On Sunday 15 December 2024, I competed in the Ironman 70.3 World Championship triathlon race (click here for the race report) and the following day my holiday traveling around New Zealand started! Four weeks road trip on the North and South Island, sightseeing, hiking, and having a good time! Over 25 years ago, in 1997-1998, after graduating and mentally not being ready to start working, I did a year backpacking of which I traveled around New Zealand for about 10 months. The other months I spent in Australia and on the west coast of the USA. This time I wasn’t going “to do” everything I had done back then because, simply, there wasn’t enough time and I wanted to explore the country again in a different way, with what I find interesting nowadays and with my experience and knowledge being 25 years wiser. Unfortunately, due to the limited time, I wasn’t able to do any multiple-day hikes. Something that I had done several times in 1998 and enjoyed and most likely would have enjoyed again.
My Ku Cycle triathlon bike was back in its bike box, my sports clothes in a separate bag, and both were going to stay in the car for the next 4 weeks. I wasn’t going to do any triathlon training, I was on holiday! This blog post isn’t about triathlon. It’s a travel blog post! A long post with a lot of text and many (I only had 2200 photos to choose from!) photos and, in the end, it has become my full 4-week travel diary.
On the map of the North Island (right, opens in a new tab), I’ve marked the route that I traveled. Every day has a different colour. Same for the South Island, a bit further down in this blog post.
The car was packed and on Monday morning, 16 December, I drove from Taupo to the north to Matamata in the Waikato region. I’ve never been a “so-called” Ringer, a big fan of the Lord of the Rings. I’ve read the books and seen the movies but I wasn’t sure whether I should go to the movie set tour of Hobbiton. Well, I’m glad I did! They’ve made this a fantastic experience by explaining the history of why film director Peter Jackson chose this farm as the movie set for Hobbiton, the great enthusiasm of the tour guide while walking the tracks along the Hobbit houses, going inside them, taking photos and complete the tour in The Green Dragon Inn pub for a drink. The scenery is just like being in the movie and you would expect Frodo or Sam to come out of their houses any time. But that didn’t happen of course.
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After the Hobbiton tour, I drove further north to the Coromandel peninsula. The drive through the ancient forests was amazing and a good example of what was coming for the next weeks. I stayed in the town of Whitianga. The weather wasn’t great but that didn’t stop me from exploring the waterfront, river, and center of the town.
The next day, I drove to Hahei and walked to the Cathedral Cove. Due to big storms, the path had been closed for a long time but luckily it reopened not even a week ago! The hike is easy and the path is well maintained. The Mautohe Cathedral Cove and the Smiling Sphinx Rock were cool to see. The sand is beautifully white and the water is clear and blue. Through the hole of Cathedral Cove, you have a great view of Te Hoho Rock. With the right (low) tide, you can walk there as well. Just make sure you’ll come back in time otherwise you have to swim! This part of the Coromandel has steep cliffs and small bays of which many only can be reached by boat. In Hahei, you can book boat and kayak trips to explore the area from the water and enjoy a picnic at a secluded beach.
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At the town of Coroglen, I left the main road and drove along the Waiwawa River into the inland of the Coromandel. A slow driving road with so many turns and beautiful scenery. Absolutely incredible and recommend such a drive. The road changed into a gravel road but my 2WD Toyota had no problems. Don’t rush and enjoy the scenery. I stopped so many times to walk back a bit to take photos and a few times locals stopped asking if everything was ok! Friendly kiwis!
Along the road, there is a short hike to the Square Kauri tree. This is a square-trunked kauri of 1,200 years old. It’s the 15th largest kauri on the Coromandel peninsula. It’s a short hike but a nice steep climb with 187 steps, and you’ll be surrounded by beautiful bushes, trees, and kauris while you hear the birds sing their songs.
Several signs warn visitors of poisonous bait to protect the native animals from invasive predators. Also, make use of the shoe-cleaning setups to protect the kauri trees. Nowadays, kauri trees are very rare while the kauri forests once covered over 1.2 million hectares when the first people arrived around 1,000 years ago.
Unfortunately, many of these forests have been cleared out for tree harvesting. Kauri trees are very vulnerable to bacteria and diseases that can kill the enormous trees. Kauri trees can grow to over 50 meters tall, have a trunk girth of up to 16 meters, and become over 2,000 years old. Let’s hope the Square Kauri can become 2,000 years old!
After crossing the Coromandel peninsula to the west, I arrived at the town of Tapu where I drove north, following the coast to the town of Coromandel. Driving along this road, I started to notice the many red flowering trees, the Pōhutukawa trees, which are also called the New Zealand Christmas tree, since it’s flowering around Christmas time! I arrived in Coromandel, a small town with some old buildings, a Saloon Bar, tourist shops and lunch places. After lunch, a short drive back south and then the road along the Waiau River to the east. Again, a road with many turns and places to stop for sightseeing and admiring nature.
One stop you shouldn’t pass is at the Waiau Falls, close to the Waiau Kauri Grove. The short hike to the Waiau Falls will bring you to a nice waterfall and swim/bathing pond. The water is a bit chilly but quite pleasant on a warm day! A little bit further down the road is the Waiau Kauri Grove. Another nice hike to a small group of kauri trees, of which a Siamese kauri.
Signs with explanations about the grove and tree harvesting are placed along the route. During the kauri logging boom, between 1880 and 1930, loggers plundered the Coromandel for kauri so that today only a few large trees are left.
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Back in Whitianga, the sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the decorated Christmas tree was in the middle of the town square with the contrast of palm trees along the street. It was warm, the middle of summer, and Christmas was coming!?!
