New Zealand Clockwise

Now this is going to be an adventure.

New Zealand has been floating in my imagination for as long as I can remember. Literally years. It’s just one of those unique places that’s too far away for a quick visit, so you have to commit. Luckily, I had the time.

I’m usually happiest traveling solo, but I thought this trip would be better if I could get one of my buddies to tag along.

So I threw the idea out to my old friend JJ. In my mind, he was the perfect travel companion for this adventure. He was recently retired and he loves the outdoors, especially biking. He barely hesitated.

So we tossed around plans, and met up on a cool late February day in Christchurch. (We purposefully picked this time of year, which was after the summer rush and before the winter chill.)

We were set.

Our plan was to rent a RV large enough for the two of us as we both need plenty of space. Especially for sleeping. I slept in the back and JJ slept over the cockpit in the front. Enough room so we could snore away without bothering each other.

Our plan was to focus on the South Island. It is the island of untamed beauty and adventure. Also much less crowded than the north. To do this trip properly, we would need at least a month.

We then had to decide whether to circumnavigate the island in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. Since it was the beginning of fall and cooler weather, we decided to head south, then finish in the (hopefully) warmer north. My blood has gotten thinner living in Thailand, so I do my best to stay away from the cold.

So we picked up our white whale, a somewhat worn down rental (that had seen better days), and headed out into who knows what.

We were ready.

I arrived in Christchurch 4 days before JJ. In general, people don’t rave about Christchurch, but I thought I’d check it out for myself.

It’s not a particularly pretty city. Older buildings with some character are interspersed with modern structures. But there is a good reason for this.

As you may remember, Christchurch suffered two huge earthquakes a year apart (2010/2011). Thirteen years later and the effects still echo throughout the downtown area. Numerous vacant lots, construction cranes, scaffolding and deserted buildings are everywhere. I visited the Earthquake museum enlightened me on early devastation. I’m not surprised that recovery has taken so long.

I took this picture at the Earthquake Museum in Christchurch

I enjoyed my visit, but a few days was enough.

As I discovered, New Zealanders are healthy eaters.

JJ arrived with tons of energy. He had done a ton of research and was more than willing to point us in the right direction.

We picked up our rig, got a quick overview of its nuances from the owners (there were plenty). Somehow we got out of the parking lot without any trouble and headed south.

Once on the road, we were surprised at how brown the hillsides were. When I imagined New Zealand, I thought of luscious emerald hills that stretched for miles (with Hobbits behind every tree). But all we saw was brown, more like Northern California in the summer. It turns out that this part of NZ is in the midst of a long drought. It wouldn’t be until we reached the very southern tip that we would see green.

But that didn’t effect our mood — just being here made us pinch ourselves.

Around sunset, we found our first site. $30 got use of a bathroom, shower and plug-in electric. No hassle.

As we kept driving, we found free campsites that are randomly positioned usually near scenic points. WE downloaded CamperMate, a great app that helped find these sites.

Island of Birds

What made New Zealand unique amongst the other Pacific Islands was that when humans arrived about 900 years ago, it was mostly devoid of mammals and instead was a land of birds. They were everywhere.

Though it’s interesting to note that about a third of the original species have become extinct.

Over the next few days we meandered down to the southern tip of the island. The drive was mostly uneventful, other than a detour to the village of Dunedin where we had to replace our main RV battery that had died on us.

At our camping ground on the south coast, we ran into a son of a friend of ours from Utah (and his buddies) who were down here surfing.

It would be too much to share all the nuances of our trip in this short blog. So I am going to focus on the most memorable moments.

Doubtful Sound

You might of heard of Milford Sound, a gorgeous fjord nestled on the southwest coast. It’s a very popular tourist destination. And well deserved. But if you head a little south, and pay a lot more money, you can have access to Doubtful Sound. You’ll be free of the crowds and can venture out on a small cruise ship for an unforgettable overnight journey.

These glacier created fjords are breathtakingly beautiful. Here you can get a glimpse of their stunning beauty.

We were graced by a pod of Bottlenose dolphins. A rare occurrence we were told.

Queenstown

The city of Queenstown is all about adventure.

