Where do you go for stunning scenery, good hearted people, and outdoor activities galore? New Zealand. We drove from Auckland to Queenstown, with stops for numerous breathtaking sights and many mini adventures :)
While planning, I realized that so many of the sights had a physical activity that complemented it really well. So I started making a list of them, and we actually did pretty well (✅ = accomplished, 🚫 = skipped )
- Abseil/Zip line ✅
- Cave Tubing ("black water rafting") ✅
- Luge ✅
- Cycling ✅
- Sea kayaking ✅
- Swing in crater 🚫
- Snorkeling 🚫
- Hiking ✅
- Blokarting 🚫
- Glacier hike ✅
- Via ferrata 🚫
- Relax ✅
We also started off with a little... adventure... when we got to the airport:
NEW ZEALAND REQUIRES VISAS FOR AMERICANS NOW.
Yep, they started enforcing this new rule literally the day of our flight. And we couldn't get our boarding pass until we were approved, so we had to submit an application through their NZeTA app at the check-in counter, wait, and hope we could make our flight. Luckily we got approved in about 10 minutes, but it says it can take multiple days!
Below is our itinerary / table of contents. The city is roughly where we stayed at night, and in parenthesis is the main activity for each day. You can tell that Zach got his say on how long we stayed in each area this time :) I admit, it was much more relaxing compared to the Peru trip I planned.
Day 1: Auckland
We successfully traveled into the future (har har, New Zealand is a day ahead). A smooth, direct, 13 hr flight landed us at 6.30am, which is just 10.30am California time, so jetlag also wasn’t that bad.
Zach took the first turn with driving. I knew we would have to drive on the "wrong" side of the road, but didn't foresee all the other reversed things. We'd always walk up to the wrong car door, turn the windshield wipers on instead of signaling a turn, etc, it was pretty comical. But he did great! By the time we got our car from Avis, and drove to our hotel, it was close to 9.30am.
While waiting for our room to be ready, we wandered around the city. It got pretty rough since we didn't get great sleep on the redeye. We ate at Ugly Bagels, saw some cool warehouses, got some caffeine, went to a bookstore, considered getting more caffeine, etc.
Once we checked into Hotel Debrett at around 11 or 12, Zach struggled with unplugging. So I caved in and napped while Zach went to the gym.
Around 2.30pm we went to explore the waterfront and came across a boat show and a fish market.
I was also playing around with my new polarizer filter – what a difference!
For dinner, we went to Cassia which is amaaaaaaazing. It's ranked as one of my favorite restaurants of all time. No food photos, unfortunately. But we started with the pani puri (a must-order), and then had flavorful curries as our main dishes (Zach got duck, and I got a really rich truffle burrata curry, unlike anything I've ever had). I think we also ordered a couple garlic naans and a salad which complemented the meal :)
Then, for dessert, we got ice cream at Giapo, which was also insane. They make ice cream into art. You can buy an edible selfie frame, big lips, etc. And the servings are huge. These were our orders.
Day 2: Auckland (and North Head)
Today I learned how quickly the weather changes here. I woke up early and went for a little jog and it was glorious and sunny. Then I went back to check on Zach and it was already windy cloudy and rainy.
Zach's friend and coach, Eric, recommended we visit North Head, a Historic Reserve and coastal defense site in Davenport. So we took his advice, and rode a ferry to check it out.
Davenport reminded us a bit of Sausalito in some ways. Quaint town, on the water with houses up on hills, looking upon the bustling city from across the waterway... But ooo man was it windy!
You can see in these photos where a volcano (Maungauika) formed a headland – that's North Head.
The view from our walk up to North Head
Exploring the base. So many cool nooks and crannies, view points, and dark corridors. Which makes sense of course when you have to keep watch as well as take cover.
Here is an almost-360-degree view from the top, as I take panoramas turning to the left (counterclockwise). Starting from the top photo on the right, you can see stunning views of the volcano Mt Victoria/Takarunga (the bright green "mound"), the Auckland skyline, the Waitematā Harbour, the Hauraki Gulf, and the volcanic Rangitoto Island.