The following morning, I left the Coromandel peninsula and drove to Tauranga. Along the way, next to the many Pōhutukawa trees, I noticed many white and blue flowers. This was such a nice summer sight! These are Agapanthus which has become a wildflower in New Zealand. Before leaving the peninsula in the early morning, I hiked up to the summit of Mount Paku. A nice view of the area, the town of Tairua, the river, the islands, and the sea.
Before arriving in Tauranga, in the Bay of Plenty, I stopped for a hike in the Karangahake Gorge. A part of the hike went over an old railroad route (no more signs of the track) to the Owharoa Falls. After this waterfall, the hike went first over a quiet road to the Dicky Flat waterfalls and DOC campground, and then back into the forest and gorge. It was a great walk along the Waitawheta river, and crossing the river and gorge a few times with swing bridges. Not a lot of other hikers were on this section of the loop.
Coming closer to the beginning of the Karangahake Gorge, you see the remembrances of the Crown Mines. The old bucket tram tracks, through tunnels, and concrete foundations of the Karangahake gold mining setup. The hydro energy from the river was utilized to power the crushing machines. The three huge quartz battery machines were pulverizing quartz rock to free the gold within.
After arriving in Tauranga, I went to Mount Maunganui town. A busy tourist town with a huge wave-surfing community.
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On Thursday 19 Dec, I left Tauranga and drove to the Kiwi Orchard district but first I did a short hike to the Kaiate Falls (Te Rerekawau Falls). An impressive group of waterfalls the first being a three-tiered upper series, which are followed by a 15-meter drop into the lower waterfall.
The town Te Puke is the kiwifruit capital of the world and is in the center of the New Zealand kiwi orchard district. Since I love kiwi fruit, I was interested in seeing an orchard and taking a tour. Before Covid, there were orchard tours but the pandemic stopped these tours and they haven’t been restarted, unfortunately. From the roadside, I stopped a few times to look over the fences and screens. Of course, I had to stop at the famous Kiwi Fruit sign! Being in the “wrong” season, I didn’t see kiwi fruit or any fruit picking since that’s in autumn only. Next to seeing many kiwi fruit orchards, I did see a lot of avocado orchards as well.
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Driving further to Rotorua, I passed the Okere Falls. Another old hydroenergy site where you can see some remains of the hydroelectric power plant. The water flows very fast so it must have been very demanding to build the wooden channels for the power plant structure in this river! The Okere hydroelectric power plant was the first government-funded power project in New Zealand. The construction was completed in 1901 and, after doubling its output in 1908, the Okere hydroelectric power plant was operational until 1939.
Just on the outside of Rotorua is the Whakarewarewa Redwoods Forest. These 6 hectares of Californian Coastal Redwoods were created in 1901 to assess the viability of various exotic tree species for commercial forestry in New Zealand. The project originated as a response to the clear-cutting of New Zealand’s native forests by the end of the 19th century, which drove the New Zealand government to establish a tree nursery in the Bay of Plenty to test the viability of different tree species as sources of lumber, which were imported from overseas. The first trees were harvested in 1915 and harvesting continued until 2006. In 1998, the land was given back to the Maori iwi of the Ngāti Whakaue. There are several walking rounds through the forest, including an altitude tree hike, and at night one route is guided by lights.
In the afternoon, I went to Te Puia; a geothermal park, the Kiwi Conservation Center, and the New Zealand Māori Arts & Crafts Institute. The tour in Te Puia went through the Maori town Te Whakarewarewatangaoteopetauaawahiao, which means “the war dance of the war parties of Wahiao” where still about 60 residents are living. The town is named after Wahiao, who was a great ancestor to the people of the valley. He was a chief of Tuhourangi, a subtribe of the local Te Arawa tribe.
The geothermal park of Te Puia consists of several geysers, mud and blue pools, and steam vents. The local town still uses some of the steam vents for cooking. On the Whakarewarewa geysers terrace, several geysers erupt with high steam outputs. Some erupt once or twice every hour and others only once per day. The Pohutu geyser is the biggest in the southern hemisphere and it can shoot up to 30 meters. The Kiwi Conservation Center is a hatchery, recovery center, and kiwi bird viewing area for tourists. In this center you can witness the kiwi birds as they forage in their purpose-built nocturnal enclosure, learn about their unique history, and explore the vital conservation efforts that safeguard their future. In November 2024 a new baby kiwi was hatched. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see the newborn since it was kept away from the public. In March 2025, you can see the baby kiwi in the nocturnal building.
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The tour through the Maori Arts and Crafts Center was also very interesting. In the institute, the students learn the different styles of Maori crafting arts and as a final exam, they have to create a wooden board of Maori craft art.
On Friday I first drove to the start of the Te Auheke track, to hike to the Cascade Falls. A very quiet track and had to search sometimes to follow the route and not get lost. Having downloaded all the tracks, I was doing or planned to be doing in the AllTrails app, there was never a huge chance of getting lost by the way.
After the hike, I drove further to the Bay of Plenty coast at Whakatane, and at Opotiki, I followed the road to Gisborne on the east coast. The road went through the Waioeka gorge and after a few stops along the river, at the Tauranga wooden bridge and more waterfalls, I arrived in Gisborne.
This is the place where Captain Cook arrived in New Zealand. This resulted in a violent meeting with a local Maori tribe, in which Cook’s men killed the Maori chief and kidnapped 3 Maori boys who were fishing. Cook named the area “Poverty Bay” because it didn’t offer him anything he wanted.
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Gisborne is the first city in New Zealand to see the sunrise and the following morning I woke up early to experience this.
Still in the dark, I drove up the Kaiti Hilltop first but found out that the lookout point was not fantastic towards the east. My other option was at a beach east of Gisborne, which was just a few minutes of driving further.
