In Love with New Zealand: A-Z of a South Island Road Trip

It’s not all sheep, rugby and camper vans, you know!

Art Trails

NOT the first thing that springs to mind is it! It doesn’t quite compete with the natural environment but there are surprises along the way. Christchurch offers up plenty of abandoned walls for artists to display their canvases while Nelson’s City Centre Artwalk is an outdoor gallery with 26 mapped sites….

Christchurch

Nelson Artwalk

Bale

One would expect the countless plastic-wrapped hay bales to detract from the beauty of the rural landscape but there is something rather attractive about their display in the fields and rolling hills (even if that’s the last thing on the farmers’ minds!).

Cascade

Everyone loves a waterfall! There are an estimated 1500 at least on South Island. Some are more accessible than others and some are more impressive than others – from fast-flowing water over river rocks to torrential cascades over sheer cliff faces – but a road sign is usually enough to warrant an investigation!

 

Dirt (absence of!!!!)

I’ve NEVER been anywhere so clean! Everything is spotless and everything works! My faith in public facilities has been restored (temporarily of course!)!

Such clear water – in among the boats in Queenstown!

I fell in love with the public loos! I fear travel from now on will always be a disappointment!!!

Earthquake

Christchurch is still emerging from the devastating impact of the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes which killed 185 people and reduced 80% of the city centre to rubble. While the cityscape is still spattered with derelict buildings and vacant sites, many of the 700+ individual projects have been completed and much of the centre has been rebuilt.

Cathedral Restoration

Earthquake Memorial

City centre is open for business

Fjordland

Formed by glaciers during the last ice age, the country’s 14 fjords are all located in the southwest of the island. Milford Sound (yes – it IS a fjord – not a sound) is the only one accessible by road but it is still remote enough to remain unspoiled.

 

Glacier Country

The Franz Josef Glacier, named after the Austrian emperor, moves faster than the average glacier thus creating a constantly changing landscape of caves, crevasses and seracs. For the non skiers among us, a helicopter ride will blow a hole in the holiday budget but offers an opportunity to see the glacier up close and to enjoy a snow landing. There are also wonderful hiking options which offer spectacular vies of the area.

Hairpin

A good excuse to slow down and admire the surroundings!

Irish on Tour!

We Irish love New Zealand. The landscape here is described as Ireland on steroids!! Well, it IS very much like home (not actually my favourite landscape when travelling – I prefer parched and scrub!) which probably explains how an estimated one in six New Zealanders have Irish ancestry.

It’s not for the fainthearted among us – 3 flights and 25 hours in the air gets us from Dublin to Christchurch – add in layover times between connections and airport transfers and we’re talking a few days each way. Then there’s the jet lag of course … BUT … at least we drive on the same side of the road!

Just ONE picture of an Irish pub – there are an estimated 65 such establishments between the 2 islands!!

Jellybean Art

I love jellybeans so much that the artworks deserve their own heading! (No – I’m not stuck – yet! – Jade is found in the south island and holds deep cultural significance for the Maori people).

I came across these at the Skyline visitor centre in Queenstown. They take about 100 hours to assemble. I’d LOVE that job!!

Kai

Time for a bit of Maori – Kai translates as food or meal. I thought we’d be living on lamb but of course not! What did surprise me was the availability of savoury pies – I LOVE pies! So my favourite culinary experience became the examination of hot counters in delis and coffee shops for a lunchtime treat!

Towns offer up the usual array – Italian, Tapas, Burgers, a surprising number of Indian restaurants. And then there’s always the BBQ option out under the stars!

So many pies – so little time!

Whatya mean ‘its for sharing‘!

Long White Cloud

Aotearoa, meaning The Land Of The Long White Cloud is actually the Maori name for New Zealand. The cloud formation – a product of particular weather patterns and topography – is believed to have helped early Polynesian explorers to find the islands. While digital maps may have replaced clouds as navigational tools, they are certainly more attractive to look at!

Middle Earth

At the initial planning stage, I was outvoted (by 7 to 1 to be honest!) into making this a Lord of the Rings Trip! Actually, to my shock and horror, not all of my travel companions had even seen the movies! With the promise of Hobbiton- like the Holy Grail – on North Island towards the end of the trip, I satisfied myself with snippets along the way. Peter Jackson’s familiarity with the landscape shaped the iconic backdrops of the movies and many of the 150+ locations can be found on South Island.

