New Zealand- an unforgettable road journey

New Zealand - one stop destination for every travel freak. Be it an adventure enthusiast or a nature lover or a trekker soul, this land has everything to offer and in abundance. Miraculous glowworms, mind-blowing fuschia lupins, breathtaking waterfalls, diverse wildlife, immense beauty of glaciers, spectacular starry skies and sunny shores, emerald lakes, hot water beaches, adventurous sports, thermal wonderland, picturesque fiords, quaint little towns, dramatic sky- you name it and you will find it there !

We landed Auckland around 1130 am and were out of airport in less than an hour. Checking out of airport is pretty smooth and quick.

We were picked up from the airport by a Pakistani Uber driver who has been living in New Zealand for past 25 years and he was in complete awe of people of New Zealand.

On reaching our hotel, we set out to explore the streets of Auckland in an hours time, and checked Sky Tower, Viaduct Harbour and Ponsonby (pub/ restaurants area). Feeling jet-lagged, we came back to hotel well in time by 10 pm to catch up on much needed sleep.

Tips

1. Any food items, fruits etc brought into New Zealand need to be declared on arrival, any failure in disclosure attracts penalty of 400NZD. Packaged food items are permitted, any fresh fruits or vegetables or any unpackaged/opened food items are strictly prohibited.

2. Viaduct Harbour and Ponsonby offer good food and drink venues

3. Applying for visa online is quicker and visa gets issued on e-mail in word format. Strange but that's how it is

Self driving is the best way to explore New Zealand and it is also the most gifted experience.

The roads are extremely scenic and offer beautiful landscapes all through. Traffic is very low and on many occasions we did not spot a single vehicle for 100 KMS straight. All roads are well signposted even in rural areas. Since it is a left hand drive and home license holds good for a period up to 12 months, we opted self drive and hired Toyota RAV 4 from Apex Car Rentals.

The timing estimates shown on Google map are pretty accurate. So at itinerary planning stage, relying on Google maps would help to a greater extent. However, it is advisable to keep margin of 10-15%. Traffic rules should be strictly adhered to and speed limits are strictly enforced by the police.

Since drive is very scenic and sunset is by 930 pm during summers, driving across New Zealand during day time is advisable. However if distance is long, and you need to drive during night, safety standards are pretty high.

We covered distance of almost 5200 KMS covering north and south island and strongly recommend self drive option!

After hiring our car, we headed for our first trek of the trip to the Cathedral Cove.The coastal walk to the Cathedral Cove has some of the most spectacular views.

The hike to the Cathedral cove starts from Hahei village, Coromandel and takes around 2.5 hours (return) to complete.

The arch at the Cathedral cove is one of the most popular touristy destination.

After a short trek and Turkish lunch, we spent our time at hot water beach digging our own hot pool. What a refreshing feeling it was to be lying in our own pool just meters away from the Pacific ocean.

The third day was dedicated to Rotorua which is also a geothermal wonderland where we discovered breathtaking geysers and colorful crater lakes. And then spent our evening soaking in a naturally heated thermal pool which was indeed therapeutic.

As seen in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, the movie set comprising of Hobbit holes, green lush pastures of the Shire and the huge sheep farms surrounding it, is something we fell in love with.

On our fourth day, we took a guided tour around all the 44 Hobbit holes that make up The Shire. We were surprised to see how each corner was so well put up and maintained so regularly, be it the smoking chimneys, Bluebell flowers, the Hobbit sized clothes hung on the lines to dry, honey pots, mail box etc. The level of detailing from the lichen on the fences to the items of decor used in and around the Shire is mind blowing.

The guide informed us about a party tree in there which was created with artificial leaves imported from Taiwan and individually wired into the tree. That must have been a task.

Once a sleepy sheep farm turned into a fantasy world, adorned with bridges, gardens and so much of beauty in and around The Shire is something worth experiencing.

Pre-booking of the hobbiton tour is strongly recommended to avoid long queues.

Post this we left on a forest trail located near Waitomo Caves to discover tiny glow worms radiating their luminescent light offering view of spectacular sparkling surrounding.

Tongariro national park is known for the most popular hikes of NZ. We won't deny it was the most painstakingly long and steep trail but left us extremely happy and content. It was this trek where we found emerald lakes, bush, walkways, active volcanoes, lava flows and snow, all in one location.

After almost each steep climb we decided to not go ahead but intimidated by the beauty of nature around, we kept moving forward.

At this height, temperature was somewhere around 2-3 degrees but we were too overwhelmed by the view around to feel that chill.

At the end of the trek, we witnessed red crater which has a striking deep red color caused by extreme heat sintering, oxidising the iron content of rocks.

Huka falls was our last pit stop before our journey to the South island of NZ. It's said that you will hear the Huka Falls well before you see them. This sight is incredible and it's hard to tear your gaze away from the endless, mesmerizing torrential waterfall.

The flow pressure is immense, thereby causing water to burst out with great force as the gorge ends.

With this we ended our stay at North island and took a ferry to travel to the South island.

