Riviera Travel "Land of the Long White Cloud' New Zealand blog, part 2 - South Island
Already a week into our 16 night Riviera Travel ‘Land of the Long White Cloud’ New Zealand we left north island early on a Saturday morning to take the Interislander ferry across the Cook Strait to South Island. We had heard that the crossing could be a little choppy but we were obviously quite lucky, with not too much movement on the ferry. Trisha, our tour leader, had secured us a fabulous private lounge at the front of the ship, with next door to the cafe with some very comfortable seats and large windows to enjoy the view as we made our way from one island to the other. We left a very gloomy and wet Wellington behind and three hours later arrived in the pretty little town of Picton to gorgeous sunshine & warm weather.
Driving through Picton we made our way inland to Blenheim & the surrounding Marlborough wine region, with mile upon mile of vineyards along the way. Stopping next door to Cloudy Bay vineyard we visited the Allan Scott Wines vineyard for a wonderful wine tasting session, trying out some of their sparkling wine, Sauvignon blanc, Pinot gris and Pinot noir with time to visit their shop and buy a couple of their bottles of wine before we left to make our way to our next hotel in Nelson.
We had a two night stay at the lovely Rutherford hotel in the pretty town of Nelson and with some free time that afternoon and evening we set off on foot to explore the area and make the most of the amazing amount of delicious eateries within a stones throw of our hotel. As it was a Saturday and the sun was shining there were plenty of people out & about enjoying the vibrant food & drink scene in Nelson. We found the perfect spot at Burger Culture to partake of a little people watching while eating a deliciously dirty burger.
Waking up the next morning to a very different sky and some of that wet stuff that keeps New Zealand looking so green and luscious, we boarded the bus early to make our way about an hour up the coast to the Abel Tasman National Park where we were booked onto a scenic cruise around the headland. There was the option to stay on the cruise for the full three hours or get off at one of the bays and do a 4km walk around the headland. About half of us chose the walk option which took us through the woodland and around the peninsular with some spectacular views across the bays. Despite the earlier rain and grey skies for most of our time on the peninsula the rain held off and it wasn’t until right near the end of our walk that the rain returned. With the rain getting heavier we were all happy to see the catamaran return to take us back to Kaiteriteri where Chris, our ever patient bus driver, was waiting to drive us through the now torrential rain back to Nelson. Since the rain was set in for the day we decided to walk to the local supermarket and buy a picnic dinner to have in our lovely hotel room, enjoying a quiet night in.
With our stay in Nelson at an end we left the next morning for our drive through dramatic mountain scenery over the Lewis pass and into the lovely little alpine town of Hanmer Springs for lunch. From there we headed further south through the Canterbury plains into Christchurch and what turned out to be our best hotel, the Distinction Hotel, situated right next door to the cathedral which is still being restored after the earthquake and centrally located for the river, restaurants and bars. Also a short walk away was the cardboard cathedral so once we were checked in we walked there, talking in the magnificent street art along the way, before wandering down to the riverfront, ending up at the Zodiac Bar for a delicious Chinese before retiring to the hotel.
Leaving Christchurch the next morning we knew that we were in for a pretty special day with three different modes of transport planned throughout the day. We started the day boarding the Tranz Alpine scenic train in Christchurch for a spectacular journey through the Canterbury plains and the Southern Alps taking in the incredible mountain views as we passed through the alps ending our two hour journey at Arthur’s Pass where our fabulous coach driver Chris was waiting for us.
Back on the coach Chris skilfully negotiated some tricky, windy roads and hairpin bends as we meandered our way out the other side of the Alps towards the coast and the Tasman Sea. After a lunch stop at the little coastal town of Hokitika we were back on the coach to continue our journey to Franz Josef.
In Franz Josef we went straight into town to book in for our included helicopter flight up to the Franz Josef glacier. Neither Rich nor I had been on a helicopter before so we were both a bit anxious but to say it was one of the most memorable things we’ve ever done would be an understatement. Our pilot took us along the glacier diverting to a waterfall before taking us to land on the glacier for about ten minutes for us to mess around and take pictures.
While we were up there we watched a dark grey stormy looking cloud descend on the valley forcing our pilot to load us back on the helicopter for our flight back to town. He got us back safely but we were the last flight of the day and unfortunately a few of our fellow travellers didn’t get their helicopter ride that day. Thanks to The Helicopter Line for such a memorable trip. With just enough time to check into the hotel and get ready for dinner we headed out to the Landing Bar opposite the hotel for a lovely meal sitting outside under the mountain.
