Author: Rach (15, 17, 20 March) & Ged (16, 18, 19 March)

Photos: Rach (unless specified otherwise)

15 March – Day 1 on the South Island

Exhausted from the tornado-like day we ended our last blog post on (Napier down to Wellington), we got up a little rushed at 6am to get to the ferry terminal by our designated 7.30am check in time. We didn’t have time to make breakfast before we left, so decided to chance our luck making and eating it in the ferry queue lane. How quickly can you fry a couple of eggs, and make butties for lunch? Turns out, not quick enough! We were being summoned to drive off with 2 eggs still in the pan!!! We quickly gathered everything in the middle seat and drove onto the ferry – we’d left north island NZ soil!!

We booked with Bluebridge ferries who do a 3.5 hour crossing to Picton at the top of the South Island. It was a fairly calm crossing, despite the weather fluctuating a fair bit. From looking at these photos capturing the changing colour of the sky, taken at various intervals through the morning, it’s hard to believe it was all the same journey!!

Goldilocks’ wheels touched land around 11.50am and off we went straight for the Abel Tasman & Golden Bay national parks on the North West coast. The north island holds a bigger reputation for beaches, and we wanted to see what the South Island could offer up to compete. We had a lot of miles to cover though, so sadly there wasn’t time to do the famous Abel Tasman walking track, or indeed to spend much time at any of these spots, so we planned out a carefully considered route taking in some of the best spots recommended by other travellers with similar time constraints. First up was the Riwaka Resurgence, a beautiful forest-hidden natural pool, fed by a waterfall, that makes for a great wild swimming spot. Damp forest, clear cold water, tranquil pools, and moss-covered and water-worn rock make this a place with a fairyland quality, a sort of hidden fairie-pools on the Isle of Skye.

Rach was in photography heaven, camera feeding off the magical shafts of sunlight streaming through the canopy down onto the waterfall’s edge.

Ged opted for a somewhat more immersive experience, swim-shorts donned, to take in the crystal clear waters. He was however cut down in his wild swimming prime, hampered by the freezing water (we were warned!) and retreated quickly after getting as far as his upper thigh…..

Winding our way through the forest-lined peaceful roads of Abel Tasman, we arrived at our next picturesque swimming spot, but this time in the form of a relatively secluded beach; by that we mean the kind that rarely appears on a postcard but lots of people know as a ‘hidden gem’. An intriguing rock formation is the focal viewpoint from the narrow golden stretch of sand, split down the middle and having been named ‘split apple’ as a result.

We thought (and perhaps we are not the first in this), that it looked more like Pac-Man. Defeated by the last swim-spot, Ged was straight into the sea (glasses off this time – no repeats of New Chums beach would be appreciated!) to swim out to the rock. Sweet as!

By the time we were leaving split apple rock it was becoming a bit too late it to make it to our last planned spot of the day, so we changed tack a little and made for the somewhat unfortunately named Pupu Springs (well Te Waikoropūpū Springs actually but unsurprisingly people tend to be drawn to the nickname…) so let’s just hope there’s nothing literal about its naming! Joking aside though, this is a sacred spot to Maori as the playground of the kaitiaki taniwha or protective guardian ‘Huriawa.’ The waterways stretch for miles underground and far out into Te Tai Tapu in Golden Bay, and the Maori believe they were cleared by the protector and caretaker Huriawa. And so these waters provide a spiritual link to the ancestors of the Manawhenua iwi. So no swimming here, just admiring to be done! By the time we arrived it was dusk so we hurried along the wooden walkways to the still peaceful waters, which were as clear as anything we’d seen yet. A lovely way to end the day.

Off to our first South Island campsite in the cute little drive through town of Takaka! Another car park essentially but as we were near amenities we saw this as a great opportunity to grab a takeaway pizza and munch away while watching Jurassic Park with a few beers in the van. Pretty sure this may have been Gerard’s favourite night in Goldilocks so far!

16 March – Abel Tasman & Golden Bay cont’d

Our modus operandi of this trip seems to be get up before dawn and drive to see the sunrise. Tata beach was the location today and although beautiful, it was not as populated as we hoped; blue penguins are known to congregate here but alas not on the day we visited.

Having to be satisfied with just the new day sun (it’s a hard life!) we set off again for Wainui falls.

