Today’s Friday Travel Photo takes you to Iceland’s capital city of Reykjavik. Marcello (@wanderingtradr) from The Wandering Trader shot this photo on the shore walk in Reykjavik on his first day in the country.
For some more great Iceland content, check out Twenty-Something Travel.
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Today’s Friday Travel Photo was taken somewhere on the largest island in the Mediterranean – Sicily. Like much of Italy, the Sicilian region has many characteristics that are different than other regions in Italy. In some respects, a visit to Sicily is like a visit to a different country. Either way, it’s a beautiful place that begs to be explored.
Do you have a photo you’d like featured here? I’d love to post it with a link back to your blog. Email me at matt [at] backpackingmatt [dot] com
Just as much of New Zealand is overrun with tourists, much of New Zealand is overrun with sheep. Take for example, the King Country south of Auckland. It’s a rural heartland that raises All Blacks, sheep, and is much greener than my rural home of Iowa. A visit to New Zealand’s King Country on the North Island deserves more than the required stop in Waitomo to view the underground caves. In fact, if you’re there in early April, skip the Waitomo Caves and instead head to the small farming town of Te Kuiti.
New Zealand claims to be famous for many things and while some of these are worthwhile claims to fame (World’s Best Sauvignon Blancs – Marlborough), some of these aren’t (Home of the World’s Biggest Carrot – Ohakune). Te Kuiti is another small New Zealand town that greets you on arrival with a billboard claiming its spot in the world. Te Kuiti is,
And rightly so.
I was lucky enough to be passing through Te Kuiti in early April. Late March or Early April is when Te Kuiti holds the Great New Zealand Muster. An end of summer festival that features two must see events:
A Sheep Shearing Competition and the Running of the Sheep
After months of driving around New Zealand, I have become quite accustomed to seeing the forty-odd million sheep that inhabit New Zealand’s countryside. They’re cute wooly beasts that sometimes quite literally stretch as far as the eye can see. The typical New Zealand postcard features a car stopped on a highway while sheep cross the road and says, “New Zealand Traffic Jam.”
It’s a relatively common sight on New Zealand’s roads. As is seeing the old farmer driving along the road on a four-wheeler with two dogs on the back and a stray sheep under one arm. In one way or another, sheep are all over New Zealand: in its fields, on its dinner menus, flavors in its bags of crisps, and they keep you warm in your slippers, boots, or jackets.
So while sheep are everywhere in New Zealand, until April, I had never really stopped to consider how they’re sheared. And let me tell you – it’s a sight to see.
Sheep shearing is a sport in New Zealand. A sport with a regulating committee, detailed rules, and regular competitions. One of these competitions was going on in Te Kuiti during the Great New Zealand Muster and paying the $15 entry fee might have been the best $15 I’ve spent in New Zealand. The men and women in this competition were shearing full sized ewes in under a minute – one right after the other. Sheep shearing looked to be a physically demanding sport that takes skill, serious strength, and endurance.
The competitors would pull one sheep after the other out of a pen, flip it up and around, while taking long clean swipes with what appeared to be an oversized, electric beard trimmer. While the poor wee suckers looked shocked as they were flipped, turned, and twisted around, they were treated quite well. Any flesh wounds resulted in a penalty for the sheerer. And it was hot in Te Kuiti, so I trust a shorn sheep was more comfortable than an un-shorn sheep.
The day finished out with an event that would arguably put the yearly festival in Pamplona to shame. Forget the running of the bulls, Te Kuiti has the Running of the Sheep.
The main street in Te Kuiti was blocked off to prepare for the running of over 2,000 sheep. I wrongly expected the sheep to come rushing down the deserted street. As soon as one daring sheep would start running down the road, it would get spooked, turn around, and all 1,999 others would do the same. After ten minutes of coaxing from dogs, men, and horses, the whole flock finally made their way to the end of town – leaving plenty of sheep poop in their wake.
Finding Te Kuiti and the Great New Zealand Muster was definitely not in my travel plans, yet it is one of those events you mistakenly stumble on to and love. I often find the best destinations you find in travel aren’t places you read about in a book, but rather places you find by random chance. This was one of them. Check it out if you can. It’s a great day out for a budget traveler and an iconic New Zealand experience.
Today’s Friday Travel Photo features a highland cow in the Scottish Highlands. These highland cattle – known as hairy coos in Scotland – are native to the Highlands of Scotland and are identifiable by their long hair and big horns. They’re rugged animals and can survive the wet, cold, and windy winters of the Highlands.
