2025 New Zealand

After a false start in 2024 due to Belinda’s collision with a certain rottweiler, we made it to the land of the long white cloud almost exactly one year later with Melissa (Belinda’s sister) & Kevin McKillop-Davies.

We flew into Queenstown early in February which would be our start & end point for the south island.

Hooker Valley & Mt. Cook

After just a one night stopover in Queenstown we headed off to Twizel which would be our base to explore the Hooker Valley Track and get up close to Mt. Cook & the Tasman Glacier.

After driving up to Twizel we took the opportunity to go out to do the Tasman Glacier walk which would allow us to get out early next morning to do the Hooker Valley Track.

Driving out to both the glacier & the track you get stunning views of Mt. Cook & the other mountains around it including Mt. Tasman.

It was disappointing that the walk out to the glacier lookout nearer the glacier was undergoing repairs/reconstruction. We were diverted to another lookout which was further away than the one we were hoping to go to. The interesting thing about the glacier is its colour. Due to all the rocks, dirt & silt that it carries it doesn’t look like your “classic” glacier, except for its “cliff face” which is the “traditional” blue ice colour.

The following day we got an early start so we could be on the track by at least 8am. We arrived between 7:30 & 8am and were surprised by the large number of vehicles already there.

The Hooker Valley Track is a 10km out and back walk via the same track which incorporates 3 suspension bridges. The walk takes about 3 hours but at the end of the track you are rewarded with great views of Hooker Lake, which is a glacial lake, and Mt. Cook.

We left Twizel the following day for Christchurch for a couple of nights.

On the way we stopped in at Lake Tekapo and the photogenic Church of the Good Shepherd and a quaint little place called Three Creeks which looks like it came straight out of the Cars cartoon movie.

I’m not sure why Christchurch is on the tourist map as such as it has no real appeal other than the “earthquake curiosity”. We were pretty happy to move on from there.

Kaikoura

Kaikoura is quite famous for a number of things, with most of them being associated with the sea.

We were told about a couple of places where they have seal colonies on the shore where they have families including quite small pups and you are quite close to them.

Additionally Kaikoura is the only place to go whale watching in New Zealand. Whilst Kaikoura attracts a variety of whales ie; Humpback, Southern Right, Orca and Blue whales, the Sperm whale is the year round resident in Kaikoura.

Unfortunately the Sperm whale spend the majority of its time at depth under water and only comes up for 5-15 minutes at which time it is not as visually obvious as the Humpback whale with its breaching, fin slapping etc.

Whilst we saw one whale at a bit of a distance and for literally seconds in very rough seas.

On the bright side, on the way back in we were surrounded by a pod of around 200-300 Dusky Dolphins that looked like they were having the time of their lives jumping out of the water doing tumbles & somersaults continuously.

Nelson

On the way up to Nelson we stopped in at Picton for lunch. Picton is the pretty little town where the ferries arrive & depart for the north island, traversing the Cook Straight.

One of the main things we wanted to at Nelson was to go to the Abel Tasman National Park and do one of their walks where you are taken to a point by boat and then you hike through on the tracks through the bush & around the coast to a predetermined pick up some 4 hours later.

Nelson also has quite a large wine growing area, so it would be rude if we didn’t at least try a few glasses!

We took a drive out to Nelson Lakes which is a very picturesque drive as the lakes are as well.

One area was incredibly bad with swarming midgies or some sort of stinging insect that we had to get back in the car & move. The lakes are very photogenic and there was quite an unusual site of ducks swimming above a “swarm” of eels. I’d expect an occasional one legged duck after that!

Hokatika

On the drive down to Kokatika we called in at Punakaiki to have a look at Pancake Rocks which is a coastal area with curious limestone formations, blowholes and a pretty rugged coastline.

Hokatika itself is a small coastal town with its main attraction, for us at least, the Hokatika Gorge. Upon arrival at Hokatika we took a walk up the beach which was not the most inviting of beaches from its rough murky seas to the enormous amount of wood washed up.

Cleverly it appears someone had a great idea to make use of the wood and put on a beach sculpture competition using just the wood on the beach. Some people are clever.

The following morning we ventured out to Hokatika Gorge, hopefully before the crowds. Fortunately we did beat the crowds and followed by a reasonably short walk we came upon the gorge filled by glacial melt & run off giving it its distinctive colour.

Franz Josef

We were looking forward to going to Franz Josef to see both Fox & Franz Josef glaciers but to also see them a bit closer up from a helicopter with a landing up top of the mountain.

We called in to Lake Matheson which had a walk and also saw Fox Glacier from a distance.

The afternoon we arrived was overcast and helicopter flights had been grounded. Our prayers were answered next morning when we were greeted by a sunny morning.

