Queenstown and Milford Sound

We were in Queenstown for 5 nights, so got to see a lot of the place. Here's our highlights to make things easy.

Milford Sound.

Wow, what a place. The ever-changing and varied landscape is unlike anywhere I've visited. The vast snow-capped mountains, the fresh water flowing down the most pristine rivers ever I've seen, the waterfalls cascading from the towering rock, I can understand why people rave about the place. 

We opted for a coach-cruise-coach option because of our lack of car. It costs $109 each to join the Jucy trip, which is the cheapest of those offered in town. A glass topped bus'll cost you $40 more, helicopter and plane options are considerably more again. 

We had an amazing day, but struggled with the length of time spent on the coach. We departed Queenstown at 8.30am and didn't get back until 9pm, with a 2hr cruise in the middle of that, that's about 8hrs on a bus. The guide was great though, offering interesting information and stopping at key sites for photo ops. 

Take snacks, you'll need them (and plenty of charge on the camera.)

Gin.

Drinking in Queenstown gets pretty messy and there is a plethora of bars to choose from. Organised bar crawls run on most nights but, keen to avoid 'organised fun', we met with a friend living out here and followed the locals lead. 

Start in either 1876 or Brazz, both have a good 'pre-drinking' vibe and serve good food too. 1876 does mini bottles of bubbles for $6 so that was an obvious choice. From there, the town is your oyster.

Cowboys was a highlight, with western saddles for bar stalls, a bucking bronco in the corner and huge steins of beer for $13. We went to Searles a couple of times. On a Thursday g&t's are $4 and Fridays the dance floor gets pretty rammed.  Winnies, Buffalos and The Find all have good happy hours, love backpackers and stay busy til the early hours. 

Below zero.

We embraced our tourist status and headed to the ice bar for the mandatory photoshoot. 

On bookme tickets are $15 with a cocktail - bargain. Take advantage of ever layer offered to you, you won't regret it. 

On yer bike.

Cycling around Queenstown is really easy and ridiculously picturesque. We paid $22 for 2 hours from the bike shed by the park and headed to Frankton. For those in it for the long haul there's a vineyard in arrowtown which is cyclable and a waterfall at sunshine beach, which is along the main road towards Glenorchy. 

Luge races.

You've got to ride the skyline while you're in Queenstown because the views of the town are stunning.

The cable car alone coats about $30, so you might as well ride the luge while you're up there. We paid $42 for three runs and laughed the whole way down. 

Video to follow.

Inkin'.

It was inevitable that Lou and I, once we got together, would end up adding to our tattoo collections (I'm surprised it took so long.) I couldn't recommend Scott at a White Tiger tattoo enough. It's the oldest shop in town and has a starting rate of $110, which is average for Queenstown. We went in with pictures which he re-drew. That's 2 very happy customers right there. 

Fergburger.

I've a confession to make: I didn't actually have a Fergburger. The girls did, on two occasions, join the long queue to sample what is widely-regarded as New Zealand's best burger. Both had the kids chicken burger and it was pretty great, but none of us could quite face even attempting to consume the whole, full-sized thing.

We did eat just about everywhere else.

There are so many restaurants in queenstown it's near impossible to choose which to try. Monty's has a nice pub garden and offers $12 lunches so we had chicken and prawns salads there on one day. Directly opposite you've got Johnny Barrs which does amazing wraps, salads and soups if you're keen for something fast and healthy (get the small soup, it's pretty filling). At Thai is widely regarded as the best thai in town, there's take away sushi in the main arcade and if you want to try New Zealand green lipped mussels visit the caravan on the edge of the park. Mr Whippy specialisises in frozen yogurt (go for small, the medium weighs as much as me), and there are free tasers at Cookie Time if you're feeling peckish. We had coffee at Vudu, which happens to have one of the best spoon collections I've come across... 

Lake Tekapo.

We stopped at Tekapo for a lunch break on our drive from Queenstown to Christchurch, so I'm technically cheating by putting it on the list. That said, it was the best bus ride we've had saw far. The views were stunning and the lake, which appears to be a vivid turquoise blue when the sky is clear, is beautiful. 

Lake Wanaka, South Island, New Zealand

We only had a day in Wanaka which wasn't really enough if you really want to get out there and see it. It is a beautiful town, with snow-capped mountains as it's backdrop, rolling green hills out to the left and the vast silky smooth lake that you could just sit and watch for hours.