You’ll meet Hamish, Scotland’s famous hairy coo, on a day trip from Edinburgh to Loch Ness.
Do you have a photo you’d like featured on Backpackingmatt? Email it to matt [at] backpackingmatt [dot] com and I’ll feature it with a link back to your blog.
New Zealand is the place to come for adventure sports. And Queenstown is the town to come to in New Zealand. On a walk down Shotover Street, you’ll pass stores selling jet boat rides, canyon swings, white water rafting, skydives, zip line adventures, and yes, bungy jumping. Oh bungy jumping, the act of tying your ankles to a stretchy bungy cord and jumping off a bridge (sometimes, people even do it naked). As Kiwi as Meat Pies.
Bungy jumping has a history that dates back hundreds or even thousands of years. Its origins are found on the Pacific Island of Pentecost with the people of the Vanuatu. The men of the Vanautu perform a yearly ritual where they jump from an elevated platform with vines tied around their ankles. This act of bravery is symbolic as they prove their heroism to the women of the tribe. Bungy jumping has matured significantly and while it’s commercialized throughout the world and probably safer than driving down the SH1 in New Zealand, it is still one hell of a test of bravery.
AJ Hackett set up the first commercial bungy in the world when he founded the Kawarau Bridge Bungy just ouside of Queenstown in 1988. It quickly became a popular extreme sport and now you can bungy jump throughout the world with AJ Hackett – a trusted name in the sport. AJ Hackett operates four bungy jump sites in New Zealand: The Kawarau Bridge Bungy (Queenstown), The Auckland Bridge Bungy, The Nevis Highwire Bungy (Queentown), and The Ledge Bungy in Queenstown.
The Ledge Bungy is unique for a number of reasons and recently I had the opportunity to experience it. First, it’s set in an absolutely epic spot 400 meters above beautiful Queenstown. To get to this urban bungy site, you take the Skyline Gondola from town to high above Queenstown – an experience in itself.
As you’re nearing the top of the gondola, you’re given your first view of what is to come – a bungy that feels higher than it is given the beautiful backdrop of Queenstown, The Remarkables, and Lake Wakatipu. This is one thing that AJ Hackett always does well – the pre-jump experience. You’re given plenty of time to think about your jump as you’re riding the gondola and slowly gaining elevation above Queenstown. It’s all a head game – and the longer you think about the jump, the harder it becomes.
The Ledge Bungy is especially unique as you have the opportunity to jump at night. This brings a whole new sensation to the bungy experience. It’s one thing to throw yourself off a bridge during the day. Everything in your body and mind tells you not to. Your rational thinking conscience screams that something isn’t right. Jumping into the darkness is difficult, challenging, yet one hell of an experience. It’s a magical place to jump with the lights of Queenstown below you contrasted with the darkened waters of Lake Wakatipu and The Remarks.
You also have the option of a number of different jump styles at The Ledge given the harness system in use. The traditional bungy has a foot harness with your ankles attached to the bungy cord. On The Ledge, the bungy cord is attached to a waist harness allowing you to run and jump, flip, spin, dive, or whatever combination of this lot you can imagine.
As this was my third bungy in New Zealand, I fully expected it to be significantly easier than the first two. It wasn’t. It was just as challenging, exciting, and rewarding an experience as the first two jumps. I chose to make a running leap into the darkness and it was a brilliant feeling diving head first into the dark over Queenstown. The adrenaline rush from a bungy quite literally lasts for days. It’s a rush that can’t adequately be described in writing.
As always, AJ Hackett provides an excellent bungy experience. They do it right from start to finish. I continue to be impressed with the balance the staff strikes between fun and professionalism – a balance you undoubtedly want on the day you jump. You’ll have plenty of adventure activities to choose from when you visit Queenstown, but whatever you do, make sure you plan a jump with AJ Hackett.
How high? The Ledge Bungy is found 400 meters above Queenstown – the jump itself is 47 meters.
How much? The jump will cost you NZ$175 (Plus a $23 return ticket on the Skyline Gondola). AJ Hackett includes a free shirt with the jump.
Where? Top of the Skyline Gondola. Book your jump in advance in the Station Building on Shotover Street.
Is it worth it? Yes. Nothing in New Zealand is cheap, including this jump. I do recommend it as it’s a really unique spot for a jump. Spend the afternoon at the top of the Skyline Gondola, taking in the views, watching the paragliders, and treat it as a half day activity. Jump at sunset.
Full Disclosure: AJ Hackett and the Skyline Gondola provided me with a complimentary jump and return ticket on the gondola.
Backpacking Matt 
