Located on the Northern tip of the North Island, our first stop in New Zealand was the Bay of Islands. Made up of 144 mini-islands, the Bay of Islands is paradise for beach and water-sport lovers. Crystal clear water pairs with mountainous green for a truly magical view in all directions. Staying on a single night, we dedicated our time to Jet Skiing with a local Moli (aboriginal) tour guide.
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I cannot begin to express how magical this experience was. The open ocean felt like pure freedom. We were guided through caves, to the historic site of Captain Cook’s first landing, to an undeveloped beach on the edge of a small island, and through the crystal clear waters of Stingray Bay. The daylong excursion went by in the blink of an eye – I would recommend splurging on this activity and choosing the 3-hour explorer experience (AT LEAST). You won’t regret it, and you’ll never forget it.
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Within 24 hours we departed the Bay of Islands for Auckland, one of New Zealand’s major cities. On our way in we drove past a secluded, family-run glowworm cave tour. We originally planned on visiting Waitomo for the sole purpose of taking a glowworm cave your, however, we were in no hurry on our way to Auckland (we used Auckland as a stopover point) and figured we’d test it out. BEST DECISION YET. We saved an exuberant amount of money, time and gas by checking this activity off our list. The family was extremely welcoming and informative and the cave tour itself was exactly as we imagined. They even added a spooky folktale about a young girl who was trapped in the caves – apparently her screams for help could still be heard through the echoes.
With the glowworms checked off our list we headed out early the next morning for Hobbiton. As cliché as it sounds and as non-interested in the Lord of the Rings as you may be, (I for one am about as uninterested as they come), this tour is absolutely worth it. The uniqueness of the property and the dedication of the upkeep are astonishing. Plus, who doesn’t want a pic in front of a Hobbit house??
Next on the list was Rotorua, a small town renowned for its geothermal activity and the potent smell that comes with it. We opted for the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, a park of sorts in New Zealand’s Taupo Volcanic Zone. As unique and beautiful as the different sites were, we took an abbreviated version of the tour due to the extremely potent smell that radiated from the ground (the humidity didn’t help).
Leaving the park we came across ZORB New Zealand and HOLY HELL it was unreal. If you’re unfamiliar with the art of Zorbing, you basically climb into a giant inflatable ball and roll down a hill (a skiable size hill). CRAZY AND SO MUCH FUN. After the Zorbing we ventured into what we thought was the town center. It felt like a ghost town – no one was around and every local shop was closed. After finally finding somewhere open to eat, we walked towards the waterfront of Lake Rotorua. After about ten minutes of walking we came to the actual center of town and were PISSED we hadn’t found it earlier. Eat Street is exactly what it sounds like – a super popular strip of restaurants and shops. So if you’re in Rotorua, don’t settle until you find Eat Street.
New Zealand is the prime spot for all things adventure. Even for those who don’t consider themselves outdoorsy, NZ can bring out anyone’s fun side. Rotorua is home to some killer white water rafting, including the world’s tallest raftable waterfall. The guides (our guides name was Joel and obv he was the most fun of ‘em all) were the perfect combination of comforting and adventurous. Despite their course on How Not Do Drown 101, we felt extremely safe and were able to enjoy the ride without fear for our lives.
From this point we headed back north en route to catch our flight out of Auckland to the South Island. On the way we stopped at the famous Hot Water Beach and later Cathedral Cove. Unfortunately, the most exciting thing to happen at Hot Water Beach was finding an adorable puppy tied to a surfboard. Something about dozens of strangers sitting in still pools of sand water wasn’t appealing enough to join them. Cathedral Cove, on the other hand, was gorgeous and totally worth the stop. The hike down and back up from the cove isn’t for the faint of heart – especially after weeks of exhausting travel. The iconic cove is as picturesque as you’d imagine, but I found the mini-island located a couple of hundred yards off the shore to be equally as fascinating. Take the swim out – you’ll be glad you did! Hopefully you’ll find the ocean a good twenty degrees warmer than it was in January. WORTH IT.
the progression of these pics says it all
The next morning our flight departed Auckland for Queenstown. Located on the South Island, Queenstown sits against the Southern Alps and Lake Wakatipu. The sight of the landscape itself is enough to justify the visit. The center of Queenstown is very upscale and trendy, with strips of shops, tourist agencies, and restaurants. STEER CLEAR OF THE TOURIST AGENCIES. We stopped in at Happy Tours to inquire about skydiving and the gentleman (I use this term VERY loosely) who helped us did anything but help. He attempted to persuade us out of our entire preplanned itinerary in order to solidify his sale. The only positive to come out of stepping into Happy Tours was finding Mrs. Fergs Gelato as we walked out of it. We visited this unbelievably creamy and delicious gelato cafe every day we were in Queenstown – the staff was also extremely friendly and welcoming. We LOVE when we can test tons of flavors. THANK YOU MRS. FERGS.
Queenstown is renowned for adventure sports, so we opted for bungee jumping off of the 150-ft Kawarau Bridge through AJ Hackett Bungy Jumps. Great experience and great staff – the wait is pretty long due to the sheer volume of jumpers, but worth it!
