Fellow Wanderer: New Zealand South Island Readings

Fellow Wanderer and Dear Reader,

I bring you a hybrid entry. 

I'm not bluffing. 

I would like to share some recommendations for navigating Te Waipounamu, otherwise known as the incredible South Island of New Zealand 🇳🇿

For those of you who missed the last entry, full disclosure, the North island is also wonderful, but I explored the South much more extensively.

The North also has much to offer 🫶

I struggled with knowing whether or not this should be a "Dear Reader" entry, as it was such a personal experience and special time in my life, those few weeks of utter freedom, exploring in my little hire car, some of the most exquisite natural places I have ever laid eyes on 🌟

However, when I was, err planning, meaning the day before I took my flight from Auckland to Nelson, I found it difficult to know where I should go. 

I don't have Instagram, so all these people trailing along the "Insta route" had intent behind their long drives. My strategy was very different. So I have decided to share my findings. I include the following:

Top 3 Tips for New Zealand Travel

Top 3 Experiences in the South Island

Top 3 Places for your Itinerary 

⭐ Top Tip #1 - Hire a car

I know that this is going to depend a lot on people's personal finances. And you know what, I'm just going to briefly adopt an awful capitalist stance for a hot second and advise to "not go to NZ unless you can afford to rent a car/van solo/with your friends". 

I know. It sounds bad. But those I met using the infrequent buses, had to completely rearrange their days around the laborious journeys, which took far too long, and never allowed you to get to the hidden gems, those parts which I treasured 🎁 

There is of course the popular option of hitch hiking. I have to say, I am blessed with damn good intuition, but some people are not. So generally speaking, don't risk it baby. 

Of course I, the serial hypocrite, did pick up a hitch hiker (much to my mum's dismay, when I let that slip recently). He was completely fine and we had a nice journey, although he was far too tall for Tay Tay. 

NZ is about the only place in the world I'd be comfortable to do that though. Proceed with caution. 

Lost in a beautiful spot. Also misusing the timer.

⭐ #2 - Don't follow the crowd

This is not to say, avoid the popular places by any means, they are of course, popular for a reason. 

Rather this means, do your own research, Google your own hobbies and seek out what's beautiful for you. 

I wanted to go to the tippy top of the island's west coast. I knew this wasn't a famous spot, but I wanted to go there because to me, it looked so cool. 

It turned out to be just as great as I expected, and I even met my first seal of the south island. Such a cutie 🦭 

Different seal. Arguably cuter. 

⭐ #3 - Go get lost 

Forgive the appalling grammar. But yes. Embrace the fact that at a certain point, Google maps/Ways will not work. 

WHAT. Follow a paper map? 

^^ never 

Rest easy knowing that a large majority of the roads are only leading to one place. Signs are everywhere to let you know when to grab some more petrol (be prepared to sell a kidney to afford it), and if you do get lost, two things will happen. One, you will inevitably stumble upon something beautiful. Two, you will inevitably stumble into a quasi friendship with the local person to whom you ask directions.

Casually sitting in a lavender field in the middle of nowhere 🪻

Now, for the experiences. I knooooow this is subjective. So stop reading... Or check out my recommendations... 

#1 - Skydiving in Queenstown.

You're taking in the mountainous backdrop as it's reflected in the lake. 

You're watching people walk past in the most expensive athleisure you've ever seen. 

Maybe it's the nice Irish guy you met in a hostel and climbed a big mountain with, whose awkward charm reminds you of how far away you are from home, how far you've come. And they're saying that Queenstown is the home of adventure sports...

Maybe it's the family friend whom you haven't seen in a decade, whose affable and genuine loveliness makes you think that if they can be a skydiving instructor, then you can do it just once...

Sometimes, you end up in a room full of people waiting for their turn to get on the bus to the plane.  And you begin talking instantly to a girl with whom you will later end up travelling with. With whom you will also meet again in an entirely different continent, talking about people and places you haven't even been to yet ✨

Sometimes, Travellers and Wanderers, you just have to jump out of a plane at 12,000 feet. 

