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‘Aeoteroa’, or ‘The Land of the Long White Cloud’, was the name given to the North Island of New Zealand when the Maori navigators first saw signs of the new land in the formations of drawn out strands of cloud spreading across the horizon.

It doesn't take long to fall in love with New Zealand - It is a land of great contrasts and landscapes of great natural beauty. Infact, you feel so enamoured that you find it difficult to fight the urge to stop and take pics at every step of your journey. Soon, you keep the camera aside and just absorb the experience that lies before you.

Glaciers, snow-capped mountains, massive lakes, fjords, plains that stretch far and with spectacular mountains for boundaries... every attempt to describe it feels incomplete.

Looking around on Team-BHP, I realised the last documented travelogue on New Zealand is from the pre-Covid travel era, so it only felt compelling to put down in words and pics my experiences.

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TIMEFRAME AND RENTAL CARS



This trip was done towards the end of September - a timeframe that is the beginning of spring in the Southern hemisphere and also school holidays in Australia. Joining us on this trip was DBHPian kiku007 and family. It's always exciting planning out such a trip. We had the initial info on what and where to go, which was provided to us by DBHPian noopster. His route did a loop of the South Island, which was what we aimed to cover as well, albeit within a shorter timeframe. This meant choosing what we could cover and what was a Must-Do - in our opinion, ofcourse.

With various options mulled on and discussed, this is what our final itinerary looked like:
Land in Christchurch -> Lake Tekapo -> Mt Cook National Park -> Twizel -> Wanaka -> Queenstown -> Te Anau -> Milford Sound -> Queenstown -> Fox Glacier -> Greymouth -> Christchurch.



Plan was to hire 2 rental cars from Christchurch and return them at Greymouth, so we could board the scenic Tranzalpine Train from Greymouth to Christchurch. This added condition of returning the cars at a different location added a slight challenge when looking for options. In addition, we did expect rain and slippery conditions in some of the passes we may traverse so SUVs with AWD/4WD was also mandatory for us. We finally found our picks with Apex Car Rental - a company Noopster used multiple times during his NZ stint and also when I visited him in Auckland a few years ago. I've also used them in Australia with no complaints. Kiku booked a 7 seater with 4WD/AWD which happened to be the Fortuner category, while I booked a RAV4 AWD.

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ACCOMODATION AND EXPERIENCES



Scouring around various options, we found that Australian travel website Webjet offered a complete and competitive experience across flights and accommodation, when compared with the global favorite Booking.com. I've used both and vouched for Webjet for our bookings, which had options for reserve now, pay later - similar to Booking.com. On the odd occasion where Booking offered a more competitive rate for a property, we chose that option, however this was the case on only one occasion. Every other time Webjet had the better deal. We also found that in some cases we found slight differences in the rates across both kiku's and my accounts and in these cases we booked acco for both parties using the same person's account.

A man who takes great pride and has immense focus in planning, kiku came up with an excel file which covered all our planning right down to the most granular level. The excel was so thorough that when my wife showed this to some of her colleagues the praises just kept flowing.

We chose to book the Milford Sound cruise as well as Tranzalpine train tickets closer to the travel dates to take into account any changes that may crop up owing to factors beyond our control. Based on advice from other friends and travelers, we also opted to purchase travel insurance to cover us during the trip - both medical as well as travel related costs, should the need arise. This was done through Tick Travel Insurance.

With these done, it was now time to count down the days, all while keeping an eye out for weather related info on our destinations and any other news worth checking.

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D-DAY - DAY 1 : Brisbane to Christchurch



Plan for the day included the flight to Christchurch, arriving by 4:30PM local time. We then pick up our rental cars, head to the hotel, check-in and pretty much relax for the day. Our travel was to kick-start straight to redline mode with what we had planned the following day.

Onward flight was with Air New Zealand, with a travel time of 3 hours and 35 minutes.


Leaving behind Brisbane and the Australian mainland








Christchurch Airport




Picking up our rental cars:

While Kiku had booked a 7 seater 4WD SUV in the Toyota Fortuner category, I had booked an AWD Toyota RAV4.
As is usually the case with rentals, it's almost always the equivalent in its class that you get, and here we were presented with a Hyundai Santa Fe AWD and a Mitsubishi Outlander 4WD. No complaints as these meet the brief and also cars were in high demand, being a tourist destination.