Then we walked back down (with a bit of a jog at the end) to catch the return ferry to Auckland.
We explored Auckland some more, roaming the arcades (not the same as "arcade" in the US🕹), and spending some time in a great coffee shop for some affogato and bagels.
We got changed into nicer (and matching) clothes to have a delicious dinner with Eric and Barb at Amano, a fancy Italian place with yummy drinks. We learned so much from them about the air force, becoming linguists, and what it's like to live next to a cruise ship dock 😅. From them, we also finally learned that you pay at the register in NZ, instead of waiting for the check. An important discovery, since at previous restaurants we would have stupendous service, and then sit baffled for long periods of time, waiting for the bill... But once we started doing that, it felt much more efficient this way! Also, tipping is not necessary or customary. Jobs in hospitality pay proper wages unlike in the US. Wish we followed all of these NZ standards in the US, it felt much more smooth and pleasant for all parties involved!
After dinner, we had a nice walk back past some subway tunnel "viewing platforms" (the glass holes in the ground), and wished Eric good luck in his strongman competition early the next morning.
Right outside our hotel, we stopped by an Asian night market, and I snapped a picture in case we wanted to use it as a Sherlock clue 😂 to try to throw my parents off.
Day 3: Rotorua (Volcanoes and Redwoods)
It wouldn’t be a vacation without Zach misplacing things 😅. We spent an hour trying to find the car keys in the morning. We searched the streets, parking garage, the lost and found at the front desk, as well as had them check video surveillance 📹, unpacked all of our luggage, aaaaand they were just sitting in his backpack where he initially looked 😂. But luckily we didn't have anything booked this day!
We drove to Rotorua, passing by many cows and sheep and pretty green landscapes, and Hobbiton (maybe someday we will come back to visit the movie set)
We got to our Airbnb in the early afternoon, and then decided to check out this free geothermal park, Kuirau Park.
The park was much bigger than we originally thought, and ended at the most impressive hot pool
Walking distance from the park was Eat Street, where we got a drink and relaxed. And then got some Thai food for dinner.
We wanted to see the Wharewarewa redwoods, and had heard that the best way to experience it was to do the Redwoods Treewalk at night. However, we arrived to the redwoods while it was still light out, basically just as the sun was setting, and it was the. most. gorgeous. The air was crisp and smelled sweet and fresh as if after a rain, the ground was soft, and it had a beautiful and raw jungle feel. We tried to hike around as long as we could until we needed to use flashlights. We would definitely come back here for a longer hike next time!
When it got dark, we got in line for the Redwoods Treewalk, which involves exploring the forest from up in the canopy, across suspension bridges, with artistic installations and lights. This night, they had won a tourist award and were celebrating a little. It was a lot of fun, and we had some cool learnings from it!
California redwoods - Grows faster in New Zealand than California
Day 4: Rotorua (Volcanoes and Maori)
Today was a day of geothermal parks. So we got energized by a yummy breakfast at the Picnic Cafe. The "pancakes" I ordered turned out to be crepes with maple syrup, so I had to order a bagel with lox to supplement.
Note: There were some other differences I noticed too, like the bacon in NZ is a different cut of the pig. The US is fatty streaky side bacon, and NZ is usually back or loin cuts which are much leaner. In NZ it tastes more like a slice of ham. I try not to eat much meat, but when I do, I prefer the unhealthy US bacon haha.
Then, we headed to Waimangu.
Waimangu
Descending upon Waimangu felt like entering the world of Jurassic Park. Like we were a couple of lucky chosen individuals dropped on a gorgeous secret island, going for a hike amongst the undisturbed foliage to marvel at these ancient, perilous, imposing and very-much-alive beings.
We were given an audio track for each marker (or pamphlets?), and each was placed roughly a tenth of a mile apart, so for X stops, we learned quite a lot and walked quite a distance in a couple of hours.
Many of the up-close sights were hard to capture with my camera. Like this viewpoint, where you feel engulfed by the steam:
The walkways were very well maintained; the stairs and bridges kept enticing me even though my legs were tired.
And, obviously the views would keep anyone going.
