Aoraki / Mt Cook National Park
Blenheim: After the four hour ferry ride, we got off and hurried to the Apex Rental Car office at the ferry port. We were nervous we wouldn't be able to pick up our car since the ferry was late and the rental place was closing, but we weren't the only ones in this situation. As a funny aside, there was another couple from Texas on our ferry that we immediately recognized from our Hobbiton tour because during the tour we had to hear them loudly telling people about how great Trump was and how corrupt USAID was (we had mostly encountered friendly and not obnoxious Americans while traveling so far, so this was pretty jarring. Also, in Hobbiton of all places?!) We kept our distance from them so we wouldn't have to engage, but then they were also waiting at the same rental car office with us. We felt like we couldn't get rid of them and their bad energy! Anyway, there was a sign at the rental office that said to call these numbers if no one was in the office which seemed promising except no one actually picked up, so for a while we thought we would have to taxi to Blenheim (20 mins south) and then come back the next morning for the car which would have been annoying. Fortunately, someone finally showed up helped us out and we packed up our Mitsubishi (not as nice as our Rav4 on the North Island, but still decent) and were on the road to explore the South Island!
After a quick 30 minute drive, we made it to our Airbnb in Blenheim. It was a spacious and cozy house that felt more like a cottage your grandma would have (in a good way). We unpacked and walked to downtown Blenheim where we grabbed dinner at nice tapas restaurant that reminded us of Petite León in Minneapolis. We had oysters, clams, duck fat rolls, grilled haloumi, grilled lamb, and gnocchi, and it was as incredible as it sounds! We made a pit stop at the grocery store on our way back to stock up for future meals and then watched more LOTR (we were watching the extended versions, which is why it was taking so long to finish) to end the evening.
Blenheim is the most populous town in the Marlborough region of New Zealand and is famous for its wine, particularly Sauvignon Blanc, so we were devoting the next day to enjoying as much wine as possible. We slept in, had breakfast, and then were picked up by a shuttle van mid-morning to bring us to our bicycle rental shop closer to the vineyards. At the shop, we grabbed bicycles and were given a map of the surrounding vineyards along with some recommendations, and then we hopped on our bikes and set out to visit different wineries. Our first stop was Cloudy Bay. This vineyard was just over a 30 minute bike ride, but we had heard great things about it and figured we could go to the far one first and then more slowly make our way back. At Cloudy Bay, our friend Tom who we had met in Bosnia met up with us; he was living in Christchurch and made the drive up with his own bike to hang out. We caught up and enjoyed the tasting menu. We all unanimously agreed that the 2024 Sauvignon Blanc was the favorite (and ended up being our favorite of the whole day), so we grabbed a couple of bottles to enjoy later. We then hopped back on our bikes and roe to Framingham Wines. It was a beautiful day, so we grabbed a picnic table outside and tried a variety of different wines served in beakers. Their flagship was a unique Riesling unique to the Marlborough region. The vibes here were very rustic and chill, so we ended up staying a while enjoying the wine, sun, and charcuterie snacks. After a while, we headed to our last winery, Forrest Wines. The tasting menu here included six pretty large pours, so it was a good bang for your buck. The wine was decent, and we all enjoyed the dessert wine with hints of pineapple and other fruits. When it was time to return out bikes, we rode back to the shop and then got shuttled back to our Airbnb. Wade and Marshall made chicken, orzo and leeks, and salad for dinner and Tom came over to join us. After the amazing dinner, we played cards and watched more LOTR before saying goodbye to Tom. It was great to catch up with yet another friend we met on our journey in their home country!
