New Zealand!
Sure, it's home, but there's a lot of really cool stuff I've done here - as they say, don't leave home 'til you've seen the country! So here's some of the things I've done, in no particular date order (but I have tried to group them north to south!)...
Auckland
Auckland is where you'll mostly likely enter NZ, also most likely after an exceptionally long flight as Los Angeles is around 11 hours away, and is Santiago, Chile; but if you want to go for the big one, you can do the 18 hour direct flight from Doha, Qatar (if you are lucky, 16 1/2 hours with wind assistance!). But if you're coming from Australia, only a short 3 1/2 hours from Sydney!
First thing to do in Auckland after your long haul flight; go to your hotel and have a nap, you'll be jet lagged! Don't be a loser who hires a car and drives a few hours away; you'll be a danger to everyone on the road when you start falling asleep at the wheel.
Second thing to do in Auckland; get out, haha. Nah, it's not that bad, but in comparison to other places to go in NZ, Auckland is a city at the end of the day, set up around business.
Not to say there aren't great things to do if you are sticking around for a few days! Stay in the city centre - it's the best place to be able to catch transport to anywhere.
Whatever you do, do your research before you come to NZ, otherwise your major experience of Auckland will likely be shopping malls!
First thing to do in Auckland after your long haul flight; go to your hotel and have a nap, you'll be jet lagged! Don't be a loser who hires a car and drives a few hours away; you'll be a danger to everyone on the road when you start falling asleep at the wheel.
Second thing to do in Auckland; get out, haha. Nah, it's not that bad, but in comparison to other places to go in NZ, Auckland is a city at the end of the day, set up around business.
Not to say there aren't great things to do if you are sticking around for a few days! Stay in the city centre - it's the best place to be able to catch transport to anywhere.
- Catch a ferry to Rangitoto and climb an island volcano (disclaimer - not active!). Or, bus towards Mission Bay, go to Fergs Kayaks, and rent a kayak and paddle the 3 km there...
- Eat at any of the amazing restaurants in town! Everything from fine dining to food courts, everything is good. Warning - you WILL gain weight in NZ!
- Head to the Viaduct on a Friday or Saturday night for the nightlife
- On the subject of food, don't leave NZ without eating fish and chips at a beach!
- If you're a competent surfer, head to Muriwai or Piha. If you aren't, don't go there expecting a nice swim; the waves are vicious. Takapuna or Mission Bay have nice swimming beaches, but they will be packed with people on a sunny weekend!
Whatever you do, do your research before you come to NZ, otherwise your major experience of Auckland will likely be shopping malls!
Go camping!
That little Covid pandemic that stopped us catching planes did restart an older form of holiday trip - the summer camping trip! A group of us bought some tents, and now it's an annual thing. There's so many campgrounds around NZ and the facilities are pretty good these days with showers and kitchens and often BBQs as well.
You probably won't be camping if you are here as a 2 week tourist, but if you've hired a campervan, they're a pretty good budget friendly option to stay at! And I'm not going to lie, but sitting around in the evening sipping bubbles, eating cheese and crackers, and playing board games, is not a bad lifestyle :)
You probably won't be camping if you are here as a 2 week tourist, but if you've hired a campervan, they're a pretty good budget friendly option to stay at! And I'm not going to lie, but sitting around in the evening sipping bubbles, eating cheese and crackers, and playing board games, is not a bad lifestyle :)
Gisborne
What can you do in Gisborne? Feed some stingrays, with Dive Tatapouri! You get around one hour at low tide with them (the tide comes in fast, which is why the time is limited) and they LOVE the tour guides, which is why they come back day after day. Basically they are like big friendly [slimey] puppies, and if they decide they like you too, you'll get leg bumps, and if you're extra lucky, they'll start climbing your leg a little bit for pats! Definitely do this, it's awesome :)
If you're heading down to Hawkes Bay afterwards, stop in at Morere Hot Springs for a couple of hours soaking in the many pools in the middle of a forest. If you get there around 10am you may even get an hour or two with the pools all to yourself before anyone else comes! Bliss :)
If you're heading down to Hawkes Bay afterwards, stop in at Morere Hot Springs for a couple of hours soaking in the many pools in the middle of a forest. If you get there around 10am you may even get an hour or two with the pools all to yourself before anyone else comes! Bliss :)
Napier/Hawkes Bay
I'm a little bit biased, as I moved to Napier from Auckland in 2008, and now it's home and I can't image being based anywhere else :) Due to the microclimate here (nestled beside the sea, with mountain ranges in the distance, we're the fruit bowl of NZ - home of apples, peaches, apricots, boysenberries, all the good stuff! And the bit one, grapes; over 80 wineries are based here. With all the apples, the cideries are relocating to Hawkes Bay to be close to the apples; and beer breweries are starting to pop up everywhere. In 2008 Napier was seen as a bit of a sleepy backwater by my Auckland friends; now it's aspirational, and just about everyone that visits doesn't leave without checking out the real estate listings!
