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Published: February 9th 2010
NEW ZEALAND
We will be visiting this country for 7 weeks. Before coming here we met many people in Australia that recommended staying as much as we could in this country because its beauty is so great and stunning. After spending 23 days here, we very much agree! We almost wish we could stay longer but know we have many other gorgeous countries to visit in this trip.... so for anyone planning a trip soon, we recommend, come to New Zealand!
Our Itinerary
For this New Zealand adventure, we have bought a small campervan as you can see in our pictures. This campervan is our home, our hotel and our transportation… she will be taking us around the South Island of New Zealand for about 5 weeks and then ride on a ferry to the North Island. We have been told and read that the South Island’s beauty is greater and therefore we have decided in splitting our weeks here in that way.
After 25 days of being in New Zealand, it is a pleasure to show you all the amazing places we have been and pictures we have taken. So far we think this country’s beauty is
going to be very difficult to beat by all the others we are going to… but we will see with time.
CHRISTCHURCH
Our first steps in New Zealand where in the pretty city of Christchurch. This city has 350,000 people approximately, so after being in some big Australian cities it was like going to a smaller town. New Zealand as a whole only has 4 million people (but 40 million sheep, you see sheep everywhere), so it has a feeling of a small country with lots of open space. Every city we have been to so far, are all very small, most of them feel more like a town than a city.
In Christchurch our main goal was to buy our campervan. Purchasing campervans are very common among budget travelers like us in Australia and New Zealand. For Australia is more often people that are staying 6 months to a year traveling because being such a big country, distances are very long. But for New Zealand it is very common among all travelers specially for couples or groups of 2 or 3 people.
The campervan purchase was a very interesting thing to do and see how
that market in New Zealand is so big and developed. In our Lonely Planet travel book we read about a business called Backpacker Car Market. We went there and it is a very smart set up. As a seller you pay about $30 a day to have your car parked in the Backpacker Car Market (you stay next to your car as you will be the “salesperson” for your car and as a buyer you get a place where you get to see more than 15 cars like the one you are looking for and they help you with all the registration, title and name ownership change, car insurance, etc.
We went in to the Backpacker Car Market and within 3 hours we had chosen and paid for our super campervan! We plan on using the same company to sell our campervan (hopefully for the same price or even a bit more) when we leave New Zealand. Most budget campervans are sold within 1 or 2 days.
Our Kiwi Campervan had everything we were looking for. We actually got very close to buying another campervan from a very nice young couple but before making the decision we went to
look at this other campervan that looked pretty good and was just brought in to the market but was parked a little far from the main car market. We decided to go have a look inside and for the price we thought it was much better than the other one we were looking at. It is super organized, has a very comfy big bed, a table that you can put up when you want to eat your meals inside the car (rainy days), a 2 burner stove, a small fridge, mp3 player….. It was just as we had pictured it! We decide to buy it within 30 minutes…. And we were in heaven.
One of the most amazing things about this budget campervan industry in New Zealand is that your campervan comes fully equipped with everything you will need for your trip around the country. The past owner passes all that he/she had in the campervan to you, because 99% of the time they are going back to their country and do not want to take anything with them. Our Kiwi Campervan comes with: great map books to go everywhere and never get lost, cool music CD’s, all the kitchen
stuff you will need for cooking and eating, a couple coolers, tons of flashlights and candles, beach chairs, some games like Frisbee and Badminton, fishing gear, cleaning material for the car, all kinds of tools to work on the car, insect repellent, Baygon (bug spray)…. So like I said, pretty much everything you need. The next day after we bought the car we left on our adventure and have purchase very few things that we have needed. All we have need since then is gasoline and food!
Having traveled in tour groups and dormitory style hostels in Australia, we were very happy to have our own little mobile home in New Zealand… extremely happy to have a car that takes you everywhere you want to go, anytime you want to go and you can decide to stay anywhere as long as you want to! We really think it is the best way to see this amazing country. Also, traveling with a Campervan gives you the opportunity of being in contact with nature every second of the day. You go to bed and wake up surrounded by nature and beautiful scenery.
After gathering supplies we realized that much of
the day had already passed so we found a rest stop that was about 30 minutes outside of Christchurch. It was beautiful!! The river had an incredible turquoise color and we were surrounded by nothing but nature. The next day we headed to Kaikoura..
KAIKOURA
After driving for less than 3 hours we arrived to our first destination. Kaikoura is a small town blessed with beautiful scenery and wildlife, as is the case for most of the country. When we arrived in Kaikoura, it was the first time in New Zealand that we saw the sea, and the color of the sea in this area is gorgeous. We drove around the town and the coast surroundings looking for a beautiful spot to park our campervan and spend the night. We found and area with another 4 campervans parked and it was a very quiet beautiful place. We decided to drive down the area, closer to the sea to have a better view and as we were about to park our car, the headlights shined on a New Zealand fur seal. The fur seal (foca) was sleeping and we woke it up! It was looking straight at us,
so we decided to move our campervan and park somewhere else. Needless to say it was a very cool experience and a cool way to realize that our camp spot was a seal colony area. During the night and the next day we saw at least 12 seals that were sleeping and hanging out really close to our campervan.