Our abode for the night - Pavilions Hotel







Dinner was to be at the resto-pub attached to the hotel itself, called Jimmy's Restaurant and bar.
I just had to try out the venison steak, which was cooked to perfection and served with kumara, which we had to google to find out that it was actually sweet potato.

Venison Steak



Pic clicked during a short drive I did on my way to meet an ex-colleague

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DAY 2 : Christchurch to final destination of Twizel for the day



Agenda:
* Lake Tekapo
* Mount Cook National Park - in particular the Hooker Valley trail

Today was to be an early start as we had quite a bit of road travel involved. Plan was to finish breaskfast and hit the road by 8AM to get to Lake Tekapo which is 230 kms away and would take approximately 3.5 hours with some stops included.

Scenic surroundings make for the perfect roadtrip recipe




Single-laned bridges are the norm on the South Island. The sign indicates who waits for whom, and people drive with great consideration to ensure traffic on both sides flow with equal opportunity.



This was supposed to be a sight-seeing spot along the way. Thanks to the rain and mist, not much to be seen here today.






At one of the stops along the way, with mountains for company





The weather forecast wasnt looking too good as rain was predicted with 90% chance, meaning it was going to be a wet one.
Every time the sun came out, we exchanged messages of optimism between the 2 cars using our handheld CB radios we had carried along. However as we got to Lake Tekapo the sun decided to play peek-a-boo and the rain decided to visit.


Lake Tekapo in subdued glory thanks to the weather





There's cold, there's wind and then there's rain. When the 3 come together it's pure mayhem!





Spending some time checking out the lake and the Church of Good Shepherd, we made our way back to the cars to head out for lunch.




The Church of the Good Shepherd - one of my favorite pics




Lunch at TLV Restaurant - the food and the views here come highly recommended from us. Very friendly service as well from the staff.


Food with a view on a cold, rainy day








Food was really tasty and well-presented

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Parting shot of Lake Tekapo



Next stop on our agenda was Mount Cook National Park, 100 kms away, with an estimated time of 1.5 hours one way. Here we were to do the Hooker Valley Trail which is a 10 kms round trip walk to the glacial lake and with views of New Zealand's highest peak Mount Cook from up close.

The rain was only getting more intense and showed no signs of abating. We had to decide if we wanted to drive all the way only to find the track was closed owing to weather. In addition, there was also the 10 kms walk to factor in, which on a good day would take 3 hours. Cold, rain and wind meant we decided against the trip and chose to head towards our destination for the day instead, the beautiful town of Twizel.

I must say I was quite disappointed at not being able to visit the Mount Cook National Park, as this was one of the experiences I was really looking forward to. However, safety first and so there will surely be a next time to do this.

We set off for Twizel, but decided to drive up to Mount John Observatory at Tekapo which was initially off the plan owing to the trek at Mount Cook. Drove all the way up there only to find it was closed owing to weather. Oh well.. Twizel, here we come.


Another lake along the way (cant remember the name of this one though)






The lupins which bloom in spring were not yet out in their glory




Less than 5 kms from Twizel we got stuck in a traffic jam owing to an accident up ahead. A caravan had gone off the road and disintegrated, thankfully no one was hurt. The ambulance and fire services were on-site and helping with the recovery efforts as the road was closed and traffic waited. We spent about 35 minutes here, IIRC.



Twizel is a very scenic little town with a population of just 1650 (June 2020), which serves more as a base for people visiting Mount Cook and surrounds.


Scenic Twizel



Our accommodation was booked at the pretty Mountain Chalets Motel on Wairepo Road. There's no way you can miss this place though.





Interiors:





A rainbow for company as we relax with a hot cup of tea




Salmon farm and cafe - Sadly this was closed when we got there, although Google said the cafe was open


Exploring Twizel

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DAY 3 : Twizel to final destination of Te Anau for the day



Agenda:
* Omarama Clay Cliffs
* Lindis Pass
* Visit famous tree of #WanakaTree fame on Insta
* Pass through Queenstown
* Accommodation at Te Anau

Being a relaxed start, had breakfast at a place called Hydro Cafe in Twizel and then checked out to head out to the Omarama Clay Cliffs, 40 kms away.

Had some time in the morning so Kiku and I set out to check the surroundings a bit as well as click some pics. A great idea indeed!










