Roadtrip in New Zealand

New Zealand, with its beautiful landscapes is a welcome respite from the crowds and pollution of the city life. Every corner of this country is apt for a postcard. It has something for every traveler, the north island is known for its active volcanoes and geothermal parks, whereas the south is famous for its beautiful landscapes and adventure activities. When every city or pit stop can leave you spell bound, choosing an itinerary becomes quite tough. Since we wanted a mix of nature and adventure we finally chose the following route:

Delhi->Auckland->Waitomo->Rotorua->Christchurch->Hokitika->Okarito->Wanaka->Queenstown->Te Anau->Queenstown->Auckland->Delhi

We began our road trip from Auckland to Waitomo Glow Worm Cave, the drive is around 2.5 hrs. The cave is known for species of glow worm exclusive to New Zealand. On your guided tour, you are taken around the banquet chamber, and the cathedral where your friendly guide will give you a quick performance to let you experience the acoustics of the chamber. But the real experience lies in wait as you onboard a boat, to enter deeper into the cave. The glow worms light up the roof of the cave, like the stars dot the night sky, leaving you with a sense of wonder.

Next stop for the day was the Polynesian Spa near Lake Rotorua. Geothermal spas, with their hot mineral water are known for their therapeutic benefits. There were multiple options available, we chose a private adult pool with a view of the lake. After a relaxing spa, we wandered around the city experiencing the calm pace and great weather.

A must visit attraction in Rotorua are the active geothermal areas, top two among them being the Hell’s gate and Wai-O-Tapu. Due to paucity of time we chose one, and decided to give the Wai-O-Tapu a chance. You will be amazed as you witness myriad natural colors and boiling water heated up by the active volcanoes.

After having our fill of the north island, we took a flight from Rotorua to Christchurch to begin the second part of our road trip. An experience we missed in Christchurch was the tramway dinner, where you are taken on tour of the city while being served a delicious meal on a colonial style tram.

To begin the adventure section of our trip we started our journey towards Franz Josef, to experience a glacier walk and a helicopter ride. The road trip required a stop at Hokitika, help yourselves to some fresh seafood and beer at this coastal town.

Leave early morning for Franz Josef, after the Ice walk, you can spend the night at Okarito. Load up on groceries at Franz Josef, as the small town of Okarito has no options. It does have a beautiful beach, which you have mostly to yourself. We chose a cute Airbnb cottage and cooked a romantic meal for ourselves.

Next destination on the map was Lake Wanaka. The city has a good collection of restaurants and shopping. Enjoy canoeing at the lake around by majestic snow clad mountains.

After the pampering and relaxing, it was time for some adventure. We drove to Queenstown, to experience some adventure. I did my first bungee jump, my husband chose a swing and we topped it up with the Shotover jet. The crew at AJ Hackett was experienced, fun and more importantly safe. After jumping from a height of 134 m, and surviving it, my appetite was back with a roar. And what better than the world famous Fergberger to satiate it. Be prepared to stand in the queue, to get your ,hands on some tasty burgers. A CookieTime outlet is also present in the city, so you can grab yourself a bag of cookies while you are there.

No trip in NZ is complete without a Milford sound cruise, with a pit stop at Te Anau, we started our journey for the Milford Sound Cruise. This cruise has it all from instagram worthy backdrops, to lazy seals and cute dolphins.