Notebook of a Nomad

1/25/25 & 1/26/25 (Cruise)

Today’s adventure was a trek to Doubtful Sound. We took a bus (below) to a boat (below) to a bus (not pictured) to a boat (stay tuned) that would take us to Doubtful Sound.

During our first bus ride, we stopped at a lookout (below). When we were walking up, I wasn’t feeling very social but reluctantly said hello to a woman who clearly wanted to chat. She asked where I was from and I told her Chicago. She was excited to meet someone who knew where Madison, WI was. She had been telling people “2 hours north of Chicago” for the past few weeks.

Once we got to the lookout I offered to take their picture and we started chatting a little more and sharing a few stories about our travels so far. They were visiting NZ for a month after coming from Melbourne where they celebrated NYE with some friends who live there. They referenced that their son was playing in the region which inspired the trip. I told them about my travels so far and when there was a dip in the conversation, I asked them about their son. Turns out he plays drums in a band called “Joe” which I was unfamiliar with. Mom had been doing the majority of talking to this point but dad was invested in this topic. He told me I had probably heard their song. It mentions Chicago and went viral on TikTok or whatever. He attempted to hum the song a bit but I was still a bit lost and then he sang “And when I’m back in Chicago… I feel it” and it clicked. The band was Djo and the song was End of the Beginning. I knew it very well. That was about the time the bus driver told us it was time to go. I was reluctant to talk to them but now as our conversation was ending, I was sad we didn’t have more time to chat. They were heading to the more famous Milford Sound and we were headed to Doubtful Sound.

After our 2 hour bus ride, it was time to hop on our hour long boat ride. Paul was pretty worn out after his date the night before so I was pretty much hanging solo while he tried to catch a few z’s (below). There were plenty of beautiful scenes (below) to take in during our trip. As I was enjoying the beauty that surrounded me I couldn’t help thinking about how far I’ve come, from the cornfields in rural Illinois to the fjords of New Zealand on the literal other side of the world. And it’s not about the literal distance I’ve traveled. It’s about the person I’ve grown into. From a scared kid hiding behind his mother’s leg to a world traveler.

The cruise was over and it was time to hop on another bus. 217 (Champaign area code), represent!

An hour bus ride and a couple of stops later (pictured above) and it was finally time to board our overnight cruise (pictured below).

After dinner we called it an early night and watched an episode of Last Man on Earth. The next morning offered some really pretty scenic views.

Once we were done breathing in the beauty of Doubtful Sound’s “Sound of Silence” it was time to start the trek back to Queenstown (boat>bus>boat>bus). On our way back, we started chatting with our bus driver. She told us that Milford Sound didn’t have very good weather the night before so Doubtful Sound was the better experience that night. 

During our conversation Paul told our bus driver that he was American when it was convenient for him (Paul is a US citizen). He added that it is becoming less and less common for it to be convenient. The bus driver responded “Yeah, especially with what’s going on now.” I had already told her about my year abroad and I told her “hence my year abroad” when she referred to Trump. She was like “ahhh.”

1/26/25 (Queenstown)

Once we got back to Queenstown, we checked into our hotel and it was time to grab a bite to eat. A friend told me about a delicious burger she enjoyed in Queenstown at Fergburger. Apparently, word has gotten around that it’s the place to be. It was a pretty long line, which I usually take as a positive indicator. The line moved quickly and it only took about 15 minutes to get through it.

Once we put our order in, we popped next door for a beer at Ferg’s Bar. Unfortunately, you’re not allowed to eat the Fergburger inside Ferg’s Bar so we headed back to our hotel a couple blocks away. The burger did not disappoint. It was delicious. And I was craving a good burger after Australia had dealt me some subpar burgers over the past few weeks.

After we had some sustenance, it was time to explore Queenstown. And when Bergans explore a new place, it can often turn into a bar crawl. That was definitely the case in Queenstown.

After we were done crawling, it was time to compete so we headed to a barcade. It was a pretty evenly matched night of pop-a-shot, Jenga, and pool. The games you don’t see pictured are the games that Paul won.