The Kiwi Experience
Our first stop in NZ, Christchurch, saw the reunion of our travelling trio; as Ian and I made the short flight over from Sydney, whilst Liam travelled all the way from London. What first struck about New Zealand was it’s stunning landscape, but also it’s small population. This was perhaps most apparent in Christchurch which was levelled by an earthquake in 2010, and is very much still a city in redevlopment.
We were collected by The Kiwi Experience bus, which would be our mode of transport for the next month around the two islands. Our first stop took us to the sleepy, seaside town of Kaikoura, where we played our first (of many) games of mini golf, it seems every town in NZ has one! We went on a nice beachside walk which took us to a seal colony, where you could get right up close to these animals. But this was rather eclipsed, as the next day we were taken to a stream where lots of the baby seal pups were playing just a few feet away 😍
We were very lucky to have a great bunch of other travellers on our bus, and we had plenty of fun nights out with them all. One of the most memorable nights was at Lake Mahinapua, where after being given a fancy dress theme of animals, everyone had to be as inventive as we could with what we could buy in the nearby town. We three decided to go as Pandas, making the outfit mainly out of bin bags and pillow cases, sadly we didn’t win any of the prizes, but it was a cracking night out all the same!
Our next stop at Franz Joseph was sadly blemished by the weather, as we weren’t able to walk up onto the glacier, one of the activities we were most looking forward to. However this disappoint was turned around quickly once we arrived in Queenstown. It was hands down my favourite spot in New Zealand, it’s a city which has a great buzz to it with plenty of bars all within walking distance of each other, tonnes of activities available and all on a stunning setting sat below a mountain range backing onto a beautiful lake. Described by our driver ‘Scottyyyy’, as the adrenaline capital of NZ, you can see why. We spent a week there with highlights of luging, our trip down to the Milford Sound, a number of bar crawls, bungee jumping and far too many Fergburgers – the best burger joint in town! However I think one of my favourite day trips was the boys group climb up Ben Lomond. Nine of us tackled the six hour roundtrip, and on reaching the summit the 360 degree view could only be described, as simply glorious.
We then headed up to the North Island, via the inter island ferry. Our next major port of call was Rotorua, where we signed up for the Maori Village evening experience on the first night. It was a really interesting insight into their culture, being shown their way of life. We were also treated to a delicious roast buffet feast, all cooked traditionally underground over hot stones. I ended up getting a bit more than I was bargaining for, as after being nominated as Chief on my bus, I had to perform the Haka along with the other chiefs at the end of the meal! Whilst in Rotorua we had a great day trip to Hobbiton and Ian and I took on white water rafting for a day, which included a dramatic 7m waterfall drop 😆. We were reunited here with the Durham Uni boys Nathan, Olly and Sam for a last couple of cracking nights out, before our groups split paths again, safe rest of travels lads!
We did journey down to Lake Taupo in the hope that we could walk up the Tangariro Mountain Crossing, but weather again scuppered our plans, as the crossing was completely closed. We did have a dip in the local hot springs and a wander round to the spectacular Huka Falls.
Our final journey on the Kiwi bus took us to Auckland, New Zealand’s capital, and in British terms the only true city in terms of population and size. On the first night here, we were taken out for drinks by Elliot’s dad and stepmum Paddy and Maree, it was lovely to meet them properly after seeing Paddy in such a sad previous circumstance, after their loss. They were both extremely positive and friendly people and were kind enough to give us plenty of great recommendations for the rest of our time in NZ.
For the final part of our time in New Zealand, we decided to rent our own car, for a bit more freedom, to drive up to the Northern tip of the island. This was the first time I had driven since passing my test (nearly 2 years ago), and I have to say I was a little nervous (god knows what the boys were thinking), however it all came back thankfully and I actually really enjoyed driving our little Hyuandai around. We drove up to The Bay of Islands taking in some pretty coastal views along the way, however you guessed it, weather rather spoilt our plans up north again. This time we were hoping to Sky Dive and got all the way up in the plane to 15,000ft, we were strapped in and ready to dive, but the winds had picked up during our ascent and we had to fly back down in the plane rather than jump :(. We were lucky enough to see a pod of dolphins on a day boat trip whilst up north, which was pretty awesome.
I have absolutely loved our time in New Zealand, and was quite sad to be leaving as we bordered our plane in Auckland. However we have a lot to look forward to in the last leg of our trip as we travel to Vancouver and then road trip time in the US!
Over and out
Chris
thereandbackagainaslumdogtale 