1800 kilometers. 600 kilometers of those in separate vehicles.
An epic roadtrip through New Zealand was the only way to end Luke’s working holiday in the country and a great precursor to life on the road for the next 6 months. We saved some of the best spots of the South Island for last, and the only bucket list destination Luke is yet to tick off is Gore.
We learnt several valuable lessons during, each with a story attached:
Sometimes, you are the 2%.
Driving 600km in separate cars leaves Luke wishing he had less intense podcasts about marketing to children, and Jel wishing she updated her Spotify playlists to avoid listening to Britney Spears ‘Oops I did it again’ more than 10 times.
Queenstown always knows how to put on a good party.
It is easy to sound bigger than you really are.
The kindness of strangers can be found in the most isolated of places.
Sometimes reality can even exceed the highest of expectations.
There are possibly more Pizzerias in Te Anau (2000 residents) than in Christchurch (360,000 residents).
It is possible to travel for 8 days in your own country, and only encounter 2 other people from New Zealand. The takeover is real.
Adventures shared are 110% better than adventures alone .. although we might need to revisit this learning in 6 months time!
With 10 days left in NZ, we were left with an unwelcome companion for the journey, Luke’s beloved ‘home’/trusty van, Squeek. This made for lonely, rainy days on the road, a lot of time-wasting backpackers and at times felt like a dark Horcrux over our trip, but meant the success in finally selling it to a Canadian photographer on the last day in Q was unbeatable.
Our first stop was Okarito, a quaint seaside town on the West Coast. Escaping what felt like one month of solid rain in Christchurch, we were met with clear blue skies, standing on a pebble-stoned beach looking back at miles of thick native bush, and above the bushline, a clear view of the mighty peak of Mount Cook.
We went out in search of Rowi, the rarest of the five species of kiwi, our native bird. The Okarito forest is home to the entire population of 450 Rowi, and we were out with a tracker with 18 years of experience, hoping for a sighting of the 6 kiwi that have been successfully tracked in this area. With a 98% success rate, we were filled with confidence, and even though the most essential skills for an essential sighting are patience, stillness, silence and more patience (skills which neither of us traditionally excel in), we really thought tonight was the night. Jelley was nominated 2IC, as the only ‘kiwi’ on the trek, and handed several important responsibilities.
However, after 6 hours in the beautiful native bush with walkie talkies, a tv antenna and red lamps, tonight, we were destined to be the 2%. Although hearing 3 kiwis calling and being within 3metres of one before it was scared off, it wasn’t meant to be our time. The night ended around 1am, we returned to the campsite in near-hysterics about our abilities to be so quiet and patient, but stoked we spent the night tracking our native birds in the bush.
Day 2 involved hitting the tourist scene in search of the remains of Fox Glacier, the goal of a perfect reflection at Lake Matheson, and driving through the stunning Haast Pass without stopping for photos around every corner. A stunning day on the road came to a climax as we rounded the corner to a picture perfect view of Lake Hawea, still as glass. Hawea has quickly become our favourite holiday base, and our last visit in February brought howling NW winds and a chill in the air – it was a welcome surprise to be met with warmth and calm in the Autumn.
Some lovely new spots we explored in the vicinity of Hawea were the Blue Pools in Makarora (thanks to Instagram, not such a hidden secret), and Kidds Bush at the head of Lake Hawea, made famous by Oprah and Reese Witherspoon filming on location just weeks earlier. We really hope the beauty and tranquillity of this stunning small lake town isn’t spoilt by its newfound popularity and overflow from Wanaka, a once sleepy town itself, but only time will tell.
4 days after we first met, Luke joined a group of strangers on a roadtrip to Queenstown to meet Jel & party the weekend away to celebrate her birthday. Little did we know that he would later end up flatting with 3 of the group, and we would soon be travelling the world together! It was only fitting that we spend a night reliving the party in Q, with the classic pub crawl, polar experience at Below Zero Ice Bar and finishing the night in Cowboys.
