“Let’s go somewhere far”, that was the idea. What is far, far away? The answer could not be more obvious. New Zealand has always been an unreachable dream destination and eternally on a high place on my travel list. Once the flights were booked, the planning phase started….a lot of planning! There were many changes to that planning, too. But that’s kind of normal, right? Travel planning might be a tricky thing and sometimes it just goes the other way.

New Zealand’s road trip 2-week itinerary:

The size of New Zealand should not be underestimated. It is not a very big country, but certainly, it’s not small either. Besides, it is so packed with beautiful places to explore, that time there flies much faster than elsewhere. After making a lot of tailoring to the trip, we ended up with 15 days for New Zealand, so to slow it down a bit, we stack to the South Island only. At least I have a reason to go back to explore the North Island as well.

Day 1:

Dunedin and Otago Peninsula

We started the trip in Dunedin, where we stayed a couple of days visiting our friends. We were so comfortable in the beautiful historic house and the weather was not very inviting, so we decided to deal with jet lag in comfort.

After a couple of days of pure laziness and slowing down (which was not difficult with our friends in their lovely home), we took the camper that was supposed to be our home for the next two weeks and went for a trial ride. And as it happens when your plans are just perfect, after 5 minutes into the road the car just refused to go any further.

There is no real adventure without little bumps, right? To cut the long story short we ended up in a tiny car for the whole trip and none of the accommodation was booked, which in summer is a rather risky business. “A night or two in a car did not kill anyone,” we thought, but only if we really would not be able to find any available hotels. Luckily for us, Dunedin is not the most popular place, and renting a cheap car last minute for quite easy.

Otago Peninsula is located a short ride from Dunedin. This is a place to see yellow-eyed penguins and a royal albatross colony. We booked an afternoon tour to enter the area. After observing some albatrosses that proudly flew above us, we headed to the beach to see the penguins and sea lions. The walk was absolutely beautiful and I was speechless a number of times by the surprising presence of quite a few penguins that just walked past us. Otago Peninsula is also a very good spot for walking and cycling if you have more time.

Day 2

Oamaru

Following the route number 1 to Oamaru we stopped for a walk at the beach. It was not the beach that interested us, but unusual rock formations lying idly on the sand. The ball shaped rocks called Moreaki Boulders make a must see attraction in the south island.The visit was not long, it was windy and raining and I am not a big fan of such weather.

The second stop that day was Oamaru, a place to see the smallest penguins in the world- Blue Penguins. The center is built around the natural habitat of the penguin colony, where they are protected and monitored, but at the same time not disturbed. We were the happiest people in the world when these tiny creatures decided to stop for a while and watch us with curiosity. That moment I did not care at all about getting wet, I sat there looking at them until they got bored of the human presence and funnily walked away. In the center you can also see the inside of some nest or watch a spectacular show at sunset when hundreds of blue penguins come back home after a long day of food hunting in the sea. The place is set up at the shore with seats for the people. It is quite funny to see this theater-like show.

Day 3

Lake Pukaki and Lake Tekapo and Aoraki Mount Cook

It was probably the most exhausting day. Many hours spent in the car to get from place to place and my stabborness to walk as much as possible along the hiking trails. The weather was so friendly and warm, I did not expect to be so hot. I could not complaint bthough…sun and warm weather are my best friends. I saw the the Pukaki lake from a distance. The bright turquoise color could not be unnoticed. I saw a glacier lake of this incredible color only one on my way to Perito Moreno in Argentina ( totally worth visiting, by the way). It was so mesmerizing that I could not take my eyes away from the view.

On the way we stopped at a small tourist information point, where we got a map of Aoraki Mont Cook park. To be honest, we planned that day to stick to the road and see the lakes omitting the hiking staff. As it was quite tempting, we entered the para and drive to the end, from where quite a few trails start. We chose one that was short, maybe 45-60 minutes walk each way and got a spot with a view of the glacier and the grey lake.

Day 4

Queenstown

Queenstown was like a dream when we finally arrived there. It was late and we were exhausted after the whole day exploring and the only thing we were dreaming of was bed. But when we got up in the morning and went for a walk, I quickly realized that we will visit this vibrant town again. After two short visits to Queenstown I feel that it deserves more attention and time.

A tip: Queenstown is a lovely and lively town, so if you can, stay there a few days to feel the atmosphere and try some of the adventurous activities it has to offer, like bungee jumping or paragliding, not to mention the nightlife if that’s something you are interested in.

