Continuing from last week’s post, these are the final 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 fourth week saw us driving through Wānaka, Haast, Fox Glacier, Lake Matheson, Franz Josef Glacier, Hokitika and Punakaiki.
Week 5 took us through Kaiteriteri, Motueka, Nelson, Picton, Wellington, Whanganui, New Plymouth and Waitomo.
The map at the bottom of this page highlights the regions in which we travelled this week.
DAY 36
One of the final extreme activities we had booked for the trip was Black Water Rafting in Waitomo. We paid $314 per person for a 5-hour experience – this included multiple extreme activities, expensive but well worth what you’re getting.
Firstly, we got kitted up with a wetsuit, a helmet, a harness and a sturdy pair of welly boots. A briefing and some pictures were taken, followed by a short bus ride to the starting point of our adventure. At this point, we were at the entrance to the cave, and a longer brief was had about the first part of the experience. We were taught how to abseil down into the cave, both of us having plenty of practice so we could ‘pass’ and, therefore, lower ourselves 35m into the pitch-black Ruakuri Cave. A guide was waiting to help unclip you at the bottom of the abseil, and a short rest was had whilst we waited for the rest of the group to descend into the darkness. During this break, you could start to see some blue dots, but nowhere near as many as you could see later on!
Next up was a zip line. This was after a short walk through the water with the most uncomfortable feeling of welly boots filling up with freezing cold water! We were clipped onto the zipline, and the shortest brief was given before we were sent whizzing through the darkness. I’m not one to be scared of heights or ziplines, but not seeing the end of the wire is terrifying! During the zipline, we saw most of the glowworms. There were no lights around to outshine them, so the blue glow was bright and surrounding.
Everyone was given a chance to zipline down, and we had a short break of hot chocolate and a snack to boost our energy levels before continuing with the activity. A lot more wading through water was required before a tube was given to us, and we were told to sit down and jump. It wasn’t that far of a drop, but it was scary all the same! This was definitely the more relaxing part of the extreme activity, however. The whole group had jumped, and we were all sat, floating down the river in our tubes, looking at the sky of glowworms above us. It was surreal.
The experience finished with us climbing up waterfalls, scrambling over rocks, and walking through ginormous caves to reach the exit – I would say that this was the most extreme part of the activity; the waterfalls were slippery, fast flowing and powerful, but there was no other way out!
The tour was finished! We all jumped back in the minibus and made our way back to the centre. A warm shower and dry clothes were needed, and we were provided with some hot soup to speed up the warming process, along with looking at all of our photos which were taken during the activities.
We had a full-on day, so after reaching the campsite, we chilled out with a book for the rest of the afternoon. We were too tired to cook, so instead, we drove to the nearby town, Otorohanga, to The Thirsty Weta for food. There were halloumi bao buns to share and a huge veggie pizza each! It was needed, as we had built up an appetite after the morning’s activity.
DAY 37
A well-deserved lie-in after the adventurous day that we had completed yesterday, a slow start and up to make some breakfast before driving back into Otorohanga to the Kiwi House. The Kiwi House is an attraction where tourists can see Kiwi birds, but it is also a place where Kiwis are homed before being released back into the wild. Every visit contributes to vital conservation efforts to increase the population of Kiwis again. The large enclosure that the birds are kept in is soundproof and dark, as Kiwis are nocturnal. However, you can catch glimpses of them as they move, along with a night vision camera to see into their nesting areas. It was so cool. It only costs $26 to enter, but the visit doesn’t only allow you to see Kiwis but also other native birds to New Zealand, such as Kea, Kaka and Parakeets. We spent some time wandering around and listening to some talks about these birds before making our way back to the van.
There was then an hour’s drive North to Raglan, which was our next destination. We ended up driving straight to the campsite, parking up, and then taking a walk into town. Raglan is well-known as a surf town; there are amazing waves and plenty of surf shops to have a nosey in. I had previously been to Raglan prior to this trip, but I loved it just as much the second time around. We did a bit of shopping before sitting down for a drink (I had the most delicious hot chocolate) near the seafront and a natter. We wandered back to the camper after this and made some pasta for tea before settling in for the night.
DAY 38
A chilled-out morning after an extremely windy night’s sleep in the van! We got ready, packed away our things, and started the drive to Ngarnui Beach, slightly South of Raglan. Ngarnui Beach is much more peaceful; not as many people come this far to a beach when there is one right next to the town centre. It has gorgeous black sand covering most of it, perfect for when the sun is out and the sand sparkles in the light. After a walk on the beach, a short hike took us to the top of the lookout, the Michael Hope Lookout Point, which gave phenomenal views over the beach and the Tasman Sea.