We stayed at Flying Kiwi backpackers for $25 a night. It was clean, with a well equipped kitchen and a DVD room. It was low season and very quiet, and had we known how quiet we probably would have stayed at the Base in town (for the social.)

Puzzling world is about 20 minutes walk out of town and is, believe it or not, worth the stroll. For a $20 entrance fee we whiled away a couple of hours exploring the illusion rooms and the great maze. It's a laugh and worth a visit if you're as easily amused as we three. 

Oxbow adventures run some wicked trips out of Wanaka, from shotover boats to helicopters, so if you're keen to continue the NZ extreme theme then pop into see them. Horse riding is also good here, get info from I-site (they've a pet schnoodle in there so I'd recommend a trip...) and there are two vineyards, each of them about a half hour out of town, if you are partial to local NZ vino. 

Dog on the blog

We arrived late afternoon in the glorious sunshine so headed to Kai-whaka-pai, overlooking the lake on the main bar strip, for a G&T in the sunshine. We ended up eating there too because the menu was so good; stone-baked pizzas, Israeli inspired salads and Asian fusion dishes. My Malaysian laksa was great at $17 and the girls shared a pasta dish and a pizza.

If you're looking for a night out in Wanaka, start late. There's happy hours from 5-6pm in a number of bars including Gin and Raspberry, a newly opened cocktail bar that is opulently decorated, screams expensive and has amazing views of the water, and the popular Water bar also has a happy hour on its house wine and beer. It's a sports bar that feels very typically 'sports bar', but also has great views of the water and over 10 craft beers on tap. Lala land is a cocktail bar tucked round the back of I-site, up a flight of wooden stairs, and is the place to be seen hammered at 2am. Open 'til four and serving some of the best drinks in town - it's back bar is very impressive - head here to dance and finish the night. 

I'd liked to have stayed longer, but Queenstown calls.

L, L and A. Xx 

Tourists. 

Glacier hunting in Franz Josef & Fox Glacier, South Island, New Zealand

The west coast of New Zealand is the wettest part of the country - apart from the Sounds in the Fjordland - and Franz Josef is usually washed with 8 metres of rain a year. We were in the small town for 4 days, due to a slight frustration with the Nakedbus' schedule, and definitely saw our fair share of weather. 

Here's how to see it:

Walking.

You can no longer walk directly onto the glacier at Franz Josef, but you can get pretty close. 

Most people opt to explore the ice via helicopter; you fly up and land on the ice then, kitted out with boots and thermals, can explore the ice tunnels and formations that shape the landscape. The ice explorer trip costs $315, so is pretty steep, and unless you have a completely clear day, it's hard to say if it's worth it. We couldn't have done the flight if we'd wanted to because of the weather so preceded to explore the surroundings on foot. 

There's a shuttle from town to the glacier footpaths which is $12.50, but the walk isn't long - about 20-30mins - so it's your call. 

Franz Josef glacier still looks pretty spectacular from 200 metres away, and the walk to access it is stunning. The varied scenery, from baron rocks to sheet ice to lush bush and abundant waterfalls, feels otherworldly at times. 

Walking to the glacier 

It's worth visiting Peters Pool while you're there too, on a clear day the water looks amazing with the reflection of the mountains in the background.

Don't miss out on a visit to Fox Glacier. It's about a half hour drive from Franz, so you'll need a car to get there and around, or could in high season book onto a tour.

Mirror image in Matherson

 Lake Matherson is one of the most stunning places we have visited. The water was so still that you could see the perfect reflection of the mountains and the foliage around it.

A visit to the beach on a clearer/warmer/generally better day is also worth it. The beach is littered with drift wood which resembles the elephant graveyard scene in Lion King. 

The final stop in Fox Glacier is the glacier itself. Similarly to Franz Josef, you can no longer walk on the ice. Again though, the view point is worth the hike. 

Sleeping.

Stay at Sir Cedric's Chateau Franz. We paid $25 a night for a four bed dorm room with en-suite shower, free wifi, free breakfast, free nightly vegetable soup (a huge vat is cooked fresh everyday at 6pm and served with an assortment of breads, it does resemble Maggi's 2-minute noodles every so slightly, but it's a free meal which is exactly what skint backpackers are after.) Location wise the Chateau is bang on and the staff were brilliant, making sure you take advantage of the free popcorn and huge DVD room and the lazy spa which is open til 9pm. Benjamin, the owners son, was amazing, making us feel right at home and going out of his way to make the stay perfect.

