-booked my seat, at the bulkhead and started thinking that a family with a small child had checked in now I was going to be reassigned a seat further down the plane. I was told to stand aside while they flipped through a stack of tickets. They quickly found it and said, “You’ve been upgraded to Business Class Mr Alexander and here is your new ticket.”

I didn’t even pause to as why, I just took my ticket and made my way up the right hand ramp to the upper deck door. I had to stop myself from jumping up and down like a kid and only half way to the plane did I look at my ticket and see that my seat number was 6D which I knew was right at the front of the Business Class Cabin. Was this really happening? My first flight on the A380 and I was going to be in Business Class.

Emirates business class on the upper deck of the Airbus A380

The Emirates Business Class reflected in a flower bowl

Smoked salmon starter with a full dinner service

The wireless mini screen and seat control. Yes, that's me adjusting the massage setting.

Engrossed in a movie on my own 18 inch screen with noise reduction headphones

I was blown away by Emirates and their Business Class on the Airbus A380. Despite the lie flat seat I didn’t sleep much with so many movies to watch and gadgets to play with. Not to mention the full bar at the back were you could go chill out with a cocktail and bar snacks on leather couches. The food was delicious and beautifully presented. The service as well from the cabin crew asking what drink I would like after takeoff and not the stereotypical chicken or beef but “will you be joining us for dinner” and “what would you like?” Not to mention the space, personal space and lots of it. I couldn’t see the person next to me or across the aisle unless I leaned forward actually looked around the partitions. This is what flying should be like and if only I could afford to fly business class every time.

This was a perfect end to my New Zealand adventure but it is only the beginning of my next adventure and new blog, Rory in South Africa.

In the past I have received a similar, but different, award for my China blog and I think it’s a great way to share the blogs we both write and read with fellow bloggers who may not have stumbled across them yet.

Here are the rules for the Versatile Blogger Award:                                                                           

1. Nominate 15 fellow bloggers
2. Inform the bloggers of their nomination
3. Share 7 random things about yourself
4. Thank the blogger who nominated you
5. Add the Versatile Blogger Award Pic on your blog post.

Here goes,my fifteen nominations, in the order that they were drawn out of a hat:

http://playgroundpics.com/
http://johnfanai.wordpress.com/
http://lostbearings.wordpress.com/
http://youvegotnae.com/
http://downthedragonhole.wordpress.com/
http://specktreks.com/
http://picturesinjapan.wordpress.com/
http://hayleyswinson.com/
http://cwmcdonald.com/
http://hdrshooter.wordpress.com/
http://justalittlebrit.wordpress.com/
http://magicofmine.wordpress.com/
http://mamasgotwanderlust.com/
http://roryinbeijing.wordpress.com/
http://malate.wordpress.com/

And 7 random things about me (read: facts you may not know):

1. I was born and grew up in Zimbabwe.
2. I have sailed across the Atlantic Ocean (Cape Town to Miami). It took seven weeks.
3. I can solve a Rubik’s Cube in under 3 minutes. (not record-breaking but I’m happy.)
4. I can juggle. I’ve even been known to juggle raw eggs while dressed up like a clown.
5. I love puzzles, 1000 pieces or more, and I won’t stop until they’re finished.
6. I have type O Negative blood and I’m a donor.
7. I love flying, get excited around aircraft and want to be a pilot one day.

And here’s to

dawn over a still Lake Tekapo

Walking down to the edge of the lake I was spellbound as the sun rose from behind the snow-capped peaks reflected in the still water. What a magical end to my New Zealand adventure

panorama of dawn on the shore of Lake Tekapo

the first light catching the pine trees

lens flare at sunrise over Lake Tekapo

a silhouette of me at sunrise on a chilly morning in Lake Tekapo

As our departure time drew near I once again had to tear myself away from this serene spot and climb aboard the Magic Bus for the last time. Our route took us across the Canterbury Plains to Geraldine, the home of Barker’s fruit preserves which made the perfect gift for the family friends who I would be staying with again for a couple of days before my long flights back to South Africa.

I arrived back in Christchurch the day after the 1 year anniversary of the 4 September 2010 earthquake that kicked off a series of seismic events the likes of which haven’t been seen anywhere else. Having experienced one of the thousands of smaller earthquakes myself, shortly after my arrival in New Zealand and having spent some time with friends who have been affected by the earthquakes I came to have real empathy with the residents of Christchurch. To give you just a taste of the effect these earthquakes have had on Christchurch and it’s residents, here is a powerful video with dramatic footage of the damage and reconstruction of Christchurch together with a very emotive soundtrack.

