There and Back Again - A Highly Expected Journey to a different road-trip around New Zealan

Through the tunnel to Milford Sounds, South Island, New Zealand

I have always thought that going New Zealand, is a perfect winter getaway from rainy Europe. Just the time that fellow Danes celebrate Christmas inside getting close to each other by drinking Aalborg Snaps, Kiwis grill sausages and have a Christmas barbecue. Sounds like something you would like to experience? Book your tickets now – and visit my beloved 5 maybe not most, but definitely interesting cities in New Zealand.

Rotorua's volcanic lakes, North Island.

New Zealand or Mãori Aotearoa is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses ‒ the North and South Island ‒ and numerous smaller islands. There are four big cities in New Zealand, two located on the northern Island, Wellington and Auckland, and two on the South Island, Christchurch, and Queenstown. These are cities tourist often visit, in the southern cities are often visited for their snow in winter and northern cities for their size. While these are cities you should visit, a lot of people fail to notice that New Zealand has many smaller pearls to visit if you have the time and the heart of Phileas Fogg.

Rotorua, North Island, New Zealand

Rotorua is home to hot springs and a popular destination amongst travelers. Both because of its beauty and nature, but also because of the attraction many lord of the rings fans seek - the Peter Jackson movies ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘the Hobbit’ set of the Shire is just a short drive from Rotorua.

Bagend, the Shire, Middle Earth

There and back again - in a couple of hours:

Visit the life-size hobbit holes in the green shire, take photos, fall in love with the holes and taste a ginger-beer in the hobbit bar and be as nerdy as you want here. I took around a thousand pictures in front of all the little hobbit-holes and I was as excited about the 150 frame as the first. The Shire is a visit to make time for. Touristy but quaint. You get a guided tour around the setting and are presented to the different homes of the different Baggins, Underhills, and Big-feet. As if you didn’t know which home belongs to what hobbit… Please.

Hobbit home, the Shire, Middle Earth

The breathtaking nature - in more ways than one
Once satisfied with nerding hobbits, Rotorua has magnificent nature. It is famous for its volcanic activity and for how its landscape has been shaped and colored by it. After being in LOTR mood it kind of smells like you would think Mordor smells (I promise last LORT reference).
Check out the parks and make time to visit one of the area’s many hot springs.

Rotorua Volcanic Lakes

New Zealand is never really hot so it is always the perfect weather to enjoy and relax in one of the naturally occurring hot springs. Whether you prefer the luxury of the man-made versions or the simplicity of the naturally occurring pools, they are not hard to find, and worth a visit.
And while you’re in town, Rotorua is famous for its Maori villages and cultural performances which is a fun experience if you do not mind the artificiality of being a tourist attraction. Let yourself be entertained for a few hours with visits to traditionally built houses, play the games that the Maori children played pre-Cook-invasion, and have a traditional meal while enjoying Haka performances.

Watching a Maori show, Rotorua

Napier, North Island, New Zealand

Napier is the coziest amazing little city in New Zealand. Its architecture is unique. After a 7.8 earthquake destroyed most of the city in 1931, the city was rebuilt mostly in the art deco style, trendy in the 1930′s.

Napier is located in Hawke’s Bay on the eastern coast of the North Island. The City is known for being the largest wool center in the Southern Hemisphere and being the largest producer of apples, pears, and stone fruit in New Zealand.
I fell in love with the city because of its quaint style and looks and more than that, the amazing people who lived there. When you take a walk in the city your fellow walkers greet you and waves when they meet you out and about town. We got invited to visit a sheep farm and just see the life of the farmers there. We listened to stories while drinking tea and making friends.

When to visit
For a Cultural Experience visit Napier during Art Deco weekend in February, when the city proudly celebrates its heritage and party like it’s 1930.

What to see
A must-do while visiting this little City is to walk along Marine Parade, a vibrant community area, and enjoy the sea-view and the company of locals.
In terms of sight-seeing, Napier is known for their sea and wildlife. Its National Museum is home to the largest display of sea life in New Zealand, where you can see sharks, and swim with them. Finally, Cape Kidnappers, located just outside of Napier, has the largest colony of gannets in the world.

Kaikoura, South Island, New Zealand

Kaikoura

Kaikoura is a town located on the East coast of the South Island. It is on State Highway 1, 180 km north of Christchurch. - Again, not so many roads in New Zealand, so pretty easy to find your way.
The Kaikoura Peninsula extends into the sea south of the town, and the resulting upwelling currents bring an abundance of marine life from the depths of the nearby Hikurangi Trench. This makes it an excellent place to explore the big mammals that live in the sea.

The biggest one being the Sperm Whale. Kaikoura has a lot of different tourist options for meeting these big mammals, bigger or smaller boats, or how about taking a one-propeller airplane? Flying over the bay to see the sperm whales from above is a beautiful experience, albeit a little expensive, but definitely an amazing experience (around 150 $).

About to set off on a one-propeller flight over the bay

Insider tip: Be careful about this option if you easily get motion-sick.

