Back story: Charlie’s mom is from New Zealand, so he grew up taking frequent trips to the South Island his whole life. As a matter of fact, he didn’t tell me this when we first started dating, and it wasn’t until I first met his mom in person and was completely thrown off guard by her kiwi accent when I found all this out.
We started dating after college graduation and both had plans to go traveling before getting ‘adult’ jobs. I was set for a month long trip to Thailand with two girlfriends, and Charlie had been planning a two month trip to New Zealand with a buddy. It was only a few months into dating when we planned for me to meet him in NZ straight from Thailand to tag along the second half of his trip. Although this was slightly terrifying to plan months in advance when we had no idea if we’d still be together, Iwas so excited and remains one of my best decisions to date.
New Zealand… is breath taking. Charlie rented and RV and drove through the entire South Island hunting and fishing. He got most of the gory stuff over with before I arrived- like shooting little wallabies, ugh. There’s no way I could handle any of that. Anyway, due to an unexpected overnight layover in Australia (fun fact – the one day I happened to be in Australia was ‘Australia Day’, but was too exhausted to make it out of my hotel to explore), I ended up landing in NZ a day later than expected. But boy, the fun began the second I made it!
Highlights of our trip:
+ First night there Charlie booked a room at the Hilton in Queenstown, which overlooks Lake Wakatipu. We took a water taxi to a sushi place for a date night.
+ The next day we took the Skyline and hike to a viewpoint which overlooks Queenstown. That day we drove a few hours to Te Anau, made dinner and played cards with some drinks before an early night.
+ Kepler Mountains Hike – so much greenery quite lakes for fishing and laying out.
+ Routeburn Track – not for the faint of heart or those who are looking for a glam vacation. This hike is 32km one way and takes 2-4 days, but is honestly a MUST do if you’re going to NZ. The views, greenery, and waterfalls are breathtaking. Honestly, when spaced out the hike is not that bad, BUT you don’t get to shower, which was the hardest part for me. They have little huts filled with bunks where people stay for the night before continuing each day.
(After three days and two nights on the Routeburn, the RV felt like home… until I went to shower. If you know me, you know one of my favorite things in life is a hot shower. After a long trip… all I wanted was a hot shower. I was freezing and felt disgusting, but found out about 30 seconds into my shower that there was no hot water. Sooo I of course started crying, but Charlie made it his priority to get me a hot shower. All was dandy again and we were back on the road!)
+ Milford Sound – We took a boat cruise through it and is also a gorgeous must-see. Milford Sound was carved by glaciers during the ice ages, surrounded by mountains and waterfalls.
+ Wanaka – Charlie’s uncle lives here and is also where I caught my first first in NZ (I named him Sassy Pants). Other towns we drove into were Ashburton, Haast and Hokitika. From there, we drove to Whatroa to stay the night for our helicopter tour the next day.
+ Fox and Franz Josef Heliservices – You HAVE to do this. You literally go from lakes and beaches to landing the helicopter on powdered snow on top of glaciers. The views were nothing I’ve ever seen before, you won’t regret this little adventure.
+ AJ Hackett Bungy – Charlie and I bungy jumped off the Nevis, which is 134m and the highest in New Zealand). Holy adrenaline rush, just standing on the podium is a rush of a lifetime in itself.
+ The Shotover Jet – Here’s another adrenaline rush for you. This was so much fun, but also terrifying at the same time. The shotover jet is a power boat ride through dramatic and narrow canyons, which include split second turns and 360° spins.
+ That night we went to Below Zero Ice Bar where we drank from ice luges, place ice air hockey, and had drinks at the all ice stools. A little cheesy, but it was our first time ever going to one of these and we had fun.
+ My last night in New Zealand was Valentine’s Day and Charlie of course made it spectacular by surprising with a gift to the ONSEN Hot Pools. We had our own room and hot pool with retractable windows overlooking the shotover canyon. Again, a bucketlist moment and must-do.
+ That night Charlie took me to dinner at Botswana Butchery for dinner and got us the best seat in the house overlooking the lake. They are known for premium meats and seafoods and have a wine list dedicated to showcasing the wines and regions of New Zealand.
One of our favorite parts was staying at one of his family friend’s farm in the middle of the trip. The Hayman’s truly showed us the heart of New Zealand, and were all so warm and welcoming. The sons, James and Tom, took us out on a joy ride in their plane for sunset, drove us in their truck with all the cattle dogs, and showed us the best spots to swim down at the river. Bid, their mom, made all the meals straight from her garden including her signature rhubarb jam with breakfast every morning. I got to help her make the NZ signature Pavlova dessert and it was delish! Their backyard looked straight out of a travel magazine. There was such a sense of peace visiting their home and showed me how easy we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of our norm at home. It was a reminder to work hard for the things that matter most tending to the health of your family and home, not to be lazy and just appreciate the simple beauties in life… sometimes right in your very own backyard.
New Zealand will forever hold a special place in my heart and I can’t wait ’til we get to go again. XX
