This post has been a long time coming but I’m so glad I made time to sit down and write about the hiking in South Island. It’s no secret that we both loved our time in New Zealand and looking over old pictures for this post has made me so keen to go back some day! Just like North Island, there are plenty of epic South Island hikes, and it’s so worth squeezing in at least a couple of them on your trip.
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, General, Italy, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Taiwan, Top Lists
10 Of The Best Gardens In The World
Bit of a random one as no one I know could accuse me of being green fingered, but turns out we’ve spent time visiting some awesome gardens on our travels and we wanted to share them with you. When we bought our house, one of the top items on the list of ‘must haves’ was a garden.
First things first, before you fly into New Zealand for your epic road trip, you’re going to need to do at least some planning. Luckily, unless you’re visiting in peak season, the benefits of exploring in a campervan are that you can stay very flexible and plan the specifics of your route as you’re travelling. To help you out, we’ve prepared a handy list of our top New Zealand road trip tips to get your started.
Itineraries, New Zealand, Travel Planning
South Island Driving Itinerary: Picton to Christchurch in 3 Weeks
This post is a follow up to the itinerary we posted for our two week road trip around New Zealand’s North Island. It was surprisingly popular so we thought we’d share our South Island driving itinerary with you as well in case it helps you to plan your travels.
Milford Sounds is not really a sound at all. In geological terms, a sound is a passage that is formed from the freezing of river water, which turns into millions of tons of glacial ice. This ice tears huge chunks out of the neighbouring mountains. Over thousands of years the relentless pressures of so much ice split widen the gaps turning them into valleys. These valleys eventually fill with sea water to become what is known as a ‘Sound’.
Brunch is the perfect meal for travellers on a budget. Unlike breakfast it means you can enjoy a lie in, and if you time it right you can often survive quite comfortably on just one meal a day if that meal is a hearty brunch. Brunch is also the perfect meal to stock up on protein, often hard to come by when backpacking as carbs are typically the cheapest easiest food group to get your hands on.
Located on the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island are the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers – probably the most famous of the country’s many glaciers. In this handy guide, we’ll explain all about how to spend a couple of days exploring these incredible natural landscapes – including enjoying heli-hiking on the glacier itself, and our thoughts on the popular question of whether to visit Franz Josef or Fox Glacier.
Australasia, New Zealand, Travel Planning
North Island Driving Itinerary: Auckland to Wellington in 2 Weeks
From volcanoes and simmering lakes to rugged coastlines and beautiful beaches, New Zealand’s North Island’s got it all when it comes to great scenery. I’ve already written about our favourite hikes on our two week road trip through the island, and this post is a deeper dive into our North Island driving itinerary from Auckland to Wellington.
It’s a bold claim, and one which may not stand up to scrutiny if our hiking adventures in New Zealand continue the way they’re going. But for now, I’m sticking with the belief that our Abel Tasman hike today is the best hike we’ve done in New Zealand so far.
After an extremely painful 5 day trek to Machu Picchu a couple of months ago we were still off hiking when we arrived in New Zealand. That didn’t last long however, once we realised just how stunning the country is and how many awesome hiking opportunities there are.
Advice & Tips, Australasia, New Zealand, Travel Planning
8 Really Simple CamperVan Essentials For New Zealand
The below are a few camper van essentials. Some are specific to New Zealand but most might be beneficial for any novice camper van traveller. We’re currently touring New Zealand in a 3-berth Nissan camper for 5 weeks.