So again it is fareaking gorgeous here. It looks a lot like Utah but the mountains are even MORE humongous and it is way way greener. And there are sheep every where just hanging around. I really love it. We are staying in a really nice suite but we got a great deal for only like $50 a night each lady. and the entire back wall of the room is windows and a sliding glass door with an amazing view of lake Wakatipu. I feel like I am bragging but this is just sharing factual information, right? yeah so I shouldn't feel bad to tell you everything right? It's not like it's always going to be like this. k, go on... Our first day here we flew in at 9am to Queenstown from Auckland. And we just threw all our luggage into one hotel room and went straight to the shotover jet. Ride of my life. completely out of this world! The boat or whatever you call that thing got so close to the canyon walls and we did spins and got all wet! It was AMAZING. Right after that we went to the Skyline Luge and Gondola Where we went up to the top of this mountain where we could see the lake and city so well. And they had these luge tracks where you take a little car/bike thinger and roll down it. You totally get air and the turns are SO fast and exhilirating. We got to go down 5 times! Oh man I loved that thing.Then we went to this town called Arrowtown where there was a street of cute little shops. And I hung out with the old men drivers (members) and got seafood. I had this thing called whitebait fritters. They are little clear fish that turn white when you cook them. And it is the best damn thing EVER. we had seafood chowder with it. And I got dad licorice because they had a candy shop there with every candy imaginable there. (even creme brulee fudge!? WHAAA???) So I can't find any licorice without gluten/wheat so tell him to just forget it! Ugh he is so difficult to get junk for. I got him a big old box of "All Sorts" licorice. And he'll probably never open it. He'll just put it on the top shelf of him closet. Or in his top drawyer in the closet. Jerk.Then we went to the grocery store and got groceries so we didn't have to go out to eat for every meal. I live off of peanut butter and jelly. haha sick I know but worth saving money in the midst of spending so much. (Oh by the way most of these activities are included in the price I paid to come here from the beginning.)After grocery we went to Deer Park Heights where we saw a HUMONGOUS pack of deer. And they aren't farmed, they just decide to live there and they don't have a fence either. But yeah we saw goats, llamas, bison, yaks, bucks, yeah seriously a pack of 42 deer I counted. It was lovely. And there were a lot of Lord of the Rings sites too. I could totally point them out right away, like the cliff where frodo and gollom fight! And the place where gollom fishes while they're camping! And the river the horses cross! And the marshes! Yeah I've seen it all. And tomorrow I'm going on a horse ride through the place where liv tyler races through the trees on horseback because frodo was about to die. Then yesterday we went on Milford Sound on a cruise ship. Wow. Milford Sound was formed by a glacier so it is really beautiful. And there were a ton of waterfalls and we saw some seals! And they took the cruise ship RIGHT UP to the waterfalls! oh man it was heaven. I am sending you a postcard today from that.Today is all about me. I am getting my hair done with some reds. And I am getting a fiji foot treatment. Then I am getting a one hour massage with those stones or aromatherapy I don't know it depends on what my consultant tells me I need. Tomorrow, again, we are doing the Lord of the rings ride on horseback.And...I don't want to admit it, but it's already been done. I've paid the mulah. I am doing the Canyon Swing.the day after tomorrow we drive 8 hours to Christchurch. Nothing is really planned for that but the markets are the best there. And the gardens and bike rides are good as well. Anyways I hope I don't get on a computer again because it takes up precious beauty time, no offense. I'll remember to update you when I get to boring ugly auckland though. JK it's fine there I just don't ever want to go back! Stay here until April!! mmmm sounds good.
The Botanical Gardens were so lovely. There was like a square mile of all these beautiful flowers - I have a vid of it that I'll put on youtube or something.
I cooked fish. Then I read that sign behind me. It specifically said to not cook fish. whoops!
The second time I sat on a plastic chair. And they leaned the chair back on the ledge. But then brought me back and made me push myself off. And when I pushed myself off then grabbed me and then let me go. 
best seconds of my life. 
This is Piha Beach. It is a black sand beach with killer waves (literally, like 5 people die every week). But we didn't die. We just hiked around the edge of the cliffs and found a really beautiful cove where the waves would pound against the rocks you stood on. 
Then we hiked to a waterfall. And there was a pool at the bottom that we swam in! I don't have the pictures they took of us, maybe I'll add them later? But in the meantime: This is me, sitting on a tree.
