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New Zealand

December 2017 - April 2018
A 123-day adventure by Mates on tour Read more
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  • TravelerNew Zealand
    Day 1

    The start...

    December 9, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    We've spent the first week in Christchurch at the lovely family Tregurtha. First we just planned to stay for one night but then they invited us to stay longer... A perfect start to our New Zealand adventure :)

    It took us a bit longer than expected to get our new "home", a camper van. But in the end we were happy to get the Mitsubishi L300. Hopefully it will get us around the islands safely. Besides that we explored Christchurch a bit and checked what the local supermarkets have to offer. It's a bit more pricey than in Germany, especially for fruits and vegetables, but not as much as expected.

    We don't really have a plan yet, just that we'll be heading South first and see what is there to do.    Read more

  • TravelerNew Zealand
    Day 7

    Akaroa - Banks peninsula

    December 15, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We decided to make our first trip to the nearby Akaroa peninsula and stopping in the small harbour town Lyttleton on the way to there. After a week of planning and getting ready we were just glad and excited to be on the road.
    We could've saved us the stop in Lyttleton as there was literally nothing to do except watching freight ships. But the way to Akaroa was much more rewarding afterwards even though we went the wrong route twice. First we ended up at a steep gravel road with the sign "4WD only", so we needed to turn around and drive back to the main road. In conclusion it's better not to stick too close to the navigation system ;)
    Shortly before arriving in Akaroa we stopped at the Onawe Track for a short hike over a lime stone cliff to a small peninsula. After driving the narrow roads it was a nice change and the views were magnificent.

    In the evening we explored a bit the small town, it's a former French settlement and tries to keep that heritage by having French signs and food. Thanks to our self-contained camper van we can stay for free close to the city center. In the evening we went down to the harbour and watched the sunset.

    The other day we started early to climb a nearby park with views over the whole bay but it was just a short loop. The free museum was very interesting and told a lot of stories about the Maori, the first settlers and their daily lives. After considering the options we decided to head further South, which meant in this case, driving back to Christchurch and from there down.    Read more

  • TravelerNew Zealand
    Day 8

    Timaru

    December 16, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    The drive to here was pretty long and tiring so we were glad to get a spot at the freedom Camping zone. This one was situated right next to the Gardens and the beach. We had only planned to make a quick stop there overnight and then move on. By the time we got there the tourist information was already closed. So we decided to just park our van at the zone and then explore the town by foot.
    As we arrived there we encountered a sign with a penguin but didn't mind it all to much. But a little while later we found online that there are penguins supposed to be coming directly to the beach in the evening. And you can watch them for free, so we were pretty excited to do that later on. Until then there was quite a lot to see: The church built in the settlers architectural style, a Christmas fare, the beach...

    But the highlight was of course the blue penguin colony at night. When we got there around 9 there were already people waiting and also two officials who guided the people and told us that they usually come ashore as soon as it gets dark. Just a little while after that, we saw a small penguin jumping around the stone walls where their nest is located. We've been told that they scream for their parents. About 45 minutes later we were startled by a scream just a bit away from us, it were another two baby penguins! We were sitting just about two metres away from them! Overall we spent about 3 hours on the beach and the rocks watching the penguins. It was a really great experience to get so close to them!

    Exhausted and freezing we went back to our camper van and tried to sleep in. Unfortunately we woke up at 6 and couldn't fall asleep again so we decided to go on a tour to the Botanic Gardens. We tried out some playgrounds and visited the bird house with lots of exotic and native birds.    Read more

