When we were home in New Zealand during Easter, we decided to do a little South Island Road Trip…this time down the West Coast of New Zealand (we had driven up the East Coast of the South Island almost a decade earlier…there are a lot of South Island Driving Routes for you to choose from!)…we both had to be in Queenstown by Good Friday so we did what kiwis do best…we had a little tour tiki.
While this was our South Island Road Trip Itinerary; for me a Road Trip is all about personal preferences and just going with the flow…seeing places that interest you on the way and not where the guide book or travel blog tells you to visit.
^^Our red beast!
Starting Point: Nelson, New Zealand
We flew into Nelson airport bright and early on the Monday morning…it’s a rather quaint little regional airport where your luggage is dropped off at the front of the airport building…it’s moments like these I love New Zealand (G thought it was hilarious and no way could this be done in England!)…
…G and I picked up our wheels from Thrifty (obviously via our topcashback account) and headed into Nelson for breakfast and a little wander around the town. It was our first time visiting Nelson and it’s such a cool little spot and one I would definitely revisit again in the future…it reminded me of New Zealand from the good ol’ days.
We were going to visit Golden Bay on this trip however due to a number of cyclones that had hit New Zealand prior to our visit, a few roads were using a timed convoy over Takaka Hill and let’s be honest G and I are not THAT organised so I decided that we were going to go in a different direction instead. We had seen how badly the roads were damaged along the Auckland coastline so we knew it was best to avoid this area on this occasion.
Stop 1: Nelson Lakes Regional Park
Leaving Nelson behind, we took the road less travelled…quite literally we didn’t see another car for a good 30 minutes. We headed to St Arnaud and Lake Rotoiti in the Nelson Lakes Regional Park which was one of the most tranquil spots that we visited on our South Island Road Trip…
…there was a lot of sunshine, ducks, eels and sandflies…
…what more can a girl wish for…well gluten free raspberry slice of course which I scoffed while admiring this view!
^^Typical bloody Kiwi Ducks…they’re super friendly and wanted to say hi…needless to say they freaked me out and there were tears!
We stayed the night at Tophouse Historical Inn where we had to ask for a ranger to come and collect an injured Falcon which is an endangered bird in New Zealand…she flew into a power line and broke her wing. The property is famous for having the smallest bar in New Zealand…the couple running the property are very sweet.
While there is a little cafe / shop in St Arnaud, we had stocked up on a few items to make our own breakfast, lunches and dinners along the way…New Zealand is pretty expensive when you start eating out three times a day.
South Island Road Trip Photo Opportunity
I have no idea where this was taken but it was before Murchison…there are handy little signs indicating great little places to pull over for a photo opportunities in New Zealand and this was one of them…obviously they can’t turn on the good weather but I still thought it was rather lovely!
Stop 3: Red Barn Cafe Just outside Murchison
This wasn’t a planned stop however we needed a loo (G apparently also needed a coffee!) and it was the first major business we had seen on our way to the West Coast from the Nelson Lakes Region…the roads are not in a good state so be prepared to stop and wait your turn to travel as they work on fixing up the roads. Our loo stop was also home to gluten free and vegan goodness and pretty amazing views…
…I ordered a lot as you just never know when you may get sheep traffic jam in New Zealand.
Address: Red Barn Cafe, State Highway 6, Murchison 7077, New Zealand
Stop 4: Westport and Cape Foulwind
Westport tickled my fancy for some reason and I was interested to see what the town was all about…the towns in this area have suffered a lot due to a number of mines closing down over the past few years and they’re looking at ways to rejuvenate these little towns along the West Coast of New Zealand…they’re rather charming.
After a wander around…we decided to head in the direction of Greymouth however I saw a sign for seals so we took another detour…and honestly how could you NOT visit a place called Cape Foulwind.
Cape Foulwind decided to live up to it’s name…we weren’t prepared…we had left our raincoats in the car of course…we got drenched but we saw seals…seals are fascinating little creatures and there were a few playing in a pool of water that I had to point out to G…I’m pretty sure I was a seal in a past life!
^^If you squint you can see a few of them…it’s like finding Where’s Wally but with Seals!
^^We stopped to say hi to this fella as we were leaving Cape Foulwind!
Stop 5: Punakiki aka the Pancake Rocks
I’ve had the Pancake Rocks on my bucket list for ages and it was great to tick them off…I would like to say that I saw the pancake shaped rocks and blow holes but let’s just say my eyeballs were filled up with a tad too much rain water but what I did see…was bloody magnicfient! I will be back one day to see them again…
…hopefully with less rain.
Stop 6: Greymouth
We stopped off to have a look around Greymouth…G needed Waterproof Spray for his jacket (you can buy this from The Warehouse and it’s located in the shoe department just in case you need to buy some). It was almost 5pm so most of the shops were closing; we grabbed something to eat and headed a bit further south for the night.