Day 5

Te Anau Dhows

The plan was to get as close as possible to Milford Sound. On the way we stopped in a few places looking for a room, but we only found rather questionable places. What is it with the small hotel owners there and lack of bathroom doors? It was an obvious surprise for them when I asked why the toilet has no door. They looked at me as if I was the weirdo there. With no luck, laughing all the way that maybe it’s a new thing to have toilets with no doors, we stopped in Te Anau, a significant and very busy town in the area. Busy also means popular and the only available and presentable place to stay was next to a noisy bar. It was not very tempting, so we headed to the next town, Te Anau Dhows, where it was quiet and comfortable. There was not much to do around there expect taking short (too short in my opinion) walks, but it still seemed much nicer than staying in the overcrowded Te Anau town.

Day 6

Milford Sound

We left the place in the morning and hit the road towards Milford Sound. The drive was slow along curly roads, but as expected very scenic. We got to the ferry port shortly before the scheduled boat departure. The parking is located around 10 minutes walk from the departure point and the queues are long, so best to arrive with plenty time to spare. The boat trip around the fiords was a highlight of the day. This place is as beautiful as it can be expected.

Quick tip: On the way to Milford Sound you will cross Homer Tunnel. As many locals pointed out to us, this is the place where you can meet face to face with keas, mountain parrots in New Zealand. These creatures are little nasty ones, that for some reason love eating rubber parts of cars…I saw it with my own eyes.

Day 7

Milford Sound to Cromwell

The way from Milford Sound to Cromwell was long even though it does not look like it. The planned final stop was Wanaka, which had to wait one more day. We got to Cromwell late that day and after leaving bags in a charming B&B, we went to explore. It seemed that nobody lived there, it was quiet and peaceful.

Day 8

Wanaka and Fox Glacier

Wanaka was on my list for one reason: that tree. For years I have been seeing photos of the lone lake tree, which fed my imagination and temptation to travel to this corner of the world. The tree is beautiful, no doubt, but most of the photos you can find online do not show the full picture of the place. The lake is surrounded by houses and crowds of people and even though it might look like a perfect place to relax, it is so popular among tourists (mostly trying to capture the perfect angle of the tree) and locals, who set up picnics at the beach or outside their campers on the parking just a few meter away.

Day 9

Franz Josef Glacier, Kiwi conservatory centre and Punakaiki

The first time I saw a glacier up close was in Argentina. Perito Moreno was as surreal as I could imagine. Having such great experience of seeing the glacier up close in South America, I was pretty eager to see what New Zealand has to offer. Since we omitted visiting Fox glacier the previous day, we reserved the time for Franz Josef Glacier. Upon arrival to this little town early we quickly headed to book a helicopter flight and a hike.

Since we have been on the road quite a bit and all our plans become uncertain, we planned day to day and this also included any excursions. We never knew when we might arrive to a place, so booking this trip in advance was rather hard and doing it last minute could end up with failure. Luckily there were spaces in all the companies, however due to weather conditions, the hiking part was canceled for the rest of the day. It was my first ever helicopter flight. I could scream from excitement and happiness when it finally happened. We flew over Franz Josef and Fox and the view was absolutely incredible. I just wished to have more time there for creating mental images in my head.

Wild Life Centre is another attraction worth attention in Franz Josef town, because it is home for lovely and sadly endangered kiwi birds, where they are studied and bred. The entrance is not cheap, but it goes towards the conservation program, hence totally worth paying. I loved the tour, seeing the laboratory, learning about these birds and peeking inside their nests.

The last stop of the day was Punakaiki, quite a drive north from Franz Josef Glacier. I did not appreciate the heavy rain surprising us and heavy wind making the rain fall horizontally, but the pancake- like rocks are quite a wonder.

Day 10

Wharaiki Beach

Have you ever been to a place that just seemed too beautiful to be true? Many places over the years of my travels made me speechless and Wharaiki beach just landed on that list. On the north western corner of the south island, mostly unknown to many visitors, this gem can be found. We drove along the west coast towards Nelson and Abel Tasman without really knowing what is it going to be like making little stops on the way. Many people told us that this is the most beautiful part if the island. We finally arrived to Motueka for the night.

