LIFETIME TRIP TO NEW ZEALAND

The most beautiful country in this world. And I am not saying it because it is fresh in my memory. Having been to over 100 countries, New Zealand surprised me although I was sceptical I will find it that beautiful. Its mountains and blue lakes and snow peaks, it all just made it perfect place on this earth. And I only feel like I covered 10% of the country and would definitely like to revisit it at some point.

We travelled all together for 12 days, staying 2 days in Auckland where we went to Piha Beach, then 3 days in Queenstown joining day trips to Glenorchy and Milford Sounds followed by 7 day South Island road trip covering Fox and Franz Joseph Glaciers-Lake Hawea and Wanaka-followed by Mt Cook National Park and Lake Tekapo.

ITINERARY

Auckland and Piha

Auckland surprised me how much I enjoyed it as a city - the center is quite small and walkable. I felt that a day in Auckland is enough though so we headed to Piha beach the following day. Not the easiest place to get to without a car. Used an Uber to get there, which cost  around £40 and took an hour. Piha Beach is beautiful and totally worth it - you can just walk on the beach or do some hiking. There are a few cafes around but I felt it was not crowded at all. The only issue we ran into was getting back to Auckland.

No Uber driver would accept our ride, but luckily we came across a number from a local lady in one of the cafes (I will link her contacts here). It was not the cheapest ride back - she asked £75 but was very nice and it was our only option to get back to the city. I also want to recommend a Thai place we ate at - it was honestly the best Thai curry I have had - Thai E-Sarn. Very simple, but owned by local Thai family.

Queenstown, Glenorchy and Milford Sounds

Firstly, landing in Queenstown is so scenic - on approach you will be flying at the height of some peaks of Southern Alps, so book a window seat if you can. We spent a day in Queenstown and I really enjoyed the small ski town. Lots of things you can do there - kayaking, paragliding, cable car up the mountain, ski in the winter or do some luxury shopping. Lovely lakefront walks too.

On the second day we booked 4h trip to Glenorchy, which is a well known place for many movie sets e.g. Lord of the Rings. The drive takes 40min and is very very scenic. Glenorchy is small and does not take long to explore unless you head to do some hiking. Definitely recommend heading there for a couple of hours.

On the third day we actually stayed by the airport in Frankton by the lake and it was very nice there. Quieter but as scenic.

We wanted to visit Milford Sounds with the car but ended up doing it as a day trip - it will be overall 12-13h day trip in a bus with quite a few stops and 1.5h boat ride through Milford Sounds. Long day, but I found it worth it and a must do in New Zealand.

Fox and Franz Joseph Glacier

And then the best part of our New Zealand trip started, when we picked up car and started road trip. First, we headed from Queenstown to Fox Glacier. The drive is one of the most scenic, especially around Lake Hawea. Took us 4.5 hours to drive. It is recommended to take the route via Crown Range for the scenery. 

Upon arriving in Fox Glacier we firstly went on a night walk to a nearby Minnehaha Walk to see glow warms - absolutely magical, I felt like in Avatar movie forest. On the second full day we did a small hike Fox Glacier Trailhead and walked around Lake Muller which were both great before heading for a night to nearby Franz Joseph (30min drive).

On the second day we did a small hike to see Franz Joseph glacier and drove up to Lake Mapourika before heading back to Lake Hawea that took 3h to drive.

Lake Hawea, Wanaka and Roys Peak

Staying by the Lake Hawea was my favourite - it is very quiet and scenic place and only 15min drive away from Wanaka that is more lively.

The following day we woke up nice and early to complete one of the most popular hikes in the South Island - Roy’s Peak. The hike takes around 5-6 hours (we completed it in around 4.5h but without much stops). I would call it moderately challenging. It is recommended to hike up for the sunrise or early as later during the day sun is very strong (at least in the summer). After hiking down, we were ready for some big breakfast and relaxing time in Wanaka.

Mt Cook National Park

On our last day we drove early from Wanaka to Mt Cook National park via Lindis Pass and passing by Lake Pukaki (where you start to see Mt Cook Summit). The drive takes 2.5-3h and then you can do several hikes. I found this area to be the most busy tourist wise. We did three small hikes - Hooker Valley Track (which was partially closed), Kea Point (offered the views to Mt Cook) and Tasman Glacier Lake. 

Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki

Afterwards we headed to Lake Tekapo, which is meant to be the most beautiful in New Zealand due to its turquoise blue water, but I preferred Lake Pukaki  - I think it was more scenic.

Lake Tekapo though has a small town with a few restaurants but I wanted to check out High Country Salmon place where you can try fresh salmon from their farm near Twizel. Honest review? I did not think salmon and sushi were that great there and I am a big salmon lover. And then it was our last night in New Zealand which we spent in a campsite by the Lake Ruataniwha before heading back to Queenstown in the morning to fly home.

TRANSPORT

AIR

Major cities are well connected in New Zealand with air transportation. We flew from Auckland in North Island to Queenstown in South Island. Otherwise we used buses, taxes and hired a car.

ROAD

In order to see places in New Zealand you can rent a car or a camper-van, take buses or join organised group tours. We wanted to rent a camper van, however leaving it to the last minute, it was very expense + you also have to pay for the camp grounds (New Zealand does not allow wild camping). Car was our second preferred choice. Again, leaving it to the last minute, it worked out pretty expensive - £800 for 6 day rental. We wanted to rent a car for longer, but a few dates were extremely expensive, so we instead joined organised group tours.

ACCOMODATION

I found accommodation in New Zealand, especially South Island pretty expensive. In Queenstown it was nearly impossible to find a hotel for less than £200 per night. I am sure, if you plan things early enough, the prices are cheaper. Other option is campsites and hostels. We stayed in all three and a room in a hostel was still £50/night and a cabin at the campsite £70-120. At least I found all accommodation to a good standard.

FOOD

Surprisingly, food was very affordable compared to other prices in New Zealand. A lot of places such as hostels and campsites will also have shared kitchen where you can make your own food saving some money. We mixed the way we ate - from eating out to eating sandwiches whilst driving to visiting some local places. One thing I was not disappointed with was coffee - I found it good through the country.

COSTS (based on 2 people) £3250 + flights

• Accommodation (mix of hotels, cabins, hostels, apartments) £1200

• Transport (buses, taxis) £100

• Car hire for 6 days £800

• Petrol £200

• Food £600

• Glenorchy day trip £150

• Milford Sounds Day trip £200