I waited at dusk at Wainui beach, with nice white sand and wild blue and white agapanthus flowers on the dunes. The sun was slowly rising out of the water until it was fully up and shining brightly for the new day.
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After breakfast in Gisborne, it was just a short drive to the city of Napier. The city of Napier is known for its Art Deco buildings. A major earthquake in February 1931 almost destroyed the whole city and only concrete buildings survived the earthquake. The city council regulated the building permissions and the city was rebuilt in reinforced concrete to withstand future earthquakes. The earthquake had lifted 2,000 hectares of land by about 2 meters and a whole new landscape was introduced. The city wanted to be modern and, at that time, Art Deco was fashionable, so almost all buildings in the center were built in Art Deco architecture with a lot of Maori motifs and influenced by certain architects. Nowadays, Napier is a popular and vibrant city and the architecture in the city center does look very cool.
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I took a walking tour from Napier’s Art Deco Trust and the guide explained a lot of the different motifs and architect’s styles. The Art Deco Trust is one of the leading groups that pushed the stop of demolishing “outdated” Art Deco buildings in the 1980s and conserving the city’s unique architecture.
The next day I drove back to the center of the North Island. The scenery around Napier was very much different than the northern area in the Bay of Plenty or the Coromandel. It was a lot of gentler rolling hills with lots of sheep grazing the green grass. Several suspension bridges cross the rivers. Getting closer to the Tongariro National Park, the scenery changes back to the forests and more desolated areas.
Driving around the south side of Mount Ruapehu towards the town of Turangi, you have to stop at the Mangawhero Falls. An easy walk to these waterfalls and you’ll see the water dropping about 30 meters down. Due to its formation, you can’t walk to the base of the waterfall but from the viewing platform, it’s impressive enough. A little bit further, on one of the other roads that lead into the national park, is one of the famous Lord of the Rings film locations. The Tawhai Falls is named in the movie Gollum’s Pool, where Gollum catches a fish from the rocks.
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Before arriving in Turangi, I visited the Te Porere Redoubt. One of the last major battlefields between the English and Maoris. Nowadays you can see the remains of the lower and upper Maori defense walls. Turangi is a small city that is known for trout fishing on the Tongariro River. But that was not the reason I drove to Turangi. It’s also near the famous Tongariro Alpine Crossing trail.
On Monday 23 December before sunrise, I drove to the end of the trail where I was picked up by a minibus which drove around the national park to the trail start of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is a 19.4-kilometer track with an elevation of 1,000 meters to its highest point at the Red Crater at 1886 meters above sea level. It further runs past the South Crater, over the Mangetepopo saddle between Mount Ngauruhoe and Mount Tongariro, and past the Red Crater and Emerald Lakes to the Ketetahi shelter. It’s a true alpine environment, has active and extinct volcanoes, and the weather can change quickly. The trail goes through Maori land and the summits of the mountains and the lakes are sacred. We started the hike before 7 am with low-hanging clouds and a bit of drizzle. After 45 minutes of hiking, the drizzle stopped when we reached the volcanic rock fields. The most recent lava flows from the Ngauruhoe happened in 1977.
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The hike on the Red Crater ridge to the top was a surreal scenery. I reached the top of the Red Crater after 2 hours of hiking. The wind was blowing crazy and it was quite chilly on the top. At the other side of the top, the clouds were disappearing and the lakes were becoming visible.
You had to pay attention when walking and sliding down the loose rocks towards the lakes. Stopping and admiring the view of the bright green Emerald lakes. At that time, the sun was breaking through the clouds, making the views even more spectacular. The steam vents on the other side of the lakes confirmed the active status of the volcanic area.
An amazing hike so far that continued through the crater to the other side, passing a black lava field along the route. The last eruptions from the Upper Te Maari Crater were in 2012, which caused the track to be closed for 6 months. Signs that eruptions can occur at any time without warnings are placed along the trail. After leaving the crater, the long descent started down. During the descent, the weather became more and more pleasant. Warm temperatures and blue skies were a welcome change from the chilly and strong winds. Passing several steam vents and changing vegetation, we slowly descend to the main road and end point of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. What an experience! Totally recommend this hike! The rest of the day I relaxed and enjoyed the sunshine on the deck in front of my cabin.
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On Tuesday I drove to Taumarunui where I started the journey on the Forgotten World Highway to Stratford. Passing through a forgotten world in New Zealand, through ghost towns, rugged countryside, driving up three saddles passes, bridges, and through 10 tunnels. The road, State Highway 43, is quiet and feels like you’re 100 years back in time. There is still a section of gravel road surface although the government is busy sealing the last stretch and is expected to be completed at the beginning of 2025.
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Just over halfway, you enter the unofficial Republic of Whangamomona. A small town that has “declared its independence”. They do have their own flag and you can get your passport stamped at the hotel bar, which is the only open establishment. The current president was reelected after a heavy challenge from Maketoni the Teddy Bear, Sherman the Cockatoo, Eunice the Sheep, Griff Robb (who proposed that the land-locked nation should enter into maritime tourism), and a Mrs Brown look-alike at the polls.
After a coffee and something to eat in the hotel bar, I drove further to New Plymouth. Passing the spectacular Mount Taranaki, formerly known as Mount Egmont, and through the town Egmont, of which its name refers to the town Egmond in the Netherlands. It almost felt like I was back home.
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On Christmas Eve, after a nice chat and drinks with the owner of the accommodation and other guests, I walked to the center of New Plymouth to see the Festival of Lights in the Pukekura Park. Every evening in the summer during the several weeks of the festival period, they light the park and have a route through the locations. It was nice to see and attracted many visitors. Of course, there are a few locations where you can have a drink and something to snack.
