Dreaming the impossible…

Many years ago, someone told me there was absolutely no point in going to Australia or New Zealand unless you had three months to spend there. I was disappointed and felt sad. As a freelance writer, I’ll never have that amount of time (or that amount of money, to be honest).

What a load of rubbish!

I’m just back from a magical fortnight in NZ, flying back to Heathrow on the very day the UK went into lockdown. Lucky, eh? I know I’ve been very fortunate in a year when many people won’t get a holiday at all and appreciate my opportunity to spend time in a unique country.*

I’m aiming in this blogpost to show you can have a great time Down Under in a few days and it needn’t be that expensive. Accommodation and car-hire are surprisingly affordable for Brits and you can eat well without breaking the budget. OK, the flights are long and jet-lag may be an issue but fares have been competitive with other long-haul destinations. And you don’t have to sign up for whitewater rafting or bungee jumping – unless you want to!

By planning carefully, I managed to visit all the places on my 2020 must-see list. I’d already enjoyed brief stop-overs in Auckland (with a side-trip to Rotorua) along with the iconic ferry journey between North and South Islands, and time at the wonderful wineries in and around Marlborough. This time I was filling in the gaps. Mindful there would be some very long drives, I hoped they would be both manageable and enjoyable. I factored in regular stops for snacks and photos, and reckoned it would work, provided I got out on the road early. Well, the scenery turned out to be spectacular and, frankly, I found my road trips, usually on quiet highways, were definitely highlights of the holiday.

I know lots of travellers recommend touring by camper van. As a solo adventurer, I’m not so keen, preferring more security and a few creature comforts. Instead, I suggest NZ’s extensive network of good-value motels, you’ll find them everywhere, at all prices. Check out: https://www.newzealand.com/int/motels/ Most offer self-catering studios – handy, even if only for breakfast, and onsite coin-operated laundries mean you can pack light. Best of all, you’ll meet local owners and managers and get real insights into their country. Kiwis are chatty people.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Starting off, it had to be the Bay of Islands, a fantastic destination where you could easily spend a fortnight. It was a fascinating four hours’ drive north on highway one from Auckland, stopping for coffee at historic Puhoi and lunch at Waipu Cove. Staying in the lovely Bay Cabinz high on a hillside in Paihia, I got the passenger ferry to Russell (the nation’s first capital) and soaked up Maori heritage at the nearby Waitangi Treaty Grounds. Most memorable was a 5km walk along the Waitangi River and through a mangrove forest to the coast.

After three nights there, it was back to Auckland and a JetStar internal flight south for the rest of the holiday. Choose a window seat (left hand side) for this short hop and you’ll be rewarded with stunning views of the coast, including Mount Taranaki wreathed in cloud, the Cook Strait, and finally South Island beaches and mountains. Fingers crossed for clear skies.

Christchurch has much to offer, especially if you share my interest in Antarctic exploration. Canterbury Museum has outstanding exhibits and the International Antarctic Centre, out by the airport, is a fun experience with blue penguins, a bouncy circuit on a Hägglund all-terrain vehicle and a re-created polar storm at minus eight celsius. I also enjoyed a few hours in bohemian Lyttelton, the departure port for polar explorers Scott and Shackleton. There’s still evidence of the 2010/11 earthquakes in Christchurch and the Quake City museum tells the story well.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Back on the road again, this time driving through the jaw-droppingly beautiful Southern Alps, with its impossibly blue glacial lakes, destination Cromwell, the ‘capital’ of the Central Otago wine region. Lots of tastings are on offer, some free, most for a small charge, and there are Pinot Noirs to die for. If you’re up for a classy meal, it’s got to be the Bannockburn Hotel where you’ll also understand why many visitors compare this landscape with Scotland.

Next stop was a trans-Alpine drive to Franz Josef for a bit of glacier spotting. You don’t have to fork out megabucks for a helicopter to view the ice – there’s a footpath to good viewing sites – but, as always, head out early when it’s not too busy. I returned to Christchurch, along the blustery west coast through former 19^th century goldrush towns, before crossing the Alps once more through Arthur’s Pass.

• 

• 

• 

• 

One important warning. Do not walk on Westland region beaches in sandals. Wrap up whatever the weather, wear trousers and trainers. Or you will be bitten by the dreaded sandflies. This is not a joke. The bites will be painful and itchy and my ankles are only now returning to normal, three weeks later. Captain Cook even mentioned them in his chronicles of South Pacific adventures.

A 17 hour flight to Dubai and another eight hours to Heathrow and I’m on the other side of the planet looking back with a smile at two weeks in ‘God’s Own Country’. I left kind friends in Auckland and others elsewhere in the country that I didn’t manage to catch up with this time. On the day I flew home on the evening flight, I spent several hours in Auckland Botanic Gardens amid early autumn colours. I’m sad the Gardens are now closed as part of the worldwide lockdown. Hopefully by spring, the gates will be open and Kiwis will be able to enjoy the blooms once again.

*I’m conscious that coronavirus might turn the entire travel industry on its head. The latest estimates are for fewer flights and more expensive tickets in years to come. No-one knows when things will get back to ‘normal’ – or even what the ‘new normal’ will look like. But let’s keep dreaming. Beautiful New Zealand will always be there.