Eating.

Grab dinner at Eighty-Eight, the Asian fusion restaurant in town. We got a free drink each as Chateau residents and the food was great. 

I had gurnard which was catch of the day and the girls opted for Thai green curry ($15-$25). For a quick lunch or snack to the Picnics, the bakery on the main road. 

The pie and pasty selection is amazing and the donuts are famous for all the right reasons. Saturday is donut day if you're a fan, and the number of flavours on offer triples for one day only. Full of beans is another good breakfast or lunch spot, and the coffee is pretty great too. Burgers are around 12 bucks, there's a good sandwich and cake selection or you can grab soup of the day for $8. 

Drinking.

Franz Josef is tiny. The town is a single road of souvenir shops and restaurants, with one Four Square and a petrol station. So don't come here and expect mental partying until 4am. That said, the locals do give it a good go and there are a couple of places if you fancy a bevvy or 6. Blue ice is the main bar, and it was where we ended up (driven via hummerzine) on Halloween. 

The drinks were cheap, the music was surprisingly decent and the bar shows all the big sports games too. Monsoon is the other bar, frequented by locals but also welcoming travellers. Chat to the staff at the hostel about offers. The nearest liquor store is in Haast, so you'll be drinking beer and wine while you're here unless you have a car to make the trip, but the supermarket's reasonable. 

Rainy days.

We bought tickets to the Kiwi experience on bookme (best site ever!) for $17 and it was a bit of a disappointment. If I'd paid full price I'd've been pretty annoyed (it's normally $35!) there's a room full of kiwi enclosures but viewing is limited and it depends on the time of day whether you are lucky enough to see on. We did, but it was very dark so we're not actually entirely sure what we were looking at. We did meet a taxidermy goat though. 

Until Wanaka,

L, L & A. Xx 

Wellington, North Island, New Zealand.

I loved windy Wellington. The little city had such a cool and quirky vibe to it. It was sort of a cross between Brighton, Shoreditch and Malibu; all kitsch cafés and cocktail bars, hillside residences, stunning beaches with people paddle boarding offshore, live music and hipsters. 

Here's how we spent our few days:

Day 1

We headed to Wellington for Labour Weekend, which is a bank holiday in New Zealand. Accommodation prices were up and buses were booking fast, so we were sure to book ahead. We booked our accommodation through nakedbus because it was the cheapest we could find. At $23 per night we found ourselves in a 6 bed dorm at Base hostel, which is located at the end of Courtney Place (one of main party strips in town.) The hostel was huge, the beds were squeaky, the showers communal and the residents long-term. People come to Wellington and stay in Wellington, and it's not hard to see why. The three other travellers in our dorm were long-stays, with Craig entering his 7th week in the same bunk bed. The huge communal kitchen and eating area were a bit of a draw, along with the happy hour prices in the downstairs bar, which put g&t's at $4 from 8-10pm. 

Nights out in Wellington start late. We headed out at 10ish and weren't pissed enough for the local Friday night crowd. We were also really under dressed in our vans and hoodies, but our choice was pretty minimal considering the sub-zero conditions. Nonetheless we headed to Mishmosh, ordered the $10 cocktails and danced on the coldest dance floor in the history of the world. It was a cool bar, and is definitely one of the busiest on the Courtney Place strip. We found ourselves in a strange club until 2ish (I was carried there by a Kiwi), and stumbled home in time to wake the whole dorm up with my mini torch and our incessant giggles. 

Day 2

Walk along the promenade and through Oriental bay. It's beautiful and will remind you of Malibu or California or somewhere really warm.

It's worth doing the hike up to Mount Victoria. The sun was shining for us and the 30minute walk to the top, (there's a small chance we took a wrong turning) caused Lou to get a SULA and us all to be pretty pleased we'd opted to be scandily clad tourists for the day. The view is bloody great. 

We headed to Cuba Street for lunch, to Southern Cross, a highly recommended pub the far end of the hipster hangout. 

Southern Cross

It had one of the best beer gardens I've been in and decor that wouldn't have been out of place in Brixton. A huge jug of coffee cost just $3 and we got toasted wraps for $8 each. With live music at the weekends, free BBQs on Fridays and Saturdays and an array of other events running throughout the week, Southern Cross is my top recommendation for this city. 

Lunch!

