A road trip on the South Island

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Have you ever found as the years roll by old travel stories tend to become a little tired? The memory still lingers, but every time in the telling they get more distant, as if they're just part of a dream from the distant past. So occasionally it's time for a refresh, and after 18 years it's a thrill to revisit the spectacular South Island of New Zealand. When island hopping in the South Pacific, most flights route through Auckland as the only regional hub. So I figured as I'm coming to NZ on multiple occasions, I should take the opportunity to finish this unforgettable adventure down south. With this in mind I snapped up an early morning Air New Zealand flight to Christchurch for just a hundred dollars, and within a few hours I was out of the airport, and ready for adventure!

The journal left off in The Cook Islands, at the conclusion of a magical visit to this paradise. My friends put me on to Jucy car rentals, located not far from Christchurch airport, and arranging airport pick ups if a booking is confirmed. They are super efficient, super friendly, and most importantly super cheap. Within 30 minutes I took possession of a nice little Hyundai, and with the assistance of a maps app started out on a five day road trip heading south on the main highway. For Day 1 a judicious tip from the Jucy guy encouraged me to head inland on the scenic route for the long drive south to Wanaka, the destination for the first night. Believe me, when signs in the South Island read scenic route they are not joking! This part of the world is so breathtakingly beautiful it's hard to put the wonder of beholding the scenery in words, let alone focus on keeping eyes on the road. I stopped at several exquisite lakes with magnificent blue water, and at one lake the Southern Alps including Aoraki featured in the distance. My goodness, it's a fairytale setting, even picturesque enough to feature in the Lord of the Rings trilogy - now there's an idea!

I checked in to a quality hostel and enjoyed revisiting the divine resort town of Wanaka, set on the lake and featuring a gorgeous resort town vibe. It's hard to describe revisiting one of my favourite world destinations after all these years, except to say I'm over the moon! Day 2 didn't entail a big day of driving, as I made my way down to the world famous Queenstown, with a few must see stops along the way. Once again, it's hard to describe the thrill of revisiting this stunning adventure capital, although a bizarre temperature drop from nearly 30 degrees yesterday to 16 degrees with accompanying rain set me back a little with a chill. Never mind, after a month of perfect weather a cold snap is bound to come in to play sooner or later. I got up early next morning and headed down to the lake for a second extended viewing, with the gods putting on a perfect show for photos of the beautiful lake with peaks in the distance.

Day 3 was one of those magical days on the road that just fall in to place from time to time. The previous night over drinks at the Queenstown hostel a friendly Kiwi couple gave some advise on the proposed itinerary for the road trip, so I randomly decided to head to Te Anau for the day, intending to wander around and bunk down for the night. The town is the gateway for Milford Sound, which is only a few hours further drive. Anyway, the scenery is stunning and I was getting in to the groove of long drives, so off the cuff I decided to push on to Milford Sound, I mean, what the hey, I was heading in that direction, and I may even arrive in time for the final boat trip of the day. When I visited in 2001, it was pouring rain as it does on most days there. However, this time the visit coincided with a stunning view of the magnificent Sound. I was thrilled to bits, although too late to take a boat trip, but still feeling blessed to view the Sound in perfect weather. I arrived back in Te Anau in the evening, and checked in to a super cool camping ground and accommodation. They upgraded me to a private room, and after check in I headed to the gorgeous town centre to reflect on a magical day driving in the incomparable South Island.

I woke up early next morning and checked out of the quality accommodation, heading back to town to get a feel for lovely Te Anau over breakfast. Then it was time to get some kilometres under my belt as I headed south to Invercargill. This is the southern most city in New Zealand, and I enjoyed a lunch time visit to the major attractions of this well presented, and perhaps underappreciated town. After an enjoyable lunch to conclude a lightning visit, I couldn't resist topping up the car even though I still had half a tank. Invercargill boasts petrol and diesel prices more than 20 cents a litre cheaper than the rest of the South Island. Anyway, I was back on the road and in the rhythm of the road trip, which for those of you who haven't had the experience, is one of the great joys in life. There's always the road, there's music, there's interesting people to meet, there's a new destination to discover as you settle down for the night, and most importantly there's stunning scenery. My next base was Dunedin on the east coast, as I slowly headed back north towards Christchurch to conclude the loop. I checked in to a first class hostel, and wandered around the town to enjoy the atmosphere for the evening. There are no toll roads on the South Island, but it was a shock trying to find a parking spot and deal with the vagaries of parking meters again. Oh well, that's life in the big smoke!

Day 5 involved the drive back north to Christchurch. I wanted to get there at a reasonable hour so I could make the most of my final evening exploring the city. I stopped off in Timaru for lunch, and was back at Jucy car rentals with a big smile on my face by 2:00pm. The drop off was very informal and relaxed, and I headed over to Jucy hostel by the airport - which has state of the art check in facilities, and pods that are so high tech you could almost be in space. If this is the future of hostel life - wow... bring it on! The staff sorted me on how to get to town, which incredibly is only a four dollar bus ride away. Christchurch proved to be quite a shock; as unfortunately the devastation wrought by several major earthquakes in 2010-2011 have cut a swathe through the lovely city. There are blocked off and condemned buildings everywhere in the town centre, and next to the bus terminal visitors are confronted by giant shipping containers stacked one on top of the other to prevent a building from collapse. Many residents lost everything and have never been able to return to their homes, perhaps it will take a generation before Christchurch fully regains her swagger. Nevertheless, it's a lovely city with great attractions and fine dining on offer. Well, what an unforgettable road trip it's been travelling around the South Island, basically all of you should be here now!

"If you want to be a success in this world, promise everything, deliver nothing." Napoleon Bonaparte

It's home time, so until next time I'm signing off for now



Tom

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

New Zealand
Still one of our favorite countries. It is like living in a postcard.

[Tom Rooney]

NZ
I couldn't agree more guys. The scenery is magnificent!