New Zealand.. where to begin?! It is such an incredibly beautiful country. Perhaps it is because of the many places we visited in our tight schedule, or maybe New Zealand just really is a “wow” country. One thing is certain, I can’t remember having this many “wow” moments during one trip. Even just driving through New Zealand was so enjoyable. Seeing the landscapes constantly change and driving through all this untouched nature make you feel so small. I would definitely say a road trip is the best way to explore this country, but there are also bus options for those who don’t drive.
Although the majority of travellers starts their road trip in Auckland, in the north of New Zealand, we did the opposite. We did not plan this trip far in advance. So because it was all quite last minute our only option was to start in Christchurch. I believe the reason most people start in the north is that the southern island is considered to be more spectacular. So if you do it right you build up the wow effect. Nevertheless, we were amazed after every turn and this route worked out fine for us!
Day 1: Christchurch – Lake Pukaki
We rented a van at Spaceship rentals in Christchurch and drove to the brightest and bluest lakes I had ever seen, Lake Tekapi and lake Pukaki. Surrounded by the iconic purple flowers called Lupins, it was just like a postcard! That night we stayed at a very basic but free campsite just next to lake Pukaki We prepared dinner at the back of the van in the dark, while wearing gloves because of the cold. I guess we expected the beginning of summer to be a tiny bit warmer than this..
The following morning we woke up by the sound of chirping birds and decided to take a look around. Wow! The lake was even more gorgeous by daylight and it was way bigger than I thought. The snowcapped mountains created a breathtaking backdrop.
Day 2: Lake Pukaki to Wanaka and Queenstown
Our plan for day 2 was to do a hike at Mount Cook. Sadly, halfway on route the weather got very bad and the sun had made room for thick clouds, which soon turned into showers and fog. By the time we got to the info center, it was raining like crazy with a visibility of 0. We were still in for a walk, but all trails were closed due to the weather conditions. As the weather wasn’t guaranteed to be better tomorrow, we decided to move on in the direction of Wanaka. On the way, we passed by another beautiful lake: Lake Ruataniwha. We also stopped at the Clay Cliffs near Omarama, to go for a walk. Since it’s located on private property there is a small fee to enter and park your car.
The scenery then changed from green and snowcapped mountains to big dry grassy hills while we crossed the Lindis Pass. Right before we reached the town of Wanaka, we did the short Mount Iron track. This is only a 4,5 km loop and gives you pretty views of Lake Wanaka and the mountains. After a coffee and a chai in town we wandered around the lake with its famous tree. #ThatWanakaTree, as it’s called on Google Maps, is quite an interesting phenomenon.
We continued our drive to Queenstown. This city is one has an epic location, right at the lake and surrounded by…mountains! It might sound a bit monotonous, but every view was unique. It’s simply impossible to describe the beauty of nature. Right before we reached our camping in Queenstown we had a little car accident where a guy just bumped into our van while we were waiting at a light. Thankfully this didn’t create too much drama.
The camping we stayed at in Queenstown, Queenstown Holiday Park Creeksyde, was quite fancy compared to the previous. There was an actual building with hot showers and everything. The centre of Queenstown was within walking distance from the campground, so that was also a plus. We bought some travel accessories and treated ourselves to a tasty dinner.
Day 3: Queenstown
On day 3 we started with an easy hike to Queenstown Hill. It was a nice walk, mostly through the “forest” and the top gave us an open view over the city and the lake. You might think how a hill can give you such a good view, well, Queenstown Hill is not your average hill.
Our next destination was the Fiordland National Park, which was quite a drive. On the way, we stopped for coffee at an alpaca farm. I don’t know if this is just my lack of general NZ knowledge, but alpacas are the last animals I expected to find in New Zealand. We reached our campsite (including view on a mini waterfall) late afternoon. Once we settled in we went for a walk in the forest next to the campsite, which led us to a beautiful river. Stretching the legs after such a long drive felt good. Once we got back it started to get dark already so it was time to prepare some food at the cooking station outside. Although it was really cold it still felt kind of cozy with the other travellers around.