To be fair, bring some stretchy pants if you do come here, as you'll probably be eating and wine tasting most of the time. But there's a few other things that are 'Destination Napier'
To be fair, bring some stretchy pants if you do come here, as you'll probably be eating and wine tasting most of the time. But there's a few other things that are 'Destination Napier'
- The annual Mission Concert. This is the big event of the year, around February, where Napier is flooded with out of towners to see the artist playing at the Mission Estate winery every year. And we are talking big guns - this year alone (2020) we had Elton John and Michael Buble; Rod Stewart has come several times; my first concert was Eric Clapton in 2007 (and the weekend was so fabulous that it triggered my move to Napier!). Tickets sell out in around 5 minutes these days, so you have to be quick! If you miss out, Church Road winery next door has also got into the concert game; not quite the A list of Elton John, but definitely B+ list, with artist like Fat Boy Slim, Toto and UB40 recently! And Black Barn winery is also getting in on the game, with acts like Bryan Adams recently (and they do amazing movie nights in the vines around Christmas/New Years). Not bad lineups for a city of around 80,000 :)
- The annual Art Deco festival (also February). Napier was flattened by an earthquake in 1931, and rebuilt in the Art Deco style of the day (got to the MTG museum n town for a great exhibition around the earthquake and also the rebuild). A while back some bright marketing spark though it might be fun to have a festival based around 1930's theme, and now it's A THING! It's nearly a week long, people come from everywhere, cruise ships come specifically for the festival. It's not compulsory to dress up in 1930's fashion, but you'll be in the minority if your haven't! Come along, see the vintage car parade, watch the warbird airplane flyovers, dance to the big band at the Soundshell in the evening. I have to admit I shunned it for years as 'for tourists' - but I'm on board now. It's really fun!
Canoe the Whanganui River
I did the 3 day, 90km trip with Canoe Safaris (based in Ohakune, gateway to the Turoa ski fields). It's FANTASTIC - completely off the grid, surrounded by nature. Makes you forget all your worries when you're staring at a waterfall!
Day 1, we paddled around 40km, Day 2 was 30km, and Day 3 the final 20km. We stayed at DOC stations along the river - with toilets for those that wondered! Though you probably want to bring some toilet paper in a water proof back for the trip, as not all the break stops had toilets... also bring some sanitiser! Canoe Safaris supply all food also, and holy moley is it good.
I went in October at the start of the season, so it was still quite cold at night (around 6 degrees - bring a warm sleeping bag!) and a bit rainy, but the benefit was the river was high and running fast, so much easier to cover 40km on the first day when the river is pushing behind you! The other benefit of doing this in October (Labour Weekend) was it was the tail end of the ski season so there will still lot of food outlets open - a lot of Ohakune restaurants close over summer.
Did I fall out - yes :( Was it freezing - yes :( Am I glad I took the guided tour and didn't try to do this on my own? YES! We got bumped out by a boil - a jet of water that suddenly shoots up from the river bed. There's no predicting them, so it was just unlucky timing being it that spot at that time! Another reason to have everything packed in waterproof bags - also tied on! I had bought my waterproof camera with me and luckily left my cellphone back at the base in Ohakune. Luckily I had tied my camera strap to the boat, so didn't lose it!