Near the end of one of the offshoot paths, we heard a very deep and ominous growl coming from very nearby, so we were relieved to make it back to a main road for a moment.
It was a bit more spread out at the end, but ended with a climax of colors!
We wanted to make it to Wai O Tapu before they closed as well, so once we made it to the end, we waited to take the bus back (and let's be honest, our legs wanted a break!). While we waited, we did some mild wandering and bird calls.
These birds must have heard us - I was too slow to take the perfect swan ♡ picture, but it still looks like love is in the air!
Wai O Tapu
Wai O Tapu drew me to it from all the bright colors I saw advertised online, and the grandiose craters and pools. While it is hard to tell the scale based on these pictures, it started off pretty impressive and got even better as we progressed!
The colors were found even in the trees...
The colors are caused by oxidation of the following minerals:
Brown/Red: Iron Oxide
Purple: Manganese Oxide
Yellow: Sulphur
Pink: Cinnabar (Mercury Sulphide) used in Chinese lacquer ware
White: Kaolin (also known as Chinese clay)
We also saw xxx recording a dance video here.
Mitai maori dinner cultural show with kiwis (not seen.. but a couple glow worms and the eel thing) at rainbow springs
Day 5: Rotorua (Waitomo Caves)
Today was our long-awaited trip to the Waitomo Caves to see the glow worms in Zach + Gemma fashion: via Black Water Rafting! We signed up for the "maximum-adrenaline" 5 hour tour called Black Abyss.
So we woke up, drove 1hr45min, and arrived at 10:30am, where we ordered a pepperoni pizza (for breakfast – classic). Also, notice the picture in the bathroom stall — it seems like they have a serious problem with people perching on toilets here.
When the time arrived, we changed into our wetsuits and met our guides who were all super awesome and funny people. One was there just for the abseil portion and supposedly coming back to pick us up later. He began the lesson of how to put on all the equipment, tie our knot, stop and release, etc.
Our final exam: Zach and I must race against each other to put on all the equipment and head down the side of the hill as if we were rappelling.
And then, off we went to the real thing! We abseiled over 100 ft into the cave, with one section that was a little tight for Zach to fit through. It was amazing how little light made it past that point!
From there we walked over to the zip line and turned off our headlamps. I went first and, of course, they played some joke on me as I took off, to make it sound like they messed something up haha. In complete darkness, we zip lined deeper into the cave, streaming past countless glowing glow worms. I can still remember feeling the air on my face and trying to take it all in! I just wish there was more than 1 zip line 😍
We sat for awhile just looking up at the blue dots in the pitch black while drinking some hot cider, to try to prepare ourselves for the jump off platform into shockingly cold water. I think we jumped with our tube, to try to stay above the water as much as possible, but I don't remember it helping. The surprise inhalation of water made the memory books.
Zach and I hooked together in some floating train configuration, and they dragged us through the dark caverns while we gazed upwards (call me spoiled, but I wish the tubes came with pillows for our necks!). Just atriums of darkness, plentiful with tiny pulsating blue lights.
It was also interesting to learn the less dreamy facts about glow worms: Glow worms are actually the larvae of fungus gnats. Their bioluminescent glow is near their anus, and attracts prey into the beaded threads that they hang down which act as a snare or web. They eat all kinds of insects that get disoriented and fly toward the light, even their own mother might get caught and eaten by the larva. Anyway, because it was hard to capture an accurate representation of the full glow-in-the-dark experience, here are some closeups of the worms!
Our guide was excited to take a long exposure photo of us, so he got us positioned and then painted the cave with a flashlight and then covered the flashlight with a green cup, and swam like a madman all around us. After about a minute of standing still while he did this crazy dance, we were a little skeptical of how it would turn out, but it's actually pretty impressive! Should never have doubted him!
I very much enjoyed the relaxing experience so far, but, as we signed up for the "adrenaline" tour, they started to add some other activities into the mix. We road some small rapids for a faster ride (scooting around larger tour groups that we came across – we were so lucky!), and even went down some slide that they installed haha.
