New Zealand is a vast country. It is impossible to get from south to north in less than a day (compared to Slovenia, where you can get from one part to another in about 3 hours). Having just 15 inhabitants per square kilometre is another information that tells how uninhabited this place is. You can drive around for more than 100 kilometres and you are not able to see a single house. That makes it one wild country, a dream destination for people, who prefer exploring nature over staying in big cities. This post is the second one, that shows different parts of New Zealand that I’ve seen in a month of travel.

Blue pool

If you are passing Haast Pass, you have to jump into this crystal clear water in Blue pool. It is quite refreshing and it pumps your adrenaline big time!

Queenstown

Queenstown is an outdoor capital of New Zealand. Here you can find all sorts of crazy lunatics who live their dream life. Instead working their asses of at the office in the nine to five job, they decided to find their purpose in outdoor activities as guides, employees at the outdoor stores etc. They do the work they love and they wouldn’t change it for a better payed job. And – surprisingly – most of them is quite smart guys, who would easily earn 5 zero figures on their bank account every year.

Overlooking Queenstown in the distrance.
When you are in Queenstown you need to try Fergburger. An iconic burger with extremely long queue to get it. You order it and then you get your burger number on the receipt. You go for a stroll tough the Queenstown and check the company’s website which burger is being currently made. And once your number is up, it is really to collect. And is it good? Yes, indeed!
This is TSS Earnslaw is a 1912 Edwardian vintage twin screw steamer plying the waters of Lake Wakatipu. It is one of the oldest tourist attractions in Central Otago, and the only remaining commercial passenger-carrying coal-fired steamship in the southern hemisphere.
And of course one of the big things in Queenstown area is loads of MTB trails that are a pleasure for mountain bikers. Mostly they are flowy trails, suitable even for the rookies. We rented e-bikes and had a blasting afternoon.
Shotover valley is one of the most scenic car rides into mountains around Queenstown.
Another “must do” is jetboat riding. With top speed 95km/h, twin 800hp V8 engines, that pump 760l of water each second, fun is guaranteed. 360 degree spins, riding close to the rocks… Amazing experience.

Glenorchy

The scenic road along the Lake Wakatipu brings you to the iconic Village Glenorchy. Surrounded by magnificent snow-capped mountains, pristine lakes and rivers, ancient beech forests and at the edge of Mount Aspiring and Fiordland national parks, Glenorchy has provided the backdrop for many films, including The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. And after seeing these photos I am sure you won’t be wondering why…

View along Lake Wakatipu towards Glenorchy.
Lake Wakatipu coast.
Famous Glenorchy Wharf Shed that was originally built for the New Zealand Railways Department as a goods shed for freight carried on the steamers between Queenstown and Glenorchy. As the steamers were owned by NZ Railways, Glenorchy was officially a railway station and the rails that run from the end of the wharf to the shed were the shortest piece of railway in New Zealand.
View towards Glenorchy from Rees Valley.
Old mining cottage above Glenorchy.
Afternoon in Glenorchy.
Morning rush hour on the road towards Routeburn.
Afternoon peacefulness.

Dart valley

If you follow the road that took you from Queenstown to Glenorchy, you will most likely end up in the Dart Valley. Special valley, especially for us – canyoneers. You should follow the signs “Paradise” and you will reach canyoning paradise. Three magnificent but extra long canyons – Mayor Mayhem, The general and Eagles Nest. I will write about them in the future, no worries…

Entering mordor.
Road into Dart Valley is a little bit of a Camel Trophy. Don’t event try going there with a sports car. 4×4 or at least higher road clearance car is a must!
Scienic view at the end of the road in the Dart. Lovely place, but full of Sandflies! The only true kiwi buggers!
View to the mountains behind the Eagles Nest canyon.

Milford Sound

One of the most iconic places on the south island of New Zealand that every tourist needs to visit is fjord Milford Sound. It is quite a long ride to get there since it is in the middle of nowhere. And there is no campgrounds in the valley, there is couple of hotels and bungalows but they have to be reserved well in advance. It is hard to find a place to wild crash in the car, so probably the best idea is to book a guided tour that takes you with the scenic bus from Queenstown to Milford Sound where boat takes you for a spin. Whole package costs about 120$, but the boat ride by itself costs 60$. And you don’t have to drive and you avoid the accommodation problems.

Famous Milford Sound
Big waterfall in the fiord after the rain.
Morning rush hour – boats and planes taking off with numerous tourists eager to see Milford Sound fiord.
Boat takes you right to the waterfall. Skippers need to be crazily skilled.

From Queenstown to Cristchurch

At the end of the my trip it was time to return from Queenstown to Christchurch. I found the best possible option. I transferred the rental car, payed one dollar to rent it and got another full tank of petrol for free. The only condition was to return the car in 24 hours in Christchurch. It worked like a charm!

Lake Dunstan
Rakaia River
The Canterbury Plains is area about 80 x 10 kms that are the biggest producer of diary products. New Zealand is 7th largest producer of milk and diary products. Wast amount of it is produced in the Canterbury plains.

Christchurch – earthquake city

Christchurch is city that I felt in love. It was destroyed by the earthquake in 2012 and is being completely redesigned from then on. And I must say I love the way it is being done.

Christchurch is being rebuilt after the earthquake hit it. The new design should withstand next big earthquake.
Old buildings took the biggest toll. Most of them are already demolished, and this beautiful iconic cathedral is waiting to be rebuild. They anticipate it will took about 6 years to do it.
Some parts of the city are completely abandoned. This is the place where all the buildings were destroyed because of the effects of the soil liquefaction. Nobody is allowed to build here.
But the life in the city goes on…
People know how to enjoy their time.
One of the options how to enjoy the evening is to hit a scenic train ride with a tram. And your dinner is being served in the meantime.
Just couple of clicks away from the downtown there are old buildings that weren’t event slightly damaged by the earthquake.
So guys, this was my trip to New Zealand. It was a lovely month, I had seen many things, meet so many nice people who I will stay in contact with. Will I visit it again? I would, if I would move there 🙂