Touring New Zealand - South Island

A trip to New Zealand was at the very top of my husband's list of 'Things to do before I can't!'. He had lived out there briefly as a child but hadn't been back since the age of 11 and had always vowed that this trip was a MUST DO - to take myself and our daughter to re-visit where he had spent some of his childhood. Although I knew it would happen one day, it felt surreal planning a trip for ourselves to New Zealand! So not quite believing it was actually happening, on the evening of 22nd March 2023 my husband, myself, our daughter and her partner sat in the airport lounge at Manchester Airport ready to set off on our long journey to Christchurch where our adventure would begin. We flew with Emirates Airlines via Dubai and Auckland, eventually arriving into the comfortable Christchurch Commodore Airport Hotel on Friday 24th March, where our first stop was a swim in the pool - absolute bliss after travelling for so many hours, it was a great opportunity to stretch out (and stop us from falling asleep) before heading for dinner and an early night! Big excitement today, Saturday 25th March, as we collected our two Maui Cascade Campervans! Our first scenic drive took us 3 hours out of Christchurch to Lake Tekapo, where we stayed overnight at Lakeside Edge with fabulous lake view pitches - a wonderful start to our road trip. We awoke early today, the body clocks hadn't quite synced with the destination!! It was a beautiful morning, cool but bright and sunny as we took a lakeside stroll to visit the Border Collie memorial and Church of the Good Shepherd before heading to Tekapo Hot Springs to relax in the 28/29 degree hot pools overlooking Lake Tekapo. Our onward travels took us on a spectacular drive to our overnight stop at Mount Cook Village. We stopped at several viewpoints along the way to take photos of Lake Pukaki and Mount Cook - we were so fortunate with clear blue skies. Another quick stop at Lake Pukaki Visitor Centre to pick up salmon for dinner. Arrived at the campsite early afternoon and set straight off on the stunning 11km Hooker Trail walk - the views were mesmerising. Such a peaceful and atmospheric location. A 3hr journey along scenic roads, over Lindis Pass, with numerous vineyards along the way took us to our campsite in Frankton just on the outskirts of Queenstown, our base for the next 3 nights. We thoroughly enjoyed our exhilarating K-Jet boat ride that afternoon, an hour of up to 95kph speeds, 360 degree spins and fabulous views as we sped across the three waterways of Lake Wakatipu, Kawarau and Shotover Rivers, it was great fun and a bonus that the weather was just beautiful.....if only we knew that was about to change!! That night was one of gales, rain and hailstones battering the campervan - I did say to my husband when the van felt as though it was about to be blown over, "at what stage do we evacuate?!". Thankfully we had packed for all weathers and were grateful of the fleeces, waterproofs, woolly hats and gloves for our luge runs at the top of Skyline Queenstown. We warmed ourselves up with tasty food from the re-knowned Ferg Bakery and Fergsburgers, before finding a quirky little bar! A very early start as we made our way to the pick up point for the most incredible day ahead….a trip to Milford Sound. After a long but scenic journey, we arrived in plenty of time to board our boat and spent a delightful 2 hours taking in the most stunning scenery, it was so tranquil and we were lucky the weather was clear and sunny. We opted for the fixed-wing plane flight back to Queenstown – those views from above were just spectacular. What an amazing day! Our journey today included a visit to the gold mining township of Arrowtown. We enjoyed wandering the streets of this picturesque quaint place, popping into lovely boutique shops and reading of the history. Next, it was Wanaka for a relaxing picnic lunch sat overlooking the lake and the ‘Lonely Tree’. Onwards towards Franz Josef, where we stayed overnight in a small DOC campsite at Lake Paringa. Adventure day today for the younger members of our party as they enjoyed the views at a whole new level - a Skydive at Franz Josef! I kept my feet firmly on the ground! Our penultimate day with the vans took us from Franz Josef to Hokatika and onwards to Arthurs Pass for our last night. We stayed at a fabulous alpine campsite with great facilities, which included a stunning waterfall walk right on site and glow-worm viewing at night. We found the Weka birds wandering around quite amusing to watch, but you have to keep your belongings inside and doors closed as the naughty birds like stealing anything they can! On arriving back into Christchurch, we said a fond farewell to the campervans and collected our hire car. The following day took us to the Marlborough Wine Region for lunch and wine tasting in the Cloudy Bay winery – my most favourite wine is New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc so I definitely did not want to miss the opportunity to enjoy this memorable experience. Tuesday 4th April 2023 was quite a day! We enjoyed a few hours wandering around the lovely town of Nelson en route to Abel Tasman National Park where we were staying for the next couple of nights. We stayed in the most stunning of locations with incredible views…..which became the backdrop for ….’The Proposal’! Our daughters partner proposed to her overlooking the most stunning beach of Marahau as the sun set…WOW!!! We took advantage of the Abel Tasman Aqua Taxi today taking the boat taxi from Marahau via Split Apple Rock to Anchorage. There are plenty of beautiful headland walks with numerous viewpoints to enjoy the views. Such a picturesque area – one of our favourites. A busy and long day as we travelled to Picton to take the afternoon ferry from South Island to Wellington, North Island. One of the most scenic ferry crossings in the world – it didn’t disappoint. Our base for the next two nights was Wellington city centre, to allow us the opportunity to visit the areas close-by where my husband had lived and reignite some of his childhood memories, it was a very special day. Other highlights included the drive up to Mount Victoria Viewpoint and Wellington Cable Car. A sad morning as our group halved in size…..two headed home and two started our new adventure on North Island! WHAT A TRIP – New Zealand, you did not disappoint, you exceeded….we all can’t wait to return.