Abel Tasman: After a good night's sleep, we packed up our things and headed toward Abel Tasman National Park along the South Island's northern coast. We stopped for lunch in Nelson at another tapas-style restaurant where we tried some local fish, including fresh green mussels. They were delicious, and Carson still ranks them as one of the best foods he ate on the whole trip. After lunch we drove to our next Airbnb located in the countryside of Mahana, between the busier town of Nelson and the national park. The Airbnb was a beautiful small house in a barn style located on the host family's land. We had great views of the mountains and farmland around us since we were perched on a hill. After checking in and appreciating our surroundings, we drove 30 minutes north to Kaiteriteri Beach. We went for a walk through the forest and along the stunning coastline where we saw a Little Blue Penguin nest but sadly we didn't see any penguins. After getting a taste for the beautiful beaches here, we headed out to grab groceries for dinner. On our way to the store, we stopped at a popular roadside shop for some cherry ice cream made with fresh local cherries. Not only was it one of the biggest ice cream cones we'd ever been served, but it was probably the best ice cream we have ever had, too (the fresh chunks of cherry were SO good). We got groceries, and went back to the Airbnb where we fired up the grill to make burgers, corn on the cob, and a fresh salad, with a side of NZ wine, of course. We ate outside enjoying the perfect weather and after dinner we walked out to enjoy sunset. When it got dark enough, we followed the recommendation of our Airbnb hosts and grabbed flashlights and hiked down a steep trail on the property to a small cavern to see glow worms. We saw a few, but nothing compared to Waitomo, but we were still glad Wade and Marsh got to see them. On our walk back to the house we stopped to star gaze; the skies were so dark and clear that we could see the Milky Way super clearly; it was incredible! When we got back into the house there were a fair amount of bugs that had flown in since we had the windows open and there were no window screens. One of the bugs was a large huhu beetle which made for some excitement before bed.
The following morning, we woke up early, tag teamed making breakfast and our packed lunches for the day, and then drove 40 minutes up to Marahau to try a get on the first water taxi into Abel Tasman National Park, since you can basically only reach the national park by boat. We didn't expect this to be an issue, but sadly they were sold out for that morning time slot. We quickly talked to some of the rangers and adapted our plans. We ended up booking a round trip water taxi instead of a one way that would drop us off in one part of the park and pick us up in the another, and allow us to hike one of the best sections of the Abel Tasman Great Walk. Since we had 1.5 hours to kill before our water taxi, we drove nearby and hiked the short trail to Split Apple Rock. Sitting out in the bay, the rock is almost a perfect sphere cracked right down the middle....it really did look like a split apple. The beach and hike were peaceful and it was nice that the tour groups weren’t at the beach and rock yet so we had it to ourselves. We headed back to the park office where we hopped onto a boat that was on a trailer hitched to an old Ford Tractor (this was a new one for us). The tractor drove us out into the bay in a couple feet of water before the boat was detached from the trailer and we took off. Our captain made a quick pit stop at Split Apple Rock, where we got to appreciate it from a new angle, and also made some stops around Adele Island where we saw seals but again, sadly, no penguins. After a somewhat bumpy ride, we finally made it to Bark Bay where we got off and waded through the shallow water to shore. We put our hiking boots back on and were welcomed by the curious and funny endemic bird called a weka that was looking at our stuff. The wekas are also flightless birds and look a little like the much rarer kiwis, that we didn't think we'd be lucky enough to see. After snapping some photos of the beach and the wekas, we started the hike. The hike was absolutely beautiful. It wasn't super difficult, but it had rolling elevation that took us across swinging bridges, through beautiful lush forests, and along ridgelines overlooking the coast. There were hidden bays with crystal clear blue waters and white sandy beaches with no boats or people on them. Our favorite viewpoints were Sandfly Bay and Torrent Bay. We stopped and had lunch overlooking Anchorage Bay and were joined by a very pushy weka hoping for some crumbs. We had a strict 4pm pickup for our water taxi so we had to keep our pace up, and we made it to the beach where we would be picked up. We arrived about 30 minutes early even after we had to take the long way around one of the trail sections due to high tide. We were entertained while we waiting by the Red Billed Gulls that were literally screaming over territory. When the boats arrived for pick up, it was chaotic with people cutting to the front to get on a boat even though we had already paid and reserved a boat. It was very disorganized and starting to get rainy but eventually we got on a boat back to Marahau. We got in our car and stopped for a very well deserved cherry ice cream on our drive back. We cooked dinner and watched the White Lotus season 3 premiere before passing out.