On the second day we stopped at the Bridge to Nowhere which has a fascinating history (how can you lose a bridge?!), and the third day the weather was lovely and sunny for a gentle final paddle to the river exit.
The rapids can be a bit scary, but we had good guides who knew the easiest paths through them. Be prepared for some climbing, as the campsites are quite high above the river - pack light, as whatever you pack, needs to be hauled up to the campsite each night!
Also if you aren't an athlete, like me, you'll probably be quite sore at the end! I chose to stay the night in Ohakune rather than do a 3 hour drive home, definitely a good idea. Canoe Safaris have their own accommodation, also a spa pool, so some good relaxing options!
I also found Ohakune has NZ's best chocolate eclair shop, and nearly Raetihi has a dinosaur museum which is totally kitsch but totally worth killing a couple of hours in if you are a dino geek like me!
Word of warning! The mud on the river is SLIPPERY and my balance is not good at the best of times! After being super careful the whole trip, I got overconfident on the last 10m of the last lunch stop... just about to get into the canoe, went for a slide, ankle twisted under me.. tore a ligament. With 10km of river to go, there was nothing else to do but soldier on... but an X-ray back in Napier the next day had me in a moon boot for the next few weeks. Lucky I worked from home at the time!
Day 1, we paddled around 40km, Day 2 was 30km, and Day 3 the final 20km. We stayed at DOC stations along the river - with toilets for those that wondered! Though you probably want to bring some toilet paper in a water proof back for the trip, as not all the break stops had toilets... also bring some sanitiser! Canoe Safaris supply all food also, and holy moley is it good.
I went in October at the start of the season, so it was still quite cold at night (around 6 degrees - bring a warm sleeping bag!) and a bit rainy, but the benefit was the river was high and running fast, so much easier to cover 40km on the first day when the river is pushing behind you! The other benefit of doing this in October (Labour Weekend) was it was the tail end of the ski season so there will still lot of food outlets open - a lot of Ohakune restaurants close over summer.
Did I fall out - yes :( Was it freezing - yes :( Am I glad I took the guided tour and didn't try to do this on my own? YES! We got bumped out by a boil - a jet of water that suddenly shoots up from the river bed. There's no predicting them, so it was just unlucky timing being it that spot at that time! Another reason to have everything packed in waterproof bags - also tied on! I had bought my waterproof camera with me and luckily left my cellphone back at the base in Ohakune. Luckily I had tied my camera strap to the boat, so didn't lose it!
On the second day we stopped at the Bridge to Nowhere which has a fascinating history (how can you lose a bridge?!), and the third day the weather was lovely and sunny for a gentle final paddle to the river exit.
The rapids can be a bit scary, but we had good guides who knew the easiest paths through them. Be prepared for some climbing, as the campsites are quite high above the river - pack light, as whatever you pack, needs to be hauled up to the campsite each night!
Also if you aren't an athlete, like me, you'll probably be quite sore at the end! I chose to stay the night in Ohakune rather than do a 3 hour drive home, definitely a good idea. Canoe Safaris have their own accommodation, also a spa pool, so some good relaxing options!
I also found Ohakune has NZ's best chocolate eclair shop, and nearly Raetihi has a dinosaur museum which is totally kitsch but totally worth killing a couple of hours in if you are a dino geek like me!
Word of warning! The mud on the river is SLIPPERY and my balance is not good at the best of times! After being super careful the whole trip, I got overconfident on the last 10m of the last lunch stop... just about to get into the canoe, went for a slide, ankle twisted under me.. tore a ligament. With 10km of river to go, there was nothing else to do but soldier on... but an X-ray back in Napier the next day had me in a moon boot for the next few weeks. Lucky I worked from home at the time!
Bulls - it's incredi-Bull!
Bulls may be a small town in the middle of the road between Palmerston North and Whanganui, but they've taken an inch and run a mile with it by rebranding everything they could with 'Bull' in it! Stop in to check out the police station (full of Const-a-Bulls); the doctors (Cur-a-Bull); the rubbish bins (Recycl-a-Bull); you get the picture!
