Los Angeles

Our trip started off with a quick stop in Los Angeles, which allowed us to break up our marathon travels to the other end of the world. We arrived in LA on a late night flight and crashed at a hotel right near the airport. The next day we headed over to Santa Monica for the afternoon and met up with Dan for lunch at Buddha’s Belly. It was great to catch up with Dan, as I unfortunately don’t get to see him often. After lunch, we took a walk along the beach, which was colder and foggier than I had hoped. It was soon time to head back to the hotel, pick up our suitcases, and head back to the airport. The flight to Auckland took thirteen hours, a mind-blowing amount of time to be trapped in an airplane. But we were quite thankful for Ambien… after dinner and a movie, we both passed out and slept for a good portion of the flight.

Queenstown

After a layover in Auckland, we flew down to Queenstown mid-morning, finally reaching our New Zealand starting point. During that flight, we got a taste of the wonders of NZ from above, piquing our excitement in spite of our exhausted state. We caught a bus into Queenstown and made our way over to our hotel, a quaint little place with a patio, wrought iron balconies and beautiful views of the mountains in Queenstown. It’s amazing what a shower (for me) or a run (for Paul) can do to make you feel better. We made our way into town and grabbed some lunch… it was a beautiful, sunny afternoon, so we picked a place with outdoor seating. Queenstown has the feel of a cozy ski town, with the backdrop of gorgeous mountains and a massive lake at the center of it all. And the soft lighting of the early fall made everything even more picturesque. Paul was particularly drawn to the massive piles of firewood lined up everywhere we went, a precursor to their wintertime. After lunch we took a stroll through the Queenstown Gardens, then headed back into the center of town for some cocktails on an outdoor balcony in the sunshine. For dinner we got some pizza at a neat place called The Cow and shared a table with a friendly older couple from Portland.

Doubtful Sound

We were up early the next morning to begin the journey to Doubtful Sound for our overnight cruise. The trip started with a long bus ride through farmland and New Zealand countryside. There were countless flocks of sheep in all directions, as apparently sheep outnumber people in NZ by a margin of ten to one. We made a brief stop in Kingston to check out an old steam train, then continued on to Manapouri. After a ferry ride across Lake Manapouri, we hopped on another bus to take us to the beginning of Doubtful Sound. Along the way, we stopped at Wilmot Pass for our first glimpse of the sound, which was an absolutely beautiful sight.

The overnight cruise was a one of a kind experience. We totally lucked out with the weather… it was a sunny, pleasant day that ran counter to the typical rainy climate. The sound has sheer cliff walls of rainforest and stunning views in all directions. Paul kayaked while I rode on a small boat to get close-up views of the mountains. The Fiordland Navigator (our boat) then sailed out to the Tasman Sea, at which point we saw a colony of fur seals up close and albatross birds flying around. Once the sun went down and the sky was pitch dark, the view of the nighttime sky was unlike any I had ever seen. Being so far remote from all civilization, the volume of stars visible was spectacular. The next morning we were up early to watch the sunrise in the sound, with dramatic lighting. We then came upon a pod of dolphins, who swam up close and right beneath the boat. Overall, a wonderful experience.

Wanaka

We picked up our rental car in Queenstown, which provided our first experience driving on the other side of the road. Paul did the driving, but it was an interesting experience even just being in the passenger seat. We took the Cardrona Mountain Range route through the mountains, a windy path across mountains. In Wanaka, we stayed in an apartment equipped with a kitchen and had our first experience grocery shopping in New Zealand. It was an interesting experience, as there are aspects that made us feel like we were in the US (American music playing overhead, Hollywood stars splashed on magazine covers), yet totally different brands and unique products stocked on the shelves. The next morning, Paul made us some egg omlettes for breakfast, and we then headed into town to figure out a good hiking option for our day.

We decided on a challenging hike up Mt Roy, which is described as a “taxing, winding tramp.” The views of Lake Wanaka and the surrounding mountains became increasingly beautiful as we ascended. And the panoramic views from the summit were breathtaking in all directions. There were many sheep along the trail, so we had our first close encounters with them. Some of them even responded to my attempts at sounding like a sheep, which was pretty amusing. I was tired by the time we made it down, but overall it was an amazing hike. The next morning we took a stroll along the coast of Lake Wanaka. We then walked around the Rippon Winery, which had a scenic setting right on the mountain-surrounded lake.

