Well I’m a little late, blogging about this trip. It happened almost a year ago, but there was so many beautiful sights and experiences that I needed more than just a 15 minute sit down on computer to sort through them all.

Our youngest son is a pilot for one of the major airlines, and periodically he receives perks of free ticketed airline travel. He gifted Connie and I his perk and we used it on a trip to New Zealand.

We flew into Auckland, and then jumped on a domestic flight from Auckland to Christchurch. In Christchurch we rented a campervan and began our 10 day road trip around the south island.

Now this was a super long trip and despite getting the luxury 1st class pods on the overseas flight we were exhausted from all the travel. We followed the tour book advice and loaded up on groceries, then headed for a nearby camp-spot. The campervan we rented was from the Wilderness company. Now to be honest they are a little pricey compared to the other agencies, but their equipment is very new and their service is 1st rate. We definitely did not want mechanical issues on this road trip. Our van was kind of a mini motor home rather than the sprinter type vans most companies were renting. Plenty of room for 2 adults and very easy to navigate the narrow roads with left lane drivers. Ya, that’s right it’s all backasswards in New Zealand, steering wheel is on right side of vehicle and you drive on left side of road.🤦‍♂️

Our 1st full day on the island had us at lake Tekapo and up lake Pukaki. We traveled up to see Mt. Cook, but we had to refrain from taking any extended hikes. Connie’s ankle replacement hardware had fractured so she had to be very cautious with it until the new one could be surgically implanted. We camped on lake Pukaki at what New Zealanders (kiwis) call a holiday park.

You are allowed to freedom camp in many areas of New Zealand, as long as your vehicle is certified to be self contained. We used Holiday parks and government serviced campgrounds mainly because we could make a reservation during this busy season and not have to worry about finding a spot late in the day. In hindsight I would definitely freedom camp. There were so many nice places that we would find either just after we had departed our park in the morning, or later in the day when we had already made reservations. These freedom spots can be very secluded and beautiful, but when you’re a tourist you need a guide book showing where these coveted spots are located.

Arrowtown had a lot of hype of being a picturesque resort town that one shouldn’t miss. We again stayed at a holiday park as there are no freedom areas that we found near that community. Personally I would pass on Arrowtown unless you’ve got lots of days to spend in country. Older community with very narrow streets. Difficult to navigate around with a larger vehicle.

We then headed down around Queenstown to Te Anau. This area is wonderful with large streets, easy access, and numerous shops. Te Anau is kind of a staging area for Milford Sound visitors. Leaving Te Anau you travel up a beautiful valley stopping at Milford. We were fortunate to have made reservations early so we camped right at Milford and took our cruise of the sound the following day. Holiday Parks like the one at Milford have lots of amenities including communal kitchens, rec rooms, pools, showers and most important, laundry service. You need to travel somewhat light for a vacation like this and being able to do laundry is very important.

It’s only a few minutes drive to parking area at the cruise site. We had to use the fee area because of Connie’s ankle issue, but there is free parking within about 20-30 min walk. Even at the fee parking expect a 10 min walk to the launch area. Now Milford Sound is one of those do not miss excursions. It is reported to rain in this area like 182 days/year, so expect that kind of weather if you’re planning a trip here. We had the great fortune of nothing but blue skies for our cruise and it was fabulous. Constant waterfalls with rainforest like vegetation and lots of local wildlife (seals). The boats will take you on a 2-hr cruise up the sound and out to the Tasman Sea. Here they turn around and head back and the views just keep getting better. They will park you under a waterfall briefly so need rain gear if you’re out on deck, and they’ll park in proximity of the seals out sunning for pictures. If you take this excursion my advice is to book a smaller boat. The large boats may have more amenities, but the smaller ones get you into the little close spots where the larger charters can’t maneuver.

Leaving Milford and traveling down the valley we found numerous fee and freedom campsites. Unfortunately though, this area has no cell service which for us meant no internet service. We ended up staying at a gorgeous government sight that offered internet access, privacy and great views.

Then we headed up to Wanaka. This is a real touristy area with “That Wanaka Tree” being the main attraction. It’s basically a tree that’s been growing in the lake for like 80 years and if you’re in this area it’s a prerequisite to get a picture with this landmark tree.

We then headed out to the coast, looking for Haast beach and then headed up the coast to check out Gillespie beach and then Fox glacier. Gillespie beach would be worth staying at for sure, but we were not able to. In this area there is no cell service, so no internet, in order to stay you had to pre register with a CC or have cash on hand to do a self registration at the facility. We had no cash so felt it best to head back towards Fox glacier (town). This is an awesome little town and well worth visiting.

The next adventure is to head up Franz Josef glacier. This looks like a relatively mild hike up to view the glacier and surrounding valley. Unfortunately we had to pass on this hike because Connie’s ankle was really bothering at the time. There are so many great places to see though, that having some mobility issues for the bigger hikes is not a problem.

Traveling up the coast you have the opportunity to take numerous side trips to ocean viewpoints.. we traveled up past Greymouth and watched the surfers for awhile, then backtracked slightly to take the highway over Arthur’s Pass. We had another Holiday park reservation prior to Arthur’s Pass, because on the maps we had, camping in this area was somewhat limited. After staying at a very nice facility we headed up to the pass for a planned stop at a little restaurant up on top for breakfast.

On our way up the pass that morning it was pouring rain. We had planned sightseeing stops on the way so we felt bad about driving past a drenched young back-packer gal who was attempting to hitch a ride up to the pass. We hadn’t been in the small establishment 5 minutes when in walked the young lady after being successful in securing a ride. Turns out this business is a stopover point for hikers and they have care packages sent to them for pickup. We observed several hikers come in for breakfast and package pickup. Needless to say we felt pretty embarrassed for not offering the young lady a ride and getting her out of the rain.

After Arthur’s Pass we decided to head back towards Christchurch and turn in our campervan. This would allow us to save a days rental and we could stay in one of the hotels at the airport. The thought of a big luxury hotel bed and shower was more appealing than staying our last night in our comfortable but getting smaller RV.

Now for anyone reading this blog and contemplating a New Zealand trip, I want to give you a little advice for coming home. Get to Auckland international early! The flight we were taking from Christchurch was to arrive 4 hours early into Auckland. Plenty of time right? Well no actually, our domestic flight was delayed 1 hour (which is quite common). You have a 10 min walk to international flights in Auckland. We arrived at customs line about 2 1/2 hours prior to departure. The line was one of those normal airport lines where they channel you back and forth until you get to the front. It didn’t look to bad and we felt we would get through customs with plenty of extra time. When we finally arrived at the front of the line entering another large room, we realized THIS was the actual start of the customs line. OMG for sure we had another 2 hour wait time. Well we did make it through and got to our gate prior to them closing the doors so it was ok, but word of advice – Auckland international sucks, get there early!

Another tip, coffee is like a special delicacy. In the states we drink coffee like we would have a glass of water. In New Zealand coffee comes after the meal and is like its own special course. It’s an event apparently to have coffee. One last tip – try the fish and chips, WOW!

This was such an awesome trip. The campervan type of self tour is very common with both tourists and locals. Absolutely the favorite way to see the island. Lots of YouTube videos out there that are helpful if you’re considering this kind of adventure.