South Island
A much needed pit stop was made at a roadside cafe that boasted a giant Homer Simpson doughnut. Embarrassingly enough, it was an hour later that I realized we were in Springfield, NZ.
Another hour into our drive we were enticed by waterfalls and steep views to stop at a scenic outlook. Unbeknownst to us at the time, this would be the first of hundreds of scenic outlooks, roadside hikes, and mini-detours that we would take throughout the trip. It was at this first diversion that I met a Kea. A deceiving bird, that enjoys sneaking up behind you and devouring any rubber on your car with or without you looking.
Great stops during the first few days included: Castle Hill, Lake Matheson, views of the Southern Alps, hiking to a secluded beach along the Tasman Sea (attacked by sand flies), Devil's Point, Punchbowl Falls, Arthur's Pass and Cave Scenic Reserve (watch out for Guano. "Guano? Hello? Does poop ring a bell?").
Lodging: Rainforest Motel, Fox Township; A wonderful option if you need a break from hostels. Great views, clean rooms, and a friendly, informative host. Walking distance to the two town bars.
Glaciers
Fox Glacier: Short, but steep hike for great viewing points. Not advertised by travel books or tour companies, heli-hike tours are usually cancelled 75% of the time due to weather and visibility. However, we were lucky enough to end up with a perfect day. Seating on the helicopter is determined by weight, so bring a box of donuts to eat quickly if need-be to get upfront with the pilot. After talking to guides and other tourists, Fox is the best glacier to heli-hike due to accessibility and tours are more likely to occur. *Rumor has it, the season between the two is cyclical, so do a little investigating if you ever decide to do this.*
Our heli-hike experience was better than I could have asked for. Our guide was fun and informative, and the views were indescribable. We were informed that a guide fell to his death over 30 years ago, and that he was expected at the bottom any day now due to the ice movement (1-5 meters a day).
Franz Joseph Glacier: A longer hike to get to, but very scenic as you travel through rainforests and a riverbed full of waterfalls.
Christchurch
Upon entering Quake City (a very large earthquake hit in 2011), it was clear the city was still recovering from the damage. Across from our hostel we noticed that the World Busker Festival was occurring. We did not know what a busker was, but we quickly learned while walking throughout the city. Street performers were everywhere! It was Mario Queen of the Circus that captured our...attention? Our hearts? Either way watching this queen dance and juggle his heart out while lip syncing to Queen was unforgettable.
A stop to Orano Wildlife Park was requested by Mason (good job Mason). This safari-type zoo is wonderful. We quickly learned that you can follow the animals in feeding order. Some of the animals you are lucky enough to feed on your own. The obnoxious child in me came out when I forced Mason to run immediately to the next animal on the list so we could be first in line for the feeding.
We were lucky enough to ride in the caged pickup truck to feed the hungry lions. I had to ruin the moment a little when I reminded Mason of all the horrific historical events that involved humans being thrown into the back of caged trucks. Anyways. It did not take long for the lions to go all Pavlov's dogs on the truck. The excitement increased when lion drool and mystery meat blood fell onto our faces while looking up at the lions on-top of the enclosure.
Lodging: YHA Christchurch Rolleston House; one of the best hostels we stayed in. Ensuite, single room was huge. Typical hostel noise. I wish people would learn to quietly close doors at 4AM.
Picton
NZ just kept getting better and better. Our stops along the way to Picton included Kaikoura, a historic whaling town. To my dismay we did not do a whale tour. Mason still hears about this, as I throw a conniption every time I hear anything about whales. For his sake, thank God there is not a Whale Week on Discovery Channel. Needless to say, it is a must for my next visit.
By this time of the trip seeing sheep was a regular occurrence. However, they were all mostly contained and that was foiling my plan of having to stop the car due to sheep in the middle of the road. Which would then be following by me getting out of the car and running at them like a crazy person. When the Garmin stated, warning: unpaved roads on this route, it was a no-brainer, we had to go off the beaten path. After a few miles, we ran into the unsuspecting sheep. I was giddy with excitement as the two sheep starting pooping while running down the road in front of the car. I instructed Mason that as long as the sheep were running and pooping we would not be stopping the car. A similar experience would happen later with cows.
