New Zealand Road Trip / South Island / Day 3 : Queenstown and Fiordland

Saturday 7th April, 2012

Along the lake and a glimpse of the Fiordland

State Highway 6 and State Highway 94; 282 km

The journey ahead, despite being with an incredible destination at the end, was not quite satisfyingly exciting! I wasn't sure if that was because of the high excitement from seeing the glaciers (albeit not from a satisfyingly close distance) yesterday. But since it was not a very long journey to make, we pressed on.


At eight-thirty in the morning, the sun was already up, nice, bright and quite warm. After enjoying the view of the very calm Lake Dunstan, we drove towards Queenstown, a city that I have always wanted to visit, said to be picture perfect. I was again wishing I really know how to take great pictures, I might be able to produce my own travel postcards from this visit to Queenstown.

Along the road just as we left Cromwell

Two hours on, we reached the world renown adventure city of Queenstown, nestled on the shore of stunning Lake Wakatipu. We took a break to walk around the city centre, and decided that no amount of hours was enough to enjoy the city that day. This city would also be great to be seen covered in snow, so we agreed that we will have to come back and do a proper holiday here in the future, preferable in winter. This camping trip cannot accommodate a longer stay, so we left after a couple of hours of window shopping.

Above: A bit of Queenstown, for now...

Below: Leaving Queenstown

About 40 minutes drive along the lake, we arrived in Kingston, and had a quick stop to see the vintage steam train, The Kingston Flyer. This was also only for a brief look, then it was time for lunch. Another sandwich lunch at the beautiful surrounding of the southern end of Lake Wakatipu.

The Kingston Flyer, ready to go. For more information, visit the official site.

The next part of the journey, with the view of the lake ended as we left Kingston, was more or less a blur, with me going in and out of my sleep. Fifteen minutes after three in the afternoon we arrived in Te Anau, and after stocking up our little fridge we went to our camping site where we will be spending the night. 


It was a bit of a disappointment when we got there. The lady at the counter was a bit rude when we asked for a site that faced the setting sun, overlooking a lake. She told us that the requested site was for "tourist" and that she would require an additional charges. I was wondering what did she meant by "tourist" and she said, "its for campers who did not make the booking online!" I had a feeling that she thought we were too stingy to pay the additional NZ$4.00 for the site. 


I asked her about the free internet usage that was included in our booking, and she gave me some sort of internet card with some credit value in it. When I asked her if we can use the facility on more than one devices, she said in a very unfriendly way that she didn't care how we intend to use the internet. I just thought that she just didn't have a clue that some travellers, even those going around in a funny looking little van, do have their Macbook, iPad and iPhone with them to access the internet! How rude!


I am very tempted to name the camping site here, but for now I will leave it at this, if anyone would like to know the details, do let me know. Another disappointment at this camping site was the kitchen facility. It was there, yes but it was not properly maintained with the best interest of client in mind. The picture of the barbecue below is just a small part of what I found. 

The late afternoon sun seem to help a bit with the situation and despite not being very happy with the camping site, I found myself cooling it down by soaking up the last bit of the heat from the sun. I was determined that that was just one of the challenges that you would have to face when you leave all the comfort of a hotel far behind when you travel. The best thing to do was to sleep it over and try to get as much rest as possible for more adventure tomorrow.

New Zealand Road Trip / South Island / Day 2 : Into the Glaciers

Friday 6th April, 2012

Hokitika to Cromwell with the glaciers in between

State Highway 6; 465 km


So it wasn't that bad, spending the night in the van. I was really tired anyway. Then again, with the very quiet surrounding, who will stir in their sleep?

It was suggested that a night in Hokitika should include a walk to the glow worm dell where you can see these unusual creatures from a distance of only a few metres away. I have seen glow worms before, in one of the caves in Mulu National Park, so I was not that excited about that here.

After breakfast, we began our second day at 8 am. This is going to be a long day and it seem like there are so many interesting places to see today. The day was fine, and the distance mountains visible from the road added to the pleasant start.

