As we left Australia from Sydney to travel to Christchurch in New Zealand we had some moments to reflect back on our time exploring this immense country. Even though it was difficult to narrow down to only 10 top experiences, we re-documented the memories from swimming in the incredible rock pools of Sydney to watching the sunset at Uluru to seeing clown fish while snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef and so much more. Given the vast nature of Australia there is still much to explore in the future, but we left happy with an incredible introduction to the Land Down Under.
While it is always sad to have one chapter close, we were excited to embark on our longest ever road-trip in order to explore New Zealand. While many people promote van life as the best option, we found that it worked a lot better for us to rent a car and stay in the small towns or cities around the country. We decided to start our journey in Christchurch, the largest city on the South Island, so that we could do a 1 way driving route to Auckland, the largest city on the North Island. Starting in the South Island meant that our trip would begin with the natural wonders that New Zealand is most famous for and end with the cultural areas in the North where nearly 75% of the population actually lives.
After exploring Christchurch, our first days of the road trip were spent in the Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve, one of the best places to view stars in the world and home to the Southern Alps, which includes the highest peaks of New Zealand. After that we continued further south through Dunedin, an old Scottish settlement and the second largest city on the South Island, so that we could take the long route to Fiordland National Park through the Catlins to admire its rugged coastline and ancient forests. Fiordland National Park was near the top of our list of places to visit, especially to boat through the Milford Sound. On top of that, we spent a whole weekend hiking in the national park and got to experience portions of some of the New Zealand Great Walks through day hikes. The following part of our road trip took us to the Queenstown area, which is the most visited destination in New Zealand for international vacationers. This area has nearly unlimited activities to do from adrenaline activities (sky diving, bungee jumping, jet boating), wine tasting (world class pinot noirs), small towns (Glenorchy, Arrowtown, Wanaka), and endless trails to hike. Our final portion of driving took us along the West Coast of New Zealand, known for its rugged untamed beauty and sparsely populated wilderness. While here we concluded our time in the Southern Alps by visiting its most famous peaks and glaciers. The start of our trip confirmed to us why New Zealand is a famous destination for its natural wonders and left us looking forward to the experiences ahead.
