Foto: Queenstown (bron: Ronald van der Veer)
New Zealand - Queenstown is a town with over 10,000 inhabitants, located on the South Island of New Zealand. It lies on the northeastern shore of Lake Wakatipu, with The Remarkables mountain range in the background. We’re halfway along the route to Queenstown. It’s still a two-and-a-half-hour drive. We pass by Lakes Wanaka and Hawea. On this side of the mountain pass, the sun is shining. The mineral-rich lakes shine a beautiful blue in the sunlight. We’re puzzled by the road signs to Queenstown—the distance shown on the signs differs by more than fifty kilometers from what our GPS shows. How can this be? The mystery is solved at the next junction. The longer main route turns left, while our navigation system directs us right over the Cardrona mountain pass. It claims this is the quicker route. We decide to follow the advice. We ascend higher and higher via a winding mountain road. After crossing the highest point, we see Queenstown down in the valley. We descend through sharp hairpin bends. Around six o'clock, we enter the town. Our hotel is located in the center. Since paid parking is only enforced until six, we can park the car right in front of the hotel. We’ll be leaving early in the morning anyway. Across from the hotel, we order a beer on a terrace and decide to eat there as well. After dinner, we take a walk through Queenstown’s lively center. The town center mostly consists of tour agencies offering all sorts of adventure activities, mixed with souvenir shops and restaurants. We end the day with a ride on the cable car. The gondola takes us to the top of Bob’s Peak, 450 meters above the town. From the mountain, we have a spectacular view of Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu. Near the gondola station, there are options for luge rides and bungee jumping—but we skip those.
Abel Tasman National Park
New Zealand - At eight o’clock, we drive onto the grounds of Abel Tasman Kayaks. We have booked a kayak tour in Abel Tasman National Park. We are immediately introduced to Balwi. Our guide for today is of Indian origin. He has been living in New Zealand for four ...
Cape Reinga
New Zealand - Several buses are running today. The second one to arrive is ours. Marvin is the driver and welcomes us onboard. Since multiple buses are operating, Marvin first drives all the way to Cape Reinga and then returns via the beach. This does mean we’ll ...
Cathedral Cove
New Zealand - Around half past one, we approach Hahei on the peninsula. At the edge of the town, there is a large parking area for cars. We decide not to use the shuttle bus but to walk to Hahei beach. Hahei beach is often called the most beautiful beach in New Zealand. ...
Jetboat and Funyak at the Dart River
New Zealand - Today, we’re going on a boat trip on the Dart River. First, we need to drive to Glenorchy, about an hour away. Upon arrival, we’re given a wetsuit, wet shoes, a fleece, a rain jacket, and a life vest. In the changing room, I switch into the gear. ...
Milford Sound Fjord
New Zealand - Outside, it is still dark when the alarm goes off. It’s 5:30 a.m. We shower and have breakfast in our cabin. Just before 6:30, we head out. At 9:00 a.m., the boat departs in Milford Sound. The distance to Milford Sound is still 120 kilometers, and it’s ...
Otago Peninsula
New Zealand - In the afternoon, we booked a wildlife tour to the Otago Peninsula. Since the tour lasts until the evening, we decide to eat now at one of the small restaurants in the center. At half past three, Tony picks us up at the hotel. Together with eight other ...
The Glaciers around Mount Cook N.P.
New Zealand - A thrilling day today. Would the glacier tour go ahead? When we wake up, it is cloudy. Yesterday, the weather forecast seemed better. We can call at nine o’clock to find out if the helicopter trip will take place. To be safe, we decide not to do a mountain ...
Thermal Wonderland Wai-O-Tapu
New Zealand - Just about half an hour’s drive below Rotorua lies the Thermal Wonderland park, Wai-O-Tapu. Besides the geothermal pools, the Lady Knox geyser is also located here. Every day at quarter past ten, the geyser shoots water into the air. We leave early ...
Tongoriro Alpine Crossing
New Zealand - At exactly 7:30, we drive onto the grassy field. Several people are already waiting for the 8:00 a.m. bus. It's another 25 minutes by road to the starting point. On the way, the driver tells us that it’s cloudy today and that wind gusts of up to 100 ...
White Island Volcano
New Zealand - At quarter past seven, we check in for the boat trip to White Island volcano. The check-in is at the reception of our hotel, where we can also check out of our room immediately. At the dock lies the Pee Jay VI, the ship that will take us to the island. ...