Kaikorua’s main attraction is whale watching (Sperm, Blue and Humpback whales… sometimes Orcas too). The tours get you on a boat for 3 hours and you come in contact with whales and dolphins from up close which is a great experience! Whale watching is very easy in this part of the country and if your boat does not spot any whales you get 80% of all your money back, which is very cool for our backpacker budget.
During our 2 day stay in Kaikorua the weather was mainly misty with rain and cloudy. After talking to the whale tour people we decided to come back to Kaikorua 4 weeks later on our way up to the North Island, since we have to pass by here again and also because she mentioned that Orcas will be back to Kaikorua in approximately
4 weeks. We will be there in 2 weeks and will let you know what we saw in our next blog!
MALBOROUGH SOUNDS & NELSON
As we headed north we drove along the beautiful Malborough Sounds. We searched and searched for a nice free camping spot, but with no success. Free camping is common in New Zealand and throughout the country you can stay in different areas as long as there is not a No Camping sign.. That night we ended staying at a motor park, which was also very nice. The next day we found a beautiful rest stop that was next to a river. We spent the day playing Frisbee and Badminton. Unfortunately, we also discovered New Zealand’s best kept secret….. Sand flies. They are like a miniature version of the common fly, except they bite and you will itch and itch for about 3 days. As long as you cover up or put on repellant they don’t bother you too bad. The next day we filled up our solar shower with the river water and left it to heat up while we walked around the area. The solar shower is a brilliant idea! It
is a thick plastic bag with a small hose and shower head. One side of it is black and the other is clear. You can fill up and lay the clear side up in the sun for 1-3 hours depending on how cold the water was and how hot you want your shower to be. Anyway we were very excited to test it out and it worked great. Later on we made our way to Kina Beach, there we slept at a motor camp and had a beautiful view of the Malborough Sounds and the city of Nelson.
ABEL TASMAN NATIONAL PARK & GOLDEN BAY
The next day we ventured further north to Abel Tasman National Park. We just happened to find Golden Bay just before sunset. We walked out to the beach to watch the beautiful sunset. As we looked around we saw a vibrant rainbow behind us and then a huge manta ray came swimming right up to the waters edge. That was our first sunset in New Zealand due to the rainy weather, and what a spectacular one it was. The next day the sun came out!! Just when we thought New Zealand could
not get any better, the sun came out!! We found a nice little beach that we had all to ourselves, we went snorkeling and made a nice dinner as we watched another gorgeous sunset on the beach. The following day we hiked into some waterfalls. We had a short hike and then a Indiana Jones footbridge to cross… which Xiomara was able to cross and conquered her fear of scary bridges. As
we were sitting on some rocks admiring the waterfalls, Xiomara dropped her sunglasses case into the water. Armed with his board shorts and goggles, Rustin was determined to find them for her. A short distance away, find them he did… So, once again Rustin proves worthy of Xiomara’s knight in shining armor. We jumped in the frigid water and jumped right back out. As we were hiking back Rustin crossed the bridge first, as the max load was 1 person. Once he reached the other side and was waiting for Xiomara he started talking to a gentlemen and his family that were waiting to cross. His name was Jim Yellowfeather and he lives in Eagle Butte, South Dakota!
TAKAKA, NELSON & LAKE ROTOROA
After
returning to the van we drove to Takaka, which is a very cool hippie town. It is there where we bought the super awesome stickers that we now have on our van. Our first night we stayed alongside another river and made some new friends from Switzerland. The next day was Xiomara’s 28th birthday!! We celebrated by splurging and eating lunch at an actual restaurant instead of cooking ourselves. We wandered around the town for a while and then made our way back to Nelson were we went out for Xiomara’s birthday dinner. Thank you to Xiomara’s parents for their gift!! We enjoyed our dining experiences very much! The following day we spent restocking our supplies in Nelson and then camping at a nice spot on the beach. The next day we made our way to Lake Rotoroa in Nelson Lakes National Park. We had read that the sand flies were ferocious there and after arrival we found out just how ferocious they were. We had the lake almost all to ourselves and the sand flies were the reason. There were swarms of them!! Rustin looked like a beekeeper when he was outside putting up the mosquito head nets that
he had cut to make window screens out of. Some incredible views, but the sand flies proved to be too much. However, we did learn that the sand flies sleep at night. So when we went outside at around 11pm to stargaze, we could peacefully enjoy the great views. On our way out we met a nice man who had been living in New Zealand for 52 years. For some reason he chose to live in the part that had one of the worst infestations of sand flies. He has so many stories of the things he had seen and the people he had met.