Fox Glacier

It was a clear, sunny morning when we arrived at Fox Glacier for our hike. There were impressive views of the jutting face of the glacier as well as its flow for miles down the valley. The scale of the glacier was amazing, especially in combination with the recognition that it has been around since the ice age. We hiked through a lush forest to reach an entry point farther down on the glacier. After affixing spiked cramp-ons to our boots, we made our way up the carved ice steps, climbing onto the glacier. Being on the ice of the glacier was almost surreal. We were surrounded by an icy wonderland and you could feel the cold air blowing off of the glacier. We had the opportunity to see deep crevasses and unique patterns of whites and blues in the ice. Though it was not supposed to be part of the hike we signed up for, we even got to step into an ice cave. There was water dripping from the ceiling, and my feet got wet, but it was well worth it for the close-up view of a natural wonder.

That afternoon we took a walk around Lake Matheson, which is known for the potential to see surprisingly clear reflections of Mt. Cook and Mt. Tasman. Unfortunately the clouds had rolled in by then, so the views to the mountains were obscured. Though, it was still a cool walk with a range of unique trees and plant life along the pathway. And the mountain tops peaked out of the clouds on our drive back, making for quite a picturesque scene.

The following morning brought our first experience of New Zealand’s rain. We had totally lucked out up until this point to have had so many back to back days of perfect weather. Unfortunately our helicopter flight over the glaciers was cancelled due to the weather. Instead we headed over to Gillespies Beach… and I took the driver’s seat for the first time. It was a bit of a hairy drive, as there was a long section of the route on gravel road, which was winding and narrow. Overall, it was quite disorienting to be sitting on the opposite side of the car, driving on the left-hand side of the road. We got quite wet by the time we followed Gillespie’s trail to the beach. The beach itself was strewn with huge pieces of driftwood, which made for an ominous scene amidst the dark rainclouds.

Punakaiki

Most of the drive from Fox Glacier to Punakaiki was rainy, with low-hanging clouds blocking many of the views. Luckily the sky had cleared by the time we reached the point where the road hugged the coastline, so we caught some beautiful views of the rugged west coast. We stayed at a place called the Treehouse, where we had our own mini-apartment nestled back in the woods. The next morning we headed over to the famous Pancake Rocks, which are very unique formations in limestone cliffs, which have a layered appearance reminiscent of a pile of thin pancakes. The views of the ocean waves crashing against the rocks were quite impressive. And we saw a couple of small splashes of water through the blowholes.

From there, we did a quick hike along the Parorari River, which runs between large limestone cliffs. And later in the afternoon, we followed the Truman Track to a scenic beach with pebble-like sand. The views were beautiful, and you could see large undercut areas where the pounding waves have worn away at cliff walls. Unfortunately the sandflies were in full force, so sitting and watching the waves was not a good option!

Abel Tasman

We next travelled to the northern coast of the south island to Abel Tasman National Park, a beautiful coastal area with sandy beaches and blue-green water. Upon our arrival, we had a bit of a change in plans. We initially planned to stay at a lodge in the park that night, which required a trip via water taxi to get there. Though, once we arrived, we found out that they had changed the taxi schedule two days back, and we had missed the last boat. So instead, we spent the night in Marahou, which ended up being a very pretty area to enter the park on foot. The next morning, we took the first water taxi to Anchorage Point and hiked along the coast up to Bark Bay. Much of the hike was in forested coastal area, and we’d emerge at isolated beaches. A water taxi then picked us up at Bark Bay and brought us to the Awaroa Lodge within the park… after a quick stop to check out a colony of baby seals. Once we arrived at Awaroa, we broke out our swimsuits and took our first long walk on a beach this year. I later went back to the beach to photograph and was the only person on the whole beach, which was a cool experience.

We had nice dinner at the lodge that night, seated in unique, super-tall chairs. The next morning was much cooler out and threatening rain, so we spent the morning curled up on comfy leather chairs in front of the huge fireplace at the lodge. We had an interesting water-taxi ride back to Marahou in light of some rough seas and a boat overly crowded with people, luggage and kayaks. That evening we flew from Nelson to Taupo. The second leg of the flight was on a small propeller plane that seated less than 20 people. The landing was a bit on the bumpy side in light of crazy winds in Taupo. We were very happy to get off of that plane!

