There and Back Again: An Adventurer’s Tale of New Zealand [PART 1]
Views from a ferry in the Marlborough Sounds
For years, New Zealand has been at the top of my travel bucket list. Yes, I discovered it from watching The Lord of the Rings movies, BUT after researching the country more avidly I discovered how beautiful and diverse its landscape is—beyond those incredible mountainous scenes from the movies! I knew I had to go, so in 2020 I booked a month-long trip to the southernmost country in Oceania.
During my mid-February to mid-March trip (the end of NZ’s summer), I experienced pristine beaches, lively towns, exciting nature excursions, and a unique culture. My excursion took me through many areas of the country, both in the South Island and the North Island. Here are some of my favorite experiences! Use the map as a reference of my travel itinerary.
My Route through New Zealand
I started in Auckland (north), flew to Queenstown (far south), and then made my way back north to Auckland. Part 1 of my adventure includes everything I did on the South Island.
Auckland Part 1
I started my journey with an Air New Zealand flight from Los Angeles to Auckland (best airline ever—I got free blankets, pillows, headphones, and two meals in economy!). Once I arrived, I hit the ground running—and never stopped the whole trip.
I spent my first day in Auckland and returned at the end of the trip, so I didn’t stress about seeing everything in Auckland that day.
For my first activity, I visited the top of the Sky Tower. It was pricey and not the tallest or most impressive building I’d ever been in, but the views around the city and out into the ocean were beautiful. I especially loved watching people bungee jump off the top and getting a bird’s eye view of their landing. In case you’re wondering, I definitely did not bungee jump.
After that, I wandered around town for a while, walking along piers and around shops, and then ended my jet-lagged adventures for the day at Giapo for a unique ice cream experience. During mid-day, soon after opening, they already had a line well out the door. They take their ice cream creations very seriously, showing metal replicas of each option (cones with lips, chocolate octopuses, edible hearts, etc.), giving a sample of every flavor, and thoroughly explaining the artfulness of each piece. I went with an ice cream cone with a doughnut on top, all dipped in chocolate (day one and already indulging!) and my travel partner went with the “broken” option, which was ice cream with a crushed up cone and chocolate plaque. My dessert kept me full for the rest of the day!
Queenstown
The next morning, I got up early and headed to the airport for Queenstown! I made sure to sit on the left side of the plane because I wanted great views of the country—it was like getting an overview of all the places I would go for the next month. The stunning mountainous landscape of the South Island did not disappoint!
I loved Queenstown and wished I spent more time there. Two days is not enough! Queenstown has a lively mountain resort atmosphere, with cute souvenir shops and reservation centers all over the place. With mountains and pine forests on one side and a gorgeous lake on the other, there are countless activities to do there and sights to take in. These were my favorite activities:
At the height of the city, nestled among pine trees, sits a luge course. I rode the gondola to the top where I enjoyed breathtaking views of the Remarkables mountain range and then raced around in a luge. I first took the scenic course (Blue Track), and then discovered the real excitement in the speedier course (Red Track). I purchased four rounds on the luge and wished I got more—it was that fun!
A major draw to Queenstown is its proximity to Milford Sound—known as the most beautiful sight in New Zealand and one of the most beautiful fjords in the world. It was at the top of my list for things I wanted to see there, which is what made the news of its cancellation so heartbreaking. After a landslide blocking the only road there and the air being too windy for small planes, my entire day suddenly emptied. The only thing that could quell my disappointment was to go on a Lord of the Rings tour I found at the last minute, so I booked it immediately! Less than an hour later, I was in a Middle Earth tour van with an Australian tour guide and two other fans of the movies.
At the beginning of the tour, the guide asked us all how big of fans we were on a scale of one (have only seen the movie trailers) to ten (know Elvish and had a LOTR wedding). I said eight, which was the highest number of the group. The tour was laid back and fun, going from one LOTR site to another. My favorite part was overlooking an iconic river in the movie—it was gorgeous! The last part of the tour was playing dress up with replicas from the movie (which was nerdy, even for an “8” like me, but also really fun). Overall, it was a great first LOTR experience in the country made famous by it!
Shotover Jet in Shotover Canyon
After the tour, I booked another last minute tour to the Shotover Jet. These jets were created in New Zealand for cruising in very shallow water. I hopped on the boat and then held on for my life as the driver took us through the gorgeous Shotover Canyon, making spins and crazy turns along the way. I swear we almost hit dozens of canyon walls and slid along rocky shorelines, but I made it out alive!
Queenstown Botanical Garden & Lake Wakatipu Shore
My last activity in Queenstown was relaxing on the rocky shore of Lake Wakatipu, skipping rocks and people watching, and then walking around the beautiful botanical garden nearby. Seeing Redwoods and other towering trees was the perfect way to end my time in my new favorite town.
Wanaka
Wanaka (sounds like the name Monica with a “w”) is a highly recommended stop north of Queenstown, known for its setting adjacent to a beautiful lake and vast mountain ranges. I only spent a day there, which was plenty of time for me to do a few activities close to town.
Mount Iron Hike
Mount Iron is a steep 1-2 hour hike that leads to 360 degree views of Lake Wanaka, Lake Hawea, and incredible mountain ranges. I chose this hike for its proximity to town (I was car-less in the South Island and walked or took a bus everywhere) and found that though the hike up was hot, dusty, and somewhat strenuous, the views at the top made it all worth it! The side away from the mountains reminded me of Tuscany, Italy, with multicolored fields and gently rolling hills.