We climbed through tunnels, some tighter than others (I could see how easy it would be to get lost in there!!)
Partway, Zach did a belly flop competition.
On the tour we booked, it turned out to be just the two of us, and then the two guides, so we finished everything on the listed agenda fast, and then got to do a lot extra (remember, we had about 5 hours to play around down there!). What an awesome deal! The only downside was that I still was overcoming my fear of rushing water when they asked for our verbal agreement to go forward with trying out some more hazardous "off-the-record" water adventures...
We climbed up two waterfalls (against the current), where they warned us that it's important not to slip and to always have at least 3 points of contact, since there were no safety measures in check. They communicated how to climb by tapping on your appendage and then patting where you should place it on the rock. They had to communicate in this way because it was too loud and the water was too strongly rushing over us. But I felt relatively safe all things considered, as both of them were still spotting us against the force of the waterfall. They didn't get photos of these waterfalls, but here are a couple of us exiting out of the top of the cave which features some rushing water, to keep the spirit of the story haha
From out here we re-entered a new area of the cave and kept doing more water activities.
I don't remember everything, but we jumped backwards off a couple of waterfalls.
Throughout the day I had a harder and harder time following instructions, to the point where everyone was making jokes about it, haha. I assumed it was coming from nerves. But then, during the last hour (or so it felt like it), I was having trouble even standing up, and kept getting really sleepy. I especially remember struggling to lift my feet up to step from each sliver of rock and kept losing grip into the water. They recognized that I might be entering a second stage of hypothermia 🥶 and had me drink more hot liquid.. and then we kept on chuggin'! We definitely got our money’s worth!
Near the end we got to do some extra floating through the caves, to let us soak in the glow worms one last time. I was shivering so much that one of our guides was nice enough to drag me in the tube all the way to the cave exit. I sent this picture of us exiting the cave to my dad as a Sherlock clue, and he mentioned New Zealand as one of his guesses!
When we eventually finished up, we walked along a pretty forest trail to get to the parking lot. With a mixup on drivers, we had to wait a shivery little while for our ride to arrive.
That made the much-anticipated hot shower even more appreciated! Also, the complimentary soup and bread were waiting for us back in the lobby, so I helped myself to a few servings while they loaded up all our photos... Here's the link to the full album: https://order.picthrive.com/1b99e45d-48e1-45f3-90cd-fd14d25ce343/
I had so much fun, and was also spent from facing a constant nagging fear for about 5 hours haha. Zach had a blast, and I'm guessing he took the wheel on the drive back 💪. It was on this drive that we started realizing that our car would constantly badger us if we went even 1 mile over the speed limit. Little did we know how ingrained the phrase 🚨Please obey all traffic regulations🚨 was going to be on this trip.
When we got back to Rotorua, we went to Eat Street again and ate at Atticus Finch for dinner. Then, Zach found a Gold's Gym with old machines (and loved it), while I took another nice long hot shower. A satisfying finish!
Day 6: Horopito (Thermal baths and Goats)
We had hoped that today would be a full 8 hour free hike at the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. But, when we looked into it a couple nights before, we could not find any available shuttle busses and assumed they were sold out. Today, we found out that Tongariro Alpine Crossing was in fact still covered in snow, so you cannot free hike unfortunately (which explained the lack of busses). You'd be required to get a guide and gear up with crampons, etc, and we figured the sights wouldn’t be what we were looking for... So, instead! Today would be the opposite of what we had expected: a super relaxing day!
We made a last minute reservation at Warakei Terraces to get Hot Stone Massages at noon, and then could relax in thermal baths.
We had just enough time to drive down to Taupo (about an hour south from Rotorua) and get some yummy food at The Storehouse right before our reservation:
The Hot stone massages were quite nice, and Zach and I tested out the different thermal baths. I liked the ones with the interesting installations (a waterfall and a bridge), plus it was a milder temperature. Zach preferred the hotter pool where I was requested to take a bunch of photos of this woman from Milan for her Instagram. She indicated that she was done by looking at me with a seductive smile and saying "delicioussss", and then taking her phone back. 😅 Perhaps that was a third reason I liked the other pool...