Franz Joseph: The next morning we took it easy before starting our long ~6 hour drive down the west coast to Franz Joseph. We stopped at some scenic pull-offs along the way, including Constant and Joyce Bays. A big storm was blowing in, so the scenery was really dramatic with the dark skies and rough waves crashing along the rocky shoreline. Along the route, we also stopped in Punkaiki to visit the pancake rocks lookout, a neat geologic feature with rock stacks in many layers that truly looked like pancakes. We walked out to the first viewpoint, but it was pouring and windy and we were getting soaked, so we headed back to the visitor center to dry off and grab a flat white. We continued our drive and the rain started to clear up and the coastal views started to look more like Oregon with haystack rocks and large cliff edges. Eventually the land started to flatten out and we passed lots of ranches and larger mountains which were hiding in the rain clouds east of us. After a long day of driving, we checked into our cozy little hotel, the Wild Kea Lodge, and grabbed Thai food for dinner. We finished the evening by watching Severance in the shared living room since there was a smart TV that none of the other guests were using.
The next day was also rainy so we stopped at the visitor center in the morning to figure out what hikes we should do. We were hoping we would get a break in the rain while we were here to see the stunning glaciers and mountains, but we also knew this was one of the rainiest parts of the country (even in the "drier" month of February). After talking to the rangers, we ended up driving a little north to the coastal town of Ōkārito hoping for less rain. We were able to hike and bird watch for about an hour before the rain hit, and then we headed back to the lodge to dry off. We grabbed meat pies and carrot cake for lunch and then headed out for another hike with fingers crossed the rain would hold off. It was a beautiful and secluded hike in the rainforest with some foggy views of the valley. It did rain on us, but luckily it was mostly a drizzle and we embraced it. We got back to the lodge, dried off, ate our leftovers, and watched more Severance before heading to bed.
Wānaka: The weather in Franz Joseph was still cloudy and rainy so we hit the road early and started our 4 hour drive south to Wānaka. We made a pit stop in Fox Glacier where the clouds briefly parted and we were finally able to see the mountains and Fox Glacier for about 15 minutes before it was re-engulfed in clouds. We did a short hike around Reflection Lake, hoping the mountains would come back out, but they never did so we continued our drive. As we got further south, the rain stopped and the skies were clear, which gave us some nice views along the coast. We grabbed lunch in Haast before driving over the Haast pass through Mount Aspiring National Park which had stunning landscapes. We got out for some photo stops and a quick hike through a beautiful mossy forest to Roaring Billy Falls. We kept driving and made our way alongside the shores of Lake Wānaka and Lake Hāwea. We could not believe how beautiful the scenery was here, and we many more pull over stops for photos and to soak in the views. We checked into our Airbnb, which was a lower unit of a family's house, and met their adorable cat Jeffrey (or "Jiffrey" if you have a Kiwi accent) who opted to hang out in our unit for the evening. Wade and Marshall made a delicious lasagna and a big salad for dinner and we relaxed that evening watching more Severance.
The next day, we woke up early, had breakfast and coffee made using the world's smallest French press, and then hit the road to our trailhead. We made our way to the trailhead for a hike called the Diamond Lake and Rocky Mountain Track. This hike was recommended by Ed as an alternative to Roy's Peak, which is a famous hike nearby that is way steeper, longer, and busier (and the one social media would tell you to do). As we started the hike, we had a nice high cloud cover and very few people on the trail with us. The views as we started to ascend were beautiful and looking back at the mirror face of the massive Lake Wānaka was so picturesque. We passed grazing sheep on our way up and at the top we were awarded panoramic views of the lakes and the surrounding mountains, including Mount Aspiring and its glacier. We sat and had a snack looking at the views until we decided to head back down. The trail we did was a loop, so we got new forest views on the way down. We all agreed this was our favorite hike so far and could not stop talking about how amazing it was and how glad we were we'd decided to do that one instead of Roy's! We drove back to the Airbnb to have lunch and then walked into the town center to walk around the lake and grab some local wine. After a glass or two we made our way back to the house to enjoy our lasagna leftovers and had a chill evening with Jeffrey.
Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park: In the morning, while the rest of us slept in, Carson woke up for sunrise to go to the famous Wānaka tree which is a tree that is planted just offshore on Lake Wānaka and is known for amazing reflection photos. The water around the tree had rescinded more due to the time of year so Carson had to get creative with his photos but overall it was a pretty sunrise and he still had a fun time capturing the moment. We cooked breakfast and packed up before jumping in the car for the ~2 hour drive and heading toward Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. Halfway there we stopped at a roadside stand for coffee and delicious carrot cake right before the Lindis Pass. We stopped for lunch in Twizel at High Country Salmon which is a family-run salmon farm with some of the best fresh salmon in New Zealand. We got sashimi, sushi rolls, and salmon bennedict and ate outside on the deck with the pools of salmon and mountains around us. It was amazing and we would highly recommend stopping by if you're ever in the area.
We were actually staying in Twizel since Mount Cook Village has very limited accommodation, but since we had arrived before check in we decided to continue the drive the remaining 45 minutes north up the shore of Lake Pukaki to the National Park. We stopped at many pull offs along the way to admire the crazy bright blue color of Lake Pukaki. We also passed one of the filming set locations of Gondor from LOTR. We parked the car at the trailhead for the Hooker Valley Track and were lucky to snag a spot near the front since it's a popular hike. We headed off on the stunning ~6 mile hike with the sun shining and clouds hanging on the western edge of the mountains. The trail followed the river and we crossed three suspension bridges to get to Hooker Lake where we were blessed with a beautiful clear view of Mt. Cook. We couldn't have asked for better weather to see such a beautiful mountain. The hike back was also beautiful with views of the many glaciers on the mountains on Mt. Sefton. We also stopped at a memorial just off the trail dedicated to the climbers that have lost their lives in the park. We drove back from the park to Twizel where we stopped for groceries, made some massive burritos, and settled in for the night at our Airbnb.
The next morning, we woke up early to drove to the same trailhead as the Hooker Valley Track to get a good parking spot to hike up a different, more challenging trail to the Sealy Tarns Viewpoint. The hike is often referred to as the "Stairway to Heaven" because it involves climbing about 2,200 steps up the side of the mountain to reach the viewpoint. When we started the hike there were high clouds all around us; it was still beautiful, but Mount Cook and the other surrounding taller mountains weren't visible. As we continued to climb (and climb, and climb....), the clouds started to break away as the sun came out. By the time we reached the view point, the clouds were gone and we had perfect views of the mountains, valleys, glaciers, and glacial lakes all around us. It was definitely one of the most gorgeous views we had seen. We took pictures and then had an early lunch at the top while we tried to catch our breath and stop sweating. Carson had also secretly planned a special moment here and when the clouds parted again he asked for Marshall and Wade to take pictures of us. Mel thought we were just getting some cute pictures until Carson got down on one knee and proposed with Mount Cook in the background. She was completely surprised, but of course said an immediate yes! The few other hikers at the top with us who saw it happen clapped in applause to join in on the celebration. When we were in Rotorua, Carson had purchased a pair of beautiful Māori jade earrings that were from New Zealand to help commemorate our trip, our future travels, and lives together, and this is what he proposed with in the meantime until they could get a ring back home. After a bunch of happy tears, we hiked back down the mountain with big smiles. We made one last pit stop in the park to do a short hike out to the Tasman Glacier viewpoint and then continued to celebrate on our drive back with some delicious lavender honey ice cream from a nearby lavender farm. We made it back to the Airbnb where we called our friends and family to share the news and had some celebratory wine.
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