Name

Original Māori place names possess either geographical, historical or mythological significance. Then, European settlers used anglicised pronunciations of the Māori names or replaced them altogether with names from places they came from, military heroes, royalty or indeed the names of the settlers themselves.

Nowadays, many Māori names have been restored while other places have been given an official double name – both English and Māori.

One Lane Bridge

Due to low traffic density, the island got by with single lane bridges and many are still in existence.

Panorama

The landscape offers up endless unobstructed views – all the stops along the road will play havoc with your driving schedule!

Queenstown

Don’t let the tag Adventure Capital of the World scare you off! It’s ok NOT to bungy-jump, paraglide or zipline! Adrenaline Avoidants like yours truly can be tempted onto the cable car but failing even that, the shore front is lovely for a stroll and a pint!!

RV

I always knew, that if I ever got to New Zealand, I’d tour by camper van. It makes for a slower pace but you learn to ignore the journey time on your digital map (if you’re on a whirlwind trip then forget about it). It also means compromising a bit on the route choice – you mightn’t be able to head off the beaten track to the same extent as in your car. But it’s a wonderful experience and if you’re ever going to try it then New Zealand is the place for it!!! I’d better qualify that by admitting I’ve NEVER driven outside Ireland!

Six

You’ll become very familiar with Route 6 – the 1,262 km long highway stretching from the south, up along the west coast, towards the north east of the island. It’s quite the drive – vineyards, pasture, snow, sea, lakes, alps…it’s all here…

Tree

Located at the edge of the lake, the Wānaka Willow began life as part of a wooden fence post – planted to keep livestock from wandering. It took root in the sandy lake soil and, some 80 years later, it has become an icon and one of the most photographed landmarks on the island.

Unplanned Diversions

Often the greatest pleasure on a road trip is that part of the day when you went off script – the impromptu walk or the spontaneous swim. It’s so much better to get on the road early and have the scope to indulge in the unexpected.

Vine

The first vines were planted in the early 1800’s by missionaries, mainly to supply British soldiers and visiting sailors. Wineries went on to serve the small domestic market right up to the 1980’s when the industry changed focus from low end cheap to high end premium. Sauvignon blanc put the country in the international spotlight and the rest, as they say, is history!

Wild West Coast

This long narrow strip of coast is wedged between the mountains and the Tasman Sea. Wild driftwood-strewn beaches, blowholes, caves, storm waves – you can feel the destructive forces of nature constantly at play here – and that’s on a good day! It must be truly spectacular in bad weather!!

X marks the Spot!

As a group of 8, we compromised at our planning stage by opting for campsites rather than wild camping. We also prebooked everything so while we had to sacrifice a lot of spontaneity, it cut out any dithering and debate in the evenings. Some sites were remote, others located on the edge of town meant we could comfortably walk around Nelson, Queenstown, etc. Many sites offer chalet accommodation so are worth investigating even with a car.

Yarn

I bet you thought I’d forgotten the sheep!

The Merino was the first sheep breed brought to New Zealand in large numbers. Nowadays, it makes up just 10% of the national flock. That flock ( of over 30 breeds) numbers a very respectable 26 million but has declined from a peak of over 70 million in the 1980’s! Profits in meat and wool are not what they were and many farmers are getting out of the business.

Merino wool is the softest, finest in the world. – which means it is less likely to itch! New Zealand is the world’s second largest exporter of the wool but most of it is processed outside the country. A lot of it is scoured here first – removing grease and dirt – and then exported to be spun into yarn overseas before being woven or knitted.

Zealand

Zealand means sea-land.  The country was named after the Dutch province of Zeeland by Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in the 17th century

The flag has a blue field with the Union Jack in the upper left-hand quarter and four stars representing the Southern Cross constellation. The Union Jack reflects New Zealand’s origins as a British colony and there has been an ongoing debate about a design change since the 1970’s. There was actually a two-stage referendum on flag change in 2016 with the country eventually electing to keep the existing flag by 57% to 43%.