Go to Cuba Dupa in Wellington
Cuba Dupa is a relatively new festival held at the end of March over a Saturday and Sunday in Cuba Street, central city Wellington. There's a pretty eclectic bunch of bands and artists either roaming around or at set stages, and normally it wouldn't be my sort of thing, but OUR BAND WAS PLAYING! It turns out that Cuba Dupa is also the annual NZ samba band gathering place! And not only do all the bands perform separately and get to check each other out, but on the Sunday all the bands merge into one giant 200-ish person band, and take over Cuba Street for around an hour. Crazy cool! Pro tip - book a hotel nearby, as you'll be there til midnight on Saturday night!
And it turned out, once I was at Cuba Dupa, it's an insanely fun festival, with acts like the Oompah band from New Orleans, or the Zebra people (VERY good zebra imitations!). I love a good food truck, and they have around 50 in the food alley. And if you want to get away for a hour or two, Cuba Street is really close to all the other key Wellington attractions; Te Papa Museum of NZ; Wellington Museum (NOT Te Papa - well worth a visit for the quirky exhibits); the Sunday markets behind Te Papa; and obviously all the cool bars and restaurants in Wellington. We had cocktails on the rooftop at The Arborist, fondue at The Library bar (note - not at the Library!), key lime pie at Sweet Mothers Kitchen, and I won't say where it is, but there is a bar that if you walk through the wardrobe, you access a secret room. I LOVE secret bar rooms!
What else is in Wellington? Oh just Wellywood - definitely catch a bus to Miramar, home of Weta Workshops (if you are confused on the bus ride and think you are in the middle of suburbia, you are in the right place! Ask the bus driver where to get off, as the bus stops at the end of the street - the driver will point you where to go, it's around 200m walk to the studio. You'll definitely see it when you arrive!). Start at the free Weta Cave, then pay to do the Weta Cave Workshop behind the scenes tour where you can see not just artifacts of movies like Lord of the Rings, but also watch people working on current creations for upcoming movies! Also pay for the second Miniature Effects tour, where they take you to another studio where they made the updated version of Thunderbirds, and show you all the sets and explain how they were made - I will never look at a paperclip the same way again! If you only have time for one tour, pick which ever one takes your fancy - if you have time for both, buy the combo ticket.
And it turned out, once I was at Cuba Dupa, it's an insanely fun festival, with acts like the Oompah band from New Orleans, or the Zebra people (VERY good zebra imitations!). I love a good food truck, and they have around 50 in the food alley. And if you want to get away for a hour or two, Cuba Street is really close to all the other key Wellington attractions; Te Papa Museum of NZ; Wellington Museum (NOT Te Papa - well worth a visit for the quirky exhibits); the Sunday markets behind Te Papa; and obviously all the cool bars and restaurants in Wellington. We had cocktails on the rooftop at The Arborist, fondue at The Library bar (note - not at the Library!), key lime pie at Sweet Mothers Kitchen, and I won't say where it is, but there is a bar that if you walk through the wardrobe, you access a secret room. I LOVE secret bar rooms!
What else is in Wellington? Oh just Wellywood - definitely catch a bus to Miramar, home of Weta Workshops (if you are confused on the bus ride and think you are in the middle of suburbia, you are in the right place! Ask the bus driver where to get off, as the bus stops at the end of the street - the driver will point you where to go, it's around 200m walk to the studio. You'll definitely see it when you arrive!). Start at the free Weta Cave, then pay to do the Weta Cave Workshop behind the scenes tour where you can see not just artifacts of movies like Lord of the Rings, but also watch people working on current creations for upcoming movies! Also pay for the second Miniature Effects tour, where they take you to another studio where they made the updated version of Thunderbirds, and show you all the sets and explain how they were made - I will never look at a paperclip the same way again! If you only have time for one tour, pick which ever one takes your fancy - if you have time for both, buy the combo ticket.
West Coast, South Island
Due to a little global pandemic, I didn't travel to my planned destination for my 50th birthday... so I became a backpacker in my own country instead, and travelled to the West Coast, where I'd never visited before!
I planned the trip like I was a backpacker, staying in hostels, but also threw in a few treats - it was a milestone after all! So thanks to a few hot deals while there were no international tourists, I managed a week away for around $2500.