When we left, we dropped by Huka Falls. I was taken aback!
I tried doing long exposure photography here but I like the pictures of the rough waters more.
'Cause really, that water though!! So much pretty texture and vibrant color.
Here we are posing in front, proving we were there... And I slipped in another long-exposure photo to try to take the focus off of our faces 😅
We went for a little walk on their trail thinking maybe there was more to see, but we couldn't see the water from there, and it didn't seem like it would lead to any cool vistas for a little while. It seemed like it could be a nice bike path though! We didn't go very far, but the walk was welcomed to get us a little more awoken after our spa time, and before the 2hr drive down to Horopito.
Took one last look from the base of the falls, watched some tour group get soaked, and then headed out!
On the drive, I marveled at the trees – and at how dark it was in some of these dense forests. They grew lots of trees to turn into lumber, so in addition to colorful lines of trees, you'd see thick patches of forest and then expanses of stumps.
It was a pretty scenic drive; Lake Taupo was pretty to drive around. And as we neared Horopito, I was captivated by Mt Ruapehu whenever we could steal a peek!
We arrived in Horopito to stay with the nicest couple in their Airbnb. When we drove up their driveway, the sunlight was dusting the cows just perfectly as they greeted us, but I didn't get to snap a picture (😢). Instead, we pet their dog and went out to visit their goats! We were warned to watch out for the one in the blue collar who could get a little aggressive. I bet that alpha female goat could sense how tense we were around her haha.
Blue collar was starting to get a little testy whenever we would give anyone else attention, so we figured it was time to skedaddle.
Next we went out to eat amazing burgers at The Blind Finch. It was packed and we had to wait, but the food was fabulous.
I was hoping to get a nice photograph of the stars, but the moon was too bright. So instead, we chatted with our hosts Julie and Wayne about skiing and volcanoes (both of which are basically in their backyard as you will see), and how we could apply to live in New Zealand...It's still not too late to move, Zach!
Day 7: Abel Tasman (InterIslander Ferry)
Waking up in this Airbnb was wonderful. Our bedroom had a spectacular view of Mt Ruapehu:
The wind was so strong that clouds smeared across the sky above the volcano, sometimes looking like smooth ufos hovering above. An ever changing landscape!
Our hosts, Julie and Wayne prepared an amazing homemade breakfast for us. They made their own Greek yogurt and Jam, and a fancy breakfast bread with poached egg and bacon. So good! And we got to eat it while facing out over that beautiful view – their main living space of course had an even more wonderful view, with floor to ceiling windows.
A perfect send off for our travel day to South Island!
They had been watching the storm patterns and were trying to predict if the ferry would still operate by the time we arrived there. They also told us some interesting stories about how uncomfortable the ferry can be, and at what point they finally shut down the ferry... Also, they warned us that a section of StateHighway 4 nearby was just recently closed due to being utterly destroyed by a slip and showed us pictures of the road... It was a bit unsettling to listen to all of this right before we departed, but I guess still better to be knowledgeable about it!
Zach drove the 4 hours to the InterIslander ferry, which wasn't hard to do once we got hooked to the audiobook Red Rising (thanks Eman!)
Once we got to Wellington, there were VERY strong winds (as predicted by our hosts). I seriously thought I was going to be blown away when we were walking from the car to the terminal. By the way, if you are renting a car, it’s best to arrange it to be dropped off here and they will have another car waiting for you on the South Island.
Once we boarded the ferry, I got to appreciate some of the pretty Wellington views!
The ferry was surprisingly more robust and calm than I was expecting based on the tales of our Airbnb hosts. I took some seasickness herbal medicine pills ahead of time, just in case, which I doubt I would have needed in hindsight. I spent most of the 3 hour boatride reading Oathbringer and looking at these amazing views.
When we arrived in Picton, we ended up with the exact same car model as the north island, except brand spanking new. And this time the pestering car assistant was even more loud and persistent about the speed limit. I drove this leg of the trip.
Day 8: Abel Tasman (Hike)
It was raining and thankfully we were able to move our kayaking trip out one day. So today instead, we went on a 7mi hike from our Airbnb through Abel Tasman park, and barely scratched the surface. Gorgeous!
