Driving through New Zealand feels like a surreal experience that humbles and astonishes with every passing mile. Equipped with a rental car, a sturdy tent, a DSLR, and a thirst to indulge in the wilderness, I began my journey from Auckland and made my way to the southern most tip of the North Island - Wellington.
The near 12-hour drive between the two major cities in the North Island could have been exhausting in any other country, but driving through NZ was as rejuvenating as a spa treatment. The 700-odd kms that I covered that day was sprinkled with unknown mountain ranges, valleys, gorges, forests , and many more stunning, rapidly-changing ecosystems.
Staying in a hotel in New Zealand is like reading a book with your eyes closed - an utterly pointless exercise. The camp sites in this country are located in some truly remote and gorgeous venues. Pitching a tent and staying outdoors until your eyelids get heavy is the only real way to travel here.
Getting to the South Island required hauling my car into a giant ferry known as the 'Inter-Islander'. This experience on its own is quite fascinating as well.
Wellington - the capital of NZ, is a gorgeous city as well. It looks its best when admired from the coasts as we can see the innovative real estate planning carried out by the Kiwis in order to inhabit some truly remote locations.
The journey from Wellington to the South Island was a little over three hours long, but it gave me a chance to enjoy a brilliant cruise and take in some stark scenery along Wellington's coast and the open waters of the Pacific Ocean.
About an hour into the journey you could really start to see the sights change and the textures of Marlborough Sounds - my next destination began to emerge out of the water.
After two hours of coasting through the Pacific Ocean, we began to see the islands that form a part of Marlborough Sounds - a national park forming the northern-most tip of the South Island.
After landing at Picton, I quickly made my way to my campsite before nightfall. It was a cozy spot next to the water called the Aussie Bay Campsite and it offered a remarkable view of the surrounding body along with a grand sighting of the Milky Way belt (as seen in the photograph below).
Day three began with some dark clouds looming overhead (hard to miss the rains in NZ at any point during the year). After a couple of long days, I didn't mind relaxing today and just driving around taking in Marlborough' sights and sounds.
The fourth day was going to be all about Marlborough Sounds' premiere walking track - the Queen Charlotte Track. With numerous legs offering varied vantage points, this was a trek I was eager to take on, and it gave me more than I could have ever imagined.
Exploring the Queen Charlotte Track was an absolute pleasure and it remained one of the highlights of my entire vacation. I would go on to continue to explore the rest of the South Island's untamed beauty during the rest of my vacation, but that is a story for another day!
When campsites are peppered with views such as the ones from the photographs (above and below), its hard to pay 50 NZD to stay indoors and keep away from the view. The campsite I went with is called the Lake Domain Reserve and it is just a few minutes outside Wellington.
' fill='%23359391'%3e %3cpath d='M46.1538462%2c43.5714286 L41.5%2c50 L36.8461538%2c43.5714286 L36.8670256%2c43.5714286 C36.3173077%2c42.7142857 36%2c41.6851429 36%2c40.5714286 C36%2c37.4854286 38.4535641%2c35 41.5%2c35 C44.5464359%2c35 47%2c37.4854286 47%2c40.5714286 C47%2c41.6851429 46.6826923%2c42.7142857 46.1329744%2c43.5714286 L46.1538462%2c43.5714286 Z M41.4294872%2c39 C40.6150641%2c39 39.9487179%2c39.675 39.9487179%2c40.5 C39.9487179%2c41.325 40.6150641%2c42 41.4294872%2c42 C42.2439103%2c42 42.9102564%2c41.325 42.9102564%2c40.5 C42.9102564%2c39.675 42.2439103%2c39 41.4294872%2c39 L41.4294872%2c39 Z' id='Location-white'%3e%3c/path%3e %3c/g%3e %3c/svg%3e)