Next up – Bridal Veil Falls! These spectacular falls fall 55m, only a short distance drive from Raglan. We had to walk down around 300 steps to reach the bottom, but there are viewing points along the way to see the waterfalls from different angles. After rainfall, they are so much more spectacular; greater volumes of water are pumped down the side of the mountain, making the falls bigger and faster.
At the end of another relaxing day, we pulled back into the same campsite for a second night and chilled for a short while with a book. We made some dinner – stir-fry this time – before heading back into town for an open mic night at The Yard Music Cafe. We were the first people there – it was slightly awkward as no music had started playing yet, but we got some drinks and some chips to share, and the room slowly started filling up. There was a whole variety of different performers; we stayed a while until we felt like we had to leave before someone started convincing us to go up and perform something! A short walk back to the van for a good night’s (and hopefully less windy) sleep.
DAY 39
Today was the day we had to say goodbye to our trusty camper and return him to the depot in Auckland. The morning started early, and we started by packing all of our belongings to the best of our ability. The van was cleaned, food was thrown out or donated, and the 2 hour trip back to Auckland started.
With a sad goodbye and after signing some forms in Auckland Escape Van Rentals Depot, we called an Uber, which took us to LyLo Hotel, our accommodation for the next few nights. We dumped our huge rucksacks, grabbed a smaller bag and started the exploration of Auckland. Our first stop was for some lunch. Rude Boy Deli and Eatery was closing, so we made it in the nick of time for a delicious veggie wrap and a quick drink.
I knew my way around Auckland after practically living here every weekend for the last 9 months, so I was able to recommend the best spots in the time we had. I have a post on Auckland, check it out here!
We decided to head up to the top of the Skytower. This was now my third time up here, but the views were still unreal, and if anything, it was more impressive each time I went! There are three different levels that you are able to access on the SkyTower – Level 51, Level 53 and Level 60, the highest sitting 220m above street level! There is also a cafe on one of the high levels in the Skytower, so an obligatory cup of tea with a view was needed. A quick relax before moving on and leaving the Skytower behind.
The rest of the afternoon was spent just wandering around town. I took Menna down Queen Street, where some souvenirs were bought, and afterwards, down to Viaduct Harbour. At this point, it was getting dark, and the city lights were coming on, which made walking around so much more beautiful. Once back in the hotel room, we relaxed, watched some TV, and made some pasta in the hotel kitchen before making full use of the comfy beds.
DAY 40
Super late lie-in, it was the comfy beds that did it! We got ready and headed straight to Scullery Cafe on K Road for breakfast. The eggs and avocado on toast served here were incredible, it was so fresh and delicious! K Road is also full of op-shops (charity shops), vintage shops, and drag bars (at night), so a look around some shops was followed after breakfast.
Back in the CBD, and a giant event was happening all over town: the Matariki festival, a celebration of the Māori New Year and the nine stars which appear in a constellation once a year. As we headed down Queen Street into Aotea Square, the majority of the celebrations were happening here, and it was rammed full of people. There were stalls selling traditional Māori items and clothing, food stalls with traditional food, and dancing and singing happening everywhere you looked. Hakas were being performed, and the Toi o Tamaki Art Gallery had an event being hosted, too. In the art gallery, we made a star and a fish out of flax, a material used in many traditional items, but the more significant part was the shapes we were making. Finally, we had a meander around the art exhibitions that the gallery has to offer before leaving and heading back to the hotel.
It was Mennas last day in New Zealand, so time was given for her to pack bags before we both got ready to go out and celebrate the last evening together. Otto on K Road was the restaurant of choice, and we both went for a cocktail whilst waiting for a table (I highly recommend the vodka, elderflower and soda one)! A table was found, and food was ordered – an arancini dish and buffalo cauliflower to share and a broccoli and goat’s cheese ravioli dish each, with a glass of wine. It was unreal. We had a good ol’ natter about the memories we had made on the trip, and this continued for the walk back to the hotel until we crashed and fell asleep in bed.
DAY 41
A final early start to get ready and say goodbye to Menna; she was leaving first thing, whereas I was leaving later that day. We both showered and finished packing the last bits of our bags and after checking out of the hotel (I was able to leave my bags in reception), I said goodbye to Menna.
My final breakfast in New Zealand was at my favourite cafe, Bestie Cafe on K Road, for some cream cheese and jam on toast and a cuppa. I sat for a while, read some of my book, and made my way back to the hotel to relax and download some movies for the plane.
I went back to the centre of Auckland to buy some final souvenirs for my family, but also to go to the cinema to watch a film to kill some time before my flight. I grabbed my bags from the hotel, called an Uber, and was dropped at the airport. I checked into my flight, and before I knew it, I was home.
The road trip was over.
New Zealand is an incredible place, many memories were made, the people are the kindest, and many KM’s were driven in our trusty camper. I cannot recommend visiting the country enough; I would return in a heartbeat.