Nice backdrop, isn't it?





It's amazing how blue the waters are, can only imagine the sight on a proper sunny day.






Checking out of Mountain Chalets Motel:




Hydro Cafe - Twizel




Driving towards the Omarama Clay Cliffs. Today the sun was out and I must admit it felt warm. A stark change from the rains, cold and strong winds of yesterday.




To get to the clay cliffs, you need to get off the highway and then traverse some gravel roads. I must say, the place is such that you only see the cliffs once you get there, and cannot be seen from afar.



Audience along the way



First sighting of the Clay Cliffs at Omarama.

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Next stop was the viewpoint at Lindis Pass, which was 50 kms away.

Lindis Pass at an elevation of 971m is the highest point on the South Island's state highway network. Despite the elevation this is not considered an alpine pass as it is located in the dry interior of the South Island. Summers are typically hot and dry while winters see heavy snow and ice. Keeping in mind the possible weather scenarios that we may encounter, we chose to have AWD/4WD equipped cars for the trip. Our respective daughters were hoping to see or touch snow along this pass, however being a warm day it seemed the chances were rather minimal.


We maintained proper convoy protocol never overtaking the lead car until we had discussed over the radio.




Sheep everywhere on green pastures









Spotted this Pajero which had a rego suited to the region.



As we started the climb up to Lindis Pass, the vegetation around us started to turn brown, very different from the lush green meadows that we passed on our way here.






Arrived at the Lindis Pass viewpoint






Many a time you get caught behind a slow moving vehicle on these single-laned roads. There are a lot of signs on the road that advice slow moving vehicles to pull over and allow others to pass, and I must say this is actively practiced. Even the campervan in the pics below pulled over when safe and allowed us to proceed.








Here's some perspective for scale





Get over the last hill, and the start contrast in the surroundings is to be seen to be believed!

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We continued our way towards Wanaka, where we decided to have lunch before checking out the Wanaka tree.




Colorful trees adorned the roadside as we made our way towards Wanaka



After lunch we went to check out the Wanaka tree. There is a certain expectation you have when you see something on Instagram and other socials and look forward to meeting your heroes, only to feel a bit let down. To be honest, this was my first impression as well, and one echoed by my daughter who asked if we drove all the way here to see this tree?!

The Wanaka Tree - de-glam version



To appreciate the beauty of this tree, you need to view it with the snow-capped mountains in the background, at either golden hour or blue hour when the lights have their play of colors and the mountains, tree and the lake all come together in a symphony of soothing colors. I took my time viewing it and deciding how it is that i wanted to frame it.

The Wanaka Tree - Glamorous version





If you're happy and you know it, time to jump!



Even Kiku took his time to warm up to the tree, as the pic I clicked soon found its way as his phone wallpaper. It does look good in that role.



After spending some time at Wanaka, which was quite relaxing, we resumed our journey. The next stop on the list is a place that may not necessarily be on everyone's list of what can be called a tourist destination, however there is something uniquely quirky about it, and so it was on our list.

Presenting Bradrona or the Cardrona Bra Fence! This is located about 22 kms from #ThatWanakaTree on the way towards Queenstown.



A quick look at how this came about:

How the bra fence began is the stuff of legends. Apparently four women were celebrating the 2000 new year at the Cardrona Hotel. After leaving the pub late at night they each hung their bra on the nearby fence as a celebration of the new millennium. Exactly how this action relates to the millennium probably requires a night of drinking to appreciate!

Whatever the motivation, the eccentricity of a bra collection hanging from a roadside fence held some appeal for most who saw it. In the following years the bra population multiplied and grew to be a distinctively unique tourist attraction. It gained worldwide attention, not to mention frequent donations of underwear from visiting women who "caught the vision".

Link : https://www.roamingdownunder.com/bra-fence.php

Following objection from some sections of the public and for being a potential traffic hazard, the bra fence was relocated from its earlier location along the highway to its current location which is at the entrance of the Cardrona horse trekking and quad biking business.



In 2015 it was named "Bradrona" and fitted with a donation box to raise money for breast cancer.

It was soon time to head to Queenstown, where we would have a quick stop before heading towards Te Anau, our halt for the night.

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Back in our cars again, as we proceeded towards the Crown Range which would take us to Queenstown.