While the all yellowish brown autumn grassland and stoney hills views dominating yesterday's journey, today we were driving through a lush green forest. An hour into the drive, we arrived at Lake Lanthe. Early morning mists were still floating above the clear water of the lake, perfect for practising my photography skill, if at all. So here are a couple to share.

From Lake Lanthe, it took us about 45 minutes to get to what for me was one of the most spectacular destinations in our road trip, the Franz Josef Glacier, named after Emperor Franz Josef of Austria. To experience it fully, you just have to be there yourself. We chose what seem to be the closer and shorter walk to view the glacier. What we didn't know was that this would take us on an uphill walk right to the viewing platform, Sentinel Rock. With my basic DSLR camera, I only managed to capture the view from the distance. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the view, and for just being there. This was my first close proximity experience with a glacier, well as close as that lookout point allowed anyway, but it was amazing nevertheless!

Half an hour drive from Franz Josef Glacier, we arrived at Fox Glacier township, which offers an intimate 'village' experience than its neighbour Franz Josef. We stopped for a quick bite and coffee and before heading off to the glacier, had a quick look in small shop that was also an information centre. And like any eager tourist, I bought some souvenirs, too.

New Zealand is a place for outdoor adventure. It offers some amazing opportunities for nature lovers to enjoy the beauty of the country, tramping, cycling, hitch-hiking ... and whatever you do, it's always good to have a bar, or three, of chocolate in your backpack. Enough energy is important, whatever your excuse! 

Likewise, taking care of your skin is also important. Our skin can dry out easily when it is very cold. I found some skincare products made from the Rotorua thermal mud. I used the hand creme during the trip and it worked very well. I will try the other products when I get back to Adelaide and will let you know if they work just as well.

It was 3.5km from the village to Fox Glacier. We were still high from our first glacier, and driving into the car park area, we were immediately greeted by rushing rivers in between two imposing mountains. Silently, we decided that we will walk as close as we could this time. This one seem to be like an easy reach, from the car park we could see parts of the glacier, so off we went ... Our viewing point was a 20 minutes relatively easy walk. It was very satisfying. A guided walk on the glacier is recommended if you have the time and want to experience more.

Lake Matheson is 5km west of Fox Glacier. I read (and saw pictures) about the stunning reflection of Mount Cook on this one of the 101 Must-Dos for Kiwis destinations. Sadly to say, we missed the turn to the lake. I just had to mention it here because if you found yourself driving along this part of New Zealand one day, do not miss the turn!

After Fox, we didn't stop much except for a coffee break in Haast Village. A mobile cafe was closing up around 3pm, and that made it seem like the afternoon is slipping away rather quickly. Times flies when you're having fun!

Continuing on the scenic road over Haast Pass, the southern getaway to the West Coast, we arrived at the Blue Pools Walk, located within the World Heritage listed Mount Aspiring National Park. The drive to here was approximately one and a half hours from Haast Village. It is another must-see highlights in this wilderness region. It features a gravel path and boardwalks that wind through a native silver beech forest and lead to a swing bridge strung high above the Makarora River.

The above is not a scene of a natural occurrences, rather being made by visitors like me. Don't ask me why anyone would do that. I don't even know why I did my pile of rocks. I guessed we human being have some funny ideas about fun. Someone started it, and that late afternoon I saw hundreds of them standing silently on the river bed.

We left the Blue Pools to continue our journey south. From the map spread out on my lap I know there were at least two big lakes ahead of us. I was hoping that there would still be enough sun light for pictures.

Above and below: Lake Hawea. I seem to miss taking pictures of Lake Wanaka. Better luck next time, I hope!

We arrived in Cromwell around 7pm and it was already dark. I took this picture the following morning. So I missed the warm welcome at the entrance of this seemingly fruity town.

After asking for direction in a local shop, we found our camp site and since it was already dark, we decided to eat out. Or rather, in the restaurant within the camp site area. Though it was good not to have the hassle of preparing dinner in the smallest kitchen in the van, the dinner in the restaurant was not much to be desired. I had a fisherman basket, some over-fried seafood items that was tasteless. The service was slow, too. Anyway, I told myself that I was in a camping trip and the luxury of homemade food should not be expected, at any time. After dinner, I could only think about sleep and I did just that.