Baldwin Street - The Steepest Street in the World

Our next stop was Koekohe Beach where you find these unusually large and spherical boulders lying on the beach. Known as the Moeraki Boulders they are quite incredible to see with the larger ones up to two metres in diameter.

the unusual, spherically shaped, Moeraki Boulders

After picking up some provisions in the historic wool town of Oamaru we headed inland up towards the mountains and the beautifully blue coloured glacial lakes in the Mackenzie Country. The surreal blue hue of the lakes is the result of glacial dust, rocks that have been ground down beneath the ice floes, suspended in the water. We got our first look at this at Lake Pukaki where you can get fantastic views across to Mt Cook but unfortunately it was overcast when we arrived but this did provide the rather dramatic setting for this photo.

looking across to Mt Cook from Lake Pukaki

Just  around the corner we pulled into Lake Tekapo our overnight stop and before settling into the hostel Gregg took us down to the water’s edge and the Church of the Good Shepherd which is a quaint old building with this amazing view behind its altar.

looking out over Lake Tekapo from the Church of the Good Shepherd

After checking in to the Lakefront Backpackers Lodge I went straight out to make the most of the rest of the afternoon and hiked up to the top of Mount John to get some unbelievable views of the lake and surrounding Mackenzie Basin.

panorama of the view while hiking up Mt John

view from a log looking out over the Mackenzie Basin

It was very cold and there was still snow in areas of shadows along the path but the clouds cleared and I was rewarded with some of the most amazing views of my whole trip with great light in the late afternoon sunshine. I’ll let these photos do the talking.

resting at the top of Mt John watching the sunset

looking down on the turquoise Lake Tekapo in the fading light

a tuft of grass on top of Mt John

panorama of the serene, turquoise coloured Lake Tekapo

reflections in the still waters of Lake Tekapo

I didn’t want to leave the sunset from the top of Mt John but I had been put in charge of the braai for our group meal  so I had to get back down to the hostel. A bit late I had to run back down through the forest.

running back down from the observatory after sunset

As I emerged from the forest on the shores of Lake Tekapo in front of our hostel the colour was even better in the evening light so I spent several minutes taking these photos, the hamburgers could wait.

panorama of Lake Tekapo at sunset

sunshine catching the snow-capped peaks across Lake Tekapo

After the light had finally faded I got back to the hostel to find the rest of the bus hard at work in the kitchen preparing what turned out to be a massive feast that we didn’t even finish half of so when we were done we offered it to the other backpackers in the hostel who were happy to get a free meal.

Gregg & The Magic Bus travellers preparing our feast

After settling into the hostel I went for a walk down to the Dunedin Train Station which is apparently the most photographed building in New Zealand and well I just had to go and get a photo for myself.

the most photographed building in New Zealand - Dunedin Train Station

I guess it is quite impressive, but even more so from the other side with some HDRI don’t you think?

putting my own spin in this HDR image of Dunedin Train Station

I strolled back up the main street to the Dunedin Public Art Gallery where I spent an interesting hour walking around the “Beloved” exhibition that was on display. Then I went along the shopping street of Dunedin before turning down to walk through some of the Otago University grounds to get down to the new covered stadium where some of the Rugby World Cup matches would be played.

the new Forsyth Barr Stadium

Being just 1 week before the RWC the stadium was under lock down and so I couldn’t get in to have a look around, this was as close as I got.

a glimpse inside the new Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin

I wasn’t feeling all that well with a sore throat and so it was back to the hostel for dinner and an early night.

the view from the pier in Queenstown

After lunch we walked down to the pier where we were meeting up with Elise, a fellow Magic Bus traveler, for our jet boat ride, something that I associate with New Zealand and was one of my must do activities. There are three different jet boat companies in Queenstown and they are all similarly priced but we chose the K Jet because their ride lasts for an hour rather than the 20/30 minute you get ride with the other companies. You still get to experience some close shaves with rocks where the river narrows as well as lots of 360° spins. Check out these photos and a video of us narrowly missing a bridge before doing a spin, screaming provided by Karin and Elise.

all set for our jet boat ride and loving the heated hand rails

speeding down the Kawaru River on a Jet boat

speeding towards the Remarkables on the Kawaru River

After the ride you also get to go down and look below the surface of Lake Wakatipu at some of its inhabitants including massive trout and NZ’s only diving duck species. You don’t have to worry about not seeing anything either as they have an automated feeding system where you put in NZ$1.00 and a portion of feed is dropped into the water.

the view from the Queenstown Underwater Observatory as part of the ticket

After all that adrenalin, and also to warm up, we went for a hot chocolate at one of the coffee shops along the waterfront enjoying the beautiful afternoon. Then on the walk back to the hostel we came across this awesome oversized backpack and just had to get a photo with it.

Do you think my luggage will be overweight?

That evening, our last night in Queenstown, we went out for dinner at Fergburger. Almost everyone you meet says you must have a Fergburger when you’re in Queenstown and immediately I was against the whole idea. Even more so after one of the bus drivers confirmed my suspicions by saying that a burger is a burger and plus there is always a long queue. I was even scheming to start a Facebook group I went to Queenstown and didn’t have a Fergburger but I ended up going and my hunger grew as we waited 30 minutes for our burgers (although it was a Friday night). When it finally arrived I had to eat my words as the it was massive, delicious and certainly not just a burger.

