Our second Trans-Tasman country was beautiful New Zealand where we marvelled at the scenery, got our hearts racing with adrenaline filled activities and even indulged in a spot of camping!!
Luke and I decided that our best way to explore the two islands was a motorhome! Yes, you’re all as surprised as us… but we absolutely loved it! (Although we did opt for a bigger truck, as we felt we wouldn’t cope with very small living and travelling quarters)
Luke trucking along!
The first day in NZ was a shock to the system, as we weren’t prepared for the weather after our trip to Oz- it was no more singlets and flip-flops, instead we were wrapped up in coats and scarves! But we didn’t let that put us off and we explored the beautiful Lake Tekapo.
Having navigated plenty of mountain roads through our first few days in the motorhome, I left it to Luke to drive down a road that was not recommended for large vehicles! The winding roads almost made us travel sick and we daren’t look down at the drop as we took several hairpin bends. When we finally saw Queenstown perched on the lake, we were incredibly relieved!
Queenstown was the first location where we tested our heart rates and sense of adventure! We decided to take the plunge and do the Nevis bungy; we threw ourselves off a platform a whopping 134m up from the ground! Luke embraced the whole experience and attempted a swan dive from the ledge, whereas I almost talked myself out of it and eventually stumbled off the edge in a less than graceful move! While our heart rates were still racing, we decided to go on a swing together too… except it wasn’t quite as sedate as it sounds, it was a mammoth drop and swing across a canyon! It took a solid afternoon for us to feel human again, I think we may be getting a little too old for these sort of thrills!
Our Nevis bungy
If you look closely you can see my fear!
Canyon swing!
While in Queenstown we hiked to the highest point to get panoramic views of the area and it was quite amazing. With winter just around the corner it was bitterly cold at the top, but the snow-capped mountains made the scenery even more dramatic and impressive.
After working up quite the appetite, we rewarded ourselves with a world-famous Fergburger. The burger was as big as my head and we could have done with a nap after wolfing it down, instead we sheltered from the rain and enjoyed a mulled wine by a crackling fire, it all felt very Christmassy (even if it was May)!
From Queenstown, we drove to Milford Sound, but we massively underestimated the drive in the wintery conditions and ended up desperately trying to find a campsite in the middle of the national park, just before the witching hour. We somehow lucked out with our spot and found ourselves beneath a snow-capped mountain, it was an incredible view to wake up to in the camper-van. Everything in the Fiordland was picture-perfect and we hope some of the below snaps do New Zealand’s best natural attraction justice.
As we made the long journey back from the south-West coast, we made a pit stop at the Blue Pools and enjoyed a hike around the park in the rain. The water was crystal clear and looked incredibly inviting, but the lack of wetsuits and freezing outdoor temperatures put us off taking a dip. One crazy kiwi did, however, brave the water…but he emerged looking as blue as the pool!
Beautiful Blue Pools
Kaikoura was another spot that gave us an amazing experience, as we went whale watching! We were lucky enough to see two sperm whales up close and even managed to watch their flip of the tail. They were such majestic creatures and watching them in their natural habitat was an experience we won’t forget. 🐋 During the trip, we were fortunate enough to also see seals, albatross as well as dolphins- the latter of which swam all the way to shore with our boat and put on quite an acrobatic show for us!
Our final stop on the beautiful South Island was Abel Tasman national park, it was the perfect place to enjoy New Zealand’s stunning scenery. We relished in the opportunity to kayak in the crystal clear waters and hike through the lush vegetation- an active few days left us absolutely exhausted, as seen in the below picture!
We spent just over a week exploring the North Island and while the scenery wasn’t as dramatic as the South Island, there were plenty of activities to keep us entertained. Rotorua was a particular highlight for the pair of us. After relaxing in some thermal pools, we decided to try another adrenaline-filled adventure, by going white water rafting. Despite the rain lashing down and the freezing temperatures, we had an absolute ball!
It was all fun and games before the waterfall!
Our instructor decided we needed to get used to the river water, so threw us all out of the raft over the first rapids and the temperature certainly took our breath away! Several more rapids and mini falls built us up to the highest commercially rafted falls in the world, which is also a sacred Maori burial spot. Somehow, our raft stayed upright as we plummeted down the falls, but we were completely submerged in the bottom pool and I came up gasping for air, while coughing and spluttering. No one else in the raft was, so I wondered why it was just me- when the professional pictures came through, it soon became clear….. I had kept my mouth open on every single drop! (Not like me at all! Haha)
An evening at a Maori village was absolutely brilliant and gave us the opportunity to learn so much more about the New Zealand natives. As we arrived at the village, Luke was chosen to be one of the chiefs and he welcomed the opportunity with open arms! He was welcomed with a traditional Maori greeting of head touching and tried to remain straight faced at their intimidating welcome. As we were led through a traditional village set-up, we saw the way the Maori people cooked, fought and entertained themselves before we were treated to a traditional performance. Luke even had a crack at the Hakka, but he didn’t seem particularly menacing while performing it!
Luke being made a chief
Our final adrenaline activity in NZ was a Sky-dive and it was quite the finale! We threw ourselves out of a plane at 15,000ft where the air temperature was a brutal minus 16 degrees at that height! Luke’s pictures tell a very different story to mine- he managed a smile or a grimace from the start, while mine doesn’t mask my fear!! Once the parachute opened I managed to enjoy the views a bit more, but I was still struggling with my ears popping and the artic-like conditions!
Hobbiton was the perfect place to finish our time in New Zealand, although it was somewhat surreal, as the doors and props were all the perfect height for little old me!! The set was really impressive and was so much fun to wander around, especially as Luke has forced me to watch all of the Lord Of the Rings films while in NZ! We indulged in a hobbit beer in the Green Tavern where there was even an Irish jig being played in the background!! (I felt right at home)
Fitting in at Hobbiton
New Zealand was even more beautiful than I remembered and it felt like we had a touch of home too during our time here. We had such a wonderful time exploring the country, but we’re now off to a new continent, as we’re Africa bound.
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