Day 3 – Monday, January 19
note: you can click on most pictures to view full-size. The bold, underlined words are hyperlinks.
Monday somehow disappears when you fly 14 hours from San Francisco westward across four time zones to the South Island of New Zealand. After taking off Sunday evening about 10:45 p.m, we arrived around 10:30 a.m. local time on TUESDAY. I got maybe two hours of sleep on the flight and it has been about 42 hours since I woke up in Frankfurt, Germany to start this trek. Yeah… I’m a bit tired.
Day 4 – Tuesday, January 20
After arriving in Christchurch, we picked up our camper vans. Gary and Sarah got a bigger model, complete with shower and toilet. Turns out, the shower wasn’t needed, but the toilet came in handy a few times. I got the smallest model. It sleeps two, but I wouldn’t wish that on any couple. It was cramped enough for just me.
I was a bit nervous about driving a strange vehicle on the left side of the road behind a steering wheel on the right side. I must have jumped into the left front seat a dozen times over the next week thinking I was getting in behind the steering wheel. I was following Gary and Sarah, which I thought would make the driving and navigating a bit easier. Not so much.
Along the way, we encountered a few oncoming Jucy rentals (you can see the neon green and purple vans from a mile away) and I started to notice the driver and/or front seat passenger waving madly at me.
The drive to our first stop in Fairlie took a little less than three hours. The two lane roads were well- maintained but a bit narrow. During the trip, I recalled Gary’s driving style from the times I had ridden with him in the past. In a word – fast.
We set up camp, had a glass of wine and relaxed a bit before driving about 25 miles to the Blue Lake Eatery where we had a nice dinner and enjoyed a short walk around the nearby lake.
Day 5 – Wednesday, January 21
Despite running a serious sleep deficit, I woke up at 2:45 a.m. This is my first time sleeping in a camper van and while it’s certainly not the most comfortable of sleeping arrangements, I’m enjoying the novelty of it all. Whether it’s because of the thin mattress or jet lag, I can’t get back to sleep so I watched Indiana beat Miami (Yes! I HATE Miami) in the College Football Playoff National Championship on my phone, which I recorded on YouTube TV.
We walked a short distance in the morning to a little cafe where we had meat pies (the butter chicken one I had was amazing) and coffee. Then, we set out on a 3 hour drive to Wanaka where I encounter more madly waving Jucy drivers and my first taste of the treacherous driving on extremely narrow, tightly winding roads that I would get to “enjoy” for the next week. And all the while, trying to keep up with Gary.
After getting settled at the campground, we enjoyed a 7 mile walk around the lake. It was raining a bit as we started out, but turned into a gorgeous, sunny day. By the time the day was over, we had walked over 10 miles.
Day 6 – Thursday, January 22
It rained a bit overnight. I was up about 7:30 a.m. and walked a few blocks to find a coffee. Sarah and Gary slept in bit, but we were on the road by mid-morning after heading into town for a breakfast of meat pies again.
A few stops along the way to Queenstown, where we would spend the night at Driftaway Queenstown Holiday Park, the nicest campground so far.
The drive to Queenstown was more dicey than yesterday’s drive. We encountered more waving Jucy drivers, but I’m too scared to take either hand off the wheel. I’m not waving back on these roads!
In the afternoon, we took a fabulous hike that lasted about 2 1/2 hours. The terrain here was pretty rugged.
Then to re-rehydrate, we found a nice little microbrewery and had a great chat with some locals. There’s always the questions about Trump when they learn you’re American. No matter where these conversations take place, their opinions are strikingly similar.
Day 7 – Friday, January 23
I was awakened at 4 a.m. by pounding rain and I know we have a long drive ahead of us, at least 5 hours or more. Great! Once again, we’re on winding, narrow mountain roads. The scenery is breathtaking, but I don’t dare take my eyes off the road for even a second. There are more waving Jucy van drivers and despite the intermittent rain and numerous “slippery when wet” road signs, Gary has the pedal to metal. The last 20 miles or so are the worst. One hairpin turn after another.
We stopped for stretch breaks and photos along the way and had a late lunch at the Hard Antler Restaurant before arriving at Orange Sheep Campervan Park in Franz Josef.
We finally arrived about 4 p.m. It was raining when we arrived, so I grabbed a quick nap in the van. The campground wasn’t as nice as the one in Queenstown, but the views were nice.
Day 8 – Saturday, January 24
I finally had a pretty good night sleeping. We were up about 9 a.m., then headed out for several hikes – one at the glacier, the Callery Gorge Walk and then an easier stroll around Lake Matheson.
Then it was back in the vans for a three hour drive to Greymouth.
The campground had a nice communal kitchen, so we decided to head to a supermarket instead of a restaurant. Sarah cooked while Gary and I did our best imitation of sous chefs.
