My arrival on the south island started with blazing sunshine, a drive through the vineyards of Marlborough (stopping for a cheeky wine tasting session along the way) to Abel Tasman National Park and finished with a beautiful pink sunset by the beach with misty topped mountains behind me. I've been on a three hour trek through the park which was gorgeous - thick, green forest with the occasional view of some really beautiful beaches. We finished our walk at a small sandy cove where we met a kayak guide who took us out on the Tasman Sea to Adele Island where we got really close to seals on the rocks including babies and one even swam near our kayaks very causally twisting and turning around in the water. After kayaking for a bit longer we pulled our four two-man kayaks alongside each other and created a makeshift raft with a sail that pulled us into another bigger beach that had loads of water taxis coming straight off the sea, one after another, straight onto the back of tractors waiting on the shoreline to tow them in - so slick. Later I cooked up a big veggie curry for seven of us from the bus which we had with a drink or two - bit of bonding.
The following day I managed my first run for three months following my hip injury and I managed 40 minutes along the coastal track with relative ease - so relieved. After the morning run we trekked the most beautiful path yet before taking in the 'pancake rocks' and blowholes.
The next two nights were spent in Franz Josef which, with neighbouring Fox Glacier, form two of only three glaciers in the world that run directly into rainforest. I was lucky enough to catch a helicopter ride up to Fox Glacier where I took part in a two hour ice hike which was amazing but touched with a little sadness as you can visibly see how quickly the ice is melting away. I took better than I expected though to the crampons and the helicopter ride itself was awesome. The heliport at Franz Josef is one if the busiest in the world and the pilot I had was fab - swerving the sides of the mountains and suddenly ascending making my stomach go, which I loved. Best thing about the day though was Dermot and Charlotte, an Irish couple I'd been travelling with for a couple of weeks, getting engaged. Dermot popped the question on the glacier and Charlotte said yes!! So thrilled for them as they're a fab couple and honoured to have been part of that exciting time. After the fun of the glacier a few of us went to the open air hot pools for a nice soak.
On leaving Franz we travelled through Haast Pass. It was a shame that this part of our journey was rainy as it's meant to be one of the most beautiful drives in NZ however the rain did bring with it the spectacle of waterfall after waterfall coming down from the mountains at the sides of the road on our way to Wanaka.
Wanaka was a real treat. I wasn't expecting much - just a small town to rest up in between Franz Josef and Queenstown however I had such a great stay there. We went a little one-off cinema that had all sorts of eclectic seats you could choose to watch the movie from - I sat in a gigantic squishy armchair that both reclined and rocked - and at a half time interval slot they served freshly baked cookies - heaven. The following morning I went for another run around the lake past vineyards and ice capped mountains before spontaneously taking a swim in the lake from the end of a small wooden jetty. In that moment I felt so good - exhilarated haha.
After Wanaka we hit Queenstown, stopping along the way for a couple of girls in our group to do a bungy jump (once is enough for me) which we all cheered on. Queenstown is another place that was so much more than I expected. Given its rep as the adventure capital of the world I had an image that it might be full of drunk 18 year olds and touts but it's really very beautiful. In fact it's the first place I've come across in NZ that I could see myself living in. Mainly because the areas a few hours drive around it are incredibly beautiful and in Queenstown itself you have everything you could possibly want including some amazing places to eat. We had dinner from Fergburger which was once credited as making the best burger in the world. I had a classic burger, and was tempted to go for another when passing back through, and afterwards ate a lemon meringue ice cream from Mrs Ferg's next door (pig I know but it was sooo good).
Next up came one of the biggest must dos in NZ - Milford Sound. Just the drive there had my jaw slackening it was so beautiful. The drive also featured a steep and rather rugged tunnel through one of the mountains which we entered in sunshine and came out the other side surrounded in thick cloud. We took a two hour cruise through Milford Sound which is actually a fiord created by ice. The boat got really close to a waterfall which covered us in spray which was fun but we were really, really lucky to have visited on a dry, sunny day as it apparently rains 300 days of the year there which must hamper the visibility massively so I was very fortunate. That night we stayed at a place called Gunns Camp which was like a step back in time - reminded me of brownie camp.
Following Gunns Camp we drove to the far south via Invercargill, the worlds most southerly city and home to Burt Munro on whom the film The World's Fastest Indian is based. Next stop for the night was Stewart Island which has a rep for its nature. We saw a couple of blue penguins here, the smallest penguins in the world that only weigh an average of 1kg each. We also took a midnight walk to see if we could spot the elusive nocturnal kiwi bird. Unfortunately we didn't see any but we did hear one call which was pretty exciting in itself as they're so rare. Best bit of Stewart Island though was Bathing Beach which was the most beautiful beach yet and completely deserted - bliss.
From here I'm staying in a different place every single night in NZ making my way up along the east coast of the south island before taking in the east of the north island then finishing up back in Auckland. Next stop Mount Cook...