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On Christmas day I had planned a long drive. Of course, not many attractions are open on Christmas. Still, in the early morning in the Egmont National Park, I went for a hike up the mountain to the Wilkies Pools and Dawson Falls. A few other fellow early risers along the way but for the rest it was nice and quiet. The peak of Mount Tarakani was struggling to get through the low-hanging clouds but it was nevertheless a beautiful hike through the forest, climbing over rocks and crossing the creeks by bridges. The water temperature of the Wilkies Pools was too low for a dip but that was no surprise seeing some patches of snow on the top of the mountain…
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The drive along the coast was a bit boring but the section between Palmerston North and Pahiatua was quite interesting. A lot of slow s-curves and steep road sections crossing the mountain ridge. It wasn’t my original plan, but I drove past Masterton to Castlepoint on the east coast. Since it was Christmas day, many locals were gathering on the beach with their cars. Having a good time, BBQ and drinks. The lighthouse from 1913 was a nice climb and gave a cool view of the area.
On Boxing Day, I drove first to the Pukaha National Wildlife Center, also known as the Mount Bruce Reserve, a short distance north of Masterton. There is a very interesting indoor exhibit area explaining the wildlife of New Zealand, the changes over the past centuries and the difficulties they face. Besides the indoor area, there is a huge outside terrain/park with forest restoration and walking routes.
I did the most common route passing the large bird aviaries with rare New Zealand species, the native trees and bushes with the description boards, and of course the kiwi nursery. They hatch and raise kiwi eggs from their forest as part of the Operation Nest Egg endeavor to help maintain kiwi survival numbers. In the last decade, they have released over 130 kiwi birds into the wild. It was so cool to be able to watch the two kiwi birds in their nocturnal enclosures. No rush or group was pushing through (unlike in Te Puia in Rotorua) and it was quiet, peaceful, and beautiful to see. I was even allowed to take photos as long as you don’t use a flashlight. Just behind the glass, the kiwi birds were searching through the earth looking for their food. They have their nostrils at the far end of their beak which allows them to smell their food. Pretty clever little birds!
After spending quite some time in the Pukaha Wildlife Center, I drove to the south coast of the North Island to see the Pinnacles. Known from the Lord of the Rings movie and, I must agree, it’s impressive to see. The Pinnacles are about 12-14 million years old soft gravel pillars. They are formed by erosion from the Putangirua Stream and rainwater. First, I hiked the Ridge Track trail to the top lookout point and the view is cool. You get a really good idea of how big the area is and how tall the pinnacles are. There was a couple at the lookout point with a drone and they showed me why the trail to the base was closed (the reason, and how to get past, was also written on the AllTrails website). The trail to the base of the Pinnacles is closed due to a landslide of about 100m wide but following the river bed, it was possible to bypass this section and have a good look around. When walking through the base, surrounded by the tall gravel Pinnacles, you could hear some rocks or gravel falling. It was quite amazing to see these tall pillars but also not without danger. After the Pinnacles, I drove to the city center of Wellington; the capital of New Zealand.
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The following day I explored the city center. Many old buildings and of course the parliament building, “the Beehive”. The Wellington cable car rides up to the Botanic Gardens with nice viewpoints over the center and harbor. The Botanic Gardens were very nice to see with many trees, plants and flowers. I didn’t walk through the whole area, it was way too big for that.
After lunch I went to the Museum of New Zealand: Te Papa Tongarewa. This is a huge museum about New Zealand history, Maori and Settlers’ arrival and cultures, and nature. Since it was Christmas / Summer holidays, the museum was quite busy. Especially in the ground floor exhibitions but a lot less every time you went up another level of the building. After visiting the museum, I had a bit of time left to relax in the sun on the beach.
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On Saturday 28 December, I took the early morning ferry from the North Island to the South Island. This ferry goes through the Cook Straight and the Marlborough Sounds. The Marlborough Sounds is a special area that is not easy to access. Many small towns or even single houses that are only accessible by small boats.
The sounds are an extensive network of sea-drowned valleys, islands, sounds, and peninsulas, and were created by a combination of land subsidence and rising sea levels. According to Māori mythology, the sounds are the prows of the many sunken waka of Aoraki. The ferry goes through the famous Queens Charlotte Sound and the scenery is fantastic. So many beautiful bays, islands, and a few quiet hiking trails. Unfortunately, I didn’t had time to properly explore this region.
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After arriving in Picton, I drove the Queen Charlotte Drive along the coastline to Nelson. The drive was already beautiful and I had to stop many times admiring it and taking photos. Nelson is the center point of New Zealand and, of course, I had to stand on top of it! Its coordinates are: 41° 16’ 14.28” South, 173° 17’ 02.28” East.
Just on the outside of Nelson, I checked into my accommodation for the next couple of nights. There were four cabins on this remotely located property. No phone reception, no wifi in the cabins (just in the main building at the entrance of the property), and up a steep gravel path. Exactly what I was hoping to see after finding this accommodation on the Internet! But luckily the owner brought me and my bag with his quad and two dogs to the cabin. A simple cabin but in an amazing location!
The town of Nelson is close to the Abel Tasman National Park. Back in 1998, walking here for multiple days and staying overnight in the huts in this beautiful nature area was one of the highlights. This time I only had time for an one-day hike. I choose the route the furthest away from civilization aka from the start point at Kaiteriteri. Early morning on 29 December, I drove in about an hour from Nelson to Kaiteriteri where I joined the small passenger ferry. Just after leaving, the boat stopped at the Split Apple Rock. A famous round rock that was split in half and sticks out of the water. After taking some time for photos, the ferry continued to the north. The full small passenger boat ferry dropped off more and more people at several stops until we reached Awaroa Beach. We were passing many little bays and beaches, in between the inaccessible forests along the way. Except if you hire kayaks, possible in Kaiteriteri as well, and plan a multiple-day tour, then it might be possible to visit the more secluded areas. Together with a few others, we got off the boat at Awaroa Bay and stepped on the beautiful white sandy beach. Yes, this is Abel Tasman National Park!
