The New Zealand Overview

After unpacking and sorting through the hundreds of photos we snapped, I am thrilled to review our longest and most expensive trip to date - New Zealand! It was the most beautiful place on Earth I have witnessed, and if I do not leave Japan again until we move I will still be content with my experiences in the Pacific. I want to share our itinerary and details for any other lucky travelers  trying to make the hard decisions about what to see and do in New Zealand.

Matt and I flew from Okinawa to Tokyo on Jetstar (the cheapest airline I could find for the two hour trip), but flew Air New Zealand the ten hours from Tokyo to Auckland as well as the short jump from Auckland in the North Island to Christchurch in the South Island. I have only flown United on long trips, but Air New Zealand was a completely different experience. In a good way! Air New Zealand offers a sky couch option in economy class. I simply paid for the third seat in the row I selected for Matt and myself, and the whole thing converts into a bench. The armrests fold up and the footrests fold out even with the seat. Matt was able to sit cross-legged leaning against the window while I could curl up and only take up two seats. Being able to lie down on a flight was huge! The food was also the best I've had while flying, and you could request drinks and snacks for free at any time. Moving from Jetstar where they charge you even for a glass of water to this luxury made me feel like a million bucks.

We splurged on the airfare, so we saved on our accommodations. We stayed in hostels which have a bad reputation in America but were a clean, affordable alternative in New Zealand. I booked private, ensuite rooms so we had a private bathroom and locking door, like a hotel, but we could use the public kitchen and laundry unique to hostels that cater to younger (and poorer) travelers.

Our favorite room in Te Anau was just a converted shed, but it was private and cozy. We stayed three nights!

Day 1: We landed in Christchurch around noon and realized the difficulty of life without cell phones. In order to call our rental car company to send a shuttle we had to find an atm in order to withdraw New Zealand dollars, make change since the pay phone only accepted coins, and figure out how to dial a foreign number.  Ace rentals sent a shuttle, we picked up our economy car, and drove to our first hostel. We stayed on the top floor of YMCA Christchurch in a room overlooking the botanical gardens right across the street.

Day 2: We drove the longest leg of our trip to Dunedin, a town founded by Scottish settlers with distinctly European architecture. We checked into Kiwi's Nest Backpackers, a converted 100-year-old house with a wood-burning water heater named Gentle Ben. 

Day 3: Matt climbed Baldwin Street, the steepest street in the world, while I slept in. New Zealand has a four hour time difference from Japan that made it very difficult to rise and shine in the morning. After brunch we explored Larnach Castle and the Dunedin Railway Station.

Day 4: We ate too much chocolate on a behind-the-scenes tour of Cadbury World that included a chocolate waterfall and all-you-can-eat liquid chocolate. We then set out in the rain to our next stop. We checked into Te Anau Lakefront Backpackers, which, as its name suggests, was right on Lake Te Anau. 

Day 5: The perfect, sunny day for a Milford Sound cruise! It had rained the day before so all of the waterfalls were magnificent. We did not even make it to the sound before we stopped along the roadside to take pictures. 

Day 6: We cruised across Lake Te Anau on our way to see glowworm caves. There was no whispering allowed once we entered the pitch-black caves, but as the guide maneuvered the tiny boat we saw blinking blue lights on the cave ceiling that looked just like stars! 

Day 7: I toured a farm and finally got to pet one of the lambs I had seen scampering around the many sheep pastures in the country.  We also got to meet some adorable alpacas, but I was not so thrilled to meet pigs and goats. I don't think I am a country girl at heart. We finished the day driving into Queenstown and staying at YHA Queenstown Central. 

Day 8: We spent a leisurely morning on the lakefront in Queenstown eating brunch and shopping for souvenirs. We enjoyed a late lunch and coffee in the nearby town of Wanaka that had beautiful views of snow-capped mountains over a blue lake. That night we stayed at YHA Franz Josef.

Day 9: Matt hiked to the Franz Josef glacier while I took myself to breakfast. We had the rest of the day to drive to Greymouth, and we made several stops when signs pointed to nearby attractions. My favorite photo stop was Fantail Falls that emptied into a turquoise pool!

Inside Dunedin Railway Station

Day 10: We took the Tranz-Alpine Railway from Greymouth to Christchurch. It cut through the mountains with some spectacular views. We slept in Christchurch a few hours before our early flight the next day. Farewell, New Zealand!