New Zealand: activities for those who don’t ski or snowboard
- Kendal Ann
- Aug 1, 2020
- 5 min read
Sprawling open landscapes, long winding road trips, once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences - all of which you can find in New Zealand.
As you can see by this blog (or if you have known me for a long time), Australia is my one true country love. It is where I have wanted to be since I was a little kid; I never thought about living anywhere else. In saying that, I was so pleasantly surprised by my trip to New Zealand.
Often when you get asked about Australia, you also get asked about New Zealand. Until I made the trip to NZ, I would have said I had no interest in going. There’s so much to see in Australia that I didn’t really feel the need to go over to New Zealand. Also, I knew that NZ was more known for its winter weather and winter activities - both of which I do not particularly like.
So you are probably wondering why did I even go to New Zealand if it seems I did not like it at all… well, I’ll tell you why!
A friend from college was living there. She is a year younger than me and was someone who did the same study abroad trip to the Gold Coast the year after I had in college. We are both travel-obsessed kindred spirits! While living in NZ she made a trip to the Gold Coast to catch up with friends, and that is when I decided I might as well go to NZ when I have the chance of traveling with someone I know. (It’s always better when you travel with someone who has the same travel style as you.)
We spent two weeks driving around the South Island of NZ. I enjoyed the trip so much more than I thought I would! It is a beautiful country, and I understand why so many people have it on their bucket lists. It was out of my comfort zone in a sense, but I am still grateful I had the opportunity to go.
My trip to New Zealand has been one of the longer trips I have gone on, so I have a lot to write about. I am going to split up my trip into multiple blog posts! This post will feature some of my favorite activities.
I flew into and out of Queenstown, which is one of New Zealand’s most popular travel destinations. It is the adventure capital of the world! Personally, extreme sports do not really interest me. I am way too scared. But, I have a lot of friends who have gone bungee jumping, sky diving, and jet boating while in Queenstown.
One of my favorite experiences was going to Franz Josef Glacier. Never in my life would I have thought I’d get to see a glacier.
We did the free hike that walks up to the base of the glacier. It is such an easy and enjoyable hike. While there you can also take a helicopter ride to the top of the glacier where they drop you off to climb inside of it! Both of us almost did it - one of those “we may never be here again who cares about money” situations. Looking back, I should have done the heli ride. It would have been amazing!
On the way back from the hike, we stopped in town to get coffees. While walking around, we saw a sign for the glacier spa. Surprisingly, this was in our budget! For only $29 NZD, we went to The Franz Josef Glacier Hot Pools. Nestled into the rainforest at the base of the mountain, the pools were the perfect way to relax after a long hike. I highly recommend going here.
The next activity that I loved - which I also didn’t think I would really like - was the steamboat tour on the TSS Earnslaw in Queenstown.
As one of the oldest tourist attractions in Central Otago, which is part of the South Island, I understand why is it on the ‘must-do’ list. The TSS Earnslaw is a 1912 Edwardian vintage twin screw steamer that runs daily tours at Lake Wakatipu [1]. It is the last commercial passenger-carrying coal-fired steamship in the southern hemisphere [1].
The views you get to see while on the boat are amazing! Lake Wakatipu is surrounded by snow-covered mountains that are stunning. It was truly surreal. The boat also had amazing coffee.
The tour included a stop for a buffet lunch at Walter Peak Station, a historic farm. While there we also got to watch a sheep shearing show. Additionally, they demonstrated how they use sheepdogs to corral the sheep from the top of the mountain.
I really enjoy farm stays and visiting farms when I am in different countries. I think it’s a great way to learn about the local culture, and it gives you a chance to have an experience that’s different than the typical tourist trail.
An awesome part of the tour on the TSS Earnslaw and visiting Walter Peak Station was that we got the locals discount! Since my friend had been living in Queenstown, she could prove a local address. We booked through Real Journeys, and it was super easy.
Most tourist activities in NZ are on the ‘must-do’ list, but Milford Sound really is at the top of the list. When I visited, I only took the boat trip out into the sound for the tour. If I go back, I would want to go on one of the hikes or do an overnight trip there!
We also booked this trip through Real Journeys, and I recommend booking through them. A day cruise is $79 NZD during winter (which is right around when we went), and it goes for two hours and includes lunch.
While on the boat tour, we saw so much native wildlife - seals, birds, dolphins. The best part of the tour is they drive the boat right under the waterfalls flowing into the Sound! The views are incredible.
It takes a while to get to Milford Sound. For our whole trip, we had a rental car so we did not have to take the group bus. The best part of doing all of these activities was that we could drive to them.
As I stated before, I am not a winter sports fan. I have snowboarded twice, and I really wish I liked it more. I think I will probably try the sport again at some point in my life, but for now, I rather find activities that don't include snowboarding or skiing.
Some other activities that I recommend include my usual - road-tripping, café hopping, food and wine tasting, and shopping! Keep an eye on my next post about New Zealand. It will be about the different stops I took along my road trip. We covered almost all of the South Island!
References:
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