I flew to Christchurch, stayed the night there, and caught the morning TranzAlpine train to Greymouth. It's one of the great train journeys in the world and at around 5 hours long, much more comfortable than driving! The scenery is just beautiful and it's a very relaxing trip!
At Greymouth, I hired a 4WD through Apex (those roads can be a little rough!) and it was a super smooth ride for the entire trip. Went to Punakaiki/Pancake Rocks just as high tide hit, so got to see some spectacular blow holes, and was lucky enough to see some Hectors Dolphins at the river mouth in town. A great day! Stayed at Global Village Backpackers which was super comfortable, the owner was really helpful, and had a great African theme going!
Day 2 I travelled from Greymouth to Franz Josef, via the Hokitika Gorge. The water comes from glacier melt and it's a crazy blue colour! Meandered down the road to time reaching Lake Matheson for sunset. It's super reflective, and sunrise and sunset are the best time to be there as there are less ripples on the lake at this time. Unfortunately arrived just as the rain started, but it was still spectacular! Picked accommodation based on closeness to town and free soup - but when I arrived I found everyone was close t town and had free soup! So it doesn't really matter where you stay. :)
Day 3 was a big one as I did the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers helicopter flight and landing! Absolutely spectacular, you fly over Fox Glacier first, land at the top of Franz Josef, get to walk around the top and soak in the views, then fly down over the Franz Josef Glacier back to town. The way the ice just crumples is crazy, and you can see the clear blues from the ice caves. Though it's really sad to see just how much they have receded just in the last few years. I think I'd like to come back and to the ice cave tramp next!
After the excitement of the flight, it was back to Lake Matheson, as there wasn't a cloud in the sky today so hopeful of the full reflective effect! Arrived around 11am, so just managed to get the last of it - did the hour walk around the lake, and by the time I was halfway could definitely see the wind was rippling the lake. But again, I highly recommend visiting because it's lovely!
Headed onwards to Wanaka, with a stop at Haast for lunch (ronly ne overpriced pub open), and another stop at the Blue Pools (absolutely worth stopping at, as it's even crazier blue than Hokitika Gorge!). I've been to Wanaka before so this time it was really only a stop-the-night-to-break-up-the-trip destination. Though I had dinner at Big Fig and it was DELICIOUS Middle Eastern style food! If you do go to Wanaka and have more time than me, don't miss Puzzling World, and buy some Rippon Wines (best Riesling ever!)! Stayed at the local YHA, very budget friendly!
Day 5 was Wanaka to Te Anau, with an early start to time arrival with the 2pm boat departure to the Te Anau glow worm caves! I had read about these at primary school and LOVED the sound of them and finally got to see them! A lot smaller than I thought, but still quite magical and absolutely enjoyed it. Had dinner at the local food trucks - don't miss Bao Now! Stayed at the local YHA here also.
Day 6 I HAD to go to the Te Anau Bird Sanctuary, because at 10.30am, if you get a ticket from the Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre just outside town (which is also worth visiting for their mini-museum!), you can go into the enclosure for takahe feeding time! Takahe are incredibly endangered, and there were 6 at the sanctuary when I visited. Felt very special! There are other birds there also, and it's just a gold coin entry to the park.
Then onto the biggie for the trip - Milford Sound! Described as one of the most beautiful places in the world, it did not disappoint. The drive alone is so beautiful that you should double the recommended time, as you will want to keep stopping for photos. I thought I would treat myself and do the overnight cruise, and I would recommend everyone does this if they can; it's a minimum 2 hours drive from Te Anau, or 4 hours from Queenstown, so a long way if you go there and back in a day; also there is not a lot of accommodation or facilities in Milford Sound (no petrol station of grocery store!). But on the overnight you get a HUGE 3 course meal, bar service, games, an eco talk in the evening (go! it's really entertaining!) and I spent the night playing Cards Against Humanity with other travellers. Also saw dolphins and seals, and had the option of kayaking but had already gotten soaked once that day so had to pass...
Day 7 bought an early start to see the sunrise at the Tasman Sea, and our trip back had loads of waterfalls as it had rained the day before. The first snow had just arrived also, so while it was a bit chilly, it was beautiful! I think I need go back mid summer, so I can see it from two different seasons. Do it. Go. You won't regret it!
