my trip to new zealand

New Zealand, the land of the long white cloud, home of the All Blacks, where sheep outnumber people by a ratio of 5 to 1, and the backdrop for the Lord of the Rings films. There are so many reasons to visit New Zealand, yet none had really enticed me. It’s not that I didn’t think it was a beautiful country full of wonderful people, it just didn’t fit neatly into a travel category. It wasn’t close enough that I could visit in a weekend, but not far enough from Australia to be a big enough adventure. It wasn’t until I basically won a free Royal Caribbean cruise that I had considered it in my upcoming travel plans.

So in November 2023, I took a cruise from Sydney down to New Zealand, with stops scheduled for Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington and Picton. We were also spending one of the sea days cruising through the Fiordland National Park, sailing through Milford, Doubtful and Dusky Sounds.

Let me tell you, cruising is a lifestyle. Do I like cruising? I like the concept. I like that you unpack once, you travel around in a floating entertainment complex, and then delivered to a different destination every day. I will talk more about my experience with cruising in another post, but for now, New Zealand is the star.

fiordland national park/te wahipoumanu

On day four of this 11 day cruise, we sailed into the Fiordland National Park. We would spend the day exploring Milford, Dusky and Doubtful Sounds. The Fiordland National Park, which is a part of Te Wahipounamu, was awarded its UNESCO World Heritage status in 1990. It is in the south west of New Zealand’s South Island, and is known for its spectacular glacial forged fiords, rugged mountain tops, and its incredible example of New Zealand flora and wildlife.
I was floored by how beautiful this area was. Natural waterfalls run through rocks and cliff faces, with peaks over 1000 metre high. Dense beech forests line the cliffs, and wildlife dance through the landscape for our entertainment. At some points it felt like we were sailing through a prehistoric land, it felt almost untouched, with only one road going through the area. Even though the weather wasn’t great this day, it was still well worth it to stand out on the top deck and take in the vistas. The rain and fog added to the mystique of this beautiful area. We had a local guide providing commentary as we moved through. It took just over an hour to sail in and out. Later in the day we sailed through the Dusky and Doubtful Sounds, and by this stage, it was time to eat again. I ordered some tomato soup, a grilled cheese sandwich and some chicken tenders, and I sat out on my balcony and enjoyed the views. Even though it is November, I think we reached a top temperature of 8 degrees Celsius, which was perfect soup weather.

dunedin

Well, Dunedin was a no go. Mother Nature was not having it that day. The winds were far too strong for the ship to safely make her way in and out of port. I had planned to hire a car and take a drive around the Otago Peninsula and down to Nugget Point to check out the lighthouse. It wasn’t to be this time, but so they say, there’s always next time.

christchurch

After six days, the weather was beautiful and the seas were calm, so we were finally getting off the ship and planting our feet on solid ground. But the solid ground would be short lived, as I would be spending the day ziplining through the forests of Christchurch. I don’t know what possessed me to book this sort of excursion, as I’m not much of an adrenaline junkie, or a fan of heights. But I would put my big girl pants on and overcome my fear, if nothing more than for the photos. A group of us from the ship took the bus to the Christchurch Adventure Park, which is a 20 minute drive from the Lyttleton Port, where the ship was docked for the day. Christchurch Adventure Park, just north west of the city, is 358 hectares of forest, and provides facilities for mountain biking, ziplining, hiking and sightseeing. We were met by some guides, who took us through all the safety instructions and fitted us with our equipment. We had a short hike up to the chairlift, which would take us up to the top of the zip line area. The chairlift was a great opportunity to take in the picturesque scenery, and a reminder of how high we were. But I took it all in my stride, no tears yet. We got to the top, and after a short hike, we were ready to fly. One of the reasons I don’t like heights is because of the lack of control. You realise how little control you have on gravity and I hate the feeling of your stomach dropping when you rapidly change altitude. But I was going through with this. There was a girl in the group before us who couldn’t bring herself to continue with the activity, and had to take the chairlift of shame back down to the bottom. This was not going to be me. I was all kitted up, and I stepped up to the line. The guides hooked me in and, as cool as a cucumber, I pushed off the ledge and flew through the trees. There were four stages throughout the whole course. The first one was pretty mild, you can control your pace and you don’t change heights too much, so a good introductory line. But the length and height increased with each line, and by the end of the course, you are sailing through the trees, 150 metres in the air.
I will say that this is an activity for everyone, as long as you are over 4 foot tall, and between 27kg and 125kgs. If you are afraid of heights, this might be a cool way to conquer those fears. It’s incredibly safe, you are given idiot proof instructions, and plenty of assistance at every point of the course. And at the end of the course, you can stop into the cafe for a burger and thick shake.

