As I take a deep breath and remember everything my eyeballs have seen, I can’t possibly write every detail in a posting other than if you are considering visiting New Zealand, spend your time on the South Island and on the west coast. If you like lush landscapes on mountains with gorgeous rocks on beaches as far as the eye can see, go to the South Island.
The South Island of New Zealand was a very special place for me. When people talk about the beauty of New Zealand, the South Island is usually what they are referring to. It seems every corner I would turn, some beautiful landscape or vista would appear. And I would inhale and exhale deeply taking it all in thinking to myself how lucky I am to be there at that moment.
DRIVING GREAT COAST ROAD FROM GREYMOUTH TO PUNAKAIKI
No doubt Lonely Planet has rated this one of the Top 10 coastal drives in the world. Driving along the road carved out of the mountains along the coast with stunning views of the west coast of the New Zealand at every turn!
KAYAKING PORARARI RIVER IN PUNAKAIKI
Stunning mountains on both sides of the river stand tall as you kayak up the river. Beautiful trees and plans line the river banks while huge boulders jut out from the water. You will approach several small cascades that require you to get out and pull your kayak upstream depending on how far you want to travel.
HAVING DINNER ON A REMOTE BEACH WITH NEW FRIENDS
One of my favorite parts of traveling is the unexpected moments that just occur. I was working out on a deserted beach between Meybille Bay and Hatters Bay just north of Punakaiki. A local couple came down to the beach and began setting up a small fire to cook their dinner. And then a younger guy from France pulled up on his bicycle to take a break. I later learned he is biking around the South Island to rock climb. We all started chatting and ended up having a meal together at sunset. Just four strangers coming together to share food and travel stories. One of my favorite New Zealand moments.
HIKING FOX GLACIER VS. FRANZ JOSEF GLACIER
Franz Josef Glacier is the more popular of the two glaciers in the same area but I decided to visit Fox Glacier since it is a shorter hike and I wasn’t feeling like a 4-5 hour hike up to Franz Josef. The hike to Fox Glacier was hiking through the valley that the glacier had once carved out.
CAMPING FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE I WAS A TEENAGER
My AirBnB hosts in Greymouth suggested I camp while traveling in New Zealand and they offered me to borrow an extra tent, sleeping bag, mat and pillow from them. I hadn’t planned to camp since I hadn’t done that since I was a young teenager. But I figured, when opportunities like this come up, you have to take it along the journey. I ended up camping five of my ten days in the South Island and it was a great time.
I camped in some of the coolest campgrounds like a campground along Gillespies Beach which was a remote beach that you had to drive along a 21km dirt road to reach from Fox Glacier. And I had dinner watching the sunset at this beach made of large pebbles and then fell asleep to the waves crashing onshore. I also camped along Lake Wanaka, Lake Wakatipu and along the Pacific Ocean at Kaka Point. It was incredible camping in such beautiful locations. And it was about $8 each night so a cheap and safe way to stay in New Zealand. The country has very limited animals roaming around (unlike other countries) that you have to worry about while camping. So it is a great place to camp all around. Use the app called CamperMate to find out about the best campsites while traveling in New Zealand.
JUMPING OFF THE BRIDGE 11 METERS INTO THE BLUE POOLS AT HAAST PASS
Be sure to stop at the Haast Blue Pools during your drive along the Haast Pass Highway and take a quick dip in the freezing cold, bluest, blue waters you have ever seen. Or for those that want a little adventure, jump from the swing bridge into the blue waters below. It is 11 meters down and quite a thrill. Of course I had to do it and it was exhilarating. The water temperature reminded me about the Polar Plunge that I did in Antarctica! Brrrrr…….
DRIVE IN AND OUT OF QUEENSTOWN
The drive into Queenstown from Wanaka (Cardrona Valley Road) and the drive out of Queenstown along Lake Wakatipu (Route 6 – Kingston Road) to Milford Sound were spectacular. Since Queenstown sits along Lake Wakatipu and is surrounded by mountains, the drives are spectacular with many look out points available for photos.
HIKE BOB’S COVE IN QUEENSTOWN
Queenstown offers many hikes but I decided to do the short Bob’s Cove Track. The walk along the shore of Bob’s Cove leads to a nice walk up a hill to a stunning lookout over Lake Wakatipu. If you wanted, you could continue a 12 Mile Delta hike along Lake Wakatipu.
DRIVE TO MILFORD SOUND
While The Great Coast Road was spectacular, my favorite drive in New Zealand was the drive from Te Anau to Milford Sound through Fiordland National Park. Probably one of my favorite drives of all time. Huge mountains on each side with spectacular flowing rivers alongside the road. And the road features one of the longest single lane tunnels in the Southern Hemisphere. Lonely Planet rated it one of the most thrilling road trips in the world.
TAKE AN OVERNIGHT CRUISE TO DOUBTFUL SOUND
One of the coolest things I did in New Zealand was an overnight cruise to Doubtful Sound. Doubtful Sound is much more difficult to get to (50 minute boat across Lake Manapouri and then a 50 minute bus ride to Deep Cove where the boat departed) versus Milford Sound so it is much more quiet (no helicopters flying over) and has a lot less people. The cruise only had 12 passengers and we toured the entire sound not seeing any other people the entire day. We caught our dinner for the night in the open water (cod and then the crew dove to catch lobster), swam off the boat, kayaked to a waterfall and saw the most stars I have ever seen in my life once it became completely dark. It was one of the most peaceful things I did while in New Zealand. I used Fiordland Expeditions company and they certainly met my expectations!
Have you been to the South Island of New Zealand? Leave a comment below with your favorite place