When we finished, we were pretty hungry. Not sure if we were just in a sleepy town or if something in particular was going on because all cafes/restaurants were closed for some reason, so we went to Motueka, the next town over. We tried out Toad Hall which had a really cool atmosphere, but their kitchen was closed so we ended up with just really good smoothies and a cinnamon roll to hold us over. Then we went on to Sprig & Fern to order bar food because we got desperate. We ordered garlic bread, curly fries, and pizza (which all tasted good, but still not the ideal meal 🤢)
When we got back we did laundry and relaxed since it’d been raining all day and all our clothes were soaked. We didn’t mind though since our Airbnb was so nice!!! And there was a sweet old blind pupper in the backyard 🐶
Day 9: Abel Tasman (Sea kayaking)
Today we started off seeing a beautiful rainbow, promising a nicer day after the rain. We headed to Abel Tasman Kayaks to meet our guide, and then got in the back of a speedboat (hauled by a truck) with 2 more couples and a bunch of kayaks.
The tide was high, so they just unloaded the water taxi directly into the ocean.
The water taxi was first tasked with dropping off one couple at a nearby beach to begin their walking hike, and then would continue on to Awaroa, where we were to begin our sea kayaking – which I was very excited to see based on the pictures. Along the way we saw some cute otters 🦦
When we approached the the first couple's destination, the ocean current and waves were already too strong that they decided we wouldn’t be able to go as far as planned. I'm not sure where we got dropped off, but we received some brief instruction on how to paddle, and also came across a sacred tuna (the Māori word for eel) that had washed ashore. You can see the footprints of some birds which were feeding on it.
We kayaked until lunchtime (I couldn't take pictures while we kayaked), and then we stopped for a picnic lunch at Bark Bay. Even though I don't know where we started, it couldn't have been too far away since the other couple never got the hang of kayaking (rather, they excelled at bickering haha).
On this island we learned...
poison trees
Parrot aviary (Kākā)
The couple we were with had only signed up for a half day, and we had a full day, so this must be their ride – ta ta!
We explored the island a bit longer...
I also witnessed this beautiful moment where Zach was looking at a bird, and then they locked eyes. Here is the visual story of a human and a bird, in search of connection. // Zach and this bird could maybe find each other on Craigslist's Missed Connection
Zach and I got to continue on with just the guide, like a private tour! Without the other couple with us, we really took off and explored. Our guide was trying to convince and coach us to be legit sea kayakers. He even got Zach to do an expert race deployment: he had to run out into the ocean pushing the kayak with me already in it, and while I pedaled hard he would run and jump and slide into his seat and hook in. He did such a graceful job that I thought for sure I had left him at the beach, because I never felt him land (I assumed we would capsize when he got on 😅)
With the wind strong it was the perfect day to sail. ⛵️ Our guide was very excited about this, and had brought some sort of sail or tarp. And so with me at the front, I had to hold the two bottom sides of the sail with my arms out wide in a T, while Zach used his paddle to hold up the top like a mast. And he was probably steering the kayak with his foot petals, as the rudder? Not sure, all I know is that it was a workout that made me sore the next day. And man, we really got speed!
We did this sporadically to explore multiple empty beaches. On this island in particular, I was very taken by the volcano debris from an eruption – very warm, very heavy, and very sparkly! It is my favorite sandy sediment; the pictures don't do it justice!
As we kayaked around, we tasted some freshly picked oysters, weaved between rocks, and went out over pretty heavy current to look at some particular wildlife which I don’t recall...
Eventually, we met our water taxi to take us back to the starting point. By the time we returned, it was low tide, and we road in full force up to a tractor which seamlessly hooked onto us and dragged us in. Experts definitely make things look easy!
For dinner, we drove to the same Indian restaurant in Nelson. Whenever I think back to this meal, I remember how the restaurant kept swaying side to side, and yet no one else seemed to notice except me 🌊🛶
Day 10: Franz Josef (Pancake Rocks)
Today was a big travel day; we were headed all the way down the west coast to Franz Josef. We saddled up with some breakfast at Morrisons cafe in Nelson even though we might have been looking for Morri Street Cafe (?) 🤷🏻♀️. It was a very trendy atmosphere.