Got myself a little treat at the Homer Tunnel on the return journey, as there was a KEA! Not only one - another 4 flew in while a group of us were there. So cute! (though I know they'd rob me blind if I gave them half a chance! If you ever see a kea - SECURE EVERYTHING IMMEDIATELY!).
The onto Queenstown for my last night. It was a bit weird being back in such an urban setting with so many people after such a remote week! But had my first Fergburger (good, but Moby Dicks in Napier is better I reckon!), and also got some s'mores from the Cookie Time Cookiebar, so pampered myself a little! Also treated myself to a little luxury with accommodation, and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites, nice and close to town (but close in Queenstown still means quite a steep hill back from town!).
My last morning was time for one last treat, a soak at the Onsen Spa hot pools! These are just outside of town, on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Shotover River. If you are lucky you'll see the Shotover Jet boat doing it's thing; otherwise just soak in a private room, enjoy a glass of bubbles, eat some snacks, and admire the view (I think I spent my first 15 minutes just taking photos and not even getting in the hot pool!). Just time after that for a quick catchup with my primary school bestie Sean for lunch, then it was time to drop off my trusty 4WD and get back on the plane home. BTW Queenstown central traffic is crazy - I had lunch in Frankton (which is quite built up these days!) to avoid having to get through it on the way back to the airport.
SO! A lovely trip. :) I travelled in April, so it was getting cooler, but pretty much had sunny days most of the time. Bring a range of clothes - I would switch from shorts to trousers to raingear many times - and it WILL be cold at night in April. Plan for rain in Milford Sound - it's actually better if it does, as the waterfalls will be flowing strongly! I would like to go back mid summer and maybe do some hiking when the weather is a bit warmer. But am still glad I got to see all the autumn colours in Queenstown, plus the snow on the mountains!
Go to the West Coast. It's amazing! I could easily had taken two weeks doing htts same route!
I planned the trip like I was a backpacker, staying in hostels, but also threw in a few treats - it was a milestone after all! So thanks to a few hot deals while there were no international tourists, I managed a week away for around $2500.
I flew to Christchurch, stayed the night there, and caught the morning TranzAlpine train to Greymouth. It's one of the great train journeys in the world and at around 5 hours long, much more comfortable than driving! The scenery is just beautiful and it's a very relaxing trip!
At Greymouth, I hired a 4WD through Apex (those roads can be a little rough!) and it was a super smooth ride for the entire trip. Went to Punakaiki/Pancake Rocks just as high tide hit, so got to see some spectacular blow holes, and was lucky enough to see some Hectors Dolphins at the river mouth in town. A great day! Stayed at Global Village Backpackers which was super comfortable, the owner was really helpful, and had a great African theme going!
Day 2 I travelled from Greymouth to Franz Josef, via the Hokitika Gorge. The water comes from glacier melt and it's a crazy blue colour! Meandered down the road to time reaching Lake Matheson for sunset. It's super reflective, and sunrise and sunset are the best time to be there as there are less ripples on the lake at this time. Unfortunately arrived just as the rain started, but it was still spectacular! Picked accommodation based on closeness to town and free soup - but when I arrived I found everyone was close t town and had free soup! So it doesn't really matter where you stay. :)
Day 3 was a big one as I did the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers helicopter flight and landing! Absolutely spectacular, you fly over Fox Glacier first, land at the top of Franz Josef, get to walk around the top and soak in the views, then fly down over the Franz Josef Glacier back to town. The way the ice just crumples is crazy, and you can see the clear blues from the ice caves. Though it's really sad to see just how much they have receded just in the last few years. I think I'd like to come back and to the ice cave tramp next!
After the excitement of the flight, it was back to Lake Matheson, as there wasn't a cloud in the sky today so hopeful of the full reflective effect! Arrived around 11am, so just managed to get the last of it - did the hour walk around the lake, and by the time I was halfway could definitely see the wind was rippling the lake. But again, I highly recommend visiting because it's lovely!