Take your time to stroll down Cuba street and visit some of it's awesome vintage shops, as well as it's arty boutiques and craft stores. If you've an eye for a bargain you won't be disappointed. 

We ate dinner at The Laundry for $20 a head. Try the gumbo if you ever visit; the African style fish rice stew was amazing. 

For cocktails we headed to Good Luck bar, where the cocktails were BOGOF so we got 6 between us for £7 each - not bad though the place lacked atmosphere and you might be better off paying more and going to the famous Matterhorn which is two doors down. 

Live music at Southern Cross topped off our night, though you could party til the early hours on this town if you're pockets were full and you were fully tanked before heading out.

Day 3

The Sunday market is a definite must do, mainly for the cheap fresh fruit and veg on offer but also for the whitebait fritters, great coffee and the best dumplings I've ever eaten. Head inside for the House of Dumplings stand and follow the crowd for the $2-a-parcel gourmet parcels of gorgeousness. 

If you have time, visit the Te Papa museum. We didn't and we should've done because everyone raved about it. 

For brunch, head to Sweet Mothers Place on Courtney Place. The small cafe with outside seating was constantly busy and served up a great South American inspired menu complete with thick milkshakes, black bean nachos and huge toasted wraps. 

Moving on... If you're staying at Base or YHA, there is a shuttle bus that runs from outside the latter to the ferry terminal for just $3. Get on it, because the walk is so much longer than you think.

We're crossing the channel on the interislander ($52 pp), so next you hear from us we'll be in the South Island! 

Hello hangover.

L, L & A. X 

Taupo, North Island, New Zealand

The lake at Taupo is as stunning as Pinterest promised, so make sure you give yourself a couple of days to take it all in. 

The best hostel in town? Taupo urban retreat. For $23 a night we got a bed in the 16-bed attic dorm. The place was pretty buzzy with a cheap bar - $4 g&t's at happy hour - bike rental for $20 a half-day, free computers in reception and chilli available every night for just $5. Wifi is extra, $4 for 24hrs access, which isn't ideal but is a common situation in the north island. 

The best places to eat? There's plenty of bars and restaurants right on the water, though you'll pay a premium price for the views. The lake house has a great craft beer menu whilst pub'n'grub serves huge salads for $17.

Pub'n'grub (inticing name..)

Tank is a cheap spot for salads and smoothies, and the pantry is a great rustic style cafe/restaurant.

The McDonalds in Taupo is one of the chains most famous, so make sure you take time to drop by for a cuppa/happy meal/McFlurry. 

Drinking? Taupo Retreat's bar is the cheapest in town, so start there. On a Thursday night the Irish pub, Macgullins, has an open mic night. There's one nightclub in town, which is next door to the base hostel. In fact, if you're looking for a big night, the base hostel isn't a bad place to start. 

Must sees? Make sure you head to Huka falls. The huge waterfall is about 20minutes out of town and is one of the biggest national attractions in the country. 

We rented bikes from Top Gear on the Main Street for $20 for a half-day, and the track to the falls was awesome. It's worth the ride, especially if you're a mountain bike fan. Hard work, but great fun. You can see the falls by boat, too, for $35 if you fancy a different point of view. 

Must dos? Skydiving in Lake Taupo is one of the best things I have ever done. Throwing myself out of a plane has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember, and it didn't disappoint. 

Taupo skydive pick you up in limousine, sell you a load of additional merchandise in the shape of personalised GoPro films and pictures, kit you out in a jumpsuit and condom hat and load you into a bright pink plane. 

The climb, to 15,000ft, is beautiful. Lake Taupo stretches out beneath you and on a clear day you can see both of the North Island's coastlines. At 8,000ft everyone is given oxygen, which freaked me out slightly, but I was reassured that it was only there as a precautionary measure and to aid people's recollection of the jump when they land. That aside, I was one of the last to jump to ensure that I recieved as much of the good stuff pre-jump as possible. You're instructed to put your legs out of the plane and put your head back. After that, there's no going back.

Freefallin'

I couldn't describe jumping if I tried, nor the minutes freefall that followed, but it was better than I ever imagined it would be and as soon as it was over I wanted to do it again. 

Taking the reins 

In total, with the video (which I'll share when I'm back in blighty), the photos and a t-shirt, the jump cost $439. Yes, it's expensive (£215) but I'd pay it again in a heartbeat. 

I can guarantee it won't be my final flight.

L x