YAS' GUIDE TO NEW ZEALAND
Jason and I went to New Zealand last year to surprise his family while they were visiting. I gotta say, I didn’t really have much of an expectation and that was probably a good thing as I was blown away. Its beautiful sparse beaches and sheep grazing along the green majestic landscape was beyond what I had imagined.
Since we only had about 10 days, we focused one general area, the north part of the South Island. We flew into Wellington and spent a day there, which I think was more than enough. It’s a cute city, with a nice downtown wharf, but not a lot to do in the immediate area other than some okay restaurants and shopping. The next day, instead of taking the ferry to the South Island, we took a Cessna plane over the glorious Queen Charlotte Sound, which is really the only way to see all the beauty that New Zealand has to offer. While the ferry would have taken 3 hours, and I’m sure beautiful, this was a 30 minute flight and we were able to see the whole sound.
WHERE TO STAY:
Dropped off on a grass airstrip, we were picked up by a driver from Raetihi Lodge for a few days of alone time before heading to wine country and meeting up with Jason’s family. There were no hotels or restaurants for miles, but Raetihi was all we needed. Sunshine, kayaking for miles, amazing hikes, mountain biking, and very few people. We were able to explore the sound and enjoy local green shell mussels and the best fish and chips I’ve ever had.
After some R&R, we took a water taxi from our lodge to Picton where we rented a car and explored the Marlborough wine region located in the northeast region of the South Island. Because New Zealand is so spread out, a car is a must if you want to adventure around the country and enjoy all its beauty. There are numerous vineyards and wineries known for their sauvignon blanc so I would recommend at least 3 days to explore & relax..
We were a bit tipsy by this point but had SO much fun trying all the delicious wines Marlborough had to offer.
After 3 days, we drove from Blenham about 3 hours over the Takaha hill to Golden Bay. We stayed in small town called Pahara where we surprised Jason’s family and met his new baby nephew who was born just a few weeks earlier! While there are a few hotels, the best thing to do is rent a house. Its much more reasonable and enough space for a family to hang out comfortably.
WHAT TO DO:
WAINUI FALLS - The falls are located in Tasman National Park on the Wainui River. It’s an easy 1-hour in and out walk, but offers a shaded trail, suspension bridge and a must see waterfall.
ROCK CLIMBING - There’s quite a bit of rock climbing in the South Island and some beautiful rock walls just off the road near the sound.
TE WAIKOROPUPū SPRINGS - Clearest water in the world and a beautiful .5 mile hike/walk.
CAPE FAREWELL is the most northern part of the South Island about an hour drive from Takaka/Golden Bay. If you do nothing else on this list, please go to Cape Farewell. My photos do not do it justice.
KAYAKING ON GOLDEN BAY - a stunning beach and sunsets are ever more beautiful. We rented a kayak and explored Golden Bay. We took nice family portraits here that we will remember for years to come.
view from our airbnb
Hiked to Wainui Falls
Rock climbing in Takakah
Beautiful hike to Pupu Springs
Pupu Springs has some of the clearest water in the world.
Took some nice family portraits in Golden Bay.
Cape Farewell - a STUNNER!
Kayaking across Golden Bay - A MUST!
Kayaking through these rocks were something I would never forget
The only downside to New Zealand was the culinary experience. Other than Raetihi Lodge, there wasn’t any restaurant that really stood out during our trip to the South Island.
I highly recommend going to New Zealand to see true beauty on this earth. We didn’t even touch most of the South Island and only really flew in and out of the north Island, but we will definitely be back soon!
Have wonderful time, if you decide to visit.