JJ and I have a common interest in mixing it up in nature, especially by biking. So Queenstown sat at the top of our list. It is a small town bustling with outdoor activities. In the winter, it’s skiing. But in the summer it’s mountain biking, bungee jumping, river sports and hiking.

But it was biking that brought us here.

We rented e-bikes and hustled our way to the top of one of the nearby ski resorts. Then had a thrilling descent, winding back to the RV. Another day we rented downhill bikes, took a gondola up to the ridgeline overlooking the town and whooshed down, to do it all again. I had some doubts about my downhill abilities, but I have to say, it was a gas.

We also made some young friends. An incredibly adventurous German woman who was bike-packing around the whole island and a young man from Namibia who was making NZ his home. We had some good nights of food and laughter.

Food

Having our little kitchen in the RV was a delight. I’ve always loved to cook, but it has taken a back seat over my years of travel. We were supplied a small grill which I grilled local rack of lamb, chicken and burgers. Not that we didn’t indulge ourselves in the local restaurants. It was nice to mix it up.

The dishes I fell for were local green lipped mussels and lamb. Outstanding.

Mt Cook

Mt Cook is the tallest mountain in New Zealand at a hair over 12,000 ft. We got up early and hiked the popular Hooker Valley trail to get a great view. It’s a must.

A surprise view awaited us as we got near

Fox Glacier

It was now time to turn the corner and head north along the wild and less populated west coast. Our first stop was to the glaciers — Franz Josef and Fox, which sit next to each other. It wasn’t easy to decide which to explore, both give you the opportunity to take a helicopter high onto the glacier, then hike with a guide. We picked Fox.

The tour operator supplied us with boots, crampons and jackets. Like all glaciers around the world, they have retreated. Standing on its ice, my eyes on the horizon, I wonder what the future will bring.

The Southern Alps

Sparsely populated, the road snakes northwards as the Southern Alps tower to the east. We drove through the lush temperate forests for hours, occasionally an opening would reveal the coastline to our left. We took a few days making our way northward.

But what really sticks in my mind on our drive, was the dreaded Sandflies.

If there was one negative that drove me crazy, one thing that altered my perception of this pristine island — were the ubiquitous Sandflies. These tiny demons swarmed in the thousands. There was no escaping. Their bites were worse than a mosquito — the itching could last for days. You had to lather up with repellent and even that didn’t always help. Maori legend says that Hine-nui-te-pō, the goddess of the underground was so worried that New Zealand’s natural beauty was so intense, that no work would ever get done. So she created the Namu Name (sandfly) to remind humans of their fragility and mortality.

It worked.

The North Coast

As we reached the northern coastal town of Nelson, the weather as we had hoped, had warmed.

The highlight for this part of the island, was a multi-day mountain bike adventure along the famouse Queen Charlotte Track. You take a ferry out of Nelson, one hour, which then lets you off at Cook’s Cove (named after the famous Captain). It is a unique hiking trail that meanders along ancient fern forests. Along the way you pass remote lodges that offer a place to stay. Usually the trail is only open to hikers, but in the fall, it opens to bikes. It’s a challenging ride, so we chose e-bikes. It was a good call.

What fun it was to get away from the roads and crowds — up and down and around, with breathtaking views that made stopping for pictures mandatory.

JJ was the star, staying on his bike the whole journey. Even with an e-bike there were times I had to walk up the steep, rocky inclines. But we were rewarded by having the trail mostly to ourselves.

Marlborough

As we turned south, our trip was getting to the end. Thirty days went fast. We could have lasted another week there was so much to see. Spending our last few days in the famous wine area of Marlborough turned out to be a great way to finish in style.

We found a secluded campsite on a small farm with trees loaded with fresh apricots and apples. We rode our bikes along deserted roads, ate great food, drank Sauvignon Blanc and recounted our adventures.

Life is good.

Our trip of a lifetime was coming to a close. We drove over 2100 miles with many long days on the road. But in a meaningful way, we got a taste for this remote Isle. Its generous people, thrilling adventures, great food and wine gave us everything we were looking for.

And its beauty? That goes without saying.

As always, thanks for reading.

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Becoming Seventy