We decided to go on a kayaking tour of the Queen Charlotte Sound, part of the Marlborough Sounds, which is a vast water system of sea-drowned valleys. We started our 20 kilometer trip with Wilderness Guides. Soon into our trip we saw two little blue penguins. I quickly instructed Mason that we had to quietly get as close as we could to the two little guys. We traveled by a few seals relaxing on a rock, and soon found ourselves surrounded by hundreds of giant moon jellyfish. After learning that these jellies did not sting, I immediately started to poke every jelly around me. From thereon, I had leverage if Mason stopped paddling--a jelly to the face.
Lodging: BBH Hostel The Villa in Picton. Great! Beautiful courtyard and conveniently located.
North Island
Lake Taupo
At this point of the trip we had huge expectations for everywhere we went. The North Island had a lot of different things to offer compared to the South Island. Wrongfully so, a common attitude throughout the next couple days would be that the "North Island sucks". Which is a very inaccurate observation. The two islands are extremely different; with a diverse offering of scenery and activities. (But yes, I am still partial to the South Island.)
Lake Taupo, the size of Singapore, was definitely a beautiful sight. Crystal clean water with mountainous surroundings. Huka Falls was another exciting attraction with violent water that rumbles throughout the valley. Approximately 220,000 litres exit the falls every second.
On a cloudy day, we decided to head to Tongariro National Park to see the Emerald Lakes. It was a long hike up Mt. Ngauruhoe, an active volcano (a.k.a Mount Doom). This was a very interesting hike, it felt as though we were on a different planet. The death smell of farts and rotten eggs (sulfur) really added to the ambiance. After a long while of climbing we passed a few tourists warning us to turn around. Challenge accepted. Sure, it was obvious that a storm was coming in, but I wanted to see these damn emerald lakes!
After reaching a point where we should have seen the emerald lakes, it was obvious we were not going to see them due to cloud cover. That is when the wind kicked up and we began our Marcel Marceau Walking Against the Wind bit (miming was not necessary). I would imagine the views to be incredible on a clear day.
As a reward, Mason and I had a few beers and hit the town's hot spring. Minus the drunk teenagers, loud children, and people using underwear as swimwear, it was enjoyable.
Lodging: We stayed at a lovely B&B. Mason and I just aren't the B&B type. The experience was awkward, but forcefully enjoyable. Our host was very gracious and accommodating. We were the only guests in the house, and the widow seemed more than happy to have people staying with her. In the middle of the second night I woke up to violent thrashing of the window blinds. In pure Mason form, he did not wake up to the commotion or my aggressive pushing. There was clearly an animal INSIDE our room. This is why we have screens on our windows in America! That was when I met our host's cat.
Waitomo
On the road trip to Waitomo I decided it was a good day to find a beach. This determined to be a harder feat than you would imagine on an island. What we did manage to find was a trailer park equivalent to Trailer Park Boys and a beach on an ancient burial ground. As I did not feel like getting cursed that day, we continued our journey to Waitomo cave country.
Stops along the way: Marokopa Falls, PiriPiri Cave, The Natural Bridge, and a historic Maori site.
Tips for traveling this area: take a flashlight on every hike-you never know when you will come across a cave you want to explore.
I have a slight obsession with caves. Maybe it stems from my love for Batman (he is undoubtedly sexy and I think that Batman will come to my rescue in a cave someday). Anyways, I was very excited for our next adventure, Black Water Rafting.
After putting on our freezing cold wet-suits and a brief training session we were repelling 110 feet underground. I would like to boast that I was awesome at this, but I was not. To my benefit I was completely alone in this narrow tube entrance into the cave. As our tour group huddled together in the darkness, waiting for everyone to arrive in the cave, we oohed and awed at the vibrant glowworms up above. Whilst avoiding the alleged cave rats.
