The Imprint

Cruising down the open roads of New Zealand, with dark green trees towering on either side and frosty mountains on the horizon, sounds like any traveller’s dream. But it comes with its challenges and accidents. This blog post will outline the stops we made, things that went wrong and overall recommendations.

Whilst we were in the north island of New Zealand, we packed a couple of suitcases between us. Being a family of five, never having gone on a road trip, especially to a cold destination, had caused some panic packing. We had over packed, but it was all for a good cause because the evenings in Queenstown needed multiple layers.

After taking a short three-hour flight from Auckland, we arrived at Christchurch International Airport. An elderly man was waiting by the escalator, his hands perched on a trolley with all three of our large bags piled on. Welcoming us to Christchurch, he led us outside and towards his black van. We were pleasantly surprised by sunny, blue skies. We started to drive through a quaint town with British-sounding road names and large beautiful homes. The driver filled us in on the brief history of the area and suggested various attractions. Many parts of the town were derelict, covered in graffiti, not having been rebuilt since the detrimental earthquake of 2011.

A short drive later we arrived at our hotel for the night, dropped off our bags and headed for some sightseeing. Much to our dismay, many of the shops were closing soon. So, we window-shopped until we arrived at a small coffee shop called Coffee Culture.

Rhea’s favourite: the white chocolate and raspberry muffin was the best muffin I’ve ate… ever! Cafes in New Zealand warm their muffins so the fillings inside are gooey and warm. It makes all the difference so I’ll definitely be doing that from now on!

After walking around the supermarket and picking up a few bits, we started looking for a restaurant for dinner. We settled on Midnight Shanghai; picking was quite difficult purely based on the amount of choices available in Riverside Market. Following an adequate dinner, we returned to the hotel and played a few games of UNO before preparing for the Trans-Alpine train early the next morning.

The Trans-Alpine train travelled from the east to the west coast, taking its passengers from Christchurch to Greymouth. The four hour journey served us with scenic views of Arthur’s Pass accompanied by commentary informing us on all the facts and history. The train journey is the perfect way to see the landscape in a stress-free way and even catch up on some sleep.

From Greymouth train station, our road trip started! Driving parallel to Hokitika Beach, we blasted music all the way to Franz Josef. For half the miles, we drove alongside tranquil farmland with only animals in sight and for the rest through extremely winding roads. All of the miles were encompassed by snowy mountains, 90% of which we tried to capture the essence of but failed to do so.

No matter how many miles we drove, we were continually stunned by the lack of people and the vast amount of land. Our London, construction-riddled eyes finally saw uninterrupted horizons instead of skyscraper cranes and construction warning signs.

Driving into the sleepy, sequestered town of Franz Josef, we were again shocked by the simplicity of it. A strip of cozy lodges next to another of excursion sellers and restaurants all with the backdrop of the feathery mountains.

The first person we saw in all those hours was the receptionist at our lodge, at which we were the only guests. After being handed the keys by our cheery receptionist, we checked into our little lodge and carried our suitcases into our room. Standing around the kitchen, we made a plan for the evening: we would wrap up warm and head onto the street with the restaurants and explore.

After grabbing some breakfast essentials from the supermarket, we headed to an Italian restaurant to have dinner. We had a smaller array of options compared to the night before, but good options nonetheless. I settled for a delicious creamy mushroom risotto accompanied by a glass of New Zealand red wine.

Walking back to the lodge under a blanket of stars was definitely unforgettable. I stood outside for an extra ten minutes in my jacket, trying to get the best picture before taking it all in for another few minutes. I have always admired stars but the polluted London skies haven’t shown me anything like that before. For any fellow stargazers, New Zealand is a great place to see stars, especially in small towns like Franz Josef.

The next morning, Franz Josef continued to wow us with its natural beauty as we boarded a helicopter ride through the mountains. Much to everyone else’s dismay, I was told to sit in the passenger seat.

We all stared wide-eyed through the windows, taking in the views of Mount Cook as the pilot provided commentary. His words acted as subtitles for the film-like scenery in front of us. For someone who is terrified of heights, I didn’t for one-second feel that I was going to fall out of the sky. This was one of the highlights of the whole week and something I would recommend everyone to do.

