New Zealand- South Island (Part 1)
We spent two weeks driving around the South Island, which while a lot of time, was also too short to see everything we wanted to see. We regrettably did not make it to Christchurch, any of the northern part of the South Island, or to any actual glaciers. We still consider ourselves very lucky for all that we were able to experience. This post will cover our fist week on the South Island, during which we visited Queenstown, Glenorchy, Te Anau, Milford Sound, and Bluff in that order.
Queenstown
We began our South Island adventure with a couple days in beautiful Queenstown. We flew to Queenstown from Auckland. It was a quick two hour domestic flight. Our trip there was delayed because the winds were SO strong at the Auckland airport that the grounds crew were not allowed to be outside for some time. Shannon is a nervous flyer and to some degree so is Caitlyn. Mike and Lauren weren't concerned. Surprisingly the take off was relatively smooth, and the landing wasn't too bad either given how mountainous Queenstown is. It is always quite contentious whether Caitlyn or Lauren gets the window seat, but Caitlyn won the seat lottery this time and had amazing views of the Remarkables mountain range as we flew into Queenstown.
We didn't do much our first evening in Queenstown except walk around and take in the views. It is a quaint and beautiful little city. With food being somewhat of a priority, we did visit two famous NZ places to eat: Fergburger (known for the burgers) and CookieTime, known for their cookies. They're both also known for having long lines!
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| Waiting for our food in Fergburger |
Fergburger wasn't bad. We, but especially Mike, think it's hard to get a
good hamburger in this part of the world. Hamburgers in Australia are
just a little odd, so Fergburger scratched an itch for him. Shannon and the girls liked Fergburger and CookieTime, but Shannon questions whether the lines were worth it in both cases. "It's just a warm cookie." - Mike
The next day we all took a gondola ride up the side of a mountain to get breathtaking views of Queenstown. Yes. All of us. Even Shannon! It was definitely a little scary for her, but she got through it like a champion and feels it was very worth it.
the girls supporting Shannon on the way up
We spent more time just taking in the sights of the city. We had wanted to take a steamship cruise on the lake, but unfortunately we didn't book it early enough. But below is a good picture of the boat.
Glenorchy
After a quick couple days in Queenstown, we started our campervan adventure. The internet said that an RV is the only way to see the South Island, so that's what we did in a large, 6-berth one from Muai! There will be a picture of it somewhere below. Mike and Caitlyn went and picked up the campervan near the airport in Queenstown, and then drove it back to the hotel to get it loaded and ready for our first stop - Glenorchy! Mike chose that for our first stop, because it was a short hour-ride outside of Queenstown and good way to get acquainted with the campervan.
It was a little bit of a scary drive for Shannon and the girls, since the weather wasn't perfect and the roads were twisty and narrow, but the views were great! We also did not properly secure the silverware drawer, and it kept slamming open and closed as Mike turned left and right along the twisties. Shannon eventually had to jump in the back with the girls to hold the drawer in. It turned out that catch for the drawer lock had come loose, so we took to removing the drawer every time we had to drive.
Glenorchy is a small, rustic town on the northern shores of Lake Wakatipu. We stayed at a nice little campground next to a really sweet shop called Mrs. Woolly's General Store. They had the most beautiful handmade jewelry in that store. Mike and Shannon got to become more familiar with the campervan, and the girls also found a great playground at a nearby school to play on. All in all, a good stop.
Here are some of the highlights from Glenorchy:
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| our campground for the night |
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| famous red barn |
Te Anau
After Glenorchy, we drove to Te Anau. While Te Anau was cool, it wasn't on our list of must-see places. However, Milford Sound below is a bit remote, and Te Anau served as a stopping point when driving to and from the sound. We did enjoy our time in Te Anau though and stayed at the small holiday park both times. The park was nice and location was great as it was a short walk to a fun playground and delicious, delicious pizza. We also used this as a restocking point for food and whatnot. But on to Milford Sound.
Milford Sound
Milford Sound was described as the "eighth wonder of the world" by several sources in our internet research, so needless to say we were all very excited about this leg of our journey! It is a fiord in the southwest part of the South Island and lies within the Fjordland National Park. Our research led us to believe that Milford Sound and the drive there would be absolutely stunning, and we weren't disappointed.
Our drive to Milford Sound from Te Anau involved countless stops along the way to enjoy the beauty of the area. It started out quite lovely and got cooler and more beautiful as we got closer to our destination. While it's cliche, it's true that our pictures just don't do it justice. The pictures below are from our drive to Milford Sound.
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| Mirror lakes |
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| Where we stopped to have lunch with the RV in the distance |
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| No filter. The water really was this color |
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| These signs were necessary, and the keas were aggressive |
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| Kea on the camper van. They're also known to be quite destructive little birds |
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| View of a kea from inside the camper van |
With all the stopping, it took us about 3 hours to get to Milford Sound from Te Anau. Without all the stopping, it was only estimated to take about 1.5 hours. We booked one night at the Milford Sound Lodge, and parking the campervan was a bit challenging there, but Mike got it done. The Lodge is really the only place you can stay the night in the area other than one of the overnight cruise packages. And speaking of cruises.
We originally intended on all four of us going on a cruise, but in the end, it was just Mike and Lauren due to some last-minute nervousness. We settled on a Pure Milford cruise, but there are several companies that offer cruises. We got mostly lucky with the weather as it had rained enough that the Sound lit up with temporary waterfalls but without being so much that it was unpleasant to be outside.
After the cruise, we took a short walk from the boat dock to a more secluded location. There is just a beautiful vibe in Milford. We definitely could have stayed in the area longer. Below are some pictures from our time in Milford Sound.
But our time in Milford Sound did have to end, so the next morning we jumped back into the campervan and headed back along the same beautiful route we took in. Again stopping in many different places on the way to take some of it in. There are just so many beautiful things to see here. Below are some images we took on the way out.
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| A Kea (green in back) and Weka (brown in front). The weka is another flightless bird unique to New Zealand |
Bluff
After leaving Milford Sound, we stayed another night in Te Anau. After that though, we were on the road again! Our next destination would be Curio Bay (another remote stop), but we took a quick detour along the way to Bluff, NZ, so that we could take some pictures at a signpost located at Stirling Point. Often misidentified as the southern most point in NZ, but it is not. It is at the southern point of Route 1, but it is not the furthest south you can go in NZ. Stirling Point is most famous for its signpost, which depicts directions and distances to major cities around the world. After the per-requisite tourist photos were taken, we took a nearby walk to a little cove and played on the beach for a while. No bones were broken, so all in all, a good stop. A little out of our way, but worth it. It certainly is the furthest south we have ever been (according to the sign - 46 degrees, 36 min, 54 sec South, and 168 degrees, 21 min, 26 sec East). Next stop, Curio Bay!
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