This picture-postcard gorgeous waterfall can be reached by a short walk through a gorge and a swing suspension bridge. Rach was in full picture snapping mode when we arrived, but before that she decided to do a jump photo on the bridge. However, as she jumped the bridge bounced a bit more than she expected, came up to meet her, and she slipped and smashed her knees into the planks. Ouch!! Luckily the beauty of the place soon made her forget her throbbing knees. Ged has better luck!

This place in New Zealand, more than any other, reminded Ged of places he’d seen in British Columbia in Canada when he was younger. We couldn’t linger here too long though. We still had miles and miles to go!!

Our next stop wasn’t really a stop but rather a drive through some picturesque wetlands. The Whanganui Inlet is home to thousands of wetland birds and the single track gravel road traversing the marshland lets you get close to the wildlife and sea views.

Not bad for a morning’s run out.

Our last spot to visit was glorious Wharariki Beach on the Nelson-Tasman coast.

This beach is famous for its mirror photos of the huge rock arches there and its sunsets. After a few pictures in the low tide we wandered down the shoreline to see some caves. The golden sand felt luxurious between our toes so we decided to stay for a while and soak up the sun and the sound of the waves. After seeing some of the more colourful beach wildlife (see pic below) we laid out under the dunes on this near deserted slice of paradise.

Time flew far too quickly and we had much too many miles still to drive until camp. About 240 miles in fact and six hours of driving!!! Darkness fell a couple of hours after we left the beach and we missed what we’re told is a beautiful drive through a gorge. What we got was a creepy, slow drive through fog and forest that was only made worse by passing an abandoned car that had veered off the road, swiftly followed by a sign for a turn off to “Old Ghost Road.” We checked there was no one hurt or even about the car and made away in our Mystery Machine. Neither of us recall setting the van up for sleep that night we were so shattered. Jolly good day though!

17 March – West Coast drive to Franz Josef

Another early start awaited us today! Rach had decided to bite the bullet and book a half day heli-hike experience on Franz Josef Glacier with some of her birthday money. So, waking up south of Charleston on the coast, we left as we had arrived, in the dark, in order for the morning to pan out with us arriving in Franz Josef by 12ish. Our first stop at 7am was at Pancake Rocks & Blowholes. The rocks were formed 30 million years ago from minute fragments of dead marine creatures, which solidified in both hard and soft layers. Their curious shape was the result of a combination of mildly acidic rain, wind and seawater pummelling the rock. Bizarre!

As we rounded the viewpoint we were treated to another typically gorgeous sunrise, but this time with a rainbow streaking upward through the sun! Glorious.

Onward we went then to Hokitika where we met our first (and only!) travelling companion of our NZ trip – Swiss born girl Chae, who was exploring NZ via bike! It was of course proving difficult for her to journey any real distance by bike alone, so she relied on organising lifts with people in exchange for sharing petrol money. We picked her up and she came with us to Hokitika Gorge, usually a fabulous aquamarine blue, but today merely a grey blue (it would have made a good shade for an Annie Sloan paint), because of the recent rainwater.

She would come with us all the way to Franz Josef in return for some good conversation, new tunes on the stereo (we’re now listening to Mad Hallelujah Tribe as a result!) and $15 for petrol. Nice!

Before we get to Franz Josef in this blog, a side note here about sand flies. The Hokitika gorge was our first encounter with them and boy are the rumours true. They are worse than mosquitoes, literally swarming you and you can feel them bite. The itching at first doesn’t seem too bad but 24-48hrs later and you have horrible red, liquid filled lumps that itch like crazy. Needless to say we didn’t linger too long.

The weather got a little greyer and drizzlier as we arrived at Franz Josef but Rach went, hopeful, into the office to check in for her heli-hike. Sadly it was not to be – the intensifying rain meant it was not a good weather day for helicopter flying and then walking around on a glacier. Bummer! There was nothing for it than to try again the next morning at 09.30am, so we did what everyone would do in that situation on St Patrick’s Day – go get a Guinness! (Well Ged, anyway).

When the rain was easing off we took the chance to go for a walk to an old gold mine, the Tatare Tunnels, where reputedly you can see glow worms. We’d passed several locations on our road trip that are better known as good places to spot these crazy creatures, but they were all charging $90 NZD or more for a trip. Although this mine would be less impressive, it would be free! We reached the entrance and quickly discovered that the advice we had been given about this walk had been right – the tunnel does have a small stream running through it when it has been raining! Waterproof walking boots donned there was nothing for it than to get going, skirting the sides for the shallow spots and watching our head in the dark as we went. About 10 minutes in, bingo! There they were. Not a huge number, but glowing a faint blue in the top of the cave just about our heads. Now, photographing these things is pretty much impossible for an amateur with no equipment. My best effort is quite hilarious, so worth including here for the laughs!

