1400km later and our trip is done! I can hardly believe it myself, but for something we planned so last minute, we had a blast. Come in and see some photos that didn't make it to instagram and also the quickest and worst video montage set to Lorde ever (I'm not kidding I did it in an hour last night).
Since people keep asking, we started at Queenstown for two nights, then went up to Fox Glacier, then Christchurch, then Mount Cook, then Lake Wanaka, and then back to Queenstown to end our trip. So a small little loop that we tried to cram a stupid amount of hikes into.
When we first got to Queenstown it was drizzly and freezing! I, of course, was ecstatic, until I realised I'd sort of packed all the wrong clothing for it.
There was still snow on the mountains! We couldn't believe it, but both agreed it was way nicer that way. Of course, the cruise we'd booked for Milford Sound the first day we were there actually got pushed back because of the ominous weather, but it all worked out in the end. We ended up at the top of the gondola, which we later found out was deserted because it was such dreary weather (as evidenced by how packed it was when we went up on our last day, a gorgeously sunny one).
It snowed on us up there! So clearly our trip was off to a good start despite the on and off torrential downpour.
Fun fact: these umbrellas were bought after we realised our rain jackets were not ready for the rain that NZ had for us (my vancouverite one is, rightfully, in Vancouver, because I don't need it in Sydney) and they are our favourite souvenir.
Milford Sound was astoundingly gorgeous, and while I have a million photos of it, I don't think I can really do it justice--you really need to experience it for yourself. It was windy and rainy, too, but the fogginess sort of added to the whole atmosphere.
 |
| Keas are an endangered bird from NZ and they're my new favourite animal. They have the dumbest walk I have ever seen. |
 |
| The mirror lakes on the way to Milford |
After that (and a few drinks at some places), we were ready to take off to Fox Glacier!
We christened our car Eggy--because of the Robin's Egg Blue colour, and she was a beaut.
 |
| We loved her like a child |
The drives around were all pretty similar--twisty roads, getting stuck behind idiot caravan drivers that didn't understand THEY HAD TO LET FASTER TRAFFIC PASS THEM, and lots and lots of construction (it appears that's universal everywhere).
 |
| bless her for putting up with me while she does all the driving, honestly |
 |
| road stop dranks |
 |
| you can't tell but it was POURING rain in this photo |
Fox Glacier itself was closed, and we got there a bit late to do any sort of hikes, so we sort of did the only thing there is left to do in a small tourist town that relies on climbers and backpackers:
Drink.
 |
| The hostel in Fox Glacier was weird but it was cosy. |
 |
Honestly, the first night at Fox there was a MASSIVE storm and the power went out! The manager at the bar literally tried to get us to leave a credit card so he could get paid which kind of... soured the whole night for us. BUT weird people in Fox Glacier aside, we got to go for a lovely lake walk and hang out in front of a fire (it was still kinda cold around then) which made that portion a success, I think!
From there we went to Christchurch, where we didn't really take a lot of photos... to be honest, I think we kind of severely underestimated how much it was still rebuilding. I can't wait to see what it'll become in ten or so years, because at the moment it's definitely still in progress. But we had possibly our rowdiest night of drinking there, so who knows?
 |
| this is one of the only photos that exists of a night that started at 7pm and ended at 5am... and we will never speak of it again. |
Christchurch to Mt. Cook was definitely the prettiest drive and also the one where we got stuck behind the most people--the drive is meant to be 4 hours and it ended up taking us about 6 because of how many people would NOT MOVE OVER (can you tell I'm a bit salty about this still).
 |
| this is a statue of a Moa and they were EVERYWHERE. By far the funniest thing to randomly come across all over the Southern Island. |
Mt. Cook is where the infamous Worst Hostel Ever was... the beds were metal and the mattresses were nonexistent. To make matters worse, our roommate (an octogenarian Singaporean woman) was a compulsive cleaner (she tried to move our stuff multiple times during the day) and THE loudest snorer I had ever heard in my life. Also, once you've done the two easy hiking trails at Mt. Cook, there's really not much else you can do unless you're willing to undertake a multi-day hike. It was a beautiful place, but we definitely ended up wishing we'd only planned one day there instead of two. We were excited to leave to Wanaka (and better beds).
 |
| a real friend takes a photo of you when you fall down for no reason |
 |
 |
| the pitchers were really cheap here... in our defense. |
Lake Tekapo was a definite highlight for us both--the town itself was very young and had plenty to do, and our hostel was super cute. We had a blast exploring it, and even kayaked out to a small island with an amazing view. Despite how exhausted the hikes and kayaking made us, we definitely would have stayed there a few more nights--now we know for next time!
Oh yeah... forgot to mention: Wanaka was also where Dani and I got insanely sunburnt.
Driving back to Queenstown was bittersweet: we knew we'd have to say goodbye to our beloved Eggy, and get on a plane soon thereafter.
 |
| truly the best little car |
Back in Queenstown, we wasted no time hitting up all the little shops and cafes we'd spotted on our first few nights there. We did the Shotover Jet (definite highlight) and just enjoyed our surroundings. The change in weather was weird; it didn't even look like the same place that we'd been just over a week and a half before.
Unfortunately, we went a little bit too hard the night before our last night in Queenstown--some of you know the story. Suffice to say, we might have spent a good portion of our last full day there a bit too hungover to move or do anything. We tried our best to enjoy it, but we definitely we're operating at full capacity.
 |
| We were hungover but we weren't ANIMALS who weren't going to drink on our last night I meant honestly |
 |
| the face of someone who definitely got loads of sleep the night before and 100% did not throw up her breakfast |
We went up the gondola for one last look and then trudged back to our hostel for an early night. We were both pretty ready to head home and sleep in our own beds for a long while.
Also Dani fell asleep immediately when we got on the plane, so that's how we ended the trip; me being obnoxious, and Dani putting up with it.
And that was it! Honestly, it was beautiful and neither of us can wait to go back. In fact, as I type this, Dani just sent me a link to cheap airfare to New Zealand, and she is a MEAN ENABLER because it's so tempting.
Ah well, we'll see. In the meantime, enjoy my shitty editing skills before this gets flagged for copyright infringement because I used a Lorde song!
(highly recommend fullsizing it bc I filmed a lot of this in portrait like an IDIOT)
No comments:
Post a Comment