With our stomachs full we went bar hopping. First up was Winnies which had a very cool roof that opened up just like London Bridge. Next was Buffalo Bar for some dancing before ending up at World Bar for one last tea-pot cocktail. All in all a great last day in Queenstown.

looking down the main street in Queenstown

Although it was sunny it was still bitterly cold and as soon as the sun began to sink lower in the sky it was back to the hostel for hot soup and a movie before catching an early night.

The Remarkables bathed in late afternoon sun

In the afternoon, feeling like I hadn’t done much yet, I went for a hike up to the Skyline Gondola. Partly because I was saving money but it was also a beautiful afternoon I chose not to take the cable car up and rather hike through the dense Beech forest.

Looking through the forest over Lake Wakatipu

Although it was steep, it was a nice path up with great views every now and again, through clearings in the trees, of Lake Wakatipu below.

in amongst the Beech forest

The views from the top were definitely worth the climb as you can see in these photos.

panorama of Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu with the Remarkables in the distance

180 degree panorama of Queenstown from the top of the gondola

me looking across to the Remarkables in the fading light

It was freezing though and as the sun sank lower in the sky I took one last look before making my way back down through the forest. Back at the hostel the free vegetable soup was just the ticket to warm up while relaxing and watching a movie before getting an early night.

A Kea, the world's only alpine parrot, on top of our bus

From here we made our way up to the Homer Tunnel which is in the middle of an avalanche zone and stopping is actually prohibited. We could see evidence of fairly recent avalanches on the sides of the roads but luckily the road was open for us.

approaching the Homer Tunnel in the Southern Alps

On the other side of the tunnel the sky was clear with just a few clouds hanging about. We stopped at the Chasm viewing area as we wound our way down to the coast. It is quite spectacular with its unique, smoothed and moulded looking boulders.

vertical panorama of a river flowing off the Southern Alps

a beautiful alpine stream

Once at Milford Sound we joined up with the other hundreds of tourist and ushered onto a large catamaran motor yacht where we had our designated area to sit while we had our picnic lunches. As soon as we were done though we went to the upper deck which was open for great views as we motored out through the Sound towards the Tasman Sea.

motoring out through the Milford Sound

Some fellow Magic Bus travellers enjoying the boat ride

thanks to the rain the waterfalls were amazing

panorama of the dramatic Milford Sound

Just at the entrance, where the Milford Sound meets the Tasman sea we turned around and headed back. The whole cruise lasted about two hours.

a waterfall being interrupted by gusts of wind

a nice backdrop

some seals trying to catch tan during the breaks in cloud

The captain, who gave us a running commentary as we cruised along, then came on to announce that we would be sailing right under one of the waterfalls and to take care if we didn’t want to get wet. At this point I quickly hid my Canon 550D away, not wanting to risk what had happened at the Victoria Falls earlier this year, so I didn’t get any photos of the action. However it was quite incredible as the captain manoeuvred the bow of the boat right under this waterfall and before reversing out again, while those of us on the top deck got quite wet.

vertical panorama of the waterfall our captain sailed under

It looked like we had been lucky with the weather on the outward journey as it started to cloud over as we made our way back.

panorama looking out at the Milford Sound shrouded in cloud

you could tell who was travelling on the Magic Bus

another great backdrop

It was then back onto the bus for the long journey home, thankfully Kevin had organised a movie for us in the bus. It was called The World’s Fastest Indian with Anthony Hopkins; the life story of New Zealander Burt Munro, who spent years building a 1920 Indian motorcycle — a bike which helped him set the land-speed world record at Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats in 1967. Not a bad film worth watching.

dusk over Lake Wakatipu looking across towards Queenstown

We made it back to the hostel in time to still get some free soup and shower before it was off to the World Bar again to join Kiwi Crawl, an organised pub crawl to 6 different bars with a free drink at each and pizza along the way. It was a fairly quiet night in some of the clubs but as the evening progressed dance floors filled up and we only got back to the hostel some time after 2:00am probably much to the annoyance of our dorm mates.

Just around the corner we pulled into Queenstown a beautiful ski village set on the shores of Lake Wakatipu. It has grown massively in size over the past decade but the town centre is still convenient small. The Magic Bus dropped us all of at our respective hostels. Ours was the Southern Laughter which was great with this view from the balcony.

view of The Remarkables mountain range from the Southern Laughter hostel

A big factor in choosing Southern Laughter was the free soup in the evenings and after that we headed down to meet up with Cam and the rest of the Magic Bus travellers for some pizza and a few drinks at the World Bar. Known as the party town, quite a few people were keen to go out bar hopping but some of us had booked the Milford Sound day trip the next morning with a 7:00am start so sense prevailed and we headed back to our hostels. Besides we were going to be there for four more nights so we would have another chance to go out.