wellington

This was our first taste of big city life in New Zealand, stopping in at New Zealand’s capital city, Wellington. This was also our only stop on the North Island. In true New Zealand fashion, we were presented with a rainy day, but this wasn’t going to stop me from doing my two favourite past times, shopping and eating. I took the bus in from the port to Lampton Quay, to take Wellington’s famous Cable Car. The Cable Car takes you up through the terraced houses of Kelburn, up to the lookout that sees across the whole city. My plan was to walk down through the Botantic Gardens, but I took a wrong turn and ended up on a random suburban walk, that took me down through the University of Wellington, down to the harbour. While not what I had planned, it was still a lovely walk. I felt like a bit of a local. Wellington seems to be a pretty east city to navigate. I then stumbled across Te Papa, the Museum of New Zealand. I had wanted to go here anyway, so I was exactly where I needed to be. The museum opens at 10am, and is free to enter. I had heard great things about Te Papa, and I wasn’t disappointed. The first exhibit was about World War 1, the Gallipoli Campaign and a highlight on just some of the heroes that fought in the war. This was an incredibly moving exhibit. There were enormous, incredibly life-like models of military personnel, from soldiers, to nurses, to captains. They also featured artefacts from the war, showing everything from uniforms and guns, to letters and rations. Australians are very familiar with the Gallipoli campaign, and while we were fighting on the same side, it was interesting to see it from the New Zealand perspective. The museum also offers exhibits highlighting New Zealand’s history with volcanos and earthquakes, their native wildlife, the experience of refugees making their lives in New Zealand and home grown artwork. Highly recommended.
I hadn’t eaten in two hours, so it was time to find a snack. I made my way to Hannah’s Laneway for a salted caramel cookie at Shelly Bay Baker, then meandered down to Cuba Street for some shopping and lunch. Cuba street is known for it’s quirky vibe, being a hub for thrift shopping, street art, and is on New Zealand’s heritage list. I stopped in at a few shops, a purchased a couple of things, and grabbed a quick bite of Mexican. By this stage I had chalked up nearly 15,000 steps, so I decided to make my way back to the ship, but not before more shopping. On my way back to the ship, the weather cleared up, but it was time to move on to the next destination, Picton.

picton

We headed back across the Cook Strait to the South Island, to spend the day in Picton. Picton is the gateway to the Marlborough district, and a trip to New Zealand wouldn’t be complete without a taste of a Marlborough Savingnon Blanc. So I hopped on my bike (literally), and spent the day riding around the district, tasting some of the best wines in the area. For those of you who know me, might know how inept I am when it comes to bike riding (I don’t think I could disrespect the cycling community by calling my handling of a bike ‘cycling’), but this is a pretty easy ride. We started out at the Vines Village, a small collection of shops, including the Whitehaven winery. Here we tasted their Savingnon Blanc, rose, and Pinot Noir. All of these are very synonymous with the area, and great examples of the characteristics of the area. We then headed off on what seemed like an eternal ride to the next vineyard, Gibson Bridge. The team here were very generous and provided more tastings than I remember. All of them, fabulous. Following all this wine, we hopped back on our stallions and headed for lunch. Despite all the wine, the groups biking competence improved. We stopped off at Forrest Winery for a lunch of local produce, including locally sourced lamb and trout, vegetables and lemon rhubarb cake. We also sampled some of the best wine of the day, with more Sav Blanc, Rose and Pinot Noir. Then with full tummies and floaty heads, we rode back to the Vines. The wind had picked up in the afternoon, which, matched with our intoxication, made the journey back a little more challenging. The route’s difficulty was increased further with obstacles along the way including bollards, gravel and bee hives. I will point out that it is not against the law to operate a bike while under the influence of alcohol, no outlaws on this trip. This was a really great excursion, and despite having a very sore rear the next day, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. However, I will leave the bike riding to the professionals and enthusiasts.

The biggest thing I picked up from my trip to New Zealand was the respect everyone has for their natural world. It provides its people with so much and there is a real commitment to preserving this. Tourists come for the immense natural beauty. Agriculture is New Zealand’s biggest industry, and any disruption to this could prove catastrophic for many reasons. But it doesn’t feel as though the country’s economy is the only reason to preserve this. There is a real pride expressed by its people for their country, simply because of how it is naturally. Speaking of the people, they were also some of the most friendly I have encountered on my international travels. At no point did I feel unsafe. And when I was pretending to be a local in the streets of Wellington, all passers-by greeted me with a cheerful ‘Good morning’. New Zealand, you were wonderful, and hopefully I will be back soon.

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