There was a certain anticipation in the air as the cars made their way up the inclines and the temperatures dipped. A few kms later, we saw before our eyes, snow!





The girls were ecstatic! They were yearning all through the trip to play in some snow and their calls were answered! Initially it was just snow that was scattered along the mountain tops, and then as we got to a certain point there was snow right by the road! Thankfully there was a viewing area located rather conveniently and we radioed each other to pull over.



Photos cannot convey depth, and so what is not apparent is the cliff just after where the car is parked.



My daughter dashed out of the car even before I could say the word Go. The same scene played out from Kiku's car as well. Soon, the girls were throwing snow balls at each other. It was magical.





Look carefully, and you can see the runway for Queenstown airport in the distance in this pic





There was a section where you could walk further up the mountain and we made our way up there. Yet more snow up here, not to forget the view towards where the cars were parked.





More pics of the majestic mountains







We spent quite some time here, taking in the views and savoring the moment. Happiness and joy describe the moment, more so as we got to not just see some snow, but also play in it. Snow has that effect, I suppose.

It was really cold up here and there was a strong wind as well. Not wearing gloves, I could feel my fingers go cold, taking refuge in my puffer jacket pockets. We decided to make a move soon, as we still had to cross Queenstown and then the drive to Te Anau, which was to be our halt for the night.

Quick refresh stop in Queenstown



Don't miss the shape of the shop roofs, similar to the mountain peaks



Te Anau was still 170 kms and over 2 hours away, which meant a night drive was on the cards with a late night arrival at our destination. Kiku called up the hotel to inform them we'd be late and procedures for a late check-in. With all that sorted, we set out, reaching Te Anau late into the evening and followed by dinner at an Indian restaurant which was fortunately open. When in small towns, it's not easy to have dining options late into the evening.

The following day we were going to Milford Sound, which meant an early start.

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DAY 4 : Te Anau to Milford Sound and then to final destination of Queenstown for the day



Agenda:
* Milford Sound

An early morning start was on the cards today as we had to get to the Milford Sound Cruise terminal by 9:30 AM for a 9:50 AM cruise. In addition, you had to park in the paid public parking which was 15 minutes of walk to get to the cruise terminal. We also received an email from the cruise company informing that the travel time from Te Anau shown on Google Maps of 1 hour 35 minutes was inaccurate and it would take a minimum of 2 hours to get there owing to roadworks.
Oh well, grabbed breakfast from possibly the only place open at such an early hour (by small town standards) and then head out.

Breakfast at the local cafe



We arrived in Te Anau the previous night and so missed seeing how pretty it looked. This is from where we were just waiting to get going.



Rain accompanied us for a while when driving, and the Santa Fe indicated icy conditions on the roads owing to which we didn't push too hard but tried to maintain a consistent pace.


The views as we got closer to Milford Sound were just mind blowing!






Driving through this section felt almost surreal




Lots of snow clad mountains as we drove on towards Milford Sound




Signs that indicate strictly no-stopping are seen along most of the way owing to risk of avalanches.








This place was marked as safe to stop, so we stopped here briefly so the kids could enjoy the snow.




You have to drive through this 1.2 kms single-laned tunnel called Homer Tunnel to get to Milford Sound. This is controlled by a traffic light at either end.




First view of Milford Sound from the carpark




Cruise boats lined up along the terminal

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The Milford Sound Cruise

Referred to as the Eighth Wonder of the World by Rudyard Kipling, Milford Sound or Piopiotahi in Maori is not actually a sound, but a fiord within the Fiordland National Park in New Zealand's South Island. Milford Sound was formed owing to glacial activity over the years and has some striking rock faces and waterfalls.







One of the most important features of this area is the phenomenon of 'deep water emergence', ie where animals usually found only in deep water are seen in the shallow waters of the fiord. This is owing to the surface water in the fiord being stained with natural tannins from the surroundings forests, along with the salt water below this layer. This dark top layer along with cold water temperatures allow for corals to be seen in the areas close to the water surface.


The view continued to impress and leave us spellbound as the cruise took us along the fiord







How's this for sheer comparison of size? Check out how tiny that cruise looks beside the rocks!












