Continuing from last week’s post, these are the next 7 days from mine and Mennas 6 week road trip around New Zealand!
The first week took us from Auckland through the Coromandel, Matamata, Rotorua, Taupo, Whakapapa Village and finished in Napier.
The second week led us to Napier, Wellington, Picton, Kaikoura, Christchurch, Akaroa and finished in Lake Tekapo.
The third week passes through Mount Cook Village, Queenstown, Te Anau, Milford Sound and Wānaka.
The map at the bottom of this page highlights the regions in which we travelled this week.
DAY 22
We had an early start for the day’s activity – hiking to the summit of Roy’s Peak. We parked a small car park just outside the centre of Wānaka on Mount Aspiring Road, 300m above sea level, and we climbed until we reached the summit of 1578m. The hike was challenging and very steep for most of the duration. Near the start, though, we had a cloud inversion, we lost sight of Wānaka very quickly and were among the clouds. Eventually, it cleared up, giving us breathtaking views over the lakes, views which are hard to describe.
There is a ‘stopping point’ at about 1300m, a break in the uphill and a place to sit down whilst giving other walkers room to carry on if needed. This space also has a walkway, a spire of sorts, that once at the end gives you incredible (almost 360) views of the surroundings. We had a bite to eat and some water before continuing the hike for the last 300m uphill. It took us a further hour to summit from here, but as soon as we started ascending again, we lost all visibility. There was thick fog and drizzle, even ice and snow covering the floor at the summit! Most people seemed to be finishing their hike where we had lunch, but we were the two brave souls who pushed on, determined to finish. We had some photos at the top with our Welsh flag before making our way – very slowly, might I add – back down to the van. We did stop to have a quick snack, and I had a blueberry scone from Scroggin, which I had bought the day prior. It was a 16.2km walk, which took us both five and a half hours to complete. This is one of my favourite hikes that I’ve done, and I will undoubtedly do it again. After the climb back down, we drove with super shaky legs to the campsite and after a shower, some relaxation and a night of long, well-needed sleep.
DAY 23
Our sleep was a long one, staying in until ten before starting the 4-hour drive to Fox Glacier on the West Coast. There were plenty of viewpoints along the way to see, most of which were along Haast Pass Highway. Fantail Creek and Thunder Creek seemed to be popular stops, with plenty of cars parked up the road to see these two magnificent waterfalls, viewpoints which we too stopped at. Our next big break, however, was in Haast at Ship Creek, a nature reserve with a dedicated car park. You’ll pass it on the drive down the highway. There are multiple different walks that you can explore on-site, with plenty of notice boards giving out interesting information about the surrounding area. Entry to the beach is also free, giving amazing views out to the Tasman Sea. The park even has a tower which you can climb, giving even more spectacular views from a higher vantage point. We had some lunch before continuing the drive and arriving at Fox Glacier in the late afternoon.
Fox Glacier is small, and we noticed that this is a running theme in every town along the West Coast. Fox Glacier Lodge was the campsite of choice for the night. We parked up and made some food before being invited by the campsite staff on a local glowworm tour (for free!). At 8pm, the tour took us along the Minnehaha Walk Path in the forest near the campsite. There were multiple glowworms hidden under leaves, on trees and in bushes, places that were in plain sight but where you wouldn’t be able to see the glowworms during the daylight. It lasted for about an hour before we collapsed into bed later that night.
DAY 24
Beans, egg and toast for brekkie, a treat for ourselves. A 15-minute drive from Fox Glacier will take you to Lake Matheson. This was another recommendation from a fellow tourist and has supposedly got reflective views of Mount Cook – the highest mountain in New Zealand – in the lake. The car park was massive, clearly expected to have hundreds of visitors during peak season. There’s a gift shop and a lovely cafe on site, which we had a nosey around before following the path around the lake. On the way, there are several points to view the backdrop, but the best one was at the furthest end of the lake, which had the promised views of the mountain reflecting. It was a lovely walk, flat the whole way around, with a swing bridge here and there.
Franz Josef is the next town along, and once there, we made a beeline for some lunch at The Landing. Some wedges and hot chocolate were the perfect order; we didn’t want lots based on what our activity for the day was, and checking into our campsite at Orange Sheep Campervan Park was next. Directly across the road was the Glacier Centre, an information centre which offers tickets for all sorts of experiences around the area. We checked in for our booked activity, a skydive. Not just a skydive, but the highest skydive in all of New Zealand! We paid $1000 per person, and this included the media package and a video of our jump. There was a minibus journey to the drop zone, and it was here that we got kitted up in a jumpsuit, a harness, a helmet and gloves. There was a small brief from our respective instructors, and we all got into the plane. We flew for a while until we reached 18,000 ft, and out we went. I jumped first, Menna following a close second. It was an incredible experience, one that I had wanted to do for my 21st birthday since I was a young girl. Both of us touched down, alive thankfully, and got dekitted whilst breathing a huge sigh of relief! There were no bookings after us therefore we were allowed to take some photos in front of the plane.
Back in the minibus, which took us back to the Glacier Centre, and naturally headed out into the town centre for a celebratory drink. Raspberry daiquiris all around at The Landing again, and after a drink, some food at Monsoon, a restaurant a little closer towards the campsite. We shared a cheesy garlic bread for starters, and I had a halloumi burger for my main course. It was delicious! A couple of euros were spent on the pool table at the restaurant, and after I drastically lost 2-1 to Menna, a shower and a trip to the laundrette next to the campsite was needed before bed.
