New Zealand
I have always wanted to return to New Zealand and my wife Carol was eager to visit for the first time. I had made a trip to New Zealand back in 1986 with two close friends. We planned to bike across the islands with mountain bikes before mountain biking was very popular. We had a fabulous time riding our bikes from Auckland down to Queenstown, a total of 600 miles. There were also a short bus and plane ride involved. Anyway, it was time to for a return visit after 30 years.
For those of you unfamiliar with New Zealand’s whereabouts, it consists of two major land masses in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. We flew into Auckland and then on to Queenstown which is on the southern part of the southern island.
Route on the Northern Island
We began our journey in Queenstown, a popular tourist destination that reminds me of a small town in Switzerland, surrounded by mountains and a beautiful lake. Ironically, this is where I ended my trip back in 1986. We rented a car at the airport and spent our first day fighting off jet lag by hiking up Queenstown hill, a 1600 ft climb with terrific views of the town and lake Wakatipu. We spent our first night there and in the morning headed to Te Anau, a 2 hour drive south. Te Anau is near the famous Milford Sound and many popular hiking Treks ( They call them Tracks).
Route on the Southern Island.
Queenstown and lake Wakatipu
Te Anau
We stayed just outside of Te Anau, on a farm called Blue Mountain Cottages . Fiona was our hostess and she was very accommodating. We loved having all of the curious Alpacas and other farm animals hanging around.
The Milfourd Sound is an amazing collection of fjords with cliffs rising vertically from the dark waters, with mountain peaks touching the sky with water falls as high as 3000 ft. The scenery is breathtaking although the weather did not fully cooperate the day we had scheduled to visit. Most of our the time on the cruise the clouds hid the peaks. We did get a slight reprieve towards the end of the cruise as some blue skies began to appear.
We spent one day hiking on the lush Routeburn track, impressed by the thick vegetation. I had never seen the bridge we encountered while hiking the Routeburn, a clever design that was not as difficult as it looked to cross.
Wanaka and Rob Roy glacier hike
Our next stop was Wanaka, a resort town just North of Queestown on a pristine blue lake with awesome views of the snow capped Alps. We spent our first day on an easy bike trail that skirted along the lake’s shoreline.
Rob Roy glacier is near Wanaka and the following day we woke early for a Trek up to the glacier. This is a relatively easy 6 mile round trip hike. Many suspension bridges lined the trail.
Twizel and Mt Cook national park
We wanted to make it to Mount Cook National Park to see the tallest mountain in New Zealand along with all of the spectacular jagged peaks and glacial valleys. However, finding lodging in the park was impossible so we stayed in a small town, Twizel, about 45 min away. We were not impressed with this unassuming town when we first arrived but quickly found first impressions can fool you. We found lodging at a bed and breakfast with a friendly host and then discovered a wonderful restaurant. The chef was from Singapore and made one of my favorite dishes, Katong Laksa was on the menu.
When we woke the next morning the sky was clouded over and it looked like rain. We decided to head to the park anyway since we only had the one day to explore before heading North. When we arrived at the park visitor center we were disappointed. There were no mountains to be seen, just like our day in Milford Sound. After spending an hour browsing around the visitor center we walked outside and saw a small ray of sun breaking through the clouds. Within a half hour the clouds had relinquished their hold on the peaks. Mt cook appeared in all it’s glory and we started hiking up Hooker valley, climaxing at Hooker Glacial Lake. This is a fairly easy 10 km round trip hike with great views of Mt Cook and other peaks. It follows the Hooker river up to the lake.
Abel Tasman and the North West coast of the south island
Next stop was Abel Tasman National Park on the North West end of the southern island. This was an all day drive from Mt Cook so we were ready for some hiking the next day. The park is famous for the Abel Tasman Coast Track that stretches many miles along the coast. We jumped on a water taxi that took us to Medlands beach, a section of the track accessible only by water. We then hiked the track to Anchorage beach, a scenic 10.6 km hike. We arranged to be picked up by boat at Anchorage beach. There are some steep spots but otherwise a relatively easy hike with awesome views.
Cape Farwell and Wharariki beach
Wharariki beach was the most memorable, the most scenic and off the beaten track place we stumbled across in New Zealand. I would say it was my favorite day for so many reasons I find it hard to begin. When we first arrived, we had no idea what was awaiting us on the other side of the sand dunes. We first laid eyes on this deserted beach after walking up and over the dunes and then we noticed small black objects that seemed to be moving near the waters edge. As we approached we made out a baby seal in a pool of shimmering blue water. Then we saw a second and third. There were so many of them and they were all soooo cute swimming around in this small inlet by the sea. They had no fear and lots of curiosity toward us so we just hung out with them and enjoyed all of the kodak moments they gave us.
After a good hour visiting with the seals, we strolled along the beach and enjoyed the amazing peace and tranquility this beach offered. It was stunningly majestic and amazingly empty. Words cannot do this beach justice so check out the photo’s. By the way, you may recognize Microsoft Office 10 has a screen saver photo that was taken on this beach and for good reason.
You are probably asking why is this beach so deserted? Good question. It is very far away from anything. We read about it in some hiking book and although a good 2 hour drive from where we were staying near Abel Tasman, through farm country on small winding roads, it was worth the drive.
There was also an amazingly scenic pastoral hiking trail. It followed the coast, had great views of the lush green pastures and steep drops down to the crashing waves below. We were fortunate to have great weather the day we went. As you can see from the trees, the wind can be fierce.
The Marlborough vineyards
We met up with our good friends Lance and Chim in Marlborough country. If you recall I mentioned I had visited New Zealand many years ago with 2 friends. Well, Lance was one of them. This was also Lance’s first time back. As you can see from the photos, we rented some basic hybrid bikes and toured the winery’s. It was a great way to spend the day, with good friends, a set of wheels and good wine.
The North Island - Tongariro National Park
We took on of the many ferries that shuttles between the small town of Picton on the South island to the capital of New Zealand, Wellington, on the north island. We were headed to Auckland and planned on one more fairly arduous hike on the way.
The Tongariro Alpine Crossing hike is one of the more famous and popular on the North island.
The hike is a 19.4 km trek with a substantial elevation gain of 800m with a high point of 1900m above sea level. So, you need to be in decent shape and prepared for a full day of hiking. However, this hike will not disappoint. The trek climbs through volcanic terrain with old calderas and lava fields. The scenery at the top is worth the effort.
It is a one way hike so you need to make arrangements to return back to your car in our case. They have buses for hire but make sure you make advance reservations. We did not and were lucky to get an extra seat on one of the buses.
We stayed in Rotorua that evening, a town known for it’s geothermal activity and Maori culture. We could have easily spent a day or two checking out the sights and all of the Geo thermal activity in Rotorua but were running out of time. So, on to Auckland.
Auckland
We only spent one day Auckland, New Zealand’s most populous city with over 1.5 million people. Carol and I had did not have any plans for Auckland so we simply strolled around the downtown harbor and took a short 15 min ferry ride to Devonport, a cute little village across the harbor. We checked out a small Navy museum there and enjoyed walking along the water front and simply relaxing before our long journey home.
We could have easily spent 2 or 3 more weeks in New Zealand since there was so much we did not see, especially around Auckland and the entire North island.
