Not all those who wander are lost
J.R.R. Tolkien
New Zealand has been Trevor’s dream vacation since he was little and I’m so glad we were able to pull it off. After A LOT of research we decided to spend a few days on the North Island and the majority of our time on the South. We decided since it was a trip of a lifetime we weren’t going to leave anything out, which meant 10 days to explore 8 cities on 2 different islands in 1 country. When we arrived in Auckland we grabbed our rental car…took a few minutes to figure out how to drive on the left…and headed straight to the small town of Hahei where Cathedral Cove is located. Let me tell you, my husband is amazing and did so well driving on the left side of the road! I was very proud.
We stayed in a great little Air B&B in Hahei and were able to walk everywhere since the town was so small, which was nice because after 17+ hours on an airplane and 2 hours of driving we were grateful to walk. There was a great beach there and some really yummy restaurants which made for a wonderful first evening.
When we woke up we headed straight for Cathedral Cove and after a decent little hike we walked up to the most beautiful beach we had ever seen. It was like a dream. We spent a few hours watching the tide rise along with the crowds and then headed back up to the car and to our next stop.
Next was Tauranga to see some of our churches Missionaries and now sweet friends of ours. They spoiled us with fresh fish and chips at their favorite spot and we ate dinner on the beach. The next morning we were treated to a tour of their friends Kiwi Fruit farm. The farm was beautiful and it was incredible learning all about the kiwifruit industry. After that we said our goodbyes and headed to the amazing Hobbiton! We couldn’t have asked for better hosts and tour guides and were so grateful for their hospitality.
Now, unfortunately New Zealand was experiencing an extreme drought so everything besides Hobbiton was brown which was disappointing and far from the middle-earth picture we had in our heads, but it was still spectacular nonetheless. The Hobbiton Tour was fantastic and we highly recommend. The set had so much detail and every little hobbit hole was unique and had it’s own character story with it. We ended the tour with a stop at the Green Dragon for a drink and meat pie and then headed back to Auckland to catch a flight to Christchurch.
We got into Christchurch a little late and were ready to crash at our next Air B&B so there was little to no exploring, and with a jam packed itinerary we weren’t able to see much of Christchurch the next day either, which was a bummer. Maybe next time. We woke up, packed the car, and headed to Franz Josef through Arthur’s Pass. It was a beautiful drive with several fun little stops along the way. One of our favorite hidden treasures was Castle Hill. It was a huge hill with massive boulders everywhere. Basically natures playground and we had a blast exploring and climbing all over the place. We stopped for lunch in Hokitika and explored their neat little downtown area, grabbed pizza at Fat Pipi’s Pizza, and explored their driftwood beach. After Hokitika we headed to Devil’s Punchbowl Waterfall and enjoyed a beautiful hike in the Arthur’s Pass National Park.
We finally reached Franz Josef and checked into our next Air B&B (for those counting that Air B&B number #3 and the 4th place we’ve stayed so far). Franz Josef far exceed our expectations. It was full of night life, fun restaurants and shops and just a great place to explore. The next morning we woke up early and headed to our Glacier Hike which is only accessible by helicopter. We used the Franz Josef Glacier Guides and they did an incredible job teaching us about the glacier, making sure we were safe and having a great time. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience being able to hike on one of New Zealand’s 3,000+ glaciers.
After our hike we headed to Wanaka to see the famous Wanaka Tree and hike Roy’s Peak. On the way we stopped at the Blue Pool’s and saw the most amazingly blue water we’ve ever seen. One of our favorite things about Wanaka town was all of the food trucks tucked away on their streets. Trevor was so excited because he was able to have his first taste of Mexican food since we left at the Burrito Craft food truck, and fortunately the Mexican food snob that he is approved and I ended the day with a very happy husband. Much to our dismay we woke up to a very rainy day which meant Roy’s Peak wasn’t going to happen. Probably a blessing in disguise though because it did allow us to slow down some and get some much needed rest.
Next on the tour was QUEENSTOWN aka the Adventure Capital of the World, so of course it wouldn’t be right staying there without first stopping at the world’s first commercial Bungy jump location at the Kawarau Bridge. We have skydived, hiked a Via Ferrata and a few other adrenaline pumping adventures but this one to me was by far the scariest. They tied us in, told us how to hold onto each other, had us wave to all the spectators and then they lightly pushed us off the ledge. While that initial drop was fun, the hanging upside down part not so much. All in all it was a fun thing to mark off our list and the perfect way to celebrate Trevor’s early birthday.
Queenstown was probably our favorite city on our trip. We stayed at a gorgeous hotel (1st hotel after 4 Air B&B’s and one friends house for those counting) that had the most incredible views of Lake Wakatipu right from our room. The downtown area was full of places to explore and great restaurants at every turn. There was an amazing park that was beyond gorgeous with a beautiful rose garden. We got to visit a bird sanctuary and while we were there we got to see a few Kiwi Birds! They are the funniest creatures I’ve ever seen, so it won’t hurt my feelings at all if you stop reading and go look one up, in fact I encourage it! Our favorite thing we did while we were there, though, was taking a plane ride to the 8th Wonder of the World: Milford Sound. We went early in the morning and had the entire cruise practically to ourselves. There really aren’t words to describe how incredible it was so I’ll just say God truly outdid himself!
From Queenstown we headed up to Mt. Cook and hiked the Hooker Valley Track. We stayed at one of the only hotels there and had an epic view of the mountain from our room. Trevor and I absolutely love mountains. He loves to climb them and I like to take pictures of them, so it was really fun for us to stay at a hotel that also doubled as a museum for Sir Edward Hillary who was the very first person to summit Mount Everest. He was actually from NZ and climbed Mount Cook as practice for Everest. He’s so beloved and famous in NZ he’s even on their $5 bill.
We left Mount Cook, made a quick stop at Tekapo to see the Church of the Good Shepherd, headed to Christchurch and then flew back to Auckland for one last night in New Zealand. We had fun exploring the city before our flight back to the States. Our trip was greater than we had expected and a fantastic time for us to unplug and explore God’s creation. We are extremely grateful we were able to travel there and back before the entire world shut down. Our thoughts and prayers are go out to everyone who has had their world turned upside down due to the coronavirus and to those who had their dream vacations postponed or cancelled. Thanks for reading and we hope you all can experience NZ soon!
Excellent descriptions and wonderful pictures. Thanks for sharing!
Great job , Lex , I now feel like I have been to New Zealand , except jumping off the bridge !