Day 9 – Sunday, January 25
We were up by 7:30 with light sprinkles. There would be lots of driving this day, so just a cup of instant coffee and we hit the road. We made several stops on the way to Picton, where we could catch the ferry to Wellington on the North Island.
We stopped at a flea market in the middle of nowhere, Tauranga bay to see the seals and walked the longest swing bridge in New Zealand. That was terrifying.
We had a wonderful quick dinner before getting to Picton and driving on to the ferry.
The ferry ride is about 40 miles and takes over three hours. Driving off the ferry in the dark while it’s raining proved to be the worst driving experience of the trip for me. Somehow, I made it to the Airbnb in one piece and we got to bed around midnight.
Day 10 – Monday, January 26
We got on the road and headed north. The first 40 miles or so were similar to interstates in the U.S. – wide and two lanes on each side of the road. I immediately notices how the topography changed compared to the South Island. There were scattered rain showers, but Sarah was driving the lead van for a change and that made following much easier. Further up the road, we encountered some very steep grades. The roads were still winding, but not as much as on the previous days. There were a few stops for pictures.
From this point on, we would no longer be sleeping in the camper vans. Good news for me! We stopped at Te Mata Park for a hike of about 4 kilometers. Later we arrived in Havelock North for a look around, then parted ways. Sarah and Gary headed to their Airbnb where they would enjoy some time without me around.
I grabbed a cheap motel room for the next couple of nights in a nearby town called Hastings and did a quick load of laundry. I then headed back into Havelock North to the cool Irish pub called the Rose & Shamrock, where I had possibly the best seafood chowder I’ve ever eaten.
Day 11 – Tuesday, January 27
Sarah and Gary missed me so they invited me to join them for breakfast at their Airbnb. I grabbed some bacon and pastries at a local grocery, narrowly avoided a collision in a roundabout (100% my fault) and drove nearly 30 minutes to where they were staying. Their hosts had provided them with fresh eggs from the chickens they keep on their property. Can’t get much fresher than that! To say that their Airbnb was incredible doesn’t do it justice.
We spent the afternoon touring on bicycles (about 15 miles worth) and enjoyed a couple of wineries along the way. The guy who rented us the bikes told us they used to rent e-bikes. It didn’t take them long to learn that tourists on e-bikes and wineries don’t go together. The weather was in the mid-70’s – gorgeous.
I left Gary and Sarah back their place and headed back to my motel. Later I found another pub near the Rose & Shamrock and ordered fish and chips.
Day 12 – Wednesday, January 28
I traveled by myself today, starting the day with a steak and cheese pie with cappuccino. I left Hastings about 8:00 a.m., headed to Rotorua – a 3 1/2 hour drive. Intermittent rain and some hairpin turns at the beginning of the trip, but the roads eventually became straighter and less steep.
First, I had lunch at a Filipino restaurant near the motel. The owner couldn’t have been nicer and the food was great.
I then went to Whakarewarewa , where I learned about the history and culture of the Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand.
Gary and Sarah met me back the motel and Sarah cooked for us once again in the kitchenette in our two-bedroom suite.
Day 13 – Thursday, January 29
Today we headed to Auckland to return the camper vans and spend a couple of nights in a very nice hotel. As we’re getting ready to depart, I notice that one of my tires is almost flat. Are you kidding me??? There is a gas station very near so I slowly drive it there. As I am digging the jack out of the back of the van, a very nice local asks if he can help. He ends up directing me to a nearby tire shop.
Gary follows me there and about an hour later, the tire is patched and we are on the road.
Now we are on a wide, beautiful road with a 110 km speed limit (68 mph). I’m happy, Gary can speed all he wants, and then about 40 miles from Auckland traffic slows to a standstill. I knew it was too good to be true.
After putting over 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles) in 10 days, I returned the van with the only damage being a rock chip in the windshield.
The hotel that Gary chose is sweet.
The three of us enjoyed a drink at the rooftop bar and, later, a wonderful dinner of small plates at Hello Beasty.
Day 13 – Friday, January 30
This morning I had a quick workout at the hotel, then took a ferry to Devenport where I was going to climb Mount Victoria. Somehow, however, I found my way into a Thai massage parlor and for the first time in my life, received a professional massage. It was glorious! And a much more relaxing activity than hill climbing.
Later, I went on a “free” walking tour in Auckland for a couple of hours. It’s really not free, since you are expected to tip the tour guide at the end. He was excellent and I gave him 40 New Zealand dollars (about $23 US).
For dinner, I ate dim sum at a place the tour guide recommended. 15 NZ dollars ($8.80 US) and it was as good as he said it would be.
Day 14 – Saturday, January 31
I didn’t get a chance to see Gary and Sarah Saturday morning to tell them goodbye. Gary and Sarah, the trip was epic! Thank you so much for including me.
Bags packed, I’m off to the airport. Australia awaits…
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