  • TravelerNew Zealand
    Day 9

    Oamaru - Steampunk & Penguins

    December 17, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    We've put Oamaru on our bucket list mainly because of the large Blue Penguin Colony, therefore the title "Penguin City". But as we had seen them already close in Timaru we shifted our priorities. First we visited the harbour quarter with the famous steam punk museum and old colonial buildings. Unfortunately we came a bit too late to check out a local Whisky distillery.
    Afterwards we went on a hike on a hill next to the city center for some magnificent views over the whole bay. It didn't take us long for the loop so we decided to head to a nearby beach where the yellow-eyed penguins are located.
    They are a lot more shy than their smaller relatives so you can't go closer than 200m to them. They built a small shed to watch them come ashore but after the first penguins arrived we headed back to the van. We've already experienced them close by and there was a freezing cold wind.    Read more

  • TravelerNew Zealand
    Day 10

    Dunedin

    December 18, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    We got up early to get to the nearby Moeraki Boulders, a scenic arrangement of round rocks on a beach. But it's only visible with low tide. It was nice but nothing too exciting ;)
    Afterwards we moved on to Dunedin, a large city with breweries, shopping opportunities and - most relevant for us - the gateway to the Otago peninsula. We parked our van quite far outside of the center where we would be allowed to stay for the night and walked to the tourist information.
    We wanted to go to the peninsula the other day so we had the whole day to explore the city. But unfortunately we were done with it already after only about two hours... By chance we came by the Otago museum which is free and it was one of the most interesting museums I've ever been to. Facts about certain parts of the history are visualised short and on point together with explorable areas like a "living on a ship".    Read more

  • TravelerNew Zealand
    Day 11

    Otago peninsula

    December 19, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    The trip to the Otago Peninsula was one of our points on the Todo list because of the nature and landscapes. And it was definitely worth it!
    After changing our plans several times during the drive to there we decided to head first to the other side of the peninsula. There is a Albatross center which cares about the nesting birds there and also has a free museum and paid tours to offer. Luckily it was a very windy day so we could see them gliding over us for free :) We also saw a group of seals on the rocky shore below the lighthouse.
    The next stop was at "The Pyramids", rock formations that are shaped like pyramids. They were pretty nice but the trail led further to a bay. There we saw a large male New Zealand fur seal (they're actually sea lions) that just came to the shore. We watched him roll there in the sand and hop around for a while, then we took a stroll along the beach. As we came back he was still there so I sneaked closer to him while staying on the dunes. There I almost stepped accidentally on another sea lion that was relaxing in the dunes!!
    For the late afternoon we decided to hike up to Harbour cone. A really distinct hill in the middle of the peninsula. As we reached the summit after an hour hike up we got to see a beautiful panoramic view reaching all the way back to Dunedin. The wind started to blow harder and we could barely stay on our feet, so we made our way back to the van.
    While searching for a place to stay for the night we came by the Sandfly Beach Bay where we wanted to go the next day. So we parked there while wind gusts up to 70 km/h shook our van the whole night like a cradle.

    The other day the storm had calmed down and we could go to hike the beach on a 4 hour loop trail. But unfortunately we go lost because of some unclear markings (meaning none at all...). On the way we saw a whole group of sea lions on the rocks beside the beach.    Read more

  • TravelerNew Zealand
    Day 12

    The Catlins

    December 20, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    We were on the way to the Fiordlands and Milford Sound after a quick stop in Dunedin. This would have meant leaving the southernmost part of the South Island out. But just before the junction we changed our mind spontaneously and decided to visit the area called "The Caitlins".
    The most famous attraction here is "Nugget Point", an incredibly popular and picturesque and lighthouse located on top of high cliffs. Besides that we visited some Waterfalls, the Cathedral cove and the Gypsy Museum.
    Especially the "The lost gypsy gallery" is worth to mention as it is something I've never seen before. A guy collects basically trash and builds apparatus from it, some with more sense than others. His waggon is full with small pushable, touchable stuff and it can keep you entertained for hours to explore this little gem.    Read more

