Four flights and 21+ hours later, we made it to Christchurch, New Zealand! We flew on the budget airline, Air Asia (which we would definitely not recommend for long flights), and had stopovers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Gold Coast, Australia. I think we went through security checks more than four times in total. In Australia we had to get off the plane, go through international security, and then get back on the same plane in the same seats. After a quick overnight at an Airbnb in Auckland, we flew to Christchurch the next day.
Within just minutes of walking out of the airport I felt a sense of calm and noticed the air was considerably cleaner, or it just felt like it compared to SE Asia and there was absolutely no chaos in the airport or on the streets. It was super nice being back in an English speaking country and we were happy to be able to understand subtle things that we hadn’t been able to for the last couple of months. We also were taken aback by the super friendliness that Kiwis displayed right from the start. Everyone we interacted with was SUPER talkative, and offered advice and suggestions on what to do in New Zealand without us even asking for them. Minus the guy chatting my ear off on the plane while I was trying to sleep, we welcomed the conversations and it was nice being able to clearly communicate with the local people. Spending 25 USD on our first meal in New Zealand though was tough considering we typically spent that on a whole days worth of food in Asia. But the fact that it stays light here until around 9 PM was a nice surprise. We agreed this would be a good transition back into a more familiar way of living.
We spent two nights in Christchurch in a shared hostel room since prices for private rooms were pretty high. Christchurch is the third largest city in New Zealand and is located on the South Island. It was home to a terrible earthquake in 2011 that killed 185 people and resulted in many Kiwis relocating to other cities. It was the second most populous city prior to the earthquake. Walking around the city, it felt pretty empty and there was still a lot of construction going on with road blocks and deserted buildings. Seven years later and you could still feel the remnants of the destruction the earthquake caused. It was pretty sad to see. There wasn’t a whole lot to do in Christchurch but we spent our day and a half walking the streets, reading, working out in the local park, and eating good food - Al was also happy to have TONS of gluten free options. We were lucky to have great weather and be visiting NZ during the prime summer months. But we did have to get used to sleeping in the heat as there doesn’t appear to be air conditioning here (at least at the hostel and Airbnb we stayed in up to this point).
After two nights in Christchurch, we checked out, took a really good last shower (not knowing when we would have one again) and headed to pick up our minivan where we would be sleeping for the next seventeen days. With many companies to choose from, we went with one called Spaceships since they seemed to have good reviews, reasonable prices, and gave us everything we needed for sleeping and cooking. Our “spaceship” (basically just a minivan outfitted with a bed, fridge, and storage spaces containing pots, pans, silverware and a gas stove) came with the name Goose, which was totally appropriate considering Al loves Top Gun. After somewhat adjusting to driving on the left side of the road and right side of the car, we set out to meet my cousin Jamie and her husband Jack (also doing a similar world trip) at a nearby grocery store. We stocked up on breakfast, lunch, and dinner food for several days and started our drive to Arthur’s Pass National Park to find our first campsite. I was beyond excited to camp with Jamie (and the very experienced camper, Jack) again since we grew up camping every summer with our families. It was also nice because it had been years since we spent this much consecutive time together other than for school breaks, family occasions, and Thanksgiving. Jamie and Jack left behind their life in Chicago to do a more rustic version of our world trip. They started their travels in January and flew to New Zealand after camping in Patagonia, Chile. For the most part, they’ll be doing tent camping while we sleep in our minivan. We are very thankful our travel plans aligned to meet in NZ and that we had them to show us the ropes when it came to picking a campsite, following a trail, figuring out hikes, etc. We jumped right into the swing of it! We have camped and visited several different parts of the southern island of New Zealand in the last couple of weeks as part of our road trip so I will break it up by each place.
- Arthur’s Pass National Park: With our cars stocked up, we drove around two hours to Arthur’s Pass National Park and found a free campsite by a fresh water stream. It was pretty empty when we arrived so we claimed our territory and set up camp (which really meant just parking our car). We were impressed how quickly Jack and Jamie set up their tent. We spent three nights at this campsite and loved the fact that it was secluded and off the main road. We had some company and a few rowdy backpackers a couple of the nights but for the most part it was quiet and peaceful. Al and I missed cooking so our first night we whipped up a gourmet taco dinner using our camping equipment and we think it turned out pretty good! The sandflies (they look like gnats but bite you) were not a welcomed surprise though at dusk and dawn and we all woke up with some pretty bad bites which continued to get worse the entirety of our time here. Our first full day, we crossed some rivers, and wandered in circles following a path of trail markers which we later learned were for animal traps and not to mark a trail. Eventually, we found the correct path which was still not super clear and we ended up concluding the day rinsing off in the freezing but refreshing river water since there weren’t showers at our campsite. Our second full day, we went straight to the info center to get a more distinct hike to follow. We all agreed on a hike called Bealey Spur which was six km pretty much all uphill and resulted in some awesome views of the valley below. We ate lunch at the top, hiked back down, and carried on our evening routine which entailed napping, reading, eating dinner, and playing a game of Euchre (great card game for those that are unfamiliar). Within just a few days, Al and I both felt a sense of relaxation being in nature and disconnected from technology. It was very refreshing.