We were doubly fortunate as the helicopter company contacted us and brought our flight forward by an hour. Fortunate as an hour after our flight, with cloud having rolled in, all flights were grounded once more.

We have been on helicopters a number of times before but this flight was probably the best just in front of the Okavango Delta flight. The scenery was stunning particularly when you are standing on snow & ice on top of a mountain looking down at the clouds. Spectacular.

Wanaka & Lake Hawea

After Franz Josef our next priority was Milford Sound however it was too far to drive in one hit so we chose to stay at Lake Hawea & call in to Wanaka to see the “famous” Wanaka Tree.

Having ticked off this barely Instagram worthy site we proceeded to Lake Hawea where we were staying the night. We took a bit of a walk along the shores of the picturesque lake during a very cold & windy afternoon.

Milford Sound

The drive down to Te Anau, where we were staying for our Milford Sound trip, took us back through Queenstown and beyond.

The following day we set off on the 120km drive to Milford Sound ferry terminal where we would board our vessel for the afternoon. However we had a few stops along the way to break up the trip & also enjoy the views.

We spent a couple of hours on a cruise through Milford Sound. It is quite spectacular and even the onboard monotone commentary couldn’t overshadow its grandeur.

Queenstown

Eventually we have made it back to Queenstown after circumnavigating most of the south island. Queenstown is a very busy tourist town with plenty of activities for the active and not so active minded. Our accommodation was a 3 storey house up above Lake Wakatipu with great views.

After spending a day wandering around & exploring Queenstown the following day we took a trip out to Glenorchy via Moke Lake. The scenery on the way there and past Glenorchy looking up to Mount Earnslaw was, as per normal on the south island, quite spectacular.

Another day we ventured out to Cromwell, a little town about an hour out of Queenstown. Cromwell has a very historic section which sprung up in the gold rush of the 1860’s. The day we visited was bitterly cold with a breeze straight of the antarctic.

Many of the old buildings are still there today, preserved for historical purposes as well as some which are still there but either submerged or slightly buried due to the creation of Lake Dunstan as a result of the Clyde Dam being built.

We were all really looking forward to going on the Shotover jet boats after everything we’d heard and seen. We were not disappointed.

Able to operate in 100mm of water and missing canyon walls by inches this was just great fun. The drivers are so skillful that you never even think of hitting a wall. The 180⁰ spins are a highlight.

From here we were driving past where they do Bungy Jumping off a bridge so, with absolutely no thought of participating we thought we’d call in for a look. After seeing a few people take the leap none of us were convinced to give it a go.

We were told that you really should go out to Arrowtown , being an old historic town with lots of old building and that old world charm.

Well, the buildings in the town centre are nice however it has been turned into a “touristy” shopping strip with no “old soul”. Pretty tacky to be honest.

Down below the town there were some old “shanty” buildings mainly built & housed Chinese during the gold rush era of the 1860’s.

We went up to Coronet Peak which is Queenstown’s main snow ski location. The views are pretty awesome and the road up is quite winding so it would be an “interesting” drive in the depth of winter. We also went up the Skyline gondola where we did the luge which was a lot of fun.

Taupo

Melissa & Kevin flew home after Queenstown whereas we flew up to Auckland to spend a week on the north island.

The drive down to Taupo from Auckland airport was “interesting” in that the main highway down to Taupo was closed in two sections due to roadworks which necessitated a couple of detours which added an hour to our trip.

The area is well known as a holiday destination due to Lake Taupo plus there is quite a lot of thermal activity around it.

The other well known attraction is Huka Falls which is where the Waikato River narrows and flows into Lake Taupo thus creating rapids & a rushing waterfall at the end. We did a 6km return walk

Rotorua

On the way to Coromandel from Taupo we took the opportunity to call into Te Puia at Rotorua which is a combination of Maori cultural displays, thermal activity including geysers & mudpots and wildlife with some of the only Kiwis in captivity.

Coromandel

The final stop on our New Zealand journey was at Coromandel which is another popular holiday spot for Kiwis. The final part of the drive to Coromandel from Thames is a very winding single lane road absolutely hugging the shore.

Our accommodation was in a quiet little area with great water views with a small beach across the communal driveway at the front of the house.

We took a drive over to the other side of the Coromandel Peninsula, via a lookout over the Hauraki Gulf, to see a couple of places we’d been told to go see. The first was “Hot Water Beach”. With all the thermal activity here on the north island it was no great surprise to turn up to an ocean beach only to see people with shovels, digging holes in the sand which then fills with hot water which they duly sit in like a spa. Belinda was wholly unimpressed.

We then went on to Cathedral Cove which required a heart pumping 2.3km walk each way. New Zealand’s most famous patch of sand, Cathedral Cove is renowned for its picture-perfect archway that frames a stunning beach of creamy white sand and bright emerald waters.