  • TravelerNew Zealand
    Day 15

    Te Anau - The Fiordlands

    December 23, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    We've finally made it to the Fiordland. A famous and picturesque area which is a large national park. Unfortunately there is a strict "No freedom camping" policy. Therefore we got us the cheapest option, a van park located just before the city. Still pretty expensive for nothing but a park spot.
    Then we checked what to do for the next few days in the area. Besides hiking it's famous for Kayaking, so we booked the next open spots with good weather for the 26th. In the Fiordlands are three of the "Great Walks" located, among them the "Milford Track", the so-called "greatest walk in the world". Unfortunately it's completely booked out until the end of the season in April. Besides that, the other two Great Walks, the "Kepler Track" and "Routeburn Track" were fully booked for the next days and weeks.
    But luckily both of them were better accesible, so we decided to do the Kepler Track - a 60km loop starting almost within the town. Our initial plan was to do the whole track in a single day but then decided to do just the first 18km and then turn around because they're supposed to be the best section. And it was an amazing hike up there with rewarding views over the nearby mountains, valleys and lakes. The trail is in a remarkably perfect condition so we could just enjoy the views. Near a hut is a small cave system which is accessible to explore.
    Overall it was a pretty long hike taking us about 10 hours but with rewarding views.    Read more

  • TravelerNew Zealand
    Day 18

    Milford Sound

    December 26, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    We took our time to get up to Milford Sound because we needed to be there at the 26th for kayaking. As we hiked a lot on the Kepler Track we relaxed a bit in a nice valley Campsite.
    For Christmas eve and Christmas we made some shorter hikes or just boardwalks. Among them a section of the Routeburn Track and a short walk to some mirror lakes. But it was too windy to get perfect reflections.
    Then we finally got to Milford Sound and the kayaking. It was our first time in sea kayaks and we had a blast!! The water was very calm so we came through the water pretty easy. Just after about 15 minutes we spotted a group of bottlenose dolphins right next to our Kayaks!! Apparently we were incredibly lucky as even our guide only saw three times dolphins in this season. Besides that the weather we had (sunny without a wind) only occurred once in 20 days :) Overall we had an amazing trip and experienced it in a special way. The only thing that is a bit disturbing to the beauty are the massive amount of planes going on tours there. On summer days it's the busiest airport in the world compared to the amount of inhabitants. After four hours of kayaking we returned to the parking lot with a bit of a sunburn.
    When we were driving back in the late afternoon we saw a Kiwi crossing the street :)    Read more

  • TravelerNew Zealand
    Day 23

    Queenstown - The adventure capital of NZ

    December 31, 2017 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    The busy little town was quite a change after the silence of the Fiordlands that we enjoyed for the past days. It's sprawling with tourists and booking companies trying to rip you off. We already knew upfront that we want to do the Nevis Swing - the biggest swing in the world. Luckily we got the last spot for the 30th of December, otherwise we would have needed to wait until the 4th of January...
    After booking this we made plans for the next days.

    We hiked up Ben Lomond, a challenging four hour climb, especially in the heat of the midday. There we met another Kea and enjoyed lunch with a spectacular view over the lake and surrounding mountains.

    We ate a delicious burger from Fergburger, a famous burger joint here in Queenstown. It is best enjoyed in the Floating bar with a local beer!

    We visited Glenorchy, a tiny town about an hour away from Queenstown. There we did the walkway around town and strolled over the beach. Not much more to do here ;)

    Then it was finally the time for the Nevis Swing. It took almost no time to get there by bus and there were just two people ahead of the us... The excitement was real and as it was our turn to get into the harness we were accompanied by the screaming of others :) But the experienced guide distracted us until he pulled the release and we went with an incredible speed down into the valley. After a few seconds that felt like forever we swung gently along the other side with our hearts beating like crazy. An experience that was well worth the money...

    We spent New Years eve in Queenstown were we expected a bustling scene and food stalls. But there wasn't too much, just two stages with live music and two food stalls. Besides that it was pretty cold and uncomfortable, so we had a hot chocolate in McDonalds until 11:30. Then we went to the harbour to see the fireworks :) It was cool because the rockets were started from a ship.    Read more

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