Instead of hiking the main path, I decided to take a longer detour. The detour went through more dense bushes and up a steep path. The views were even more beautiful and I had more than enough time to enjoy the extra kilometers. I sometimes stopped every few minutes to admire the scenery and look out to the bay. The white sandy beaches and turquoise blue water were just amazing and inviting to go for a swim. But the swim would come later after reaching the end of my hike.
If I had time, I could spend a full week hiking from bay to bay, enjoying nature, freedom, and swimming in the warm water. Most of the beaches were almost empty, at some there were a few boats or a group of kayakers with day visitors and there was one beach with a kayak rental station and more visitors, but overall it was quiet and a very peaceful hiking experience.
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At Bark Bay, the large bay before my pickup location, I stopped for a nice long break. Went swimming a few times, lay in the sun, read a bit, and just simply relaxed. Just before the pickup time, I hiked the relatively short distance to Medlands Beach. Together with the hikers who left with me in the morning and the hikers from the south, we waited for a short while until the passenger boat arrived. Along the way back to Kaiteriteri, we stopped at a rare seal colony for some photos, and in the late afternoon, we arrived at the civilization. In Nelson, I had my dinner and went back to the remote cabin for a peaceful night’s sleep.
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The following morning, I drove to Hanmer Springs. First through the forest surrounding the Abel Tasman NP, but soon through the open fields with lots of sheep. Around midday, I arrived at the adventure center near Hanmer Spring. I had booked a combination adventure. First, white water rafting on the Waiau River and then being picked up by and having a Jet Boat ride back to the center. The white-water rafting wasn’t very exciting due to the lack of rain lately and therefore relatively calm river, but the jumping from high cliffs was very entertaining! Standing on top of a 4-5 meter high cliff (and adding my 1.90 m length) looking down to the flowing river below, it’s pretty high! The Jet Boat ride was terrifying, going on full speed very close to rocks, pebble banks, and through small rapids. A few 360-degree loops to scare everyone even further were topping this up! It was exciting but afterward, it was time to relax! Hanmer Spring is well-known for its thermal pools. I spent a few hours going from one hot thermal pool to the next, which was very relaxing and good for the body. I had a late-night dinner before walking back to my accommodation.
The next day, Tuesday 31 December 2024, I drove in a few hours to Christchurch where I arrived late morning. The accommodation was so kind to let me check in early and soon afterward I was off sightseeing in the center of Christchurch. Over 25 years ago, Christchurch made a very good impression on me. A vibrant but old and beautiful English city! Several bands were going to play on New Year’s Eve in Hagley Park, with fireworks at midnight celebrating the new year, and I had booked a hotel right in between the park and the city center. Perfect for sightseeing and going to the festival! Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t great and the council canceled the festival completely! What a shame. And in the end, the weather conditions weren’t even that bad. Most of the strong wind had passed well before the start of the festival early evening. The afternoon, I spent sightseeing in the center with its rebuilding remains of the big earthquake of 2011, but also very English old buildings, New Regent Street, the Christmas tourist tram line, and the cool atmosphere. The food hall was a great place to see and buy some local products and have a late lunch. The Quake City museum gave a lot of information on earthquakes in New Zealand and on the devastating last earthquake of 22 February 2011 that destroyed a lot of buildings in the city center.
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For the rest of the evening, Christchurch was pretty boring actually. The following morning, New Year’s Day, I saw on NZ television the great firework shows of other cities in New Zealand. Of course in Auckland, but also Wellington, Dunedin, New Plymouth, etc. Too bad Christchurch canceled the event.
After breakfast in Christchurch, I drove west to the New Zealand Alps. While driving through Springfield, I looked out for people “eating the cats and dogs” but, although on a different continent, that might only be in the imagination and populist framing by the orange clown of the USA.
The open and wide farmlands on the east side of the New Zealand Alps, change to the less densely populated mountain areas. Highway 73 is one of the few roads crossing the New Zealand Alps. Although these roads are called a ‘highway’ they are nothing compared to a highway in Europe. These are two-lane roads where the maximum speed limit is 100 km/h. No safety barrier on the sides or separating the two lanes.
I’ve been stopping several times on HW73 and in the Arthur’s Pass National Park due to the great viewpoints, interesting scenery, and nature. The hike to the Devil’s Punchbowl Falls is a nice break on the drive. The waterfall has a drop of 131 meters.
From Kumara Junction on the west coast of the South Island, I drove north to the Paparoa National Park. This place is famous for its so-called pancake rocks at Punakaiki. These pancake rocks have been formed over a million years. Sediment on the seabed became rock after lithification; immense pressure liquifies some of the materials in the sediment, allowing minerals to bind together and turn into rock. Between the harder limestone layers, softer seams of mudstone formed, and, after partial erosion over thousands of years, these eroding mudstone layers have been creating contrasting textures. This carved out the flat, layered rock stacks, the so-called pancake formations, at Punakaiki.
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After visiting the pancake rocks, I drove further south along the west coast to Rimu, a town close to Hokitika. An area that has been known for its gold mining industry. Some remains of that period can still be seen, like old mining tunnels, rail tracks, and pipes. This was the last commercial gold mining industry in New Zealand which finally shut down in 1953.
Close to my accommodation was a natural ‘cave’ and the viewing of glow worms at night. Around dawn, with a few others, we went to this cave, which was just off the road, and waited until it was getting dark enough. Luckily, I used anti-mosquito spray because the many, many mosquitos in this cave were very hungry! More and more glow worms were lighting up and it was a cool sight. There are some paid caves in New Zealand and probably with even better viewing, but this was already pretty amazing to see.
