374. Travel diary. New Zealand.

New Zealand South Island

Taking a 4 hour ferry ride over to Picton, the journey was spectacular. The sea is so unbelievable blue. Hitch hiking was our next challenge we set ourselves. To be able to hitch our whole journey throughout the South Island. Our first driver was with Bret, a lorry driver. It was so much fun I'm not going to lie, being in a monster truck was exciting. Even got behind the wheel, haha. 

Blenheim

Couch surfing was another way to save money, people let you stay at theirs houses for free. Our first stop in the South Island was in Blenheim known as the wine country with a guy called John. He met us where the truck driver dropped us off. Now this stay was definitely a memorable one to say the last. Having read a review that he failed to tell his girlfriend that two girls were staying with hi not two guys we thought he would have defs told her this time. Oh no. That was not the case. We arrived and this lady was pretty psycho. We got to his place which was freaking stunning, we got our own bedroom with a conservatory, a real country house feel. Whilst settling in the girlfriend had a massive go at him. Bit awkward but quite funny. 

So our first day in the wine country it was a stunning sunny hot day, we headed down to one of the many many wineries but chose the closest as it was an effort to get to unless you were driving. We arrived at Lawson's dry hill winery, wine tasting in most places should be free however you'll have to pay for tours which range as little at $30 to as much as you want.
Got to taste and learn about all the wines and got chatting to the manager, he advised is what foods to eat with what wines. We were opting for a tapas style dinner so we went for the Pinot Gris. I'd definitely recommend this winery, they've won a lot of awards and the wines were delicious considering I don't drink wine.

Kaikoura

We managed to hitch from Blenheim to Kaikoura pretty quick. Kaikoura is known for whale watching which is why we headed there, previously booking online this set us back $140 however if you don't see a whale you get 80% refund. The town was incredibly stunning with mountains in the backgrounds and lakes. A real small place but definitely worth a visit. We got down to the whale watching place and got briefed on safety, popped onto a little bus which took us to the port and get on the small boat. There was a group of about 40 so not too many for a little boat. It was such a fun experience and we saw two sperm whales! These are the biggest whales about. Such a cool experience. 

Hanmer springs

We needed to head to the west coast after Kaikoura and with New Zealand having a small population and a lot of mountains there was only one road that could take us from East to west. We were previously planning to go straight to Greymouth for a night but was told hanmer springs was gorgeous with natural pools and stuff. So we managed to hitch another lift there and booked a place to couch surf. Stopping for one quick night, once we arrived we went straight to the springs. It was $20 for entry and if you wanted to go on the flumes it was another $10. It was kind of like a swimming complex but it was all shallow pools for you to relax in. All outside there were lots of different kinds of pools in natural surroundings with different heats, went into a sulphur pool and it stank of egg and was stupidly hot. Was pretty wrinkly by the end of it.





Franz Josef

Our journey to Franz josef was an ambitious one, looking on Google maps it was gonna take us 5 hours and it wasn't a straight road like the other trips had been. It took us four hitches to get us there and we met some pretty cool people on the way and seeing the most breathtaking scenery. 






Once we finally got there we met the guy we were couch surfing with and he took us straight out onto the lakes on a jet boat. It was so much fun but got completely soaked by the end of it. On our two days there we took a long walk up to the glacier. We decided not to actually walk on it as this cost money and was going to be really cold, which was something we had no clothing for. However our walk was gorgeous, it took a couple of hours and we walked through beautiful forests and even past a waterfall, we saw the most beautiful landscapes and got a great view of the glacier.

On our last night the guy we were staying with took us to the only club in the town - Rainforest bar. I had a good old boogie after a few too many vodka and cokes but don't expect too much from this little place as the town is made up of only 300 people plus any travellers passing through. Funnily enough we bumped into a friend we met in Fiji! 

Lake Hawea

On our way down to Queenstown we saw even more stunning landscapes, it just doesn't end in New Zealand. This was definitely a highlight for me, the most breathtaking lake I had ever see, the photos speak for themselves.

Queenstown

Our last stop, we had successfully hitch hiked the whole of the south island without being raped, stabbed or murdered. We were thoroughly thrilled, and with our last of our couch surfing we ended with luxury. We stayed in this gorgeous bachelor pad, staying with this yoga guy who owned a retreat. There was a glass elevator through the middle of the freaking house. Who has that?! It was pretty damn cool and lucky that we could stay there. The area was so pretty but definitely had more of tourist party vibe compared to anywhere else in New Zealand. You'll find lots of English teens working there. Wasn't really my favourite but we took a giant hike up the Gondola which was rather treacherous. If you plan on trekking up it, where good shoes and take water. It was like rock climbing at some parts, but the view was fantastic. 

Once place you have to eat is Ferg Burger, if you ever go to Queenstown, you will definitely be told to go there. I advise to ring up and place your order in advance as there is a constant queue morning until night.

Top tips

1. Couchsurf - Download the app and stay at random cool places for free. People are so friendly!

2. Hitchhike - Some people might be a bit apprehensive but so were we. Get a big bold sign and you'll travel for free.

3. Photograph everything - You'll forget what amazing surroundings your constantly in as everywhere is insanely stunning.

4.  Pack layers - Even in their Summer is gets a little chilly.

5. Walk - Get into walking up mounts, there's a lot of them with stunning views.