Anna Newey

traveled in 30 countries Read more

Traveler Australia and New Zealand
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- Dec 1, 2023
- ☁️ 15 °C
- Altitude: 540 m
- New Zealand Canterbury Selwyn District Cass Corner Knob -43.004694, 171.72798343°0’17” S 171°43’41” E
Day 32
Arthurs Pass... and water...
December 1, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
Headed back from campsite to Franz Joseph for much needed coffee! And to obvs see the Glacier... the guide was right, it was much much clearer today so got some nice views of the Glacier.
Headed towards Arthur's Pass... my route back to Christchurch and saw that pancake rocks and blowholes (lol) were only another hour or so away (what's an hour or so?!) So headed there!
Was pretty spectacular, even if I arrived at low tide so there weren't many blowholes (lol) was still worth the visit.
Drove down Arthur's Pass... what a spectacular drive!!!! Very windy but stunning views of mountains and rivers and, well just spot on really! Stopped at Devils Punchbowl Waterfalls... super cool!
Arrived at campsite... alone again!!!! Took a few hours but 2 people on motorbikes and a family in a car finally showed up... tbh, I just sat in the car and had half a bottle of wine to myself... the sandflies are a nightmare!!!
Can't really believe that today was my last full day of this epic adventure 🥲
Tomorrow is half taken up by a flight and Sunday I fly home 😬Read more
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Traveler Australia and New Zealand
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- Nov 30, 2023, 8:36pm
- ☁️ 10 °C
- Altitude: 184 m
- New Zealand West Coast Westland District Fox Glacier Bath Creek -43.478737, 170.01272943°28’43” S 170°0’46” E
Day 31
Chasing waterfalls... and glaciers
November 30, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C
Again set off fairly early to head up to the west coast and Fox Glacier and Franz Joseph Glacier...
On the way to Fox decided to stop at Thunder Falls (as I spotted it on the map and it sounded cool!)
... it was cool!
Also the west coast is absolutely stunning!!! Stopped of at various viewpoints for photos (and food!) Before getting to Fox Glacier... which was very foggy and you could only see essentially a stream in the distance 😅 a guide leading a family did say ut should be clearer tomorrow so fingers crossed for Franz Joseph! Nice walk though and good break from driving.
Stopped in Franz Joseph village for a cuppa and snack before heading to my campsite for the night... not quite as luxurious as the last but some flushing loos... yayy!!!!Read more
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Traveler Australia and New Zealand
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- Nov 29, 2023
- ☀️ 16 °C
- Altitude: 279 m
- New Zealand Otago Queenstown-Lakes District Wanaka Roys Bay -44.691928, 169.12151144°41’31” S 169°7’17” E
Day 30
Lake Wanaka take 2!
November 29, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
Got up pretty early (no curtains does that!!!) So went to the lake for a coffee and ended up renting a kayak for an hour! So cool floating around on the lake, checking out nesting birds (even if they got a bit angry with me!) And seeing the mountains emerge from the clouds behind... the water was so clear and beautiful as well 🥰
Met the ladies at 11 for a swim in the lake again... I honestly just can't get enough of this place, so gorgeous!
We parted ways but with a plan to gonkn a hike at 5:30 up Roy's Peak for sunset... a 2-3 hour hike I thought... turns out that's just up!!!
Really started feeling my age with the 2 early 20 year old storming off ahead and me bringing up the rear (also probably should have had more than a punt and an icecream for dinner🤣)!!!! was 8km up... just up! Lots of sheep and needless to say beautiful views! Reached the peak just before sunset but I stayed a bit lower as found a really nice place to perch and watch the sunset 😁
Way down was a bit precarious in the dark with only me having a head torch but our trusted leader (Victoria!) Got us down in one piece!!! It was also a lot easier to keep up with those guys with gravity on my side! 🤣Read more
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Traveler Australia and New Zealand
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- Nov 28, 2023
- 🌧 13 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- New Zealand Southland Southland District Milford Sound Freshwater Basin -44.667449, 167.91280644°40’3” S 167°54’46” E
Day 29
Milford Sounds
November 28, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 13 °C
Long day today, up early, checking out the hostel to start the 3.45hr journey to Milford Sound.