Headed onwards to Wanaka, with a stop at Haast for lunch (ronly ne overpriced pub open), and another stop at the Blue Pools (absolutely worth stopping at, as it's even crazier blue than Hokitika Gorge!). I've been to Wanaka before so this time it was really only a stop-the-night-to-break-up-the-trip destination. Though I had dinner at Big Fig and it was DELICIOUS Middle Eastern style food! If you do go to Wanaka and have more time than me, don't miss Puzzling World, and buy some Rippon Wines (best Riesling ever!)! Stayed at the local YHA, very budget friendly!
Day 5 was Wanaka to Te Anau, with an early start to time arrival with the 2pm boat departure to the Te Anau glow worm caves! I had read about these at primary school and LOVED the sound of them and finally got to see them! A lot smaller than I thought, but still quite magical and absolutely enjoyed it. Had dinner at the local food trucks - don't miss Bao Now! Stayed at the local YHA here also.
Day 6 I HAD to go to the Te Anau Bird Sanctuary, because at 10.30am, if you get a ticket from the Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre just outside town (which is also worth visiting for their mini-museum!), you can go into the enclosure for takahe feeding time! Takahe are incredibly endangered, and there were 6 at the sanctuary when I visited. Felt very special! There are other birds there also, and it's just a gold coin entry to the park.
Then onto the biggie for the trip - Milford Sound! Described as one of the most beautiful places in the world, it did not disappoint. The drive alone is so beautiful that you should double the recommended time, as you will want to keep stopping for photos. I thought I would treat myself and do the overnight cruise, and I would recommend everyone does this if they can; it's a minimum 2 hours drive from Te Anau, or 4 hours from Queenstown, so a long way if you go there and back in a day; also there is not a lot of accommodation or facilities in Milford Sound (no petrol station of grocery store!). But on the overnight you get a HUGE 3 course meal, bar service, games, an eco talk in the evening (go! it's really entertaining!) and I spent the night playing Cards Against Humanity with other travellers. Also saw dolphins and seals, and had the option of kayaking but had already gotten soaked once that day so had to pass...
Day 7 bought an early start to see the sunrise at the Tasman Sea, and our trip back had loads of waterfalls as it had rained the day before. The first snow had just arrived also, so while it was a bit chilly, it was beautiful! I think I need go back mid summer, so I can see it from two different seasons. Do it. Go. You won't regret it!
Got myself a little treat at the Homer Tunnel on the return journey, as there was a KEA! Not only one - another 4 flew in while a group of us were there. So cute! (though I know they'd rob me blind if I gave them half a chance! If you ever see a kea - SECURE EVERYTHING IMMEDIATELY!).
The onto Queenstown for my last night. It was a bit weird being back in such an urban setting with so many people after such a remote week! But had my first Fergburger (good, but Moby Dicks in Napier is better I reckon!), and also got some s'mores from the Cookie Time Cookiebar, so pampered myself a little! Also treated myself to a little luxury with accommodation, and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites, nice and close to town (but close in Queenstown still means quite a steep hill back from town!).
My last morning was time for one last treat, a soak at the Onsen Spa hot pools! These are just outside of town, on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Shotover River. If you are lucky you'll see the Shotover Jet boat doing it's thing; otherwise just soak in a private room, enjoy a glass of bubbles, eat some snacks, and admire the view (I think I spent my first 15 minutes just taking photos and not even getting in the hot pool!). Just time after that for a quick catchup with my primary school bestie Sean for lunch, then it was time to drop off my trusty 4WD and get back on the plane home. BTW Queenstown central traffic is crazy - I had lunch in Frankton (which is quite built up these days!) to avoid having to get through it on the way back to the airport.
SO! A lovely trip. :) I travelled in April, so it was getting cooler, but pretty much had sunny days most of the time. Bring a range of clothes - I would switch from shorts to trousers to raingear many times - and it WILL be cold at night in April. Plan for rain in Milford Sound - it's actually better if it does, as the waterfalls will be flowing strongly! I would like to go back mid summer and maybe do some hiking when the weather is a bit warmer. But am still glad I got to see all the autumn colours in Queenstown, plus the snow on the mountains!
Go to the West Coast. It's amazing! I could easily had taken two weeks doing htts same route!