Day 4: Fiordland National Park
Our next and 4th morning started extra early as we planned a kayak tour around Milford Sound, which started at !? Although it was quite cloudy, the experience was still awesome because the guides were so passionate. We could really feel it in the way they shared their stories and information. It was all fun and games until we had a near death experience! All of a sudden a full tree came down one of the rocks and splashed into the water, it almost hit one of the guides. Even the guide was shocked cause it happened all so quickly and unexpectedly. In all those years he had never experienced anything like that.
After some food we regained energy and headed towards Glendhu Bay. We had a lovely night at Glendhu Bay Motor Camp, right at the lake. Would definitely recommend this camp.
Day 5: Glendhu Bay – Blue Waters – Franz Josef
Day 5 started quite grey but we planned to explore the area and went for a walk in the Diamond Lake Conservation Area. After this mini hike, we continued our drive over “The Neck” in the direction of Blue Pools. And even though we had terrible weather, the water was still bright crystal blue. Over the Haast Pass our journey continued and there were lots of waterfalls to stop at on the way. The left photo below is at Thunder Creek Falls. I’m sure this route is even more stunning when the sun is shining.
Day 6/7/8: Stuck at Franz Josef Glacier
Due to the heavy rain, roads were flooded and we were stuck in Franz Josef, a tiny village. We came here for the glacier and I was thinking of skydiving, but all our plans were ruined. The highlight of our days here was the Terrace Walk and an afternoon spent at the Franz Josef Glacier Hot Pools. Luckily after 3 long days we could leave the village.
Day 8: Kaikoura – Nelson Lakes
Our next stop was Kaikoura as we had a Whale watching tour booked. Due to the bad weather of the past few days the situation on the sea wasn’t good enough and they didn’t expect to see any whales. Unfortunately, our planning was pretty tight so we didn’t want to waste a day in Kaikoura to see if we could get on the tour the following day. We went for plan B and headed to Nelson Lakes National Park. Yay, more lakes surrounded by mountains. I must say though, this lake was different in colour, more greenish than blue, and extremely clear. There are several hikes that you can do here, we chose one near Lake Rototi.
Day 9/10: Abel Tasman National Park
After a night spent in a bit of a creepy campsite by ourselves we drove to our last national park on the South Island: Abel Tasman National Park. On the way we passed by hills filled with small yellow flowers, it looked so nice! As we arrived in Abel Tasman before noon we decided to start with a hike right away. Our first hike was from Anchorage to Marahau, which was about 12 km. The weather was amazing, sunny, super warm, just perfect! Compared to the other parks this is quite a “tropical” one. There are still lakes, but no mountains like we had seen before. The park is located in the north of the island at the coast, so there is more of a sea breeze andddd beaches! After walking for a couple of hours, we arrived back in town right in time for dinner.
The following morning we started with a kayak tour which took about 2 hours. Our guide explained a lot about all the flora and fauna in this park. It was quite a workout but the sun was out and we had great company, so what’s a better way to start your day!? After lunch on the beach it was time for our hike back from Bark Bay via Torrent Bay to Anchorage. At Anchorage we were picked up by boats. The group in front of us apparently saw whales on the way back.. I guess it was just not meant to be for us.
Day 11: Marlborough – Wellington
Our trip on the South Island had come to an end, it was time for us to take the ferry to the North. Our ferry departed very early and took a couple of hours. It was a clear day so we could enjoy the breathtaking views around us. Once we arrived in Wellington we did the necessary shoppings and quickly got back on the road again. Nature or actually sunset was calling us. The next day we had a big hike planned for which we needed to leave very early, so we wanted to reach the campground before sunset. Our timing was perfect and we even had a nice pinky sunset to enjoy!
The second part of the trip was spent on the North Island of New Zealand, which also had some really cool spots!
Travelbecks 