It started with a 13 hour flight from San Francisco to Auckland, in the North Island.
You can see a map of the itinerary we followed here
Day 1 Auckland, NZ
Auckland Highlights
- Sky Tower
- Auckland War memorial
- Museum of transport and technology(MOTAT)
- Parnell Village
View from Sky Tower
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| Auckland Sky Tower |
Day 2 Auckland/Turangi, NZ
Highlights
- Mount Eden
- Eden Park
- Drive to Turangi
Mount Eden
This is an easy 1 mile walk with little elevation gain. The top of the mount houses a crater, and the walk along the crater offers great views of the city and Eden Park.
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| Mount Eden |
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| Sheep sheep and more sheep on drive to Turangi |
Day 3 Turangi, NZ
Highlights
- Taranaki Fall
- Lake Rotoaira
- Drive to Cambridge, NZ
Taranaki falls
Torrential downpour didn't stop us from experiencing this 4 mile hike through misty rainforests around Taranaki river and falls.
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| Taranaki Falls |
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| Taranaki Falls |
Lake Rotoaira:
We did the walk up to lake Rotoaira, which is an easy 2 mile walk, under a canopy of trees, and also had a nice bird for company that kept leading our path right up to the finish. Thanks Mate!!
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| Lake Rotoaira |
Day 4 Cambridge and Rororua, NZ
Highlights
- Hobbiton, Cambridge
- Waimangu Valley, Rotorua
- Tree walk, Rotorua
Hobbiton:
The tour is a fun tour that allows you to relive some of the Lord of the Rings moments in real time. The walk through the Hobbit houses, and the stories about the movie making are very engaging. The tour ends at the Green Dragon Inn, where we were surprised with good vegan food.
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| Hobbiton |
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| Hobbiton |
We then drove to Rotorua, and toured Waimangu valley.
Waimangu Valley:
This is a walking tour through the valley that houses the largest thermal hot spring in the world. This is a great sight as the Sulphur deposits leave behind vibrant colors in their wake.
My favorite spot is the Emerald pool that is a water pool that gets its blue color from the bacteria living in it.
There are active springs along the walk spewing water and gases from this point on till we reached Lake Rotomahana, where the walk ended, and the very last bus of the day took us back to the parking lot!
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| Mud pools @ Waimangu Valley |
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| Emarald pool @ Waimangu Valley |
Redwood Tree walk:
Next, we did the redwood tree walk which is a series of swing bridges perched on redwood trees. The bouncy walk itself is easy, and was a unique experience.
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| Redwood tree walk |
Day 4 Tongariro Alpine Crossing, National Park
Highlights
- Tongariro Alpine Crossing
Tongariro Alpine Crossing:
Distance - 22kms(14 miles)
Difficulty - Very Strenuous.
Elevation gained - 2749 Ft
This was a hike that tested our limits. The first part of the hike, up to red crater was itself quite strenuous, but the view at red crater, where you see the 3 turquoise water pools, the red crater, and the blue lake, all in one view is breathtaking.
The next walk up to the Blue lake is very scenic, and the Blue Lake marks the halfway point, and last ascent of the hike.
The next part is the decent, and is as gruesome and unending as the ascent. You will see more lakes, and a sea of green on the decent, but the end doesn't come quick enough.
We reached the Ketetahi parking lot exhausted, but thrilled at having completed this grueling hike.
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| View from red crater. |
Day 5 Waitomo Caves, Waitomo, NZ
Highlights
- Waitomo caves - black water rafting
Waitomo Glowworm Caves:
The main attraction here is the black (in complete darkness) water rafting through the caves. The cave journey starts with a 35m rappelling down an hour glass shaped opening into the cave. After this, is a small thrilling zipline in the dark. At this point, you take a 10m plunge in pitch darkness into the water on a tube, and start rafting through the black waters under the glowworm lit cave ceiling. Before you know it, through the dark mazes of flowing shallow and deep waters, you are 65m below land. This required us to trust our instructors blindly and simply, wade, swim, crawl, float as we made our way through it all.
At the end is an option climb out through a waterfall, that is an adventure in itself as you climb on jagged rocks against the gushing waters or walk out through a maze of steadily climbing narrow caves.
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| Glowworms at Waitomo |
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| Waitomo Cave experience |
Day 6 Christchurch, NZ
Christchurch city exploration:
- Hop on hop off tram ride - great tour of the city attractions
- gondola ride - awesome views from the top
- Hagley oval cricket ground - nostalgia for a cricket fan, one of the best parks
- regent street and riverside market - great eateries and shopping places
- Avon river - nice river walk
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| Regent street, Christchurch |
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| Hagley oval, Christchurch |
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| Birds eye view of Christchurch's coastline |
Day 7 Franz Josef Glacier, NZ
Franz Josef Glacier highlights
- Hokitika Gorge
- Franz Josef Glacier
- Robert's Point Hike
Hokitika Gorge:
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| Hokitika Gorge |
This is an easy 2 mile hike, that offers a very picturesque swing bridge over the gorge, and is a good photo op provided the Sun God blesses us with a bright day.
Roberts Point Track:
Hike Distance: 12.5km(~7.8mile)
Difficulty level: very strenuous
Elevation gain - 1755 ft to top of hike(2251ft overall as hike goes up and down)
We were not intending to do this hike, but started it on an instinctive decision at the parking lot.
The hike was unique as it had multiple long narrow bridges that actually almost unstably swing as we stepped on them. It also had numerous water fall crossings that ensured our footwear always stayed soaked. We then reached a unique staircase along a cliff.