The next voyage deeper into the cave included a zip-line. While observing one of our guides, who seemed slightly annoyed from the beginning, push each tourist off the cliff I noticed a little glimmer in his eyes after every push. Once it was my turned, I asked him if he got joy from pushing people to their deaths. With a monotone 'yes', I was plunged into the darkness.
Once we were all to the bottom we were handed inner tubes and instructed to 'jump' into the ice cold water and find 'the rope'.
We enjoyed another viewing of the glowworms before we were instructed to get out of our tubes and start walking in the water. Our only instructions were to, "look out". While I watched the people in front of me suddenly drop off an invisible cliff, and as I waited for Batman, I took the plunge down the re-birthing tunnel.
Finally, after climbing up two slippery 12 foot waterfalls, we emerged into a swarm of hungry mosquitoes.
Lodging: YHA Waitomo. Meh, I would say this was my least favorite hostel. Only due to the paper thin walls. The pet pig, goat, sheep, and deer were fun. It was also pretty far from town. However, in true NZ form you can start walking and hitch a ride within a few minutes.
Rotoura
Ass. This town smells like ass. Our "North Island sucks" mentality came out again. The town didn't actually suck. It was quite lovely. The sulfur smell was hard to get used to. Next on the agenda, was Lady Knox Geyser. You had to pay to sit in a sea of people only to see a guy put soap into a hole and wait for it to erupt. While the geyser was impressive, the fact that it was erupting due to someone putting soap in it was a little unsatisfying.
We then ventured to the sulfur mud pools in the park. I was able to handle the smell due to fantasizing that I was in the Bog of Eternal Stench from the Labyrinth.
Our next undertaking in Rotoura was Zorbing. Mason and I were both excited to try this extreme sport in its founding country. It was a thrilling 30-seconds ride. I had my second re-birthing experience of the trip sliding out of the ball with the gush of water.
That night we went to a Maori Fest (the indigenous people of NZ). I would feel more guilty calling it weird if it weren't for the fact that it was a giant tourist trap. It was an overpriced, cheesy, and souvenir-forced experience. There were incredibly rude tourists there and our driver seemed drunk. The musical dance number at the end was unauthentic and seemed to be taken from the closing number of Dirty Dancing.
Lodging: Funky Green Voyager in Rotoura; great hosts and friendly environment. Loved our room (when the windows were closed).
Hahei
I always like to end these long vacations with actual r-e-l-a-x-a-t-i-o-n. We took the day stopping in coastal towns and roadside beaches. Once we got to our base camp for the next few days we decided to explore the local beaches. We walked the hilly oceanside to Gemstone Bay, Stingray Bay, and the famous Cathedral Cove.
Our kayak adventure, the next day, in the South Pacific was scenic. It was unfortunate that it took us to all the areas we walked to the previous day, but it was enjoyable to see them from another perspective. I did get to see a stingray near Stingray Cove. The rock formations were incredible!
Next up, Hot Sand Beach. So apparently here you dig a hole in the sand, it fills up with water, and it can reach temperatures of 120F. I don't know if we were doing it wrong, but our pool was not hot. Maybe the hundred other tourists present knew something that we did not, perhaps that you needed to pee in your pool? We stuck around for awhile longer and on our way out tried to dip our toes in other people's pools to see if they were hot. A few were. Gross.
Lodging: Tatahi Lodge; Great room, with a great outdoor area. It is close to the beach, and a few shops. The icecream bar was delicious!
Auckland
Another city I wish we had more time to explore. It was entertaining to watch clearly well off twenty-somethings who just finished a night of partying eat breakfast on the pier, only for one of them to completely strip down and jump into the ship channel.
New Zealand is a beautiful country. There are so many areas to explore. I can't wait to go back!
New Zealand 2014 Jan/Feb 17 Day Trip
