Amazing New Zealand
In the summer of 2019, my great pals, Jason and Carol; hereafter known as J&C, asked me to go with them to New Zealand for the Winter Break. We are all teachers that met in Cairo some years back. J&C now live in Shenzen, while I’m in Beijing. We find opportunities throughout the year to visit and travel together. Usually I go home for Christmas, but decided not to miss the opportunity for a road trip with my friends. And it was a whirlwind of a road trip-from North Island to South Island in a giant circle. I know that there was much that was missed but it was truly the most spectacular of trips. Spending Christmas with these 2 dearest of friends was just the best. It was the first trip where I did not make the plans. Jason made all the decisions in regards to sites and hotels. It’s hard for a control freak to give up control. But I did!
Getting there was not pleasant. I started with an upgrade from Beijing to Sydney so THAT WAS NICE! Short layover in Sydney and then what should have been a shortish flight to Wellington. Turned out to be AWFUL. I had 2 obnoxiously loud people next to me who waved their hands around like helicopters. UGH. About 30 mins before landing the pilot came on and announced bad weather would lead to a very bumpy landing. Well, it was more than just bumpy. It was the worst landing ever, in fact never did land in Wellington. Pilot tried 3 times and finally diverted to Christchurch. My friend was waiting for me in Wellington and saw the flight just disappear off the board. Needless to say when I got to Christchurch, got a rather panicked message from him. Ah well… it goes that way for travelers some times.
A few hours of rest at an airport hotel and then off again from Christchurch back to Wellington. Another quick rest at the hotel before going out to meet the best travel buds ever. Had a nice dinner in Wellington and another rest before departing in the morning for the ferry for the trip over to the South Island. Here is the review of the hotel in Wellington.
The ferry was crowded and the air was crisp and cold which was a delight after the smoggy air of Beijing.
After that, commenced a VERY LONG drive up to Queenstown. Of course, there were lots of stops for the most spectacular scenery ever. Getting to Queenstown was a long journey, but with a box of snacks, lots of stops and Christmas music on the road, we made it. But I have to say it looked like a clown car with three not so tiny people and about 100 pounds of luggage. LOL. The first night in Queenstown was quiet-just a quick dinner and a good night’s sleep. Don’t remember the name of the hotel so no review, but I do remember it being averagely clean and quiet. There was a nice, but pricey place for breakfast located in the hotel; it t was aways out of the main drag of Queenstown. The day was quite jam packed with activities: a ride and walk through the main drag of the city; then a hop on hop off tour out to some wineries. We chose Brennan Wineries for our choice of wine and snackies. Then back into city center for more walking before take the cable ride UP THE MOUNTAIN for buffet dinner and more bevies at the top. I’m going to use a few adjectives over and over: spectacular, jaw-dropping, amazing. The view from the top was all of these.
After that, commenced a VERY LONG drive up to Queenstown. Of course, there were lots of stops for the most spectacular scenery ever. Getting to Queenstown was a long journey, but with a box of snacks, lots of stops and Christmas music on the road, we made it. But I have to say it looked like a clown car with three not so tiny people and about 100 pounds of luggage. LOL. The first night in Queenstown was quiet-just a quick dinner and a good night’s sleep. Don’t remember the name of the hotel so no review, but I do remember it being averagely clean and quiet. There was a nice, but pricey place for breakfast located in the hotel; it t was aways out of the main drag of Queenstown. The day was quite jam packed with activities: a ride and walk through the main drag of the city; then a hop on hop off tour out to some wineries. We chose Brennan Wineries for our choice of wine and snackies. Then back into city center for more walking before take the cable ride UP THE MOUNTAIN for buffet dinner and more bevies at the top. I’m going to use a few adjectives over and over: spectacular, jaw-dropping, amazing. The view from the top was all of these.
The next day was a ferry ride around Lake Waketipu-gorgeous…COLD! But gorgeous. And then back out on the road. It’s a bit of a blur and I should have one a better job of jotting my notes from day to day rather than attempting to remember 2 months out. Ha! But I’m fairly certain we were headed towards the area of Tekapo where we were going to a unique experience called Dark Sky. https://www.darkskyproject.co.nz/ A bit more on that later. Due to scheduling kerfuffle, we lost our original lodging and ended up staying in a whole house (thanks AirBnB)! Honestly, it would have been nice to spend a night or two here. It was relaxing and lovely. And we had a dinner of sammies, chips and salad…oh and booze!
We needed to rest a few hours before waking up at 1:00 am to head out towards the observatory. I have always wanted to do something like this. So glad Jason booked this unique experience. We boarded a bus and up the mountain in complete darkness. That was a bit disorienting. Getting off the bus and walking around in the dark was also a bit dizzying, but then you forget your feet and look up! Holy Moly Macaroli! What a sky! The guides were knowledgeable and friendly. After looking through the smallish, outside telescopes, we went inside to see the working telescopes.
Then back down the mountain and a few more hours of rest before heading out again.
Then back down the mountain and a few more hours of rest before heading out again.
We were driving back towards Christchurch. Another kerfuffle with accommodations led us to this place. But still, even with the kerfuffles, you can’t beat the scenery. Review here:
We arrived in Christchurch just in time for Christmas Eve and Christmas day. And a bit of a relaxation. I have to say we stayed at one of the funniest hotels I’ve ever been in. My bathroom in my apartment in Beijing is larger. J It was more like a room on a cruise ship or train. But it worked! It was quiet and clean and had a nice comfy bed. Review here:
We spent Christmas eve having dinner at a Greek restaurant and then back to the hotel for a tradition: watching Elf and drinking gin and tonics. What a fun night! Christmas was spent taking a lovely drive out of Christchurch for a view of the harbor. Again with those lovely views. Christmas dinner was spent in an Italian restaurant. Also spent the time furiously trying to book a whale watching trip for the next day.
And that leads me to …
And that leads me to …
After Christchurch we headed back towards Kaikoura and a whale watching trip. Hmmm…just look at the pictures and videos and enjoy. The specific company we used is reviewed here:
After getting back to shore we had a fun lunch at Cooper’s Catch Kaikoura. Tasty and cheap fish and chips.
Next up was back to the north part of the South Island to get ready for the journey BACK to the North Island and another ferry ride. Things quieted down a bit after that. And the rest of the road trip consisted of driving up to Auckland for our departures. J&C left a day before me but fortunately the were able to drop me off at my hotel near the airport. I had a day on my own in Auckland. Due to my inattentiveness towards time of year (Christmas AND summer) all the day trips that I wanted to take were totally booked or out of my price range. New Zealand was NOT a cheap trip. I ended up going to the historical museum in the city. Still, it was a nice visit and got to see one Maori dance experience. Would have loved to learn more about this remarkable culture.
Final thoughts, what a truly amazing trip with great friends. I know that I missed quite a bit, but in the time that I had, I was not disappointed.
Enjoy some random photos below that show the beauty of this truly remarkable country.
Comments
Post a Comment