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The next day, I drove to the glaciers on the west coast. Since the weather wasn’t great on this day, I passed the town of Franz Josef (known for the Franz Josef Glacier) and went to the town Fox Glacier. The weather still wasn’t fantastic but at least it became dry. After lunch and a walk around Lake Matheson, I went to the start of the Fox Glacier trail.
The trail is quite an easy hike, steadily going up towards the base of the glacier. Walking through the forest was beautiful but unfortunately, the clouds didn’t clear up and it wasn’t possible to see the glacier. Maybe you can come closer to the glacier on a different trail.
On my way back, I took a detour through the Westland Tai Poutini National Park with many overgrown fallen trees, narrow paths, some climbing, and a more challenging hike.
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In the early morning of 3 January 2025, I drove away from Fox Glacier further down the coastal road to the town of Haast. From there back to cross the New Zealand Alps via the Haast pass. It’s a scenic drive and I had to stop several times to look at the wild nature on this side of New Zealand. Mount Aspiring National Park is beautiful, although I’ve only seen a small part of it. Officially the famous Blue Pools track is closed because the DOC is working on the bridges… but, you can still do the hike and cross the river! The trail itself is a very easy but beautiful hike and won’t take long. You walk along the Makarora River until you reach a bridge (which is closed for repairs). The water at this first bridge is already turquoise blue and great to hike to. Originally, I planned to stop at the bridge as well but at that moment a few guys were just crossing the river back, and said the Blue Pools (on the other side of the river) were amazing!
Although the water was freezingly cold, I was able to cross the river while the water came about halfway to my thighs. The current is pretty strong and you have to find a good balance going through. This isn’t without any danger but very possible to cross if you’re careful where to cross and how to cross the river. Probably the best is to wear old trainers instead of walking bare feet. On the other side, after walking another 100 meters over the pebble bank, is another bridge (also closed for repairs) but you can climb past the barrier to view the Blue River and Blue Pools from the bridge better. Again, not without danger, but the views are amazing and worth it! I’ve seen several people jump from this bridge into the Blue Pools. It’s pretty high but if you’re a daredevil…
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Just a bit further on State Highway 6, you come to Lake Wanaka. From there, it’s still a farely long drive along the lake and at the rocky ridge, called The Neck, the highway switches to Lake Hawea, which you follow until the town of Hawea. From there it’s only a short distance to the small city of Wanaka. Wanaka is a very busy touristy town. It’s very popular in summer and winter time. In the winter you can ski and snowboard at the nearby resorts of Treble Cone and Cardrona ski fields. In summer time it’s popular for its water and adventure sports on and near the lake. Boat trips, paragliding, mountain biking, rafting and jet boat riding, sky diving, bungy jumping, hiking, horse riding, and lots more.
After arriving in Wanaka, and after checking into my accommodation for the next two days, I explored the small town center and walked along the waterfront where there were a lot of activities and people strolling and hanging out. Of course, I went to the famous Wanaka Tree. The Wanaka Tree is an 80-year-old willow tree that is growing just inside the lake, surrounded by water.
Saturday 4 January 2025. My alarm went off at 02:45. Trying to wake up and eat an energy bar while driving to the Roys Peak trail start. There were already a few cars in the parking lot. Paid the fee at the signpost and, at 03:15, I started the hike up the mountain in the pitch black. With a headlight and clothed in several layers because the temperature was still quite low, the hike was fine. After about an hour, I took off a layer because it was getting too warm. The trail is pretty steep and only going up and up. Hardly any flat sections. I felt my calves! The views, although dark, were pretty amazing. The many stars in the sky, the town of Wanaka with its lights at the lake, the moonlight. At 05:05, I arrived at the top of Roys Peak. It was still dark and several other hikers were sitting in the dark in the grass. It was still about half an hour before sunrise and I put my extra layers on and tried to stay warm on the cold grass. Tip for next time: bring a thin sleeping bag or emergency thermal blanket to stay warm and off the cold grass.
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People were silently talking with each other. No loud voices or annoying music on this peaceful morning. A hiker, who was sitting next to me, was offering tea, which helped me to stay warm. I had some sandwiches and energy drink with me. Slowly the sun was starting to creep over the mountain ranges in the distance. The sunrise was beautiful. A great experience! Going down was quick and still many hikers were slowly going up.
They missed the sunrise. They missed this great experience. At around 07:30, I was back in my room after driving via the local bakery for some freshly baked croissants and chocolate-covered pastries. I think I deserved them! First, a quick nap, and then the day started (again). The rest of the day was quite relaxed. I walked along the river to the center, enjoyed a nice lunch on a terrace, and was lying in the sun next to the lake. It was my holiday!
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On Sunday 5 January, I drove to Queenstown via Cromwell and the Kawarau Gorge. It’s a detour but a very scenic drive. At the Roaring Meg hydroelectric power plant, you can see the fast-flowing river, and near the town of Gibbston, you can do the authentic Bungy Jump from the Kawarau Gorge suspension bridge. Close to the suspension bridge, on the other side of the highway, is the Lord of the Rings film location of The Argonath (Pillars of the Kings) on the Anduin River.
The gorge and river are impressive. I arrived in Queenstown before midday so had plenty of time to hike up the Tiki Trail to Bob’s Peak. Most visitors take the gondola up but the hike is much nicer, not too long and very doable. The views of Queenstown and the Wakatipu lake are pretty cool.
The top is almost an amusement park. You can ride skelters, do a bungy jump, go paragliding, zipline through the peaks of the trees, and more. Many locals and tourists take mountain bikes up in the gondola for the downhill ride down the mountain.