Visit Dunedin
What can you do on a cold-ish midwinter weekend trip to Dunedin, "Edinburgh of the South"? Quite a bit actually!
1) The obvious, most famous thing to do is walk up Baldwin Street, aka the steepest street in the world! Yes it's steep but actually not too difficult to walk up (it looks longer than is actually is). There's a seat at the top to enjoy the view (translation: rest). Do it, take some cheesy photos of you walking on angles vs the houses on the walk up and back down again! And buy some jaffas before you come so you can roll them down the hill :)
2) Tour the Speights Brewery, see the home of the proudly local beer. TBH the best part for me was the 45min 'tasting session' in the brewery bar at the end - best because the tour guide started paying more attention to a couple of the more attractive girls in another group, and handed free rein of the bar over to the rest of us... which to be fair, the whole point of doing a beer brewery tour is the free drinks at the end, right? Little bit of cuteness: the brewery gets it's water from an underground spring, and has placed a tap out side the front door where anyone can fill bottles with the same water for free. Also, the Speights Pub is next door, which is ideal if you do an afternoon tour, as you can go next door for dinner!
3) Cadbury Factory! See chocolate being made! See the cool oldey timey cars! See the amazing chocolate waterfall! EAT THE FREE SAMPLES! (Note - Cadbury has since shut production in Dunedin, but OCHO chocolate has filled the gap. No chocolate waterfall, but they do tasting sessions - check the website for times!)
4) The Catlins. Amazing unspoiled wild wilderness around an hour south of Dunedin, with everything from seals, penguins, waterfalls and iconic lighthouses. We were a bit geeky and did some geocaching here as well. Also of note on the way back, you will drive through a small town where someone has decorated their front yard with teapots - well worth a stop to check out the kitchiness!
5) Visit the albatross colony! This is another drive out to the end of the peninsula opposite town. Pro tip - time your visit to be there around an hour before sunset, when the albatrosses some swooping back in. Jeepers creepers they are HUGE close up! The location is also a great spot for watching the container ships navigate the curvy channel in and out of Dunedin, and staring out into the vast wideness of the Pacific Ocean - next stop Chile! Very peaceful.
1) The obvious, most famous thing to do is walk up Baldwin Street, aka the steepest street in the world! Yes it's steep but actually not too difficult to walk up (it looks longer than is actually is). There's a seat at the top to enjoy the view (translation: rest). Do it, take some cheesy photos of you walking on angles vs the houses on the walk up and back down again! And buy some jaffas before you come so you can roll them down the hill :)
2) Tour the Speights Brewery, see the home of the proudly local beer. TBH the best part for me was the 45min 'tasting session' in the brewery bar at the end - best because the tour guide started paying more attention to a couple of the more attractive girls in another group, and handed free rein of the bar over to the rest of us... which to be fair, the whole point of doing a beer brewery tour is the free drinks at the end, right? Little bit of cuteness: the brewery gets it's water from an underground spring, and has placed a tap out side the front door where anyone can fill bottles with the same water for free. Also, the Speights Pub is next door, which is ideal if you do an afternoon tour, as you can go next door for dinner!
3) Cadbury Factory! See chocolate being made! See the cool oldey timey cars! See the amazing chocolate waterfall! EAT THE FREE SAMPLES! (Note - Cadbury has since shut production in Dunedin, but OCHO chocolate has filled the gap. No chocolate waterfall, but they do tasting sessions - check the website for times!)
4) The Catlins. Amazing unspoiled wild wilderness around an hour south of Dunedin, with everything from seals, penguins, waterfalls and iconic lighthouses. We were a bit geeky and did some geocaching here as well. Also of note on the way back, you will drive through a small town where someone has decorated their front yard with teapots - well worth a stop to check out the kitchiness!
5) Visit the albatross colony! This is another drive out to the end of the peninsula opposite town. Pro tip - time your visit to be there around an hour before sunset, when the albatrosses some swooping back in. Jeepers creepers they are HUGE close up! The location is also a great spot for watching the container ships navigate the curvy channel in and out of Dunedin, and staring out into the vast wideness of the Pacific Ocean - next stop Chile! Very peaceful.