This day marked beginning of our trip to the South which looked even more promising. The first in our itinerary was trek to Abel Tasman National Park.

Abel Tasman National Park is a hub to not only many of the coastal activities like kayaking, cruising and scuba diving but also offer one of the most scenic multi day hiking track lining the coast.

There are number of ways to enjoy this National Park. We chose to take the day easy post a hectic trek at Tongoriro and preferred a short hike to split apple rock which looks like a giant apple cleaved neatly in half situated within the beautiful waters of Tasman bay. Kayak or cruise trips till Totaranui road can be booked from Kaiteriteri and it is advisable that you plan your drive to Kaiteriteri during early morning hours as post 2/3 pm cruising options are very limited. And if you are up for a trek, the walking track starts from the Department of Conservation shelter on Sandy Bay - Marahau Road. We had stayed in Nelson and drove to Kaiteriteri which is an hour and a half drive.

The beach on which Split Apple rock stands is beautiful and worth a visit.

On our way to Christchurch, we halted at Devil's Punchbowl Waterfall and trekked for around an hour to discover the spectacular waterfall.

We must admit driving in South island is an unforgettable experience. This stretch is where the miracle really begins, we were surrounded by peaks on both sides of roads, the green landscape all across, and dramatic change in climate until we reached Christchurch. It was hard to not take pit stops in between for a photo or two and even harder to concentrate on road while driving.

Christchurch was more easy on us. We took a tour of a garden and hopped on hop on hop off bus for the day tour of the city. It was a very laid back day for us unlike usual days of our trips by far. Botanical garden is a must visit for all the plant lovers. This garden features one of the finest collections of exotic and local plants of NZ.

We trekked for around 5 kms to reach Franz Josef Glacier and it rained heavily throughout our trek. Due to bad weather, we couldn't witness glaciers. But the walk to the glacier in the rain was an amazing experience. And feature of this day was to grab Samosa and tea right after. You can never get enough of pristine Alpine beauty of this area of NZ and driving in and around this town just makes it better.

Wanaka is definitely one of the best towns with incredible scenery. This town is meant for all those who are looking for relaxation amongst snow capped mountains and by the side of a lake as well as those with the spirit of adventure. There are many restaurants nearby to try scrumptious Indian cuisine.

To put on a spectacular show there are thousands of stunning Lupin flowers blooming along the riverbeds and lakes around NZ and that definitely make a good quick photography stops along the way.

Now comes the highlight of the entire trip-Lake Pukaki. Saying it is jaw dropping gorgeous is also an understatement. The color of this lake is bright turquoise which is due to glacial debris, made from extremely fine rock particles which float in from the surrounding glaciers. To add to the beauty are gorgeous Lupins surrounding it.

What is even more enchanting is the incredible view of the rays of sun creeping over the Southern Alps and Mount cook which can be viewed from the many look out points around the shores of Lake Pukaki.

This spectacular vistas are all along the road between Twizel and Lake Tekapo Village. Since there are limited accommodation options, book your stay well in advance either in Twizel or Tekapo Village.

The night-sky at Lake Pukaki is mesmerising and star gazing should not be missed.

We booked an airbnb in one of the most happening towns of NZ- Queenstown and drove from there to Milford Sound and Glenorchy on the following days.

Milford sound is known for it's cascading waterfalls and amazing wildlife, we spotted many cute Llams on our way. We took a cruise to cover the length of the fiord which included on it's way the mighty Bowen falls, Lion Mountain, Seal Rock and Stirling Falls.

Stirling Falls was the highlight where cruise took us right under the falls.

Glenorchy -this town is surrounded by magnificent snow capped mountains, fiordland national Park and pristine lakes.

This beautiful town has provided the backdrop for many films including The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.

Not just this, we happened to visit an animal farm which was home to many friendly animals. We could feed and pat the animals as we made our way around the farm located at the most picturesque location.

Its not wrong to call Queenstown as the most exciting destination in NZ. The most buzzing town lined with happening restaurants and cafes located at the most picturesque backdrop. It will definitely leave you gobsmacked! Also Queenstown is extremely popular for bungee jumping and sky diving. We enrolled for sky dive at Queenstown which got cancelled at the last minute due to bad weather but that did not stop us from trying our luck at Wanaka, the alternate nearest sky dive destination.

Sky Diving always remained on top of my bucket list, until recently when it finally got checked off the list.

I did not sleep a wink a night before the day of my skydive. That night I realized my thoughts are really weird and I have no control over them.

And then was the time to skydive, I chose to not read the waiver document and simply signed it and slowly my mind stopped to function and I stopped thinking, waiting eagerly for that one jump I always longed for.

Feeling of free fall and jump from 12k feet is incredible and unexplainable and has only left me dreaming for more.

@skydivewanaka happens to be one of the safest place to skydive and offers the most stunning and picturseque landscapes and undoubtedly, the crew is outstanding.

It was now time to fly back home. Our return flight was from Christchurch and our one last day stay there was as slow and relaxing as it could get. Lazy afternoon, slow dining and only good memories of the most wonderful trip by far.