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Queenstown has more inhabitants than its neighboring city Wanaka but is, in general, similar to Wanaka since both are attracting a lot of adventure seekers. Queenstown gives me the impression to be a bit more upscale although you see enough pubs and fast food joints for the backpackers, young tourists and party-minded people. Queenstown (and Wanaka) are cool places but way too many tourists and man-created adventures for my liking.
The following morning, I hiked up Queenstown Hill on the other side of the town. To my surprise, there weren’t many other hikers on this side (compared to the busy Ben Lomond reserve at Bob’s Peak). The start of the trail was still in the shade of the mountain and therefore a bit on the cold side, but once the sun started to shine it was very pleasant. The view at the top is pretty amazing again. The snow-covered mountain tops in the distance, the lake, and the view of Queenstown. After walking down, I went to the peninsula and watched some groups playing disc golf. I’ve never seen anyone playing this game back home, but last year in Croatia, and here in New Zealand, I’ve seen it a few times. The Queenstown Gardens are also on the peninsula, with many different flower beds, rose gardens, and native trees and bushes.
After spending the last few days in the busy touristy areas of Wanaka and Queenstown, I was happy to leave Queenstown the next morning and drive to the east coast of the South Island. Leaving early, I first drove back to Cromwell and then took the State Highway to Alexandra and Dunedin. The landscape changes quickly from mountains to plain open fields. Many large fields for agriculture and fruitfields.
Dunedin is an old city with a lot of Scottish influence. After sightseeing the center with its old buildings, the impressive church and railway station, and spending a few hours in the Tuhura Otago museum, I continued the drive along the east coast up north.
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The next stop was Katiki Point on the Moeraki peninsula. At Katiki Point you can view the lighthouse but more interesting watch the New Zealand fur seals and Yellow-Eyed penguins. This is the main breeding area in North Otago for the New Zealand fur seals/kekeno colony.
There were many resting on the rocks. This location is also the most significant breeding area for the Yellow-Eyed penguins in North Otago. I was lucky to see a pair because normally they are very secretive and hard to see during daytime.
The lighthouse was built on top of the Te Raka a Hineatea Pā site. A historical Maori site where the local tribe used to live in a strongly defended settlement with terraces for housing and a defense wall surrounding the site.
Archaeologists have found a meter-thick occupation layer that contained information on how the occupants lived and what they ate, which tools and weapons they had, and more. On-site, there isn’t that much information, unfortunately.
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Just a bit north of the town of Moeraki, are the famous Moeraki Boulders. The Te Kaihinaki, Moeraki Boulders, are formed around 60 million years ago. These spherical boulders were formed within the mudstone. Calcite from circulating groundwater formed cement within the mudstone around shell fragments and pebbles. As this process continued the boulder ‘grew’ larger. Cracks later formed in the boulders and were infilled with calcite crystals. These are the visible patterns you see on the boulders. Over time, the land was uplifted out of the sea and the soft mudstone eroded, leaving the harder boulders behind. More boulders are hidden in the sand and, by further erosion, they will get exposed. Funny fact: the Moeraki Boulders aren’t the only boulders in New Zealand. In the far north of the North Island, you can visit the Koutu Boulders. Some of the Koutu Boulders are much larger than the Moeraki Boulders. Up to 3 meters “giant rabbit Number 2s” can be found in an inlet on the west coast, about halfway between Whangarei and Cape Reinga.
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In the late afternoon, I drove further to the town of Oamaru. Oamaru is the breeding site of the Blue Penguin colony. Unfortunately, the penguin site is very commercialized. Most likely they had to control the visitors and prevent the poor behavior of visitors, but you have to buy tickets to the site to see the penguins in the evening coming out of the sea and going to their nests. When I was in Oamaru, the weather was very bad. Pouring rain, lot of wind, and quite chilly, and I decided not to go to the penguin site. Too bad because I was quite interested and was looking forward to this special moment. Luckily, I just saw a pair of Yellow-Eyed penguins in Katiki Point.
The next morning, Wednesday 8 January, I left the east coast of the South Island and drove back to the New Zealand Alps. Mount Cook was on the program! One of the highlights of 25 years ago and anxious to see this mountain peak again. The drive to Twizel was passing through a lot of agriculture fields. Next to the many sheep, they’re keeping here.
After Twizel, you drive along the beautiful Lake Pukaki. The weather wasn’t as bad as the night before, but the drizzle kept falling and the low hanging clouds didn’t want to disappear. The car park was at the White Horse Hill campground and the parking was not overly full of cars. Probably many visitors changed their plans. Great if you have the time to change plans but, unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make huge changes. At the car park, I changed my clothing to waterproof pants, extra layers, and my waterproof jacket. My backpack was full of extra dry layers, food, snacks, and drinks.
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Prepared for the worst but I wasn’t planning to stay overnight on the mountain. Originally, I was planning to hike to the Mueller Hut, which would have been about 4-5 hours hike, and then return on the same route. During the steep climb up, many steps were created nowadays instead of climbing over rocks, it was still all clouds around me with sometimes a few minutes opening through the clouds to view the area. Even though the weather wasn’t great, I enjoyed the hike a lot. The nature and weather did make it quite special, in combination with the very small number of other hikers going up and down. I heard from the hikers coming down, that the section from Sealy Tarns to the Mueller hut was completely in the dense clouds without being able to see anything around you. Knowing this, I changed my destination to the Sealy Tarns viewpoint and would, after coming back to the start point, hike another trail.