- Abel Tasman National Park: We left Arthur’s Pass bright and early and started the drive up to Abel Tasman National Park in the northwest part of the island. We made several stops on the way and were shocked by the presence of the tropical climate and foliage. It felt like we had driven from Mammoth to Hawaii in a span of two hours! We continued driving up the coast (which was beautiful) and scoped out a couple different campsites before settling on one slightly south of the national park in a town called Kaiteriteri. This campsite was way more commercial with assigned spots, tons of facilities and people around but it was still spacious compared to a squished and confined one we had driven by. The kitchen facilities and showers were super clean too. Our first full day, Jamie and Jack opted to rent kayaks and Al and I decided to hike a part of the Abel Tasman Coastal Track (this is one of the “Great Walks” in New Zealand that many campers do in a 3-4 day span, we did a one third of the walk). We said our goodbyes in the morning and went about our day gaining different perspectives on the park. We took an “Aquataxi” about thirty minutes or so north and were dropped off at a place called Torrent Bay (this coastal area reminded us of Cinque Terre since you had to taxi to spots on the coast). From there we hiked back to the starting point (Marahau) stopping occasionally at different lookout points and beaches off the main trail. The beaches had golden sand and deep blue water and looked like Hawaii. In the afternoon, we approached our starting point and were astonished to see a change in tide. An area that was completely covered in water in the morning was now just sand. We left on the Aquataxi during high tide and by the afternoon the water level had pulled back hundreds of feet! Our driver told us that during the extreme tides (usually in December at the longest day of the year) the water level can change by 15 meters (45 feet)! Crazy! We met Jack and Jamie for burgers after, exchanged stories from the day and passed out pretty early. The next day we awoke to a torrential downpour of rain and wind that felt very hurricane like. We later learned it was a cyclone. Jack and Jamie somehow slept in their tent the whole night through the storm but they got pretty soaked. We spent our morning in the campsite common area cooking pancakes and eggs and trying to wait the storm out, but it didn’t really leave. We even heard what sounded like an evacuation siren which stirred a bit of unease but later learned it was a high tide warning. After discovering Jack and Jamie’s tent poles were bent and sleeping bags were soaked, we opted to relocate south to a city called Nelson where they would spend the night in a hostel. In doing so, we passed through flooded streets with debris on the road and as we listened to the radio heard about the damage this storm had already done to the area. This isn’t normal for this time of year! We spent our afternoon beer tasting, playing cards, and hanging out at a couple of different breweries before parting ways for the night. Can’t complain! Sometimes bad weather forces some good indoors downtime. So a few days after this we learned that this storm was actually a tropical storm and it hit the whole South Island of New Zealand. There was widespread damage from fallen trees and landslides all across the island that we saw. Not sure how Jack and Jamie were able spend that night in the tent but we were glad we had the minivan!
Kahurangi National Park: Instead of heading south as planned, we decided to make the most of our time in the northern part of the island since we drove so far to get here. We decided to check another national park off our list and found a hike in Kahurangi National Park. Getting to the trailhead was an interesting experience….we turned off the main road and drove several miles on a windy gravel road. We had to stop a couple of times to make sure the road was clear and around half a mile from the trailhead we encountered a fallen tree that was blocking the road. Jack and Jamie were able to go under it in their tiny Fiat, but Goose couldn’t make it so we just parked on the side of the road and walked the rest of the way. For the next several hours we climbed to the top of a peak through a mossy covered forest. The trail was pretty steep and we encountered some rain along the way but the views were worth it! The clouds cleared away just in time for us to see the valley below. We made our way back down the mountain after eating lunch and catching our breath at the top. We then drove another hour or so to a camping spot in the Murchison area, stopping on the way for some fresh fruit ice cream - a specialty here - which involves crushing fresh berries and mixing it with frozen yogurt. It was a treat after a long day of hiking! To conclude one of the best days we had so far, we crammed in our minivan and watched Forrest Gump as the sun was going down - our “self-made movie theatre” as we now call it.
Franz Josef Glacier: After doing a load of laundry, making breakfast and packing up, we headed south towards Franz Josef Glacier. The drive took around four hours and we encountered many road blocks along the way because of fallen trees and rocks from the storm. It even took out part of the walking trail to the glacier so we couldn’t get as close for pictures but it was still a nice view. The road to the other glacier, Fox Glacier, was closed so this wasn’t even an option. We spent the night at a beautiful campsite on the beach in the “Gold Mining town” of Okarito. The campsite itself wasn’t that beautiful, but it was steps away from the beach and we spent most of our time there. We witnessed an incredible sunset with beers in hand and created our own games playing with rocks and sticks like little kids. We entertained ourselves for several hours.
Our time here has been mentally relaxing but physically more exhausting than other legs of the trip. We now feel organized and in the groove or camping and we are really enjoying having Jamie and Jack’s company every day. It has been refreshing being in the fresh air, cooking our own meals again, and being more spontaneous with our daily plans. We are headed to the southern part of the island for the next week or so and will send updates when we can.
On to more of the South Island!