New Zealand: The South Island

Please enjoy my photo-journal of New Zealand's South Island! More photos of the South Island to come via Facebook, and next up an entry on the North Island. Enjoy!

All photos taken by me via Canon Rebel T3i with a EF-S 18-55mm lens, aka my best purchase ever
^_^ Enlarge for full enjoyment!

Queenstown Airport: Your gateway to beauty

Queenstown - An adrenaline city with a fabulous view alongside a crystal clear lake. As my first impression of New Zealand, Queenstown definitely tops the list for coolest city out there. I definitely recommend taking the cable car up to the top of the mountain for a breathtaking view of the lake and the city below. If it's clear night, the company also offers star gazing tours and complimentary hot chocolate. The guides were super knowledgeable and it was neat to see constellations that aren't visible in the Northern Hemisphere, including the Southern Cross. In the fall, the visitor traffic was light, which made for enjoyable, laid-back touristing; however, with all the restaurants and bars available, I could vividly imagine what it would be like in the thick of winter when the snow season is in full swing. I did my first run in New Zealand here along the route through the Gardens. If I had more time, I would have liked to run along the water on the path heading back up toward the airport, which looked to be beautiful as I drove in. While we were there, we stayed at the Alpine View Backpackers and it was my first hostel experience: a clean & quiet lodge-style joint just outside of downtown with a separate bathroom shared with 1 other room.

Lake Wanaka: Picturesque in Autumn

Wanaka - Another adventure town with lots to offer for the newly addicted or long-time adrenaline junkie. Wanaka is a short (1 hour-ish), scenic, cheap ($35) bus ride away from Queenstown and totally worth the visit to see the picturesque town and Lake Wanaka. The city has a good number of walking/hiking trails and serves as a good jumping off point for other excursions (paragliding, kayaking, horseback riding). The downtown area is really only two or three streets, but there are a wide variety of different food options available. The i-Site is located right on the lake front and it has a ton of information for things to do. The staff are supremely helpful and will do their best to make reservations for whatever adrenaline-pack activity you want to do. We hung out there while we waited for the bus to take us horseback riding. The city has a handful of pubs and cafes along Ardmore Street with great views of the lake in the morning and evening. We stayed at Holly's Backpacker and it was also clean and very quiet, with a full kitchen and living area. The dorm-style bathrooms were well-kept, and the bed was comfy enough.

Cardrona Valley: From the bus window

Cardrona Valley - Located in between Queenstown and Wanaka, Cardrona Valley is a filled with wide open farms and rolling, green hills. Blink and you'll miss the town as you drive through, but Cardrona Hotel is worth a peek even if only for a pit stop and a picture in front of the classic hotel. I don't know about accommodations there, but the hotel is located in the middle of nowhere so it is not that convenient for anything else. The wait staff were eh, and the food was so-so, but the beers on tap were many and quite refreshing. We stopped their briefly before touring the valley via a 2-hour trek on horseback, which was a fabulous way to see the scenery and landscape. I definitely recommend doing something in the valley to get a closer look at the beautiful environment.

Christchurch - This is a city still very much in repair.  My morning run met with many closed roads, destroyed buildings, and reconstruction. The Gardens are worth a jog through and once the city center is rebuilt, it's supposed to be the most modern city ever. But it has a long way to go. Since by this point we had picked up a car, we drove over to visit Pomeroy's Brewery for dinner and drinks, both of which were fabulous. Enjoying the live jazz music was also a plus; this place felt like it was the corner place for a variety of locals and everyone was having fun. While we were there, we stayed at the City Central Motel Apartments, which were newly built and well-designed. Aside from stopping here, there's not much to see... yet.