A part of Cromwell, from across Lake Dunstan, taken early the following morning.

New Zealand Road Trip / South Island / Day 1 : Going West

Thursday 5th April, 2012

Christchurch to Hokitika via Arthur's Pass

State Highway 73; 246 km

The day started early today. Right at 8 o’clock, we left the hotel to pick up the camper van at Jucy Rentals. This is going to be our accommodation for the next one week. We had our first look at our mobile home. Nothing fancy, but as what printed on the side of the van said, I think we’ll be alright. The shower cubicle was small, but it was conveniently placed behind the driver’s seat. There was also a cooker, gas, and a sink. Underneath the cooker, luxury! We had a fridge. The living area at the back, where we will also sleep, wasn’t looking so convincing. But after the guy showed us how to set up the beds and where the blankets and pillows were, I think I will be alright. After filling up the fridge with milk, cheese, bread, fruits and some bottles of water, we hit the road.

From the research I made in the internet, the normal driving time from Christchurch to Hokitika would take about four hours. At this point, I somehow left out the fact that we were actually going on a road trip on a holiday in one of the most breathtaking destinations in the world. I did read some articles and information about the places of interest along the way. The problem was, I didn't put into consideration the time that we would be taking visiting and exploring these places. So anyway, I will state it from this very beginning, that our timing were always wrong.

I wanted to take as much pictures as I could. Very soon I found myself clicking the camera every 2 or 3 minutes. Every where I looked was so beautiful. Looking back at the pictures afterward, I only wish I had the talent in photography. I also wish I had the time ...

Not long after leaving the hustle and bustle of the city, the above picture was what would become the common view for the rest of the journey. Grassy land, rivers and creeks with mountains in the background - they are everywhere. But we wanted to see more, so off we go.

After the leisurely drive for a couple of hours, we arrived at Castle Hill. If you are a lover of rock climbing, or bouldering, this is a place for you. The hill was named as such because of the imposing array of limestone outcrops in the area reminiscent of an old run-down stone castle. You may have seen the similarity of this area to the scenes in the movies Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

At around noon, we were about to cross over to the West Coast. For that, we came across one of the most breathtaking drives in our journey. I took a couple of pictures in this area for this blog, but I will say it here, these pictures doesn't do justice to the beautiful Arthur's Pass.

Lunch was a quick bite of cheese sandwich and then we were back on the road. After reaching the highest point of the road crossing the Southern Alps, we started descending and at about 3pm, we had our first glimpse of the Tasman Sea. We went straight to the camp site and since the sun was still up and bright, we decided to take a walk around the quiet town of Hokitika. It's off season so it was quiet. After the long day on the road, even though it was filled with beautiful sceneries, the quiet calm of this beach town was very welcoming and relaxing. 

Hokitika may be a busy thriving port during the 1860s gold rush, but today the colour of choice is green, for this is the home for New Zealand's finest pounamu or jade. And while visiting one of the shops selling this beautiful stone, I couldn't resist the temptation. It's a bit pricey, but I never know when will I be back. So I got myself a little souvenir.

And after the recommendation from the lady who sold me the bracelet, we made our way to Stumpers Cafe & Bar for dinner. I had a nice steak (still couldn't really got myself completely into the camping mode). It was nice, the food and the atmosphere so the break from cooking was very much needed then.

With the last ray of the sun still a little bit warm, I ended the day enjoying the beach just a minute walk from our camping site. It was a very pleasant day to say the least. I could not find all the right words to describe the day, but I know I had a tremendous experience. It was only our first day, but the way it went, I was looking forward to seeing more of the South Island. 

Tomorrow, the plan was to drive to Cromwell, and looking at the map and what I have read about this part of the road, I couldn't wait to get back on the road. But first, I needed to brace myself and tried to get some sleep. It would be the first time sleeping in a small van. I might be mad, but I think this shouldn't really be a reason to freak out. After all, when you are in New Zealand, the least you could do is to be a little adventurous.