Arrived in good time to a random little carpark full of sandflies, turns out we were at the right place! So half eaten alive we find our lil water taxi over to our hike... but of a surprise speed boat and wannabe adrenaline junkie driver which was fun!!!
Hike was beautiful, great path and stunning waterfalls! Also fab conversations with Kathrin and Wiktoria.
Stopped for coffee and cake in the visitor centre before the mammoth trip to Lake Wanaka via Queenstown to pick up some camping equipment for Wiktoria (fail, the shop was closed!) and pump up my airbed in the carpark!
Arrived at Lake Wanaka at 10pmRead more
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Traveler Australia and New Zealand
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- Nov 27, 2023
- ☁️ 17 °C
- Altitude: 394 m
- New Zealand Otago Queenstown-Lakes District Frankton Peninsula Hill -45.028335, 168.65559245°1’42” S 168°39’20” E
Day 28
Queenstown day 2
November 27, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
Went on a mission today to help Wiktoria find camping gear... was semi successful! But she is going to join Kathrin and me to Milford Sounds and Lake Wanaka! 🤗
I decided to see what all the fuss was about with Fergburger (everyone has been talking about it but it always has a huge queue so have avoided it so far!) Was pretty good...
Also decided to go up the skyline and go luging (basically go-karting!)where I was adopted by a family so I had someone to race with! Was fab! Wish I had looked after my bag a bit better though, it's not meant to be dragged along the ground at high speed (now full of holes... I only need it to last me a few more days!!!!)
I also met Colin and Cathrine who I went for some drinks with after... was so nice getting to know them and I might see them in Wanaka again as well!!!Read more
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Traveler Australia and New Zealand
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- Nov 26, 2023
- ☀️ 21 °C
- Altitude: 407 m
- New Zealand Otago Queenstown-Lakes District Arrowtown Bush Creek -44.93854, 168.83230144°56’19” S 168°49’56” E
Day 27–29
Queenstown
November 26, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Woke up feeling a little blue as realised its only 1 week until my epic adventure comes to an end... so went on a walk around the town and through the gardens in the morning to chill out and contemplate... something! 😅
Anyways, found a friend called Christina from Germany and we went to Arrowtown, a cool little old gold mining town just north of Queenstown. Looked like the wild west 🤣 obviously went for another walk, found more lupins (this is becoming a bit of an obsession!) and then headed back to the hostel where I met a new roomie, Kathrin, also from Germany! We have made a plan to go to Milford Sounds on Tuesday and then up to Lake Wanaka... yayy car share buddy!
Went for a drink down by the waterfront and had a good natter 😁 looking forward to a few days of company with her!
Also met Wiktoria from Lithuania who has just arrived so a bit jetlagged i think, bless her! Going to help her find some camping stuff in the morning! Yayy a purpose!!!Read more
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Traveler Australia and New Zealand
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- Nov 25, 2023
- ☀️ 18 °C
- Altitude: 281 m
- New Zealand Otago Queenstown-Lakes District Wanaka Roys Bay -44.695189, 169.1270544°41’43” S 169°7’37” E
Day 26
Lake Wanaka
November 25, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
Woke up, freezing feet... and the car was completely frozen over 🥶 immediately put on the engine and straddled the steering wheel with feet on vents to warm up!!! (Got some funny looks from a couple of the other campers 🤣) Made for an early start though, was up and out on the road before 7:30 which was great!
Went to Lane Wanaka possibly my favourite lake so far! So blue and with great mountains in the background... I saw some people swimming and decided incould do with a wash after a couple of days in the car so went in myself... omg it was cold... skin tingling cold but amazing!!! I think it's Glacier water as well so full of minerals 🤔 (no idea!) Felt so good after as well!!! Went on another hike around part of the lake (starting to become a bit of a routine this!), got a coffee and headed off to Queenstown... after Queenstown I'm going to try and stop off again at Lake Wanaka on my way up to the glaciers 😁
Blindly following Google maps took me via Crown Range Road which was very steep and VERY windy... but had some beautiful look outs... also discovered it is the highest sealed road in New Zealand!!! That's pretty cool!
Arrived at the hostel, sharing a 4 bed mix dorm with 2 German teens! Very sweet, one asked if I had just finished school!!!!!!
Went out for a few drinks and met a lovely couple who let me join in their card game, Merol and Jack. We had a few beers and went for food, shame I never got a pic of us all, never mind!