Tongariro Crossing / Taupo

We woke up very early the next morning and headed to Tongariro National Park to do a hike known as the Tongariro Crossing. It is described as the best one-day hike in New Zealand and traverses over 11 miles of spectacular volcanic geography. The tour that drops you off at one end and picks you up at the other would have required us to wake up by 5:45 am, which was a bit much since we had landed in Taupo late the night before. So instead, we drove to the Ketetahi Track ourselves and did the hike up and back. The hike started off with climbing up many steps through a forested area. Once we made it above the tree line, the wind made its presence known… there were consistent winds of about 30 mph, along with crazy gusts up to 50 mph. We winded back and forth up the mountain and had great views of Lake Rotoara with Lake Taupo off in the distance.

As we continued climbing, I started to feel pangs of disappointment, as the area over the ridge where the volcanic views would be unfolding was enshrouded in clouds. People who had just come from that area explained that there were no views. But we continued on, and were highly rewarded for our efforts. As we approached the crater valley, the clouds miraculously started to part, and the wonderland of Tongariro unfolded. First there was a large bright blue lake (called Blue Lake), and further down were the Emerald Lakes, three smaller pools that are bright emerald green in color. Moments later, Red Crater came into view, which is a huge volcanic cone comprised of bright red and orange hues. The final steep climb to reach the summit was quite a challenge. But once we made it, we had views of the whole area from the summit, with the volcanic mountain, Emerald and Blue Lakes, and the huge flat crater area surrounding us. Looking at the ascent to the summit coming from the opposite direction, we definitely had done it the hard way. But we could not get over our luck in timing our arrival at the peak just in time for a break in the cloud cover. It was definitely one of the best hikes I have ever completed.

We spent the next morning exploring the Taupo area. Paul made a last-minute decision that he wanted to try bungee jumping. So we headed over to Taupo Bungee, where you can bungee off of a platform over the Waikato River… and I think I was even more nervous than he was! I did my best to take pictures of the whole thing while feeling on edge. He loved the experience… he enjoyed the free-fall and seeing the water rush up at him. He tried to convince me to do a tandem jump with him… and I even considered it for a split-second and walked towards the end of the platform for a peak at what it would be like. I quickly realized that the extreme nervousness I would feel standing on the platform would eliminate any potential enjoyment. So no bungee for me. We also made a quick stop at Huka Falls, a powerful waterfall of bright blue water.

Coromandel Peninsula

For the last leg of our trip, we spent four days on the Coromandel Peninsula, an area of the north island known for its beaches. We started out in Coromandel Town, where we stayed in an awesome villa for a couple of nights. It was our own little cottage with a full kitchen and many of the comforts we have missed being on the move for close to three weeks. We spent some time travelling along the west coast of the peninsula, winding along the pacific highway and stopping to check out some of the scenic, rocky beaches. We also took some time to relax and unwind, reading on our porch overlooking the stream where gold was first discovered in the area many years ago. We next headed to the east coast of the peninsula to the Hahei/Cooks Beach area. When we arrived, we stopped at Hahei Beach, then did a hike from there over to Cathedral Cove, a beautiful, isolated beach with a huge archway overhead that made for cool views.

The next morning, for our last full day in New Zealand, we woke up early and headed over to Hot Water Beach. There are unique thermal springs below the sand… if you arrive there within one hour of low tide, you can dig into the sand above the springs and create your own hot thermal pools. It was an interesting, fun experience digging our own little pool, which involved burning our feet quite frequently… I could not get over how hot some of that water was! In the end, a nice family with a big pool offered it to Paul and me as they were leaving. We definitely enjoyed lounging and relaxing in a natural hot-tub of sorts. We spent much of our last day relaxing on Cooks Beach, a pretty, sandy beach great for taking long walks. We also hiked down to Lonely Bay, a small beach covered in shells, and up to Shakespeare Point for great views of the beaches and surrounding pastures in all directions.

Overall, this was the most amazing trip. The beauty in New Zealand is overwhelming, and I am so grateful we were able to see it for ourselves.