Now the adventure really starts…we ditched our comfy AirBnb and traded our rental car in for a big ol’ Jucy Chaser Campervan. Side note – if you decide to drive a campervan, take shifts. The multiple 5-hour trips along empty, secluded roads makes for the perfect recipe to fall asleep at the wheel. And instead of crashing into a trashcan, you’ll plummet off the side of a ledge. So take shifts. Despite the ability of pulling off the side of a road and sleeping in caves, we opted to end each shift at a camper park. These are super necessary as you can charge up your van and use their facilities for a general camp fee. Our first night sleeping in the van consisted of a little adjustment. The cold and pouring rain made its way into our beds – we utilized the included cereal bowls to catch the raindrops and had to empty the bowls throughout the night. I’m all for the experience, though.
The next morning we hopped on a Jucy Cruise Ship and toured the Milford Sound. Initially we had a kayak trip booked, however, the weather wouldn’t permit. We ended up saving a ton of money thanks to our Jucy Camper discount – utilize this option if you go Jucy! The cruise was beautiful beyond belief. Milford Sound sits in the middle of Fiordland National Park. The fiord is surrounded by cliffs and dense rainforests, which give way to countless breathtaking waterfalls. The ship took us up to the sunbathing seals, and about halfway through we found ourselves tailed by a dolphin. Once we reached the Tasman Sea the power of the wind was so strong we actually had to stand our ground. Overall, I highly recommend a cruise through the Milford Sound – it is worth the drive to reach this secluded piece of paradise.
Later that night we made it up to a camp sight on the base of Lake Wanaka. From this point forward I can confidently say I have never seen such beautiful lakes. Each one unique, the different colors of the waters are astonishing, and the sunsets that reflect off of the tops are movie-like.
On our way to Mount Cook, we stopped by the famous Lake Pukaki. The following pictures are UNEDITED. As unbelievable as it looks, the water is actually this color.
Lake Wanaka
Unwillingly pulling ourselves away from the lake we made it up to Mt. Cook where we met our guide and group who would join us for a day of glacier heli-hiking. After training and safety procedures we ventured into our helicopter and made our way to the top of the glacier. Another unreal experience, the heli hike was unforgettable and picturesque. Careful not to step into sinking holes, we crawled through natural ice caves and basked in the heat of the altitude (sounds counterintuitive, I know, but the sun was absurdly hot on top of the glacier!).
We spent the night at a small stopover town, Twizel, and made our way up to Punakaiki the next morning, stopping to hike up Devil’s Punchbowl on our way. Located in Arthur’s Pass, the hike follows terribly steep stairs – prep your thighs ladies! We found a super nice camp to put up shop in Punakaiki and spent the night on the beach.
Punakaiki: Pancake Rocks + Campsite
Devil's Punchbowl
Making our way to Nelson we found ourselves picking up a super fun hitchhiker. Hitchhiking is legal in New Zealand, and it’s very prevalent, but use your judgment and follow your instincts! Our new guest was a 25-year-old German traveling throughout the country. He was so, so friendly and thankful. His only con was that he smelt like he’d slept in a cave for the past week – which he had! LITERALLY he found random caves to sleep in on the daily.
The road to Nelson was extremely similar to the Great Ocean Road – super twisty and right along the ocean. We found another beachside campsite and explored the area. Fair warning – if it’s windy in New Zealand, then IT’S WINDY. I’m not sure if this is a year-round thing or if we just found ourselves in the midst of major wind storms, but we were physically assaulted by the combination of wind and sand.
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The next few days were very spur of the moment and questionably the most memorable of the trip. We were extremely lucky to sneak into the last available spot open through the Abel Tasman Kayak Company. Late per usual, we rushed onto a land-boat-taxi type of contraction…basically; the boats are on land and then pulled down the road and into the water by special tractors. The speedboat travels North around the coastline towards the base point, where your group picks up your kayaks. Similar to jet skiing in the Bay of Islands, kayaking the aqua-blue ocean was like a scene out of a movie. Seals swam alongside while we paddled through natural rock formations and took in the tropical sights.
As if the day couldn’t get better, we made it to the secluded Wharariki Beach by late afternoon. This was by far the most beautiful beach we’ve seen – in both New Zealand and elsewhere. The hike to this well-kept secret is about a mile long manmade trail that circles around large grass hills filled with hundreds of sheep. On top of the sheer beauty of the landscape, we encountered a family of baby seals. Playful is an understatement – these little guys LOVED us!
Our last day in New Zealand was spent facing a fear I never knew I had. We eventually reached Christchurch and with just a few hours to spare before our flight home, we decided to give skydiving a try. Let me preface this by saying I’ve never been on a roller coaster, and NEVER intend to. The initial freefalling was actually amazing – I’d do that over and over. The brutality kicks in once your parachute executes. From this point forward, the grotesque feeling of carsickness (x 10000) overpowers your senses. You can tell by my refusal to look into the GoPro how ready to puke I was. I love being able to say I did it, but I will NEVER, EVER do it again.