I must admit that the place was not friendly and charming at all. Exhausted we fell asleep in a few seconds waiting for the morning to leave this place. We took the mountain route number 60 to the north of Abel Tasman Park. The sun was shining and the prettiest shade of blue was brightening up the drive along curly roads. Green fields were spotted with cows and sheep. The curious creatures turned their faces towards me when I struggled to get closer through high grass to capture them on a photo. Quite funny sheep are when suddenly all of them look at the same direction. As pretty as the way was, I wanted to just drop off the bags and go for a walk. As every day during this trip we did not have an accommodation booked in advance. When we arrived to a little town called Takaka, we found this beautiful, family run B&B Shady Rest. It was so charming, slightly quirky and so comfortable that I had to gather all the strength I had to be able to get out and explore some. We had a plan to explore some popular beaches on the way to the Tasman Park.

After hearing the recommendations of the owner we decided against it and took the road towards Wharaiki Beach. It was probably the most beautiful place on the island and there is no words I could use to describe it the way it deserves.

Talking to the locals might be the best source of information.

See also: How mindful traveling makes my experiences richer. Day 11

Abel Tasman National Park

Abel Tasman could be a holiday destination alone. It is a big national park with breathtaking views and many walking tracks to explore. Many people walk through the park, which usually takes 3 to 4 days. We did not have that much time to explore it, however it also offers short walks, which we decided to take. It is not possible to enter by car, so walking, cycling or taking a boat to some beaches is your only option. On our day trip to the park we could taste the charm of it. Golden sand beaches, blue waters and green forests could not make it more perfect.

Day 12

Kaikoura

Kaikoura is a small town, mostly visited by tourists, who want to go whale and dolphin watching. So as I mentioned already the whole trip became very spontaneous and planned from day to day. All the way through up to Kaikoura everything was going smoothly. Full of optimism and good vibes we foolishly thought that the luck will go forever, but we quickly faced reality upon arrival to this small (and incredibly popular) town. As we were told in the tourist information point (where they have records of all the accommodation bookings and availability) there is not a single room left in the whole town.

Day 12 and 13

Hanmer Springs

Hanmer Springs were probably mentioned to us by every local person we met. It was our last stop overnight and we treated as a possibility rather than a ‘must’. As we ended up having some time after resigning from spending time in Christchurch, we just decided to relax in the hot springs, walk around and slow down at the end of the road trip. I could not even find a decent photo from this place as I did not carry my camera with me at all. It was a place to switch off and that’s exactly what we did. We tend to spurge on hotels when we are able to use all the facilities and enjoy the comfort of a place and Hanmer Springs was the perfect location for that. We stayed in a beautiful cottage complex surrounded by peaceful and green terrain just 20 minutes walk from the center of town. There is many beautiful Hotels in Hanmer Springs, but I would really recommend you booking in advance if you don’t want to pay a fortune as it is a very popular place for relaxing holidays and weekend gateways for the locals.

Day 14

Christchurch

Christchurch was our last stop before flying out to Sydney and we had just a short couple of hours for a quick stroll. We saw from a distance a museum that was showing a photography exhibition featuring best photos of National Geographic. This was basically all that we managed to do in Christchurch and we were off to the next place.

Some useful tips for New Zealand:

New Zealand is a popular destination, especially over summer. On the south island there are many small towns and villages, but often they are separated from each other by long distances and the accommodation is limited.

Renting a car in New Zealand is probably the best thing you can do. It will give you freedom and flexibility to stop whenever you like. Hiring a camper-van is a perfect choice as you would be able to stop in between towns and places of interest without rushing. If sleeping in a camper is not your thing, rent a car for yourself as buses are limited as well.

Buy a sim card at the airport. As it was recommended by local friends it is best to buy two sim cards from two different providers as there is not one that is in range everywhere. We bought Skinny and 2degrees and most of the time at least one of them was able to connect. You can also bring along a portable internet. For us it was a life saver.

Bring a plug adapter as New Zealand uses angled two or three pin plugs (as in Argentina).

Roads are good in New Zealand, but mostly with one line each way with lots of curves and hills. Always calculate some extra time as you won’t be able to drive fast (even on the roads that are called there highways).

Always carry a raincoat or a jumper. The weather in New Zealand can be changeable and sunny skies are sometimes just minutes away from a storm. I learnt it hard way.

Buy a travel insurance. This should a habit when you travel anywhere.

Book your accommodation in advance, especially between October and March (and mostly in January as it is school holidays and many locals travel as well). Book your hotel in New Zealand.

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