New Zealand Adventure: There and Back Again

Continued from previous blog entry…

After spending a week exploring the North Island, it was time for me to bid farewell as I journeyed to New Zealand’s South Island. I boarded a flight from Wellington airport and took a short one-hour flight south to Queenstown. As I entered the airport in Wellington, I was greeted with one last memory for my Lord of the Rings themed adventure of New Zealand and among the best airport decorations I had ever seen: a life-sized head of Smaug from the Hobbit trilogy. I landed in Queenstown in the early evening and arrived in my hotel shortly afterwards. My hotel was located on the shores of Queenstown Lake, right next to the city’s central business district, making it a convenient place to explore the town and partake in more of the country’s culinary treats.

My first meal after landing in Queenstown was at Fergburger. This burger restaurant is always included on foodie lists for New Zealand and is ranked as one of the top burgers in the world. Naturally, I had to try it out for myself. The hype behind the burger led to a long line but I was able to get my hands on one of their original Fergburgers. Definitely a very good burger and made me interested in coming back and trying out some more of their long list of burger creations.

With my top foodie goal for New Zealand officially completed, it was time to cross yet another bucket list item as I traveled from Queenstown to Fjordland National Park to see Milford Sound. I boarded a tour bus from Queenstown to begin the 4-hour drive to the park with a quick stop over in the town of Te Apu; commonly used as the gateway to the park. I was able to get another New Zealand staple foodie item while I was here, a meat pie; this one was filled with locally farmed venison. The park itself is gorgeous from the moment you drive, covered in a variety of forest environments that are in large valleys between towering Glacier carved mountains. We passed several scenic vistas on the ride with one of my favorites being the Mirror Lakes. These lakes are located at the base of the Southern Alp Mountain range within the park, and they get their name from the mirror-like way that they can reflect these mountains, especially on days with minimal wind. Once I reached Milford Sound within the park, I boarded a boat and spent several hours cruising through the sound, passing breathtaking scenery, towering mountains, and many waterfalls. Milford Sound is best viewed from the water, as the park offers multiple cruise options daily that take visitors out into the sound en route to the open sea, passing by towering mountains along the way that are filled with waterfalls. If you are fortunate enough to visit this region shortly after heavy rain, the number of waterfalls that can be seen is mesmerizing. This is a must do experience for any visitors to New Zealand. After spending several hours cruising through the Milford Sound, I boarded a small passenger plane to take a scenic flight through Milford Sound and the rest of Fjordlands National Park on the way back to Queenstown to get a different perspective on this incredible part of the world. Being able to see the hidden lakes, towering mountains, glaciers, and water falls from the air was an awe-inspiring experience and I'm thrilled to have had the opportunity for this bucket list experience. As a bonus, the flight provided a great view of Mount Owen, where the mountain-top scene of Gandalf’s battle with the Balrog was filmed.

I woke up the following morning to go on another Lord of the Rings inspired adventure. This time, I took a 4-wheel drive around Queenstown to see more of the filming locations used during the filming of Lord of the Rings as well as getting some scenic vantage points of the city and surrounding mountains. This time the filming locations I was able to see were: the Remarkables Mountain that served as the backdrop during the Rohan refuge scene in Two Towers and as the Misty Mountains in the Hobbit trilogy, the forest glade were Elsidor lost the ring at the start of Fellowship of the Ring, the river crossing were Eowyn fought off the ring wraiths in Fellowship of the Ring, the grassy glade were the battle vs the wargs took place in Two Towers during the flee from Edoras, and the location were the Pillars of the King were located along the river in Fellowship. This tour required 4-wheel drive vehicles since many of the locations used were in remote areas that required some off-road traversal to reach, including many river-bed crossings and dirt-road mountain passages. It was amazing to see these iconic film locations in person from my favorite movie trilogy and hear the behind-the-scenes stories from a guide who was on location during their filming. I returned to Queenstown following this half-day tour to enjoy my final evening in Queenstown.

For my final night in Queenstown, I boarded a ferry and took a ride across the lake to a secluded farmstead on the opposite shore for a BBQ experience and farming demonstration. The evening started with incredible locally sourced vegetables like roasted pumpkin and local potatoes, followed by local farm raised lamb and venison. Following dinner, we were treated to a demonstration of how the border collie’s coral the sheep and how the sheep are sheered on the farm. The night ended with a scenic boat ride back to town under an unbelievable starry night.

I woke up prior to sunup the following morning to enjoy one final day of adventuring within New Zealand. I boarded a tour bus at 5 am, which was bound towards the town of Christchurch with a long stopover in Mt. Cook National Park. I spent the day exploring this park and surrounding region and was even able to enjoy several hours of hiking through Mt. Cook National Park. This gorgeous National Park between Queenstown and Christchurch houses the Southern Alps as well as the country's highest peak, Mt. Cook. I was able to hike through the Tasman Valley within the park to see the park’s largest glacier, the Tasman Glacier. a stunning National Park that is a must for any hiking fans traveling through New Zealand. My hikes provided me with two unique and awe-inspiring views of the Tasman Glacier. The first allowed me to get a higher vantage point that allowed me a terrific view of the remnants of the glacier and full glacial lake far below me with the surrounding mountains surrounding it. The second advantage brought me to the base of the lake where I was able to look out and see the glacial remnants floating close by in the lake. This was coupled with a crown of mountains surrounding me and led to one of my favorite viewpoints in the Southern Island of New Zealand.

After this hike, it was time to board my van and head towards Christchurch for my final night in New Zealand. Luckily, the road brought us past another iconic viewpoint within the region. The Church of the Good Shepard is a rustic stone church that is located on the shores of Tekapo on the opposite shore of the Southern Alp Mountains. This combination provides a breathtaking panoramic view of both the expansive lake and towering mountains and is well worth a stopover for those passing through the area on their way to the National Park.

Once I arrived in my hotel in Christchurch, I was able to explore the town for a short period of time but had to call it an early night to wake up early the following morning for the final leg of my adventure. It was time for me to board a flight in Christchurch and head towards Australia where I would spend the final few days of my trip exploring the iconic city of Sydney and diving among the Great Barrier Reefs. But that is a story for another day…