Post-helicopter ride, we grabbed some brunch at one of the restaurants on the main street, still in awe. Following my poached egg and mushroom toast with a dollop of Hollandaise sauce, we walked around the town planning the rest of the day. Just when I thought the thrills were over for the day, we came across a quad biking experience through the forest and booked it.

After putting on some warmer clothes we arrived at the centre, before being walked to a shed. We promptly put on our waterproof overalls, helmet and boots and were given a demo on driving the quad bike. The experience wasn’t anything like the one we had in Bali- uninstructed and thrilling- but the scenery took it to new heights. It is another must-do in New Zealand.

Taking on some recommendations from some locals, we took a drive to a nearby national park. For half an hour we walked under tall, leaning trees and on moss covered pathways through what looked like a rainforest before arriving at a beautiful lake. We were in complete, uninterrupted silence as we stood on the bridge looking out at a seemingly boundless lake. All it lacked was the sun and clear skies that would’ve created the perfect reflection, nonetheless it was amazing. After attempting and failing to skip some rocks, we left the lake and began walking back as the sun had started set. We drove back under the warmth of an orange sun and settled for cheesy bowls of pasta and a cozy night in.

The following morning was our check out from our Franz Josef lodge and onto the road again to Wānaka. Our first stop was a salmon farm in Haast where we stopped for some breakfast. Being a vegetarian, I was curious about the food options I would find but was pleasantly surprised. I had fresh pesto bagel with red onions and cream cheese accompanied by a coffee. My family enjoyed the fresh salmon to no end, almost convincing me to try it.

Our next stop was to Lake Paringa which offered more lovely views only this time was followed with a hoard of black flies. The water attracted a certain type of fly that then followed us as we tried to grab a few photos by the lake. We all quickly got back to the car, I sprinted. We itched our faces and scalps as we drove away still feeling the flies.

The winding roads continued until we decided to stop for another walk a few hours later. This time it was a longer walk and ended at a penguin beach (!) We started the walk excited for the chance to see penguins. Our anticipation slowly died down; as we walked for forty-five minutes through what seemed to be the same passage. Emerging from the long walk in the rainforest, we looked around hopefully, awaiting for the penguins to make their big entrance. The big, cold gusts of wind enveloped around us as we walked closer to the water.

Unfortunately, all we saw of the penguins were their little, webbed footprints. Making the most of the secluded beach, we walked around and grabbed some photos of the large boulders in the water. Too engrossed in our picture-taking, we had unknowingly walked out way past the shore and were hit by an aggressive, foamy wave. Giggles escaped from our lips as we ran back through the pebbles towards safety. The water had reached up to our knees and filled our shoes. The adrenaline of the moment wore off when we realised that we had a long walk back to the car and to a change of socks.

After a squelchy walk back through the forest, we changed our shoes, again swatting black flies that seemed to be lured to the wet clothing. We continued on our drive to Wānaka, racing against time to not drive in the dark.

In the next three and a half hours, we drove through some of the most surreal scenery of the trip so far. Every turn of the drive revealed a new view to admire. In particular, the view as we drove alongside the beginning of Lake Wānaka was unforgettable. Don’t be afraid to stop on the side of the road to take some photos, it is 100% worth it. My camera roll still hasn’t recovered.

We reached Wānaka town hungry and tired of sitting in the car, patiently waiting to see the famous Wānaka Tree. We reached the part of lake that was near the town and walked through the grey pebbles towards the tree. The lake was surrounded by people, dogs and cameras all watching the sun sinking beneath the mountains. After looking for a few minutes of looking for the ‘floating’ tree in the water, we realised that the tree had in fact lost all of its leaves and was firmly planted in the pebbles as it would usually be at low tide.

When travelling to countries in cold seasons, not all attractions will be their usual especially if dependent on nature!

Our stomachs grumbled as we walked along the main strip, looking for dinner. We finally decided on the Bombay Palace and were pleasantly surprised by the food, cocktails and atmosphere.

After making our way to the apartment for the night, we all retired for the night preparing for our early check-out the next morning.

