Visiting a landscape painting - South Island, NZ

Kia Ora!  - Traditional Māori greeting - meaning "Hello!"

Till date I had read and heard about the beautiful landscapes of NZ and kept it on my bucket list. At last it came true on April 2023, when we went for a 9-day long road trip across the South Island of New Zealand (NZ).  Starting from Christchurch we drove all the way to Queenstwon.

Day 1: Christchurch 

Late in the evening we landed in Christchurch. We were struck by cold weather and chilly wind - which was very different from the weather that we had in Sydney; Christchurch was missing all the hustle bustle because the whole city was empty for the Easter Friday.  We check-in to our rooms and went out hunting for dinner. 

We were put up in the heart of the city at the Cathedral junction and everything seemed very convenient. Don't miss to book your Christchurch tram hop-an hop-off tickets and explore Christchurch.

Just before we go to bed, we had one more task to be ticked off- pick our rent car, because that will be our companion for the next 9 days!

Day 2: Arthur pass / Devils Punchbowl waterfall

The first day we jumped on a scenic drive, which meandered with the Waimakariri river and crosses over to other side at Arthur Pass

As we crossed over to Arthur pass and trekked the Arthur pass walking trail, which takes you up to the Devils Punchbowl waterfall (Image below). It was a very refreshing trek through some untouched wilderness. The trek is a 1 hr - 2hr trek depending on your fitness level and do ensure you carry enough drinking water.

Many do go to Arthur pass on a Scenic train ride, but that came out to be too costly for us and hence we preferred the drive - which not only gave us some breath-taking views but also gave us the freedom to stop and breath in the fresh air.

Honestly, we were not so impressed with what we saw during our first day drive because we had seen even more beautiful sceneries and road drives in Australia - specially Tasmania.  We were wondering - is this all or is there more to the brand "New Zealand - If you Seek" !

Day 3: Drive to Lake Tekapo and then rested Glentanner

Next day we wrapped up from Christchurch and our next destination was Lake Tekapo and planned to rest at Glentanner park.

Slowly the beauty of New Zealand started opening up in front of our eyes ... colours, expanse and the innumerable sheeps - it is said that NZ has more sheeps than human beings!

Finally, we were just blown away by the Wallpaper like beauty of Lake Tekapo - and all our apprehensions just melted away.... this was out worldly beauty that we had never seen!

After having lunch at Lake Tekapo we coasted our way on the banks of Lake Pukaki for our resting place for the day i.e. Gentner park. We were fortunate to drive during the sunset and we were amazed to see the colours on lake Pukaki!

Lake Pukaki - and far away you can see Mt. Cook

View of Mt. Cook from Glentanner park

View of Mt. Cook from Glentanner park

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Glentanner Park (Image-Common Kitchen) - where we stayed for the night - has good accommodation options but should be booked early on as there are very few accommodations near Mt. Cook

That night, we went with childlike excitement thinking about what we have just seen throughout the day and how much more we will see in the coming days!

Day 4: Mt. Cook / Hooker Valley track to Hooker Lake and view of the glacier

Next day we drove up to the Aroki National park and planned to walk the Hooker valley track. Though there are other tracks but this is the longest track which takes you closest to Hooker lake and gives you some breathtaking views of Mt. Cook and the glacier around.

This is an easy to medium trek with a length of 5 kms in each direction. During this trek you will come across 3 hanging bridges, which are pretty interesting and a bit scary if its windy :).

Wear good trekking shoes and trekking poles will be a very good idea. Though it says that you can take your Pram/trolleys - but I will not recommend as I could see many parents struggling with it.

Views as observed during the trek

View of the Hooker Lake with the glacier on th right side (You could see broken ice blocks floating around in the Hooker lake)

View of the glacier (You could see broken ice blocks floating around in the Hooker lake) and Far way you could see Mt.Cook

Yes, no denying after the trek we were exhausted and driving down to Wanaka felt like an arduous task but the views of Aoraki national park had just energized our minds !

Day 5: Single tree in Lake Wanaka and puzzle world 

Day 5 was spent in the touristy town of Wanaka - we visited the famous Wanak alek adn cliked one of the worlds most tagged picture #ThatWanakaTree 

The Wanaka Tree

Post lunch we went to the Puzzling world which indeed was very unique compared to the giant Universal studios / Disneylands - it gave you an experience which was very different and unique!

Day 6: Lake Te Anau

Te Anau is a quaint little town on the banks of Lake Te Anau and gives you access to many of the sounds around - like Doubtful Sound and Milford Sound.

This was also our rest day, as we were pretty tired from the continuous driving and trekking - so we relaxed sipping some tea and taking in some amazing, relaxed views of Lake Te Anau

Day 7: Milford Sound

Next day morning we had our Milford sound Tour booked (you can also drive in car).

Now what is a Sound? 

No it is not music or noise - as per geography, a sound is a smaller body of water usually connected to a sea or an ocean. A sound may be an inlet that is deeper than a bight and wider than a fjord

On the way to Milford Sound

Mirror Lake on way to Milford sound

Milford Sound (View from the Cruise)

Some of the amazing waterfalls you encounter during your cruise in the Milford Sound

Day 8: Queenstown 

We drove in to Queenstown - The adventure capital of New Zealand, but we had nothing planned except Skyline to get some breath-taking view of Queenstown.

The Remarkables over Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown 

. The view is supposed to be breathtaking when these peaks are covered in snow

Queenstown

View from our accommodation - it was just breath taking.
 If it's a clear day - ensure you take a view of the night sky 

Day 9: Glenorchy

The drive to Glenorchy is possibly the most picturesque drive in New Zealand , as we drive on teh banks of Lake Wakatipu - you could see the different hues of blue, green, cyan reflected on the lake and some breathtaking views 

Lake Wakatipu 

Glenorchy is small town with beautiful landscapes, and it is said that some of these landscapes where the inspiration for Lord of the rings 

Teh famous Red hut of Glenorchy - One of the most instagram-med pictures!

Alas ! ...every good thing comes to an end and these nine days where so mesmerizing, the memories of these few days will stay with us forever !

Some Pro-tips:

• The roads in New Zealand are empty - but don't exceed speed limits at any point in time.
• Ensure you keep your gas (Fuel) topped up all the time - the fuel stations are pretty far and scant
• Advisable to carry some backup food always - Bananas, Bread, Butter/Jam as it is hard to find food when you are travelling in remote areas
• Book your accommodation and car in advance - possibly 6-9 months in advance will save you of $$
• See if you could save some foreign transaction fee on your purchases/ spending- something like a Wise card
• Best time to visit: Anytime!
• If you want Skiing - then Winter ( June/July/ August)
• Scenic beauty - with snow: May/August 
• Scenic beauty - but warm weather: March/April / Sept/Oct
• Tentative costing without food:
• 6000 Australian Dollars for 3 people (All accommodations and car rental was booked 10 months in advance). Please stack in inflation!