Pegasus Bay

Mud House

Waipara Valley = Wine central! A must-see if you have time. There are plenty of good wineries to stop at and all of them could keep your arteries pumping with delicious nectar. We just so happened to turn off a side road and visit Pegasus Bay Wineries, which had an expansive estate and gardens to tour. The staff were helpful, but reserved during the complimentary wine tasting and we ended up picking up a bottle each and a guide to the valley. Mud House Winery and Restaurant had been on our list of vineyards to see and both the wine and the food exceeded our expectations. The staff were extremely helpful in explaining their offerings, the history of the winery, and the background of the valley itself. The tasting was complimentary because we planned to have lunch there, so the wine kept on flowing until we had to stop! Note: make sure to have a bite to eat before, during, or after your wine tastings -- even if you've only had a sip of all the wines offered, you'll need some sustenance before getting back on the road. As we found out, May-June is post harvest time, so while the offerings were vast, the wineries were quiet. If you're dying for a tour of the wine cellar while it's active, make sure to schedule your trip during the harvest season, which is earlier in the year.

Kaikoura Peninsula Walk

Kaikoura - Wow. Quite possibly the most beautiful landscape I've ever seen in person. Imagine: craggy ocean shore with pebble beaches and wind-swept chest-high grasses. High cliffs edged with fields of the lushest, greenest grass you've ever seen. Herds of healthy, glossy cows idling lazily along the rolling expanse of soft green. All of this is in the foreground while the Seaward Kaikoura Mountain Range stands in the distance, a panorama of snow-capped peaks that tower above a peaceful valley below. Kaikoura is a small town located on the peninsula that sticks out from the eastern coast of the South Island. Because of the ocean currents and the ocean floor, it is also home to a vast amount of sea life, including seals, dolphins, whales and albatross.

Seals along the coastal car lot

Every corner was a "wow" moment and it certainly goes down in my book as my favorite natural city in New Zealand. While you're there, enjoy the landscape, take a whale/seal watch tour on a boat or kayak, or do as we did and fly a helicopter up into the mountains for a birds-eye view of the peninsula. A must-see if you're driving through. While we were here, we stayed at the Aspen Lodge, a fairly modern motel with high-tech showers and wonderful balcony views of the coast.

Blenheim - First, let me say that the drive through Malborough Region was phenomenal. Kudos to my

Malborough wine country

copilot for his patience with me, not only stopping every time I had a "wow" scenery shot, but asking him to be my backup photographer while we drove. But in the end, he and I both got some great shots and enjoyed the scenery around us. Blenheim is like Waipara Valley in the amount of vineyards around. We only happened to stop at one (Withering Hills) and unfortunately, the wine, food, and service were not that good. The views, however, were fabulous and if anything, they made the stop worthwhile. If I had more time, I would have liked to schedule a wine tour of the valley, but I suppose that means I'll have to come back!

Nelson

Nelson - A small town located along the northern coast of the South Island that reminded me in a way of Reading, PA (with much better views of course). The town was quaint and the people were pleasant enough. There isn't much to do in Nelson specifically, so it's not worth a long stay for the activities it has to offer. Craft beers, on the other hand, are in ample supply and the restaurants do their best to showcase the variety. We stayed at the Tasman Bay Backpackers, which was picturesque, colorful, and superbly managed. There was a full professional kitchen, fireplace lounge, and free unlimited wifi. We used Nelson as a stopping point for our early morning trek the next day to:

Abel Tasman National Park

Abel Tasman National Park - Quite a hike (literally)! The southern entrance to the park is about 1 hour from Nelson by highway and then a small country road. In the summer, this park the ultimate destination for hikers and backpackers. Unfortunately, the tides weren't in our favor and we didn't have get too far into the park before we had to get on the road again. But the sunrise was absolutely beautiful! In the summer time, I would love to come back and kayak along the coast.

Queen Charlotte Highway: A view from the car window

Picton - Tiny port city where the main draw is the ferry terminal. If you have the chance to drive in (and are a confident driver), do so by the Queen Charlotte Highway that runs along the northern part of the island. Absolutely stunning views of the sounds and a fun, windy road with tons of switchbacks. Many thanks again to J for his patience with me stopping for pictures along the way. It was helpful to get out and stretch after some white-knuckle driving along the steep, curvy paths. Once we got to town, we had a tasty brunch and strolled along the town (which is really a two-by-two grid of places to eat and buy touristy goods). The Interislander Ferry is not cheap ($100+/person), but a reliable way to get to Wellington. As they advertise, it's also a destination in itself, if only for the fantastic views of the sounds as you make the trek over to the North Island...

The Interislander: Onward to Wellington and the North Island!