We stayed a while letting our eyes become even better adjusted, before finally heading back around 6pm. Time to find somewhere to camp! As this was a slight change of plan and we needed to be back at the heli-hike place by 8.30am, we had little choice but to stay in town in one of the cheaper paid campsites. $15 each and we had access to a BBQ and hot showers (we had been showering in the van, which to be honest was surprisingly good – consistently hot, and powerful – but you couldn’t stay in long or the water tank would quickly empty). We had popped to the shop beforehand to restock, so it was a great evening to get some batch cooking done. We did BBQ’d lamb steaks, pitta, hummus and salad for tea, Ged barbecued some chicken drumsticks for the next few days, and knocked up a big (well as much as the saucepan could take anyway), scouse, which would last us the next few nights. Armed with a microwave Rachael also got to work in the kitchen on desert – trifle! And a lot of it. Funny what you miss when you’re away!!!

18 March – Franz Josef take 2!

Sunlight stole through the gaps of the blinds and dazzled Ged as he peeked out to see what type of day would greet us. Not a bloody cloud in the sky was the result.

Surely Rach would be choppered to the glacier today. Ged went into the lodge to take a picture of the suited and booted Rach who was more than a little excited as she would be sitting in the front seat of the helicopter.

Ged left and went to prep himself for his three hour walk to the glacier’s front, waving at the jubilent Rach as she marched to the helipad.

Ged was barely back to the campervan when his phone rang. He’d left it on in case of emergencies and nearly jumped out of his skin when the ringtone sounded. It was Rach saying not to leave yet as her helihike was cancelled again!!! Disaster. Ged looked up confused as there was still no cloud to be seen. Rach said the forecast said low-lying cloud could be coming in which would trap them on the Glacier. Gutted, we quickly made plans for us both to do the walk Ged was to do. Raincoats and water bottles packed, we set off from Franz Josef village. Rach may still have one more chance to go on the flight in the afternoon and we had three hours until she had to check in. Loads of time for this three hour walk!!

We headed south and over the only bridge out of the village. The sky was blue and the sun was warm as we hiked along the highway. 45 minutes later we still hadn’t reached the main track of the walk. Rach checked the map we got in the tourist info shop and noticed that there was a little note saying the track starts an hour’s walk from the village, or 10 minutes from the carpark down the road… Oops!! We sped up and eventually started the walk proper, but only got chance to do half of it. The view of the Franz Josef Glacier was still spectacular from our viewpoint.

We learned just how fast the glacier was retreating due to global warming. Where we stood 100 years previously would have been under glacier whereas today the front is several kilometers down the valley.

We started the walk back hoping to get enough time before Rach’s third go at a helihike. Top tip: read the notes on maps before setting off!!

On a side note, the bridge we crossed on that sunny morning was destroyed in the storm that hit the West Coast a few days after we left Franz Josef. No one was hurt, but the power of nature in New Zealand should never be underestimated. After just one day’s rain the river became a monster smashing everything before it. Admitedly it was a year’s worth of rain in one day, but it is amazing and terrifying how quickly things can change in New Zealand. We just feel lucky we didn’t get caught in it.

As we stomped back to the village the clouds set in and it started to rain. Rach’s third flight was cancelled and we gave up at that point. Disheartened we ate our butties in the rain and made new plans for the rest of the day.

In an effort to make the most of the afternoon we headed first to Lake Matheson. This lake is famous for its sublime mirror photographs and views of the mountain range beyond. This photo shows the views of the mountains we enjoyed. Moving on…..

As we drove south the sun started to come out and we started to see proper mountains. Beautiful snow capped ranges rising around and the drive through Haast was lovely.

No time to stop though!! We were headed to our campsite and one last particularly pretty place for the day/dusk. Well pretty doesn’t cover it really. We made camp a short walk from the track that led to the Blue Pools (there seem to be lots of Blue Pools in New Zealand). Crossing more swing bridges we arrived at the pools thirty minutes before sunset and had them completely to ourselves. Glacier fed, these clear pools are the most amazing aquamarine blue you will ever see water be. Truly, pictures do not do this place justice.

Being alone (apart from the sandflies) heightened the sense of other worldly about the place and we stayed until after dark. Here’s an aerial jump shot of Ged in the valley below!