Lake Wanaka
I spent the rest of the day at the beach of Lake Wanaka. It was windy, so the water currents were strong, but I decided to swim to a platform anyway! I loved being in the middle of the lake with nice views and steady waves surrounding me.
Later in the day, I walked along the southwest part of the shore to reach #ThatWanakaTree—a tree growing in the middle of the lake, famous on Instagram. I got there just as the sun was setting, which I thought would make for a perfect picture, but the mountains cast a shadow over the tree, so all my pictures turned out grey-ish. It was still a cool sight to see and the walk there and back to town during dusk was beautiful.
Heading to West Coast
Since I didn’t have a car on the South Island, I was limited to where InterCity bus routes could take me, so the next few days of my trip followed those routes. I made my way to Christchurch with a brief stop in Tekapo—another lake town, famous for its strikingly pale blue water and the scenic church that sits on its shore. While in Queenstown, I met an older couple who got married there during their trip! After an entire day of riding a bus, I didn’t feel like doing much in Christchurch besides walking around town, which was nice.
The next morning, I hopped on the TranzAlpine Train—a ride that is highly acclaimed for the views it offers. I thought it was beautiful, but perhaps a bit too hyped up. The scenery wasn’t quite as magical as the area around Queenstown, but the ride was enjoyable and relaxing. I spent much of my time in the windowless carriage taking pictures as the wind rushed through my hair.
Hokitika
I finally made it to West Coast, where I spent the next several days. My hotel was in Hokitika, a cool little beach town far from any large cities or crowds. The first day there was full of magical activities.
Hunting for Jade Rocks
Hokitika is a hot spot for jade—a precious gemstone that can be found in souvenir shops all over New Zealand. I visited several jade shops there and learned about the significance of jade to Maoris, as well as how to hunt for it in nature. As soon as I left the shop, I headed to the beach and started collecting rocks. I had a large handful of rocks, certain at least one of them was jade, but when I returned to the shop and asked they told me they were just green rocks. Oh well, it was still exciting to hunt for them!
Sunset on the Beach
I made my way back to the beach in time for sunset. I walked past a Hokitika sign made out of driftwood, all the way to an abandoned shipwreck and driftwood art on the shore. It seemed the whole small town was on the beach, watching the sunset, which made me think how lovely it would be to live in a simple place like that.
Glowworm Dell
After sundown, I walked across town to a small spot known to have glowworms. These tiny creatures are found only throughout New Zealand and Australia and this was my first experience seeing them. I quietly walked under a dark grove of trees just off the freeway, down a short dirt path, until I was surrounded by blue dots. It was an incredible sight that I wish could be photographed so I could look back and remember how beautiful it was.
The next day in Hokitika was my birthday and it happened to be the first bad weather day I experienced in New Zealand! I woke up to pouring rain and a flooded toilet, took a soaking wet tour of Hokitika Gorge (which usually has clear blue glacial water, but was instead grey and muddy), saw a movie at a super tiny local theater, and then went to an indoor swimming pool. I got beautiful jade earrings and then ended the night with a yummy steak dinner and birthday ice cream at a local restaurant. It was definitely a birthday to remember!
I left West Coast the next day on a bus ride north to Nelson. It was another rainy day, but the bus stopped at Pancake Rocks long enough for us to get out and walk around them. The grey and rainy atmosphere actually went really well with the booming sounds and rough waters. I loved watching the waves crash along the cliffs and seeing beautiful rock formations.
Nelson & Abel Tasman
After a long and winding journey through green rainforests and national parks, I arrived in Nelson. I chose Nelson for its proximity to Abel Tasman National Park and didn’t do much around town besides visit Jens Hansen: The Ringmaker.
This small jewelry studio is home to the maker of the One Ring seen in the Lord of the Rings movies and held several items on display from the movie, along with a paper explaining the background of the ringmaker and how he was chosen to make the One Ring. It is a neat stop for avid LOTR lovers, but not something I would choose to go out of my way for unless I was going to buy jewelry there.
The next day was perfect. I took a tour bus to Abel Tasman, hopped on a small ship that cruised along a gorgeous shore, and then got off at Anchorage Beach. From there, I hiked through the rainforest to reach the end of the national park. Everything about the experience was amazing, especially the hike. Each curve in the path brought new views of the turquoise water below, shining through a contrast of deep green fern trees.
I hiked down to the beach twice, once for lunch and again to relax on the beach and swim. I threw on my mask and snorkel and went swimming in the crystal clear water. There wasn’t much to see, but the water felt nice and it was my first time snorkeling in the ocean, so I really enjoyed it. At the end of the hike, I reached a bridge where I watched crabs and seagulls and tiny fish swimming around. It was a beautiful day and one of my favorites from my whole trip.
Picton & Crossing the Cook Strait
My time in the South Island was almost over and I already had a list of things I missed and needed to return to New Zealand for! The last adventure of the first part of my trip was crossing the Cook Strait on a ferry from Picton to Wellington. I took a bus from Nelson to Picton and boarded the Bluebridge Ferry.
The first part of the crossing was gorgeous—I was in a sound, surrounded by green hills that fell into the deep blue water. I stayed on the deck looking out into the water for a while and then came inside to warm up. After being inside for a while I went back out and spotted several dolphins swimming around the ferry. Sadly, I leaned over too far to see them and lost my cute new blue sunglasses.
I spent the rest of the time taking lots of pictures and looking through binoculars and stayed on deck until I reached Wellington—sprawled out along the shore, it was the biggest city I’d been to in several weeks. I couldn’t wait to explore the capital of New Zealand.
See PART 2 for the rest of my New Zealand journey.