I was pooped so went back yo the hostel and in bed by 10:30!!Read more
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Traveler Australia and New Zealand
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- Nov 24, 2023
- Altitude: 716 m
- New Zealand Canterbury Mackenzie District Mount Cook -43.735699, 170.10441743°44’9” S 170°6’16” E
Day 25
Lake Pukaki and Mt Cook
November 24, 2023 in New Zealand
Yer woke up and had a bit of a telling off by a ranger, apparently I wasn't meant to camp.in that car park as I am not self contained or something 🙄 anyways, he took pity and didn't fine me! Phew!!!
But drove off around 8ish after a not very comfy night and went to explore Mt Cook... yup, equally beautiful! 😁
Did 2 hikes, one across a few swing bridges which were fun as well...
Headed to my next camp site which I knew I was allowed to be in (!!!) via Landis Pass... the camp site is at a site with a historical hotel ruins there so thoughtbitbwould be pretty cool... had to drive down a dirt path for about 20 mins, avoiding the stubborn cows and scaring the sheep! When I arrived I was the only person there... the ruins were pretty cool but could have been quite creapy if no one else showed up!!! Which luckily they did! Befriended 2 couples who were travelling together in 2 campers so did my usual approach of 'you guys drink wine? ... Great, I come with wine, can I join you?!' And sat in their camper chatting till bed time! Great night, fab location!Read more
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Traveler Australia and New Zealand
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- Nov 23, 2023
- 🌬 18 °C
- Altitude: 709 m
- New Zealand Canterbury Mackenzie District Lake Tekapo -43.990997, 170.48916543°59’28” S 170°29’21” E
Day 24
Lakes and walking - Lake Tekapo
November 23, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 18 °C
Picked up hire car and had a drive to Lake Tekapo. Planned on going to the Lupin field and just have a ganda around before heading to a camp site at Lake Pukaki...
The Lake is stunning, so unbelievably blue with mountains in the background... there were lupins scattered along the banks and, yer it was just beautiful... I did go up to the lupin field however there weren't that many there, but a lot of photographers popping up which kinda reminded me of snipers with their extreme camera lenses 🤣
Back on the Lake decided to go for a walk upto the observatory which was a great hike, very quiet, there were times where i didn't see many people at all, was basically the only one... and was so windy... the longer my hair is getting the more like medusa I am starting to look 🤣 what do you think?!
Anyways, fab views etc etc!
Drove to Lake Pukaki where a lovely couple called Gill and Steve adopted me for the evening and we spent the rest of the day drinking wine and watching sunset... First night sleeping in the back of the car, quite excited!!!Read more
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Traveler Australia and New Zealand
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- Nov 21, 2023
- ⛅ 19 °C
- Altitude: 351 m
- New Zealand Lake Taupo -38.810616, 175.92247738°48’38” S 175°55’21” E
Day 22
Nerding out LotR style
November 21, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
Busy day needing out at as much Tolkien as I could find in the limited time!
Left at 7:30am to go on the Hobbiton Movie set tour, which was awesome 😁 tried to make a deal with the Green Dragon Inn landlady to buy a hobbit hole... felt very homely and comfortable there 😅
The set is incredible, the detail is so good and with all the chimneys and windows poking out the hills, alongside the evidence of hobbits occupations and hobbies made you feel like it was a real live village or going to see a 'how they live' tour! The tour lasted 2 hours but I could have stayed there longer!
Next I went to find a hike - Haku Falls, it was a success!!! The walk was beautiful and the falls really powerful, was nice to stretch my legs as had already done about 3 hours driving!
Back to geeking out though, Mount Doom was just south of Lake Taupo so obvs had to go and try and see that! And on the way spotted Gollums Pools... so another obvious stop off point! Much shorter walk (litterally about 10 minutes!) and a mini scramble over some rocks to an amazing waterfall and pools, was gorgeous... and really quiet (a huge group of school kids just left, think I timed it perfectly!)
It was around 7pm by this point and realised it was at least a 3 hour drive back to Hamilton, so decided to get hoping and try and find a nice spot to watch the sunset... Lake Taupo has the perfect viewing areas!
After sunset, made my way back... didn't get back till bed until 10:30pm... long but awsome day!Read more
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