One of my favorite travel destinations has got to be New Zealand. While I was a bit apprehensive at first due to not knowing what to expect and having a summer-y Christmas, the country completely blew me away. If you love nature, New Zealand is definitely the place for you.
Recently, I spent two weeks road tripping across the south island of New Zealand. First stop: Christchurch. Sadly, a lot of damage from the 2011 earthquake could still be seen. Yet another example of how these devastating acts of nature can hurt a beautiful city.
Next, we moved on to lake Tekapo, 220 kilometers away. The turquoise blue color of the water was something I definitely had not seen before. According to the info boards we saw, this is due to the reflection of the water on the rock powder from the glaciers. We drove up to an observatory where we were met with an amazing view and crazy winds. It was a struggle to keep my hair out of my face.
The next day, we moved on to Te Anau. Not a lot of time was spent in the town itself, instead, it is where we boarded a boat to cruise the Doubtful Sound. Up until this point, we had experienced great weather. As soon as we entered the fjords, the air turned cool and mist coated the dark waters; giving a mysterious yet peaceful vibe. Christmas day was spent gazing at the seals and kayaking in the cold waters. At the end of our cruise, we took a moment of silence to enjoy the nature, which was gladly interrupted by the dolphins gliding along with the boat in the waters.
Queenstown was the next stop. If anything, Queenstown is the place for adrenaline junkies. Dozens of activities are available, like paragliding, jet boat rides, and of course, bungee jumping. Bungee jumping is one of the most scary and thrilling things I have ever done. Jumping off of a ledge is not very instinctual, and every nerve in your body is telling you not to do it. And when you do, the moment of free fall is the best and worst feeling in the world. I definitely screamed.
After Queenstown we drove another 400 km to Frans Josef. The orignal plan was to fly a helicopter up to the glacier, however this got cancelled due to bad weather conditions. Instead, we hiked along one of the nature trails. 2016 was welcomed under the stars on a beach in Punakaiki, followed by a trip to the pancake rocks.
The last major stop was at Abel Tasman park, at the north end of the island. We drove along many beaches where tourist often go to kayak. Lastly, we stopped at Kaikoura before heading to the airport. The sand was lined with seal colonies for miles.
As you can probably tell, there is plenty to see and do in New Zealand. The two weeks were action packed and immersed in nature. Definitely a recommendation. Watch my video above to see what I'm talking about!
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