After this, the hike got only tougher as we had to climb along unshapely rocks, and yes more water falls.
Finally, the view opens up to a close view of the Franz Josef Glacier and showcases water falls, and ice melt offs.
The walk back was again as tough as the walk up. Knowing everything this entailed didn't make it any easier..
Overall, the hike has an up and down nature, so it is unrelenting in its difficulty.
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| Roberts point track staircase |
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| View from top of Roberts Point Track |
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| Along Roberts Point Track |
Day 8 Drive to Wanaka
Highlights
- Lake Matheson
- Fox Glacier
- Falls along Haast Pass
- Wanaka
Lake Mathesson :
We did a quick walk in pelting rain to the first lookout point at Lake Matheson in hopes of seeing our first Kiwi. But, the rain was so hard, we ended up taking shelter under a rock, and turned back without spotting any Kiwi. Only solace was a beautiful local cafe and gift shop.
We then drove to the Fox Glacier view point, and got a fleeting glimpse of the glacier as it briefly peeked out of heavy clouds.
Drive to Wanaka:
Highlights -
- Drive along coast
- Lots of water falls Depot creek falls, Roaring Billy, Thunder Creek falls, Fantail Falls
- Drive along Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea
- Lonely tree at Wanaka - very picturesque, especially around sunrise/sunset
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| Lonely Tree @ Lake Wanaka |
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| Lake Hawea |
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| Fantail Falls |
Day 9 Lake Tekapo, Mt Cook
Highlights
- Lake Tekapo
- Lake Pukaki
- Mt Cook
- Mt Aaoraki
- Tasman Lake/Tasman Glacier
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| Mt Cook crowning over Lake Pukaki |
Drive along Lake Pukaki:
The drive along Lake Pukaki is one of the most gorgeous drives I have done. Mount cook and Aaoraki mountain crown the lake throughout making for a great sight all along the drive.
Lake Tekapo:
Main attractions:
- Church of Good Shepperd - nice church, makes for a good pic with the Lupin flowers along the lake
- Walk bridge over Lake Tekapo - good photo op
- Lake Tekapo - Scenic lake with Mount Cook in the background
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| Lake Tekapo |
Mount Cook/Aaoraki:
At Mount Cook, we saw the glacier up close, but chose to do the hike to the Tasman glacier and lake. This hike was a steep 100m climb within 1km distance, and we were amazed to see the glacier melting into the lake. Another amazing sight is the way the water flowing from the glacier into turquoise lake water, then into the grey Tasman river changes color through its course as it culminates in the blue waters of Lake Pukaki.
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| Tasman Glacier Melting into Tasman Lake |
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| Tasman Lake |
Day 10 Queenstown, Milford Sounds
Highlights
- Bungy @ Kawarau bridge
- Swing @ Nevis Canyon
- Drive to Milford Sounds
Bungy@Kawarau:
The bungy at Kawarau bridge is a 43m jump. Standing on the bridge, awaiting your turn is erve wrecking as people take the plunge one after the other.
After this, standing on the ledge before taking the plunge was a thrill unparalleled. Finally, the plunge itself is quick, and the adrenaline rush unparalleled. Hanging upside down after the jump, soaking in the views is as thrilling as the jump itself.
Nevis swing @ Nevis Canyon:
My wife and I did the Nexis swing in tandem. This is another thrill as we sat perched on the swing with a 134m drop below. And then, bang - a 7m vertical drop, followed by a 300m swing across the canyon. This is arguably more thrilling than the bungy jump, as you feel no resistance on the 70m drop.
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| Nevis Swing |
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| Bungy @ Kawarau |
Drive to Milford Sounds
After the thrills of the bungy and the swing, we commenced our drive to Milford sounds. The first half of the drive is ordinary, but once we crossed Te Anau, the reason for the hype around this drive dawned on us. Majestic Mountains rising high into the sky, only to be rivalled by blue waters gushing through valleys on the other side throughout the drive. With a couple of lush plains along the way for variety, thi drive is simple heavenly.
As we crossed the Homer tunnel, a Kiwi crossed our path, and soon 2 Keas joined in, as they sang and communicated for about 5 minutes sitting on either side of a speed sign on the road.
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| Drive to Milford sounds |
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| Kea |
Day 11 Milford Sounds
Highlights
- Milford Sounds Track walk to Giants Gate
- Kayaking and Milford Sounds Cruise
Hike to giants gate
We started with a short boat ride from Deepwater Basin to Sandfy point, the start of the Milford Sounds track. The walk is through a canopy of trees, that opens up to lake Ada from time to time. About 3.5 miles into the track we reached the picture perfect Giants Gate falls. On the walk back, another Kiwi put on a show for us and kept us entertained.
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| Kiwi @ Milford Sounds Track |
Milford Sounds Cruise and Kayak
Highlights
Next on our itinerary was a cruise through the Milford sounds Fjord. This cruise is punctuated by water falls, and tall mountains, and ends at the point the fjord meets the Tasman sea. We caught a glimpse of a few fur seals basking on a rock.
Next stop was Harrisson underwater observatory. We did a Kayak tour form the observatory along Harrisson cove. The kayak ride was amazing as it wound through the cove showcasing tree avalanches, and although we didn't see one, our guide assured us the rocks along the cove house Tawaki penguins.
Finally, we did a tour of the Harrison underwater observatory, where we saw corrals, and some other marine life.
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| Kayaking @ Harrisson Cove |
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| Seals @ Milford Sounds |