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At the Sealy Tarns viewpoint, the clouds were still blocking most of the views. There were some brief moments that I was able to look through the clouds into the valley. After eating my lunch at the viewpoint, I made my way down the track. Slowly the clouds were opening up more and I was able to see Lake Mueller. It wasn’t possible to see the Mueller Glacier but the lake looked already spectacular. When I was almost back at the start at White Horse Hill, I continued hiking on the Kea Point lookout trail. A relatively short hike to the viewpoint. Seeing Lake Mueller and surrounding mountains from this angle and so close was beautiful.
After finally coming back to the White Horse Hill start point, I walked for about an hour on the Hooker Valley track but turned around before reaching the end. The views and suspension bridges were great but there were just way too many visitors, loud people, and the walking path was too smooth and well-formed. Almost felt like walking on the sidewalk in a busy city.
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After driving past Lake Pukaki back to Twizel, the blue sky was trying to get through the clouds. Some moments of sun and the water of the lake were turning into its postcards turquoise blue color. More and more blue sky was changing the temperature and weather enormously. In Twizel was a 33-meter-long outdoor swimming pool which I couldn’t resist and I did my first few kilometers swimming since I competed in the Ironman 70.3 World Championship, about 4 weeks prior. Swimming outside with the sun on your back was a special feeling.
The sun was shining the next day. Driving past Lake Pukaki on the south side, I was able to see Mount Cook in its full glory again! What a great view with the snowcapped mountains and the blue water of Lake Pukaki. After taking several photos, I continued the drive to Lake Tekapo. Another turquoise blue-colored lake. On the banks of the lake is the famous Church of the Good Shepherd. A small little church constructed out of natural stone. It looks quite nice but I’m unsure what the big hype is. The weather was beautiful, however, and I enjoyed the views of the mountains.
After Lake Tekapo, I drove to the town of Methven. Over 25 years ago, I stayed for some time in a backpackers hostel in Methven and was snowboarding every single day in the nearby ski resort Mount Hutt. Methven is still a small town and in summertime pretty quiet. I can imagine it’s a lot busier with visitors during the winter months. After exploring the town for some time, with the two pubs at the towns junction (called the Blue and Brown Pub), trying to find the backpackers hostel where I used to stay but couldn’t find it, I enjoyed the Opuke Thermal Pools in the late afternoon. Several pools with different temperatures to have a peaceful and relaxing time. Not such a great experience as the pools in Hanmer Springs but the water water pools of Opuke were still very pleasant and relaxing.
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The end of my trip was coming closer. On Friday 10 January, I drove to Christchurch. First driving towards Mt Hutt, and then crossing the Rakaia River. A wide riverbed that indicated at times there must be a lot of water flowing down from the New Zealand Alps through this river. The long stretch to the city was through a lot of agricultural fields and small county towns. Unfortunately, also in this area of New Zealand, you can see the remains of the damage of forest harvesting. Whole mountain hills have been swiped from trees, leaving only the stubs behind. It’s such an ugly sight and devastating to nature and animal wildlife. I hope people and governments will realize soon that we have to stop this destruction, and sustain or, even better, improve our delicate environment before it’s too late.
Before driving to my accommodation in the center of Christchurch, I stopped at the International Antarctic Center. This is a visitor attraction, exhibit, and public science discovery center, next to its original purpose to be the center in New Zealand from where Antarctic expeditions are being prepared and executed. Lots of information on how in the early days the expeditions were conducted, movies of life in the Antarctic, and a “cold room” to experience the freezing conditions and high-speed winds in the Antarctic. The information movies were very interesting, as well as the presentation and story of one of the husky guides with a few of his dogs. The center also hosts a Blue penguin recovery center (I missed the Blue penguins in Oamaru) and just when I was passing, the feeding and explanation started. It’s great to see this center taking care of the injured or ill penguins until they can be placed back in the wild again. If you have some hours to spend, it’s certainly an interesting and worthwhile time to visit this center.
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In the afternoon, I went sightseeing in Christchurch again. It’s been only 1.5 weeks that I was in the city but this time with good sunny weather, which made it a lot more pleasant to walk around the city center. A lot more people were on the streets this time and it felt like a quite lively city.
I took the tourist tram, which rode passed several highlights and received information about the buildings, the big earthquake of 2011, some jokes, and other facts about the city.
I was able to buy the last few gifts for back home, repack my bags (adding quite a few kilos of extra weight), and prepare myself for the journey home.
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On Saturday morning, I returned my Toyota rental car to the rental station and they dropped me off at the airport of Christchurch. The Air New Zealand check-in didn’t complain about my few kilos overweight baggage (mainly stuffed my bike bag full of extra items) and in the late morning, my plane took off to Auckland, where I arrived 1.5 hours later.
Leaving my two bags at the Auckland secured luggage storage, I took the direct bus to the city center where my hotel for the night was. In the afternoon, I was sightseeing and exploring the city center of Auckland. I walked around in the harbor with its many yachts, visited the New Zealand Maritime Museum, and took the SkyTower lift to the outside Lookout Observation Deck.
For the crazy-minded, you can do a bungy jump of the SkyTower! I settled for a coffee and cake in the Sky Bar and viewed the areas around Auckland from behind the glass. After the SkyTower, I walked via the beautiful Botanic Gardens back to my hotel for a last night in New Zealand.
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On Sunday, 12 January, I checked in and flew with Cathay Airlines via Hong Kong back to the Netherlands, where I arrived on 13 January 2025. Both flights were smooth and quite pleasant in the extra comfort seats.
The trip of almost 6 weeks altogether (over a week in Taupo for the triathlon World Championship and 4 weeks traveling around the North and South Islands) was great. Of course, too short! I could have spent a few months traveling around New Zealand but I didn’t have the time. Hopefully one day, I will return for another holiday in New Zealand!
Until then: Kia Ora New Zealand!