Along the way, we stopped for a mini hike / walk down the Truman Track.
We also stopped at the Pancake rocks for a longer period of time, and got something to eat as well.
Franz Josef dinner was yummy at SnakeBite. Cool Airbnb in rainforest and Has glow worms and pretty stars without much light pollution
Day 11: Franz Josef (Glacier hike)
Click through these 3 images to see the scale of the glacier compared to the mountains in the first picture to the little people standing on it in the third.
The first picture is more accurate for the visibility that day, but I like seeing the photo on the right to get an idea of what it might look like with a little more sun
Flight over the glacier – describe what a glacier is here
Our ride left us up there
hiking around
Blue ice formation:
Getting picked up in the nick of time
Kiwi
Day 12: Queenstown (Luge)
Day 13: Queenstown (Bike in Arrowtown)
We had nothing booked for today. Casually woke up to some pretty blue skies. Through the glass ceiling in the shower, I could watch people descending 🪂 What a nice reminder of the outdoorsy Queenstown lifestyle.
We had so many ideas for the day's activities; we thought we wanted to do the Nevis Swing, but the cost and time investment seemed a little steep for the out and back experience. So instead we tried to find local quad bikes or obstacle courses. Eventually we came across a cool climbing activity – it was the world's highest waterfall cable climb (via ferrata with Wildwire in Wanaka)... but then to our surprise – I can't believe I'm saying this – we were ultimately feeling a little adventured-out! So instead, we drove to Arrowtown, a super cute historic town and got a relaxed lunch and used their bike hire to explore.
We upgraded to E-bikes, and went along the Arrow River Bridges trail. What a great decision. It was B-E-A-utiful, and so much easier and more enjoyable with the assisted pedaling. As the name suggests, the trail went along a river, crossing over 5 bridges (including impressive suspension bridges), with engaging scenery, hills, tunnels, and more!
We stopped at the Kawarau Bridge to watch some people bungee jump before turning around.
With the E-bikes, we did the whole trail twice as fast as if we used a standard bike, so we had time to go play some disc golf in gardens when we got back.
Zach was impressively good at disc golf. I, on the other hand, had to keep worrying about my disc rolling into the lake. Zach and passers-by helped to stop it multiple times by chasing it down a hill or stopping it with their bike lol. These setbacks weren't enough to stop us though; I think we did the whole course because the scenery was so captivating! This experience convinced me to get some discs for my parents as an activity we could do together over Christmas!
After we completed the course (I won't say who won, b/c who is keeping score) we explored the parks a little more and just took in all the sights, including the people parachuting all day long. What a lovely place 😍
We had a dinner reservation date at Public Kitchen. As our fellow hot springs friend would say: Delicioussss! And, aside from the ship that docked to unload right next to us, it was a serene view with a gorgeous sunset.
Day 14: Queenstown (Milford Sound - Piopiotahi)
Zach was probably most excited about this day's excursion, since he had been to New Zealand before but never gotten to see Milford Sound – or in Maori, Piopiotahi.
Our operator was Real Journeys. Since it is a long trip, we had to get breakfast at 6:30am in order to make it in time for 7:00am Taxi pickup. From there we got on a charter bus and made the trek.
We got back by 9pm, and went straight to Public Kitchen for round 2. (Unfortunately our meal was better the previous day though... Maybe we ventured to try different dishes this time...)
Day 15: Departure
We got breakfast at Yonder
We had to fly rom the Queenstown airport to Auckland (12-2pm) and then stayed in Auckland airport until our flight much later, at 10:45pm! Whew that was a long layover. Thank goodness for Zach's priority pass. Otherwise we spent time trying to find the perfect kiwi souvenir which didn't exist.
Zach wanted to get one custom made when we got back. But he found this one off Etsy and gifted it to me to commemorate our great time in NZ 😍 until we are able move there LOL 🙏.