The Scenic Way Home - A Short Stop In Fiji

Beautiful setting, friendly people, yummy food...just go away mosquitos!!!!

The Scenic Way Home - NZ, On The North Island

Arriving in Wellington, it was a beautiful evening and a great opportunity to walk around and explore.  It isn't a massive city but I really loved the harbour front, car-free for you to walk, run or just sit and watch the passers by.  Exploring further into the city there were some fantastic places to relax, eat and drink, it was like a bigger version of Manchester's Northern Quarter and so I couldn't resist it. The combination of the beautiful harbour, positive vibe and rugged charm makes Wellington a city where life is waiting to be enjoyed :) 

Leaving Wellington we set off on our drive up to Auckland, making a few stops on the way.  Rotorua was a half way point for us, where I adjusted to the Sulphur fumes to enjoy a few nights there. With a lakeside setting, it is a beautiful spot oozing with history and the weird and wonderful hot mud pools!

On the Western side of North Island, a stop off at Waitomo Caves was an unforgettable experience! Even though the North Island does not have the awe-inspiring scenery of the South Island I found this area to be a wonderful Shire-like setting! Rolling green hills and glowing trees all cover up a fabulous network of caves! Black water rafting is a way of getting beneath the green surface and thats what we did! Unforgettable!! 

Now to Auckland! On the first night we stayed just outside in Ponsonby and without knowing it stumbled upon a lively suburb that had an amazing view of the city.    

Being our last stop money was running low so our stay in

Auckland was centred on 'free'! I got lucky and found a 'free' day tour of the city and somehow ended up catch-free and even included a harbour bridge walk! That great day combined with New Zealand brewed beer, beautiful weather, friendly people and Korean Pancakes ($2.50) the stay was a very happy one - a fun-filled end to our stay in New Zealand :)

The Scenic Way Home - NZ: Making Our Way Up To Auckland

Arrowtown

Leaving Queenstown to continue our drive around the South Island, we stopped in Arrowtown to hunt for gold and after a good hour of panning and no luck we gave up and drove to our next stop, Wanaka.  Wanaka is a beautiful little town and for our evening entertainment we went to the well recommended Cinema Paradiso - what a place!! They have the most delicious cookies I have ever tasted and what is great they are served fresh out of the oven at the interval! The cinema has so much character, the chairs are not like the usual kind - instead there is a haphazard selection of sofas for you to choose from!! Watching 127 hours was an intense experience but I was blissfully happy slouched in my unbelievably comfy seat and munching on melt-in-the-mouth cookies! :)

Lake Wanaka

Leaving Wanaka the next morning, we drove for the West Coast heading for the glaciers.  After learning about Glaciers in Geography and spending many hours testing my sister for her exams it was strange to be finally visiting one for the first time! The scale of them is incredible!!  After spending time exploring the two glaciers (Fox & Franz Josef) we decided to make our way up the coast and take a chunk out of the long drive up to Picton.

Franz Josef Glacier

With very little to see on the West Coast and a grey landscape (it's actually called the Grey District!) we finally found civilisation in Greymouth.  The hostel (Duke Backpackers) we had chosen happened to be one of the best places we have stayed at and that was mainly down to the welcome we received from the host - fantastic service from beginning to end.

Duke Backpackers

Waking up the next day feeling refreshed, we set off along the highly spoke of coastal drive (Greymouth to Nelson) - it was so rugged and beautiful.  The Pancake Rocks, the beautiful coastlines and the rich green landscape made this drive unforgettable - I was happy to be in the passenger seat!! :)

Picton

Finally reaching Picton, we stepped out of our car, sighed a breath of relief that we had made it this far and took a few moments to reflect on the past week.  Picton is a very beautiful place, reflecting the whole of the island and it is here where we leave the South Island behind and head through the Queen Charlotte Sound to the North Island...