The following morning, we packed away the few belongings we had taken out. We shortly handed in our keys and headed for our last stop: Queenstown! As we drove out of Wānaka and further south, we couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. Our town for the night seemed lovely as we cruised through its streets now in daylight, sad that we hadn’t been able to explore more. If we had more time, I would definitely spend it there.

Two and a bit hours later, we reached chilly but dreamlike Queenstown. This was our first glimpse at a bustling town the whole week. There were lots of tourists, shops and restaurants.

Our first activity was boarding the TSS Earnslaw for a short cruise to Beach Bay. Pine trees and icy mountains surrounded us as we cruised through the aquamarine water. The 1912 TSS Earnslaw is the only remaining commercial passenger-carrying coal-fired steamship in the southern hemisphere and gave us a unique experience. Its antique, wooden structure provided benches for people to sit on. The boat had balcony viewing areas, a lower seating area, a small museum containing its history and a boiler room where passengers could view the coal-firing process.

A short forty minute journey later, we arrived at our stop. Under the impression that we were getting a buffet lunch at Walter Peak BBQ restaurant we disembarked the boat only to find that the meal wasn’t part of our ticket. Unfortunately the boat had left, returning in two hours. We all had a drink at the restaurant and took a walk around the country farm spotting highland cows, sheep and llamas.

Back in Queenstown, we made our first food stop at Mrs Ferg’s Gelateria as we walked around, looking in some souvenir shops. The gelato was creamy and filling definitely making up for the misunderstanding and missed lunch.

Continuing our eating from the Ferg family, we settled on going to FergBurger for dinner that evening. Fergburger is a well-known burger restaurant in Queenstown expanding their business to a bakery, bar and gelateria. Arriving at the small restaurant, we were ambushed by a long line of people waiting to order and an even bigger group of people sitting on benches waiting for their illustrious burgers. Once we had all settled on a burger we joined the queue and started chatting excitedly. Reaching the till, we were surrounded by people with large brown bags, reaching for an extra aioli dip. The restaurant was small and each wall was filled with various photos of famous people eating fergburgers.

I ordered the Holier Than Thou burger that had tempura tofu, a spicy satay, coconut sauce, fresh salad, snowpea shoots and aioli. There was another vegetarian burger with falafel but I was very much intrigued by the tempura tofu.

After waiting for another twenty-five minutes, we drove home with a massive brown bag and quickly set up our meal in front of the tv. We divided the chips between bowls and laid out our burgers. Out of excitement to eat and not let our food get cold, we put on the first film we saw: The Impossible.

The Holier Than Thou was definitely worth the wait and all the praise. It was flavourful, saucy and something completely different. I would definitely recommend it! A family favourite was the Little Lamby: a lamb burger with mint jelly and salad.

We continued The Impossible ending the night with teary eyes as we saw young Tom Holland reuniting with his younger brothers. Exhausted, we all went to bed in preparation for an extra early start to Milford Sounds the next morning.

Very early the next day, we waited at a bus stop for it to come and pick us up. Shortly a large bus appeared and we were on our way to Milford Sound. After some driving we stopped at a cafe for some breakfast. Throughout our time in New Zealand, we had come to realise that their signature food was pies! They had pies with every filling in every shop and petrol station. So at the cafe they had a mushroom pie which I decided to try, it was definitely worth it!

Most of the day consisted of driving through winding roads in various mountain ranges. There were many stops with opportunities to stretch our legs and take pictures. Around six hours after we had left, we arrived at Milford Sound and waited in a large reception area. We were pleasantly surprised by the boat- a large, glass windowed boat with multiple floors and viewing areas. Whilst waiting, we encountered many more black flies once again. Boarding the boat, we were immediately served with hot food and took a seat. For a buffet, the food was decent which warmed us up in the cold weather.

Soon enough, we were surrounded by moss-covered mountains submerging from dark turquoise waters. Layers of clouds sat on the many peaks as we gracefully glided through the water. We passed a few fountains and went onto the viewing deck to get some photos. The Milford Sound fjords were just as beautiful as the ones we saw in Norway last year.

Feeling tired from the early start, we grabbed some window seats and enjoyed the rest of the boat journey from there. Arriving back to the port, we were escorted back to the bus by the driver. The six hour journey started again back to Queenstown but this time accompanied with the orange glow of a sunset.