WESTPORT & PUNAIKAKI
We then drove to Buller Gorge and went swimming in another beautiful turquoise river. That evening we ended up in Westport and were told of a free camping spot right on a beach. The next day after being traumatized by the sand flies at Lake Rotorua we bought some screens and magnets to put over our windows. We then drove to Punaikaki and viewed the pancake rocks. These amazing rock formations were actually formed by sea life and then over time hardened and were shaped into these shapes by
the waves and the wind. That evening we found the best camping spot that we had had so far. Rustin maneuvered the van on a rocky beach to reach an amazing spot that had a river in front and the ocean beyond the river. There were also beautiful mountains right behind us. We spent the day fishing and relaxing. That night we sat by our first campfire and star gazed. We also watched the full moon rise, which illuminated everything around us. It was very pretty to say the least. The next day we walked the beaches, swam in the river and watched the stars and the moon while sitting by another campfire.
HOKITIKA
The next day we drove to Hokitika. There we went to a jade factory and we decided to see a movie. We picked Avatar and it was in 3D. We later found out that the theater that we had chosen had the best and latest 3D technology in the whole country!!! The movie was amazing, we loved it and the 3D effect was surreal!! After the movie was over we drove to a spot we you could take a short hike to view
some glow worms. It was about 11pm so it was pitch black and it was like looking up at the stars! These worms were all over the sides of these cliffs and they all gave out an eerie glow. A perfect finale to the Avatar movie. Also, here in New Zealand most of their movies come with the 3D technology that you watch with special lenses. We found this very interesting because neither of us remember that being so common in Panama or U.S.A. That night we camped (you will never guess) AT ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL TURQOISE RIVER!!!! This time we could even see some snowy mountains in the background. This place just keeps getting better!! Oh, and the sand flies have been minimal since Lake Rotorua.
FRANZ JOSEPH AND FOX GLACIERS
The next day we headed to Franz Joseph Glacier Town. Here you could see the ancient glaciers and the white rivers that came from them. Here we stayed in a motor camp were we took full advantage of the facilities by charging our electronic devices and taking hot showers. The next day we visited Lake Matheson. When the water is calm, one can view a perfect
mirror image of the glaciers and the mountains. Unfortunately there was just enough to make some small ripples in the lake. After leaving the lake we stopped alongside the road to pet & feed a friendly horse and then continued on our way to Fox Glacier. There we did an 1 hour hike that took us very close to the glaciers and saw some amazing scenery. We were also tipped off to a great spot to camp that was nearby, it was on a turquoise beach and you could see the glaciers behind you in one single place! We were also warned that it is an easy place to get your van stuck.. Well, Rustin did have one mistake while backing up to find a place to turn around. But we were able to get unstuck very quickly and found a nice spot to spend the night. That afternoon we went for a swim and then enjoyed the view of the ocean and the glaciers from inside the campervan as there were some hungry sand flies around. The next morning we were greeted by several pods of dolphins. They gave us a wonderful display of jumps and splashes. After watching
the show we left for Haast. This was a very small town and almost everyone we met was in a bad mood. We purchased a few items including a fishing license and then headed for a camping spot. With the fishing license we hope to catch many yummy, fresh and free fish. We did find a beautiful spot on a ….yes, beautiful turquoise river. There we tried fishing for a little while but we were soon driven back to the van by the sand flies. After eating dinner the mosquitoes came out. So now there were sand flies and mosquitoes. These ones were very driven as some of them started working there way through the double layer of screen holes! After killing the few that got in the mosquitoes started coming in from who know where, but when the count got to 7 within 30 seconds we decided to make a full retreat! We drove out of that spot and to Haast and found a hostel to stay in for the night.
LAKE HAWEA AND LAKE WANAKA
The next day we drove to Wanaka and found the spectacular Lake Hawea. Here we stayed 2 nights and tried
fishing again. However, it seemed no one around was having much luck. We saw boats with electronic fish finders only come back with one fish after several hours. Rustin made friends with the older gentleman that was camping next to us and the second morning he caught a 2 pound brown trout and gave it to us for breakfast!! They were so friendly and nice! After the great breakfast we went for a swim and then jumped in the van and drove to the historic gold mining town of Arrowtown.
QUEENSTOWN
After a quick tour of the main street and an old Chinese settlement we drove to Queenstown. Which is situated by Lake Wakatipu and The Remarkables Mountain Range. This is a beautiful little ski resort town that I am sure is even more amazing in the winter months. That night we drove out of town about 20 minutes to a great spot were we watched another beautiful sunset. The next day we returned to Queenstown to do some errands and watched the second half of the Superbowl. Then we made an appointment at a service station to replace some seals on our van. After this, we
found a nice spot by the lake, wrote this blog and took in the scenery. The next day we took the van in to be serviced, met up with one our friends that we met in Australia that is also visiting Queenstown at the moment. We also finished writing this sentence… So stay tuned for the rest of New Zealand.
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Papa de Estatos Unidos
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Fantabulous Butchie!!!
Hijos: Holy Smokes! What a fantastic read and photos! Looking at your blog is better than watching the Olympics! You guys are doing such a great job on this thing. Keep it up! Living vicariously through you and loving it, Papa