Plane and helicopter tours are also an option for those with the budget






Waterfalls along the way





Making our way towards the opening to the Tasman Sea





Black coral as seen from the Underwater Observatory

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Once done with the cruise, it was time to grab some lunch at the Milford Sound Cafe, but not before extending the parking time. At $10 NZD per hour, this was quite expensive parking for a tourist spot, but we had no choice. Parking is paid for using the meters available on-site.

Waiting for our chance to proceed at the Homer Tunnel


Don't miss the tiny streams of water flowing down the rocks owing to melting ice


We stopped once again so the kids could play in snow


Don't miss the bird seen in this region - the Kea or Mountain Parrot. Quite an inquisitive bird, it can get a bit too pesky trying to get into the car. It nibbled away at the window seals and window glass if they they were slightly lowered.




More about the Kea : https://www.milford-sound.co.nz/kea-...n-of-the-alps/

Rest stop at Te Anau on the way back. Both car drivers felt tired with all the driving and hence radioed to stop and rest. I reckon we spent about 45 minutes here before continuing. Great views here, once again.


On the way to Queenstown


Queenstown by night made for a pretty sight


The famous Fergberger joint was extremely busy even at this time of night


We decided on Thai cuisine for tonight




Tomorrow was a flexible day and hence we could afford a slow start.

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DAY 5 : Queenstown to final destination of Fox Glacier for the day



Agenda:
* Explore Queenstown

There is something so liberating about a beautiful sunrise as seen through your hotel window when on holiday. It goes to reaffirm the reason we work, so we can enjoy such experiences. The bonus at Queenstown is the magnificent view to accompany the sunrise.

Sunrise in Queenstown can never disappoint




Some views of the Heritage Hotel, Queenstown where we stayed at











Clicked during my morning walk to explore the locality



Went for a short drive to check out the area








Agenda today was kinda relaxed. Explore Queenstown and then make our way to Fox Glacier by evening, a distance of 350 kms scheduled to take about 5 hours.

We visited Skyline Queenstown for the gondola ride and also chance to experience the luge for those willing.

Views from the gondola ride








I initially planned to do the luge ride, but the last step of getting there involved taking a ski lift which somehow triggered my fear of heights and I chickened out, my wife and daughter decided to go ahead. Kiku's family chose to do just the gondola ride and then we split the groups so they could explore Queenstown on foot.

Crazy long wait for the chance at the luge ride. Didnt realise it would take this long!


Trying out the famous burgers at Fergburger was on our agenda when planning, but seeing the crazy lines every time as well as the fact that the wait to go on the luge delayed us by quite a bit, we decided to keep it for another visit. Instead we tried out venison pies as well as gelato from Fergbaker and Mrs Ferg Gelateria respectively.

Long lines were a turnoff as we were short of time


Kiku and family who had completed lunch earlier informed they'd be making their way to Fox Glacier keeping in mind the distance involved and also so they could take it easy on the drive. We said we'd catchup.

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Leaving Queenstown we made our way along the Crown Range as we proceeded towards Fox Glacier. Being a warm day today, the Crown Range where we saw and enjoyed snow on our way down was strikingly bare this time. Am glad we got to experience it then.

Exploring Queenstown city center on foot




The drive to Fox Glacier was just amazing! We passed multiple lakes with the road beside it, and there was the constant temptation to stop and take pics. However, the looming distance ahead to get to our destination was also a bother.

Lake Hawea is New Zealand's 9th largest lake, and is in the Otago region, stretching 35 kms from North to South.

Lake Hawea is definitely very beautiful








This is a toilet located along the highway, complete with hand sanitizer!


This is from the lookout at Lake Hawea






Found a small track leading towards it, so decided to take the 4WD Outlander down the track. This happens to be among my favorite pics of the car taken on this trip.



Taken somewhere after Haast, I believe after both cars caught up to each other


We stayed at the Fox Glacier Lodge, a property which also has powered campsites for those on campervans/camping. The folks at this property have a tour to view the glowworms which are in the nearby forest, which is a free activity. The walk was to commence at 8PM, and so we assembled along with a good number of other visitors from the lodge. Despite the rain, this was an enjoyable experience.

Cottage at Fox Glacier







Glowworms seen on the walk


We had dinner at the local pub called Betsey Jane Eatery and Bar, and called it a night.

Tomorrow we would explore Lake Matheson and the walk to see Fox Glacier. It was raining non-stop, so there was an element of doubt on how much we would be able to accomplish.