Taking the recommendation from a relative, we went to Finz, a ocean facing seafood restaurant. After a very windy walk to the restaurant, we ordered an array of dishes. Being a vegetarian, I was worried about the variety, but there was more than just one option which is a good start. The veggie sushi as a starter was great and for mains I ordered a butternut squash, halloumi and mushroom dish which was pretty nice. We ended the night with some dessert from the New Zealand famous Patagonia Chocolatier which we promised to come back to before the end of the trip.

The next morning had been something I had been thinking about the whole week.

Skydiving.

As someone terrified of heights, every morning I would wake up with an even bigger pit in my stomach leading up to the day. We arrived at the centre late, missing the introductory demo and were asked to wait in the reception. My sister and I tried to talk about anything but the skydive but our conversation kept leading back to it. We were soon led to a mini bus with lots of older people and were driven twenty minutes away to an airstrip. Getting out of the mini bus, we caught a glance of the plane and looked at each other in shock.

We walked into the centre where we could see the parachutes being tested in the next room. A few minutes later, one of the team members gathered us around the desk and announced that the skydive would not be happening in Queenstown today. The weather was too cloudy and so it would be unsafe. We were offered the option to reschedule at another location or for the same location the next day. But changing the location would completely mess up our plans for the day so we scheduled for the following day.

A pressure was lifted off my chest as we got back to the main centre and into the car with everyone else. We then drove to Yonder: a retro, green brunch location. Having not eaten much that morning, I was starving and chose the Turkish eggs!

The fluffy eggs served with kale, curried chickpeas, warm flatbread and topped with pickled onions were amazing, definitely the best Turkish eggs I’ve had.

Our next stop for the day was the cable car or gondola ride as they called it there. The gondola ride was fairly long and close to the top, we could see almost all of Queenstown. Unlike other cable cars, there was a whole restaurant, souvenir shop and attraction park at the other end. The attraction park consisted of something we had never tried before- a luge riding park. You were given small cars to sit in and then were guided to two tracks. After a short demo, we were off on the tracks, the wind blowing harshly in our faces. I felt like I was playing in Mario Kart as I raced along my family, edging to get ahead.

After a couple of laps, we took the gondola back down and headed for CookieTime- another New Zealand favourite that came greatly recommended to us. It was a cafe that sold everything cookie related from ice-cream to t-shirts inspired by their signature recipe. I opted for the cookie dough which was pretty sweet but nice to try. Later that evening, we walked around the wharf looking for a place to eat and settled on White and Wong’s- an Asian fusion restaurant.

It was a large restaurant with a lovely ambiance and good selection of food. This was probably my favourite dinner of the week!

The next morning, I was secretly praying for the skydive to be cancelled again. My fear had become overwhelming and getting so close to doing it the day before hadn’t helped at all. When we called to do a weather check with the company, they told us that it was (thankfully) not going ahead. Our guide for the helicopter ride had told us that strangely the weather in the weekdays was always good- clear, sunny skies but the weekend was cloudy and grey. And it was true!

Relieved, we continued with our day, checking out from our last apartment and headed to Arrowtown- a quaint, charming old town neighbouring Queenstown. As we walked down the main street to grab some brunch, we had some snow! On a google search we stumbled across Provisions of Arrowtown, a cozy brunch hidden away from the main street. We ordered an array of dishes and everything was amazing!

The next few hours consisted of browsing through various shops before heading back to Queenstown in time for our flight. We managed to fit in one more activity- a wine cellar inspired smash room! It was definitely a fun experience but perhaps needed a bigger room as all four of us had to squeeze into a small room but enjoyable nonetheless.

Grabbing a pesto panini from Fergbaker, we fuelled up before the flight back to Auckland, concluding our week in South Island.

It was definitely a jam-packed and exciting week, filled with its own little bumps and funny moments. It was our first road trip but definitely won’t be our last. Our itinerary was organised by a New Zealand travel agent: Relaxing Journeys, which worked for our first trip as it can be overwhelming. One day, I hope to plan and organise a trip like this myself.

Thank you for reading and I hope my next piece brings you back to The Imprint!