Other ways to have a good time in Kaikoura
You can go swimming with dolphins or seals, or just watch the seals at the eastern edge of the town where a large colony of Southern Fur Seals has made their home territory. It is about a 10-15 minute walk outside of the city. It is best to see the seals during low tide, as the ocean gives way to a rocky base which you can walk for quite some distance.

Seal enjoying life

Kaikoura is also one of the world’s most accessible places to see open-ocean seabirds such as albatrosses, petrels, and shearwaters.
Kaikoura offers different experiences with all these animals, and you can book seal and dolphin swims, watches kayaking etc, so if you are interested in these pearls of the sea, Kaikoura is the place to go. But please do remember that these are wild animals. They like distance, peace, and respect.

Sperm-whale from the airplane

Staying

As for accommodation, despite being a small town, Kaikoura does have a lot of different solutions, just turn right off the highway and drive down to the coast. The city contains only a few street and both backpackers and motels are in fairly reasonable price ranges.

Insider tip: Try to be a morning person, since there is hardly anything going on in this city after 8pm.

Te Anau and Milford Sounds, South Island, New Zealand

Mirror Lake, Milford Sounds

Here you can explore some of New Zealand’s most beautiful natural landscapes: the Fiordland Te Anau and Milford Sounds, or Piopiotahi, as the Mãoris call it.

Located in the South West of New Zealand’s South Island, within Fiordland National Park. It has been said to be the world’s top travel destination in an international survey in TripAdvisor, and it is breathtakingly beautiful. Wondering how to get there? Fear not, there are not so many roads in New Zealand, so the way to get there is pretty straight-forward. But why not make a few stops along the way?

On a boat trip around the Fiord

Where to stop along the way
While driving through Te Anau, make a pit stop and go on a horse trekking, a lovely way to spend a day enjoying the scenery. Westray Horse treks is a little company that takes people for a ride regardless of your experience.

The cinema in Te Anau is another place where one can enjoy the scenery, for 10 NZ$ they offer you 30 minutes of different scenery featuring the fiord land from one end to the other. No words are said during the movie, only peaceful music. Had you been unsure whether or not you wanted to drive all the way to Milford Sounds, after watching this piece of art, there will be no doubt left.

Seal colony, Fiordland

Before going to Milford Sounds I had only seen extremely catchy and breathtaking brochures that street-sellers would offer me. But how many of those promises would turn out to be true? I was skeptical, but it was 110% more than what I expected. While in Milford Sounds, get yourself on one of the many boat cruises and enjoy the surroundings, get a picture of a seal colony, a dolphin or maybe even a penguin if you are lucky.

Dining
As for dinner, Te Anau has a little restaurant located on the main street called The Olive tree, it is a budget cafe that serves good quality food. Why dine in Te Anau? The tunnel to and away from Milford Sounds closes at 6 pm…
Insider tip: Pre-book the hostel/motel/hotel in Te Anau. You might not get anything last-minute.

Mirror Lake, Milford Sounds

Wanaka, South Island, New Zealand

It is a town in the Otago region of the South Island situated at the southern end of Lake Wanaka, adjacent to the outflow of the lake to the Clutha River.

Wanaka

It is the gateway to Mount Aspiring National Park. If you like hiking, stunning scenery and pristine nature, Wanaka ought to be a stop on your travels around New Zealand. This city’s surroundings are great for hiking and adventures. And if you are in the mood for a beer after a long day of walking, there is a bit of nightlife, at least for New Zealand’s small-town standards.

Trekking on the way to Rob Roy Glacier.

Lake Wanaka offers some of the best hiking in New Zealand, ranging from 30 minutes to 5 days, but hiking to the majestic Rob Roy Glacier is what the vast majority of tourists visit when going there. The track is an ideal entry point to Mt Aspiring National Park – an area of spectacular alpine scenery, snowfields, glaciers, sheer rock cliffs, and waterfalls. A one hour drive from Wanaka brings you to the Raspberry Creek car-park. After a 15-minute valley walk you cross the West Matukituki River into beech forest as the track climbs through a small gorge along the Rob Roy Stream, then into alpine vegetation at the head of the valley, with good views of the Rob Roy Glacier. Here you can enjoy your lunch by a cascading waterfall with native alpine parrots keeping you company while listening to the cracks of the hanging glacier high overhead. This trek is about 4-5 hours return.

Rob Roy Glacier. in the background

Remember to check weather conditions with the information center and what is appropriate for your fitness/age/equipment before setting out to any of the big walks. If you are less of a walker, there are many small tracks as well that leads to beautiful nature, such as Blue Pool Track. This one hour return easy-walk starts at the car park on State Highway 6 near Makarora just north of Muddy Creek and leads through silver beech/tahina to a swing bridge overlooking the pools at the mouth of Blue River. Large brown and rainbow trout can often be seen feeding in the pools. Whatever your fitness level, age, or eagerness, there will be a walk for you. All you have to do is ask at the information center.