We stayed in Kumara Junction however the motel is no longer showing as available on booking.com.
Stop 7: Shantytown
The West Coast of New Zealand was heavily populated in the 1860’s due to the Gold Rush and a number of the towns in this area are now ghost towns. Shantytown was created as a heritage centre, so you can see what a Gold Rush town in New Zealand would have looked like back in the day. It was rather interesting to walk around looking inside some of these old buildings and learning more about the businesses that were operating during the Gold Rush…
…Hannahs Shoes was originally a Gold Rush shoe business and is still a popular shoe shop in New Zealand now…we took a train trip…
…a few of the buildings are originals however a majority are replicas. This was right up my street obviously…G on the other hand felt like I was torturing him until I fed him some lolly cake (it’s a Kiwi classic and only made on special occasions).
Check out bookme.co.nz for deals on Shantytown…why pay full price, right!?!
Address: 316 Rutherglen Rd, Rutherglen, Greymouth 7805, New Zealand
Stop 8: Hokitika
We were going to stop in Hokitika for two reasons…Greenstone for G and Whitebait Fritters for me! I shared the company that I would recommend visiting in Hokitika in my New Zealand Travel Tips post under Greenstone.
Hokitika is small town New Zealand however it used to be New Zealand’s biggest town during the Gold Rush but what I was truly baffled about was the buildings dotted around the town…their history and just how much they reminded me of New York…yip told you it was baffling!
The money for the Hokitika Free Public Library was provided by Andrew Carnegie, the Scottish born American philanthropist who believed everyone should have access to library regardless of wealth or status.
Stop 9: Franz Josef Glacier
We were undecided if we wanted to do a helicopter tour over the Glacier; I kinda felt like since we were in the area then maybe we should do it. Alas we arrived into tourist central…it felt so chaotic… and I told G to keep driving…Pure New Zealand it wasn’t.
We did stop to have a look at the Glacier from the Car Park, ate a bite of afternoon tea (provisions from our previous supermarket shop!) and carried on our merry way. Franz Josef Glacier and Queenstown – two of the most un-Kiwi places that I’ve visited…don’t think you’ve “seen” New Zealand if these are the only areas you have visited…as a Kiwi I was disgusted…as I said, there was nothing Pure about them on so many different levels.
Stop 10: Bruce Bay
It seemed like we had driven for ages, we hadn’t seen a house for ages and we had no contact with the outside world for yonks (no radio or phone signal…thank goodness for Podcasts that I had updated by accident before leaving the UK…there were a lot of money, finance and business podcasts to select from!) and then we rode into Bruce Bay and there was a tiny little caravan selling hot drinks and food with wifi on the most gorgeous beach.
Bliss! This is the New Zealand that I love!
Stop 11: Knight’s Point Look Out
We were close to Haast where we were staying the night when I saw the sign for Knight’s Point Look Out that offered stunning views of the coastline just before sunset…the sandflies are HUGE and one got in my knickers (not sure how but it did…have you ever tried to kill a sandfly in your knickers…it’s not easy!). Totally worth it for these views!
Stop 12: Haast
For some reason I don’t have any photos from Haast…interesting place, most people stay the one night and move on as it’s a bit of a drive between destinations from Queenstown to the Glaciers. There aren’t many places to eat and they close early.
Stop 13: Roaring Billy Falls
Not far from Haast is Roaring Billy Falls…you can hear Billy before you see him. It’s a short walk and one you would need to wear comfortable shoes for as you can cross the river bed to get a bit closer to the falls. G deems walking as punishment and he hadn’t consumed enough coffee when I suggested going for a walk!
Stop 14: Blue Pools
G was definitely thinking I was torturing him as I forced him to do 2 walks in one day (all before midday!) but the Blue Pools is totally worth it and honestly it’s only a short walk, around 15 minutes each way…check out more photos here to see why I loved it so much.
Another South Island Road Trip Photo Stop
We were heading around the Lakes and we stopped in a layby ...just to take in the lovely views and eat a couple of gluten free rice crackers. (Please don’t stop in the middle of the road for a photo…don’t be an instagram twat folks…it’s super dangerous and rude!)
Stop 15: Queenstown
Queenstown was our final destination and let’s just say it has changed a lot in the 24 years since my last visit…and not for the better unfortunately. To sum up an article that I read in the local newspaper, the roads around Queenstown are like a carpark as it’s just so busy.
The scenery is beautiful however I just found this area and Wanaka to be very pretentious and the laid back and sweet New Zealand that I remember is now long gone.
If you are looking to escape Queenstown then I would highly recommend a visit to Glenorchy, Arrowtown or Cromwell…smaller little towns without the pretentious twats!
Our little tiki tour lasted five days…we took it nice and easy and stopped at places that interested us along the way…we booked accommodation as we went along bar the first night. G went to his work reunion and Daddy and I went to watch Warbirds over Wanaka…it’s one of my favourite Easters to date.
xx
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