Adrienne Vita, the 2011 New Zealand Sustainability student blogger, writes:

Last Wednesday, we went to Milford Sound and took a boat cruise around the fresh, blue water. On the cruise, there was a man over the loud speaker who was giving very interesting facts about how it was created. I learned that Milford Sound was actually misnamed a sound and should’ve been called a fiord. The difference between the two is that a river carves out a sound and a glacier carves a fiord, which is actually the case for Milford. The first explorers were just unaware of that at the time and it has been Milford Sound ever since.

We got the chance to see lazy seals relaxing on warm, sunny rocks.  And on our way back to the port, if you were on the bow of the boat, you were able to feel the light mist of a waterfall, which was quite refreshing on the sunny day on the water.

After beautiful Milford Sound, we went to the adventure capital of the world, Queenstown. It’s a cute little town with lots of quaint shops, including a farmer’s market, and at night turns into sophisticated college town for those who like popular nightlife.

Our free day on the trip took place here, where we all took advantage. Between skydiving, parasailing, horseback riding and hang gliding, I chose to bungy jump and go canyoning. For those who don’t know, canyoning includes ziplining, propelling, cliff jumping and rock sliding. With the exception of cliff jumping, this was all new to me. The bungy jumping location I chose was the first invented in the world, so that eased my nerves a bit. I mean, if it’s the first, they had to know what they were doing.

Queenstown has been, by far, my favorite place. It’s filled with young backpackers and adrenaline junkies who love to strike up a conversation at any corner. Not to mention all the rugby fanatics who were there for a tournament. It was a great town with lots of action, and after our days on the road staying at holiday parks; it was nice to have the more fast-paced momentum of this popular city.