The beauty and the peacefulness of the pools almost made up for the cancelled heli-hikes and lost time misreading the map. We strolled back through the forest in the dark listening to the sounds of the night and letting the moonlight guide us before turning in for the night.

19th March – Wanaka (Roys Peak)

As per usual we were up and out around sunrise for the drive down Lake Hawea to the start of the Roys Peak day hike. The road hugged the lake shore and the scenery reminded us of the English Lake District, though much bigger, with less trees, and much less rain.

Before long we got to the start point of our walk. Butties made and breakfast demolished we set off just before 11am with eager hearts and suncream smiles (we would of started earlier but it was necessary to stop along the lake a number of times for pictures.)

This walk was described by a number of the ‘lovely leaflets’ we keep accumulating (Rach’s words!) as being easy with spectacular views for the effort. Easy our arses! Sure, the path was easy to follow but the gradient was far steeper than we thought. Our expected leisurely stroll turned out to be a bit of a slog, rising nearly a kilometer over the 5.5km length hike. The sun got hotter and hotter too and we found ourselves having to conserve water for the return walk.

However, of course it was all worth it. As we climbed higher and higher the views became more and more breathtaking.

Eventually we arrived at the lookout spot. To the younger generation this is the perfect selfie spot or where the real boyfriends of instagram earn their stripes. To the pre-snapchat or disinterested instagram generation the vista below was quite simply gorgeous and too good to spend all your time staring at a selfie-stick! Still blue lakes surrounded by rolling hills and mountains with a blemishless sky. On such a clear day the only thing that stopped our view was the edge of the horizon. We decided to munch our picnic here and admire the views for about an hour.

You can believe the hype about the views from Roys Peak folks!

Our descent took almost as long as our ascent thanks to the steepness of the track. We didn’t really mind though as we still had those views in front of us, ever changing with the light as the sun lowered in the sky. Our total time for the walk was about six hours in the end and was absolutely worth it. We left the track and drove further south onto Queenstown and camped near Cromwell (seemingly famous for its fruit). We rested our legs and ate a hearty bowl of Scouse with crusty bread in front of the lake we cannot remember the name of. Another top day on New Zealand’s South Island!

20 March – Queenstown

Most of the way through our drive down the South West coast now, we arrived in Queenstown on the morning of the 20th. What a better way to start the day than with a exhilarating ‘thunder jet’ boat ride down Lake Wakatipu! Free with our Milford Sound cruise tickets for the next day, we boarded nervously for our one adrenalin-pumping activity in the capital of NZ Adrenalin-country, Queenstown.

The ride promised to get us up close and personal with the lakes edge, skimming past trees and obstacles, passing under two narrow bridges at speed and of course, a good few donut spins.

Lots of laughs and lake-sprayed faces later and we were back on land, slightly dizzier but certainly more awake. How to follow that? Why not with NZ’s best burger?? By 11am we were munching down on these delicious burgers, infamous throughout New Zealand, and in fact the world (“could this be the world’s best burger?”) We couldn’t miss out! Yum yum.

Stuffed, we turned our attention to a few practicalities we needed to sort, namely VISA printing and USD exchange for Cambodia, some obligatory window shopping, a coffee for Ged and a Ferg-ice cream for Rach. This was Rach’s best ice cream to date (and perhaps the priciest) but well worth it as she wandered down the marina watching the old steamboat come in.

A bit of food shopping at Pak n’ Save and then we headed for tranquil Moke Lake, just outside of Queenstown. We were tempted to camp here, given the beautiful weather on offer, and it’s a nice swimming spot, but we decided to carry on up the road towards Glenorchy. What an incredible view we were treated to as we skirted around the lake’s edge.

As we pulled into our chosen spot for the night, Twenty-Five Mile Stream, it went up to volume 11! We mean proper jaw-dropping here, and perhaps Rach’s favourite view yet.

We still had 90 mins or so before sundown so we sat by the water’s edge to drink in the stunning view. It hardly looked real! We marked this astonishingly beautiful place by opening the chilled bottled of Schubert Sauvignon Blanc we had bought at the winery almost a week ago and watched the sun gradually retire for the evening behind the mountains.

This was possibly the moment we were truly sold on campervanning – we’d had an amazing time in Goldilocks so far but this really solidified for us that this is truly the best way to experience nature at its finest. This is what we’re here for! What could make it better? Cheese and crackers, and homemade trifle for afters in our adventure-mobile. More views await tomorrow!