A return trip to New Zealand had long been on my travel wishlist. While my previous visit in 1990 consisted of a weekend stay in Auckland, I knew that I wanted to focus this trip on South Island. Seeing the Lord of the Rings movies over the past couple of years, which were shot on location (mostly in South Island), only served to pique my interest. When a friend, Sally, mentioned the idea of me joining her, I gladly accepted.
Following the 6-hour nonstop flight from DC to LA (strong headwinds), the 12-hour nonstop flight from LA to Auckland (thankfully upgraded to business) and the 1-hour domestic flight from Auckland to Christchurch, I arrived on South Island on January 9th. Picked up my rental car and headed west, towards the Southern Alps, which form the western backbone of South Island. Headed through Arthur’s Pass National Park to reach the western shoreline. The flat plains of Canterbury quickly gave way to majestic alpine peaks and valleys. Traffic on the two-lane main east-west artery was light, in spite of this being the peak summer tourist season. My first impression is that South Island is a pseudo “Switzerland meets England”. Stunning natural beauty accompanied by a quaint British influence. The clouds and occasional rain of the highlands gave way to beautiful blue skies on the western shore. As I headed south towards Franz Josef and Fox glaciers, I encountered a series of micro-climates: sunny one minute, and rainy around the next corner or over the next hill. Stopped at Fox Glacier to grab some lunch and take a short hike to the terminal (frontal face) of the glacier. Took a couple of pics of the dirty blue ice as it drained into the Fox river. Spent the night at Haast, a lonely outpost before venturing inland towards Queenstown.
Drove into Queenstown, turned in my rental car and met Sally at the airport, where we caught a bus to head further southwest to Te Anau, the launch city for the Fiordland region. The next morning, we embarked on our two-day sea kayaking adventure of Doubtful Sound. A 6am pick-up was followed by a 1-hour boat ride across Lake Manapouri and a 40-minute bus ride up over Wilmot Pass to the isolated splendor of Doubtful Sound. Doubtful Sound is actually a misnomer, as Doubtful Fjord would be the geologically correct name of the U-shaped valleys opening to the Tasman Sea, formed by glaciers during the last Ice Age (as opposed to V-shaped valleys created by river erosion, resulting in the formation of a Sound). The eight of us kayakers and our guide loaded our two-man kayaks, packed our camping and personal equipment, and set out on our two-day exploration. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the peaceful, unspoiled natural setting warmed the heart and soul. We paddled westward, towards the sea, marveling at the stark, sheer granite cliffs that reached towards the blue sky above. We set up camp on a sheltered beach following several hours of paddling. Aside from the swarms of annoying sandflies that greeted our arrival, all went well as we pitched our tents and settled in for a night of camping in the middle of nowhere.
New Zealand has no natural predators, so we felt completely safe in this wilderness paradise. The next morning, we broke camp and set out by 9am. Though it was sunny, the wind had kicked up, blowing 15-20 knots off the Tasman Sea. Traversing the fjord was an exciting, yet daunting challenge. Was a great upper-body workout! Fortunately, our hard work paid off as, following lunch in a sheltered cove, we were able to “raft-up”, i.e. align the four kayaks side-by-side, hoist a makeshift sail, and sail our way back into our homeport at Deep Cove, at the easternmost point of Doubtful Sound. It was an amazing two-day adventure! (www.fiordlandseakayak.co.nz)
The next day, the weather turned cold, windy and grey. We set out from Te Anau northward to Milford Sound. By the time we reached Milford, it was pouring down rain; nothing unique for this area, which receives some 5-6 metres of rain annually. However, the beauty of this area, in contrast to our sunny experience in Doubtful Sound, was punctuated by the multitude of waterfalls which spontaneously sprang up along Milford Sound’s granite walls following the steady summer showers. Cruise highlights included seeing a herd of juvenile seals lazily laying on some windswept rocks, a pod of jumping Dusky dolphins and a visit to an underwater observatory. Another unique observation was a “water-up”, as opposed to a waterfall. The winds whip through Milford Sound so swiftly, that sometimes water attempting to flow downwards over a precipice is caught up, and blown sideways or upwards, reabsorbed back into the air. Later that afternoon, we were off to Queenstown, the reputed Adventure Capital of the World.
Queenstown is an amazing place: a picturesque, lakeside town of 7500 residents, surrounded by beautiful snow-capped peaks. Over the years, the town has developed a global reputation for high adventure and adrenaline activities. AJ Hackett started his now world-famous 130 metre bungy jump from a nearby bridge. Nowadays, visitors find a bevy of white-knuckle activities: bungy jumping, skydiving, whitewater rafting, hot air ballooning, canyoning, mountain biking, shotover jetboat, etc. And there are several great skiing options in the surrounding area during the wintertime. Queenstown is definitely a world-class, year-round, adventure lover’s paradise!
On Friday morning, we signed up for the Shotover Trio: a 5-hour, triple challenge of excitement starting with an early morning Shotover jetboat ride (www.shotoverjet.co.nz), then a 15-minute helicopter ride over Skipper’s Canyon, and finally a 2-hour whitewater rafting trip down the Shotover river (www.rafting.co.nz). Rounded out the adventure-filled week with a nice, relaxing massage treatment at an awesome spa (www.hushspa.co.nz). The
New Zealand is an amazing country, and South Island is especially interesting and exciting. In my opinion, Queenstown is uniquely special, and should be a definite priority on any adventure lover’s vacation plans at least once during their lives. One of the best aspects to me was the 16 hours of daylight (6am-10pm) during the middle of the southern summer – a definite energy boost to this northern hemispherer’s internal bodyclock! Great place for a mid-winter break.
So the next time you’re looking to combine adventure, excitement and natural beauty, head Down Under to New Zealand. You won’t be disappointed.
Happy Travels!
Mark
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