12/02/2018
Even though this country is one of the closest to Australia (only 3hrs from Sydney), I've only been once and was when I was 17yrs old (12.5yrs ago)!!! It was our second, out of four, family holidays overseas. Mum had a conference there for a few days; so, Dad, my brothers and I occupied ourselves those days before then doing a road trip in a campervan across some of the South Island. I feel lucky for this particular blog because as I was looking through my photo album and I noticed that not only do I have photos, brochures and tickets inside, but I also have caption about what we did each day that includes the names of places and things we did (talk about an organized 17-year-old lol).
My memory is a little hazy, since it was over a decade ago that I was there, but I do remember just how stunning it was with the lakes, countryside, mountains and even snow-covered mountains that we were lucky enough to experience, which resulted in a day skiing (our first time!)
We mainly visited Christchurch & Queenstown, though driving from one to the other takes just short of 6hrs (probably longer for us because we had two campervans).This gave us the opportunity to see a bit more of the South Island. From looking at my 'mini journal' in my photo album I learnt that we travelled north one day to Hanmer Springs, where we spent the day having lunch hiring a quad bike, travelling around the town and the afternoon at the thermal pools and spas… apparently, I thought it was ABSOLUTE BLISS! 😉 Funnily enough I do vaguely remember that day, and I most definitely remember the views (picture up the top). Would highly recommend going!
The following day we travelled south east to Akaroa, to an old French settlement and took a dolphin cruise. Dad also took us kids to the International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch, which quoted to be 'The World's Best Antarctic Attraction.' We even paid extra and got a ticket for a hagglunch ride (which is described as a vehicle designed for tough northern climate and it performs well on any kind of terrain - google it if you still aren't sure what it looks like lol). I remember having a lot of fun and learning lots! So even if you don't attend with kids, it would be cool to check out!
In Christchurch we also took the gondola ride to see a stunning 360 degree view of the city and surrounds, followed by a tram ride around the city viewing some of the famous spots (I'm sure 13 years later these touristy things are still an option to do!) Dad even took us to unusual mini golf experience called the Caddy Shake City (I still have our score sheet - Dad won!)
The second half of our trip involved meeting up with my dad's cousin and his 4 kids, hiring 2 campervans and driving all the way to Queenstown (with many stops along the way). We drove first to Mt Cook for an overnight stay travelling through Tekapo and so some STUNNING picturesque spots along the way. Then heading to Dunedin next, not long on our travels we were stopped by thousands of sheep (not that shocking when in New Zealand haha). Continuing the journey towards Dunedin, we visited the Cadbury Factory (taking away a bag of chocolate) and visiting Larnach Castle. The castle is a historic house surrounded by beautiful gardens.
We then ventured north to visit a couple that mum and dad had met on a previous holiday. They owned 900 acres of land and few animals alongside. At night we travelled north west to Te Anau to do the glow worms cave tour.
One of the main things I remember of this trip is going to Milford Sound. We did a 'Red Boat Cruise' for 2.5hours that gave us stunning views through the canyons. It is situated in a World Heritage area. There is a commentary included that gives you an abundance of information to add to the experience. If you are in the area this is a MUST!
From Te Anau we travel to Queenstown. We organised a shot over jet ride, though due to the bad weather it gets cancelled twice! We were third time lucky and WOW what an experience. I have also done a similar thing in Sydney and definitely wouldn't be able to compare the two! This one was INSANE… it was super-fast and I clearly remember coming within inches of the canyons, as we were strapped into the boat and zoomed throughout the canyons. Such an unreal experience and would HIGHLY recommend doing it!! For those that don't know already, New Zealand is renowned for its adrenaline sports and this is definitely a must do, especially if you aren't keen, like myself, to bungee jump! 😉
That same day we rode the Luge, which are singular karts that you ride down a long metal slide. They can go extremely fast and you need to keep balance, as my dad's cousin did fall off and sprain his ankle from it! Though needless to say A LOT of fun and definitely another one to get the adrenaline pumping through your body!
The last day was spent on the slopes. For most of us it was our first-time skiing. We went to a ski hill calls 'The Remarkables'. We were given a beginner's ski lesson and the rest of the day was ours to play around and practice skiing. The hill I choose to stay on for the day was on was nowhere near the size I then conquered in Canada (11.5yrs later) but it was good fun for my first time! We were even lucky enough to see snow fall while we were skiing!
It was a great holiday and many years later (with a little help from the photos and the captions I'd written in my album) I was still able to remember many of the experiences and amazing places we visited. If you haven't been to New Zealand you need to add it to your list!! Next time I need to hit the North Island!