DAY 25
Franz Josef was probably the most expensive part of our trip, as the next day after our skydive, we booked to do the heli-hike on top of the glacier for $595pp. After checking in, however, we were told that there was a high chance of the trip being cancelled because of the incoming fog and low cloud level; it would have been dangerous for the helicopter to fly onto the glacier. We were slightly gutted, this was our only chance to do it, as we had only one day left in Franz Josef. However, staying positive, we got kitted up, jackets, hard boots, and bumbags for personal belongings were given to us, and the group walked out to the helicopters. Me and Menna ended up being front seaters, which meant that we got a much better view when flying over the glacier than we would have had in the back seat!
The helicopter ride took about 5 minutes, and the views were ones that I did not expect; they were breathtaking. I could see why sunglasses were mandatory; the ice was so bright to look at and blindingly white. Once on the ice, we were given helmets, crampons and walking poles to make it easier to move around. The experience was one that felt like a whirlwind – we spent about two hours in total on the glacier, but it felt like 20 minutes. We went up and down steps, through caves, and under bridges, with the guide carving out paths for us as we went. It was amazing. The helicopter flew back in to pick the group up, and me and Menna were given the front seat again! We ended up being incredibly lucky that the weather swayed in our favour, allowing us to actually complete the experience! All our equipment was given back, and a T-shirt was bought back at the gift shop in the Glacier Centre.
Next door to the campsite is a small place called Waiho Hot Tubs. We paid $130 for us both to use a private wood-fired hot tub for an hour. This price does change depending on the number of people using it. It was the most relaxing atmosphere, surrounded by ferns with just the sound of birds – you completely forget where you are. Nipped out quickly to grab some bits from the supermarket and heated some soup for tea, jumped back in the van and relaxed with some Netflix before bed.
DAY 26
Bright and early start for a short hike to see the glacier from another viewpoint. This time, along a track called the Roberts Point Track. Parking was at the end of Glacier Road, only a 2-minute drive from Franz Josef town. The hike itself is so interesting; there are swing bridges to cross, floating steps to climb, and most of the distance is covered by scrambling up rocks. There are some sketchy parts at times; it is not an easy hike to do, so keep this in mind when planning your itinerary. It took us two and a half hours to reach the summit, standing at 605m. There is a wooden platform at the top with benches, and we did have some visitors up there – 3 Kea parrots joined us! Most of my time was spent snapping pictures of these gorgeous birds; the numbers are in decline, and I wanted to capture the beauty of them whilst they were still around. (Good news – the number is back on the increase again!) Once up there, we also had an incredible view of the Franz Josef Glacier. It blew our minds that we were standing on it the day before.
It was a harder hike on the way back down, slippier and potentially deadlier. It did take us longer to walk back as there was a lot of down-climbing, but we eventually reached the van and made our way back to the campsite. Showers were needed, as well as a relaxed evening with some good food. We had pasta and went for a short 10-minute walk to find some glowworms near the campsite before bed.
DAY 27
We woke up, packed up the van, and went straight on to driving further North to our next destination. The first stop was in Hokitika after a quick break for petrol. Hokitika was fairly busy, a lot of rugby tour buses seemed to be passing through. It was a lovely place, we wandered through some markets and ended up buying a souvenir from a shop owned by an artist known as William Steyn. He paints pebbles collected on the beach and sells them; they’re beautiful. Lunch was found in a sandwich shop called The Hokitika Sandwich Company; I went for a veggie sandwich – delicious. We also picked up a pastry from a local bakery and took a quick walk on the beach, but when it started drizzling, we made our way back to the van and drove to Hokitika Gorge.
It was raining still; the car park was empty, but once again, waterproofs were put on, and we made the most of our trip. The main feature of the Gorge drawing people in is the colour of the water. A stunning turquoise blue, something I have never seen before and it has an amazing contrast with the white sand bed it covers. We spent an hour completing the circular loop; it was time well spent and worth a visit! Finally, a drive to Rapahoe to the campsite for the night. Stir fry was for dinner and an early night all around.
DAY 28
Another hour’s drive North to Punakaiki. Punakaiki is famous for its rock formations; they have an uncanny resemblance to pancake stacks. However, before going to see these rocks, an obligatory breakfast of pancakes was had at the Pancake Rocks Cafe. I chose the savoury stack, while Menna opted for a stack of berries and cream.
It was raining once again, we wrapped up and headed for the Rocks and Blowholes. The entrance is directly opposite the cafe and is free to enter. It took us 45 minutes to walk the loop; it explains how the rocks formed on the way around, and we saw some people get drenched by water gushing out of the blowholes! After we got our fix of pancakes, both food and rocks, we continued driving up to Kaiteriteri, stopping at the Buller Gorge (NZ’s longest swing bridge) en route. It costs $12.50 to cross the bridge, and once crossed, you have access to different circular walks in the park. We only chose a short one as the paths were muddy, and we were not well equipped with trainers on our feet. The scenery was lush, and the sun that had come out made the walk ten times more enjoyable. Back across the bridge to our van, stopping to snap a picture of the destination post with the distance to London (19,100km) before checking into Bethany Park for the night.
Check back in next Sunday for Week 5 of this epic road trip!