Well into the swing of the holiday and unaware of the day of the week, what we were aware of was the presence of still 2 vehicles, only drink-driving & smoking backpackers without cash showing any real interest, and the reality of being in low tourist season hitting. What seemed like a blessing in disguise, to sleep in a van instead of a tent in forecast rain, we were stoked to take Squeek down to Milford Sound for a couple of nights.
‘Possum! Possum in the car!’
It seemed like a fantastic idea to cut the drive from Te Anau-Milford Sound shorter for our morning cruise, and park up at a DOC campsite halfway along the Milford Road for the night. Leaving the insect repellent in Queenstown was our first mistake, and not bothering to read the Campermate reviews was our next. Jel faced a fear of sandflies cooking dinner outdoors before a kind German couple arrived armed with an extra bottle. Settled in for an early night at 9pm, we heard what appeared to be a possum scratching on the outside of the van. Grateful again not to be in the tent, we turned the lights out for a peaceful slumber. Then the sound of plastic bags rustling – and there weren’t any of those outside. With one dim headtorch between us, we fetched our kind German friends for assistance in emptying the van in search for a possum .. there was no chance by this stage it was a possum and as suggested, could just be a ‘little cute scared mouse’, which lined up with the Campermate reviews, and we were out of there. Backtracking to Te Anau for the night at 11pm was the only option for it, and sure enough when we opened the van door in the morning, we were met with a ‘cute’ brown mouse, nestled up in our sweaters, undoubtedly with the choice he would’ve preferred Jelley’s bushy brown hair or our duvet while we slept. And so, our travelling companion Scabbers became an unwelcome 3rd member of the trip.
A rough night’s sleep and early morning drive couldn’t possibly dampen our excitement arriving at Milford Sound in the morning. A bucket list destination for us both, Milford Sound did not disappoint! Formed by a valley of glaciers from the Ice Age, the incredibly steep mountain peaks rose dramatically from the water. The water was clear as crystal, until we approached the Tasman Sea, we were met with fierce winds and water as choppy as a washing machine.
The experience was breathtaking, with 360degree panoramic views and waterfalls in every line of vision. As we left Milford Sound, the clouds finally broke, releasing torrents of rain and more waterfalls formed from every possible crevice. An essential experience for locals and travellers alike, the next location on our Fiordland bucket list is to hike one of the Great Walks of the region and spend a night in Doubtful Sound.
A night in Te Anau, several bottles of red wine and a visit to one of 6 Pizzerias on the main street (with not an Italian or Kiwi in sight), we reflected on a day in paradise, and turned our attentions to the next task at hand, selling Squeek back in Queenstown.
Life admin is a chore at the best of times, but when you’re tackling it in somewhere as beautiful as Q, it doesn’t seem quite so hard. Many frustrating hours later, we gratefully stumbled across a Canadian photographer in need of a home for 6 weeks, and we handed it over with a sigh of relief, and a slight laugh that Scabbers may still be there waiting for him to settle at night.
The last destination on our whirlwind roadtrip came after a scenic drive through Central Otago at sunset, a stunning part of the country often overlooked, on a 3.5 hour cruise (in only one car!) to Dunedin. Greeted with a stunning sunrise from the hilltop (and news of rain at home), we had an awesome day checking out the ‘hot kiwi moms’ in their activewear at St Clair, amazing coffee, historic buildings, and the world’s steepest street (to be verified by Luke on his next trip home to San Fran).
After a great drive home, Christchurch greeted us with even more rain and a long list of errands to run for the next 3 days before we fly out of NZ, absolutely amped for the adventures and challenges that await us .. and the warm weather! Finishing up in some of the most scenic spots of New Zealand was a dream way to leave the country and we’re lucky to be coming home to such a beautiful place in October.
Later bol, to be continued from warmer climate in Sri Lanka!
A Kiwi & a Cali xoxo
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