Fear of heights? You must be mistaken. 

#2 Kayak on Lake Tekapo

This was my absolute highlight. 

I saw pictures of this and rearranged my trip so that I could come here 💙

I had been given mixed reviews. Warned that poor weather would hinder the beauty. But I risked it. 

I spent $60 on a hostel. Yes baby, 60 dolares. That's supply and demand for you. Damn those capitalist references again, eww. 

Whilst I had stayed up all night working, napped for a mere 2 hours and energised myself this time not with my customary sugar free Monster, but a flat white from the local cafe (passable at best). However, the most perfect, serene morning greeted me. 

The sun gently sparkled on the pristine blue waters. I hired a kayak and embarked on a solo tour across the water ☀️ 

The liquid opal around me bobbed emphatically as I charged ahead to the furtherest point I could reach before I could stop and be surrounded entirely by water, mountains and a feeling of unequivocal bliss. 

Whatever you do, find a place that gives you that feeling of calm and use it as your happy place. 

✨

#3 - Road trip to Milford Sound. 

Yes, this could fall into the places to visit, but that's a given. 

The emphasis here is to drive. 

This is arguably in the top places in the world for natural beauty. Why have time restraints?

Hire that car. 

Offer a ride to people from your accommodation in Queenstown. Book a night in Te Anau (or also on the return journey) and make the most of this incredible place! It's a once in a life time experience. 

The 2 hour road trip from Te Anau took me much longer, because I stopped countless times to just stand and basque in the absolutely breathtaking scenery, the powerful energy and the impact that it had on me, to see such a beautiful place with my own eyes and feel the cool, pure air that surrounds it. 

Milford Fiord (technically)

And this takes me onto places. 

⭐#1 - Tekapo 

Not only the lake, but the mountain here is beautiful and the drive to get here, alone is worth it. 

There's no shops really, not many food options nor accommodation choices, but spending one day will be one of the best decisions you make!

⭐ #2 Queenstown + Milford Sound

Skydiving. Bungee jumping. Hiking. Fine dining. Kayaking. Feeling out of place among rich, attractive people. These are all the things which Queenstown has to offer. 

Any hike will be beautiful, but you should not miss the Queenstown Hill trail. 

You should definitely reward all hikes with a meal from Mirch Masala. 

And be brave. Try the skydiving. You'd be amazed at what being strapped to an attractive person at 12k ft will do to your sense of trust in the universe.

 

⭐ #3 Abel Tasman National Park

One day, a girl stayed up until 2am in Auckland. Later that morning, she left at 5am to go to the airport for her stupidly early flight to Nelson. 

Once she picked up her hire car at 10am, she drove past Split Apple Rock and a beautiful beach, to Abel Tasman National Park 🌸

Then she proceeded to walk 40,000 steps as she hiked for 9 hours, winding around the mountain, stopping by deserted beaches filled with white sand, and allowing the hole in the ozone layer to clash ferociously with her factor 50. And then she worked for 8 hours. 

It was a place that she couldn't say no to. Filled with smiles from locals, tourists and strangers from all walks of life, enjoying the enchanting ferns of the forest around them. 

And there we have it. 

What I will say to you, like any place you visit in the world, it is only as amazing as you allow it to be. 

For some, New Zealand is possibly overpriced and monotonous. But for me, it was a place where I learned to listen to myself (because I sometimes drove for hours with no one to talk to and no signal to play music), so I forced myself to look inside 🧘‍♀️

As I walked through the captivating scenes, all the time feeling an unparalleled sense of safety, I allowed the natural wonders to seep into my skin, in the glances toward every magical mountain, each brilliant body of water and all the soft petals of the sun's rays that danced around me 🌴

Reach out, should you find yourself planning a trip and you need some more details 😘

Happy Wandering, Readers.