Waking up the next morning to the most foreboding grey skies, torrential rain and rivers of water on the roads it was clear that the helicopters were not going to be able to take those guests who had missed out the previous day on an early morning glacier ride, so we set off on a very wet coach trip from Franz Josef, on a journey that seemed to take us through all of the seasons and every type of landscape in just one day. Stopping at the little town of Haast for lunch, it eventually stopped raining though it was still quite grim. With Mount Apsiring as a backdrop we headed from gloomy Haast to sunny Makarora, one of our remotest stops with only a cluster of houses and a cafe, thankfully there to serve the weary travellers and backpackers that pass through on a daily basis.
Edging closer to Queenstown the rain had produced some amazing waterfalls along the way and we stopped at Thunder Creek falls for a quick photo stop before heading down the road that winds between Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea. As the day brightened up the temperature rose over 10 degrees higher than it had been when we set off in the morning and approaching Queenstown through the valleys and vineyards we started to feel like we were in a glorious summer resort again.
We arrived at our hotel for the next two nights, the Copthorne Lakefront resort to find we had a lovely lake and mountain view room. But with the town and waterfront a short stroll away we couldn’t resist going into Queenstown which was bustling with people out and about enjoying the warm evening either chilling on the lakefront beach, relaxing in a bar or eating at one of the what seemed like hundreds of restaurants. With everywhere seeming to be booked out we were delighted to stumble upon Winnies pizzeria just off of the waterfront.
The next day we had our only completely free day of the whole tour and where better to spend it than Queenstown, the adventure capital of the South Island. With the weather being so glorious it was the perfect conditions for our fellow travellers who had missed out on the helicopter flight to take it this morning, having a wonderful flight up to The Remarkables, landing on top of the mountain range to enjoy a glass of champagne. We were delighted that they finally got their helicopter flight in. We decided to start our day with a gentle stroll on the lakeside path of the Queenstown garden peninsula stopping at the Bath House cafe for a coffee to watch the jet boats and day cruisers as they set off from the bay beach.
With the skies clearing we headed to the Skyline, the steepest gondola in the southern hemisphere taking us 1575ft above sea level to Bob’s peak. At the top we donned our safety helmets, boarded the ski lift and headed up to the luge for 5 goes around the track, getting braver each time.
All that adrenaline built up an appetite so we headed back down to town to join the queue for a world famous Ferg burger (we’d never heard of them before we came here but everyone goes on about them here so we had to try them). We were really lucky and timed our visit there when there was hardly a queue so we quickly ordered our burgers and headed down to the beach to eat them. And now we know why they’re so famous, they’re delicious!
Although we were full from the burgers we couldn’t go back to the hotel until we’d had a hot chocolate from Patagonia’s ice creamery and chocolatiers. We may have bought a few of their chocolate bars for later too. Although we may have been a bit tame on the adventure side of things we’ve loved our time in Queenstown and can see why so many people flock here, it’s beautiful and fun.
After two fabulous days in Queenstown we were sad to leave our lovely lakefront hotel but we had still more exciting things to come, so early the next day we set off for another highlight of the tour (they come thick and fast on the south island), a cruise on Milford Sound. Stopping along the way at Mirror Lake we were greeted with a lovely rainbow over the lake to make the reflection in the lake even more spectacular than normal. We reached the Sound around lunchtime and though it was still raining when we arrived as soon as we stepped on the boat the skies cleared and we were teated to blue skies for the whole two hours of our cruise. With the rain having literally only just stopped as we set foot on the boat we were treated to some amazing scenery and gushing waterfalls, another spectacular two hours.
Journeying back along the winding mountain roads, our driver Chris skilfully got us back to Te Anau where we were staying for the night. A pretty little tourist town set on the shores of Lake Te Anau we spent a lovely evening walking along the lake before heading into the town for a delicious Indian meal.
With only a short stopover in Te Anau our journey the next day took us back past Queenstown for a lunchtime stop at an exquisite little town called Arrowtown, famous for being the centre of gold panning in New Zealand in the late 1800s. With some historical buildings and a Chinese village dating from the days of the gold panning mixed in with the expensive looking houses and a pretty high street which felt like you were stepping back in time, it was easy to pass a couple of hours here before making our way to our penultimate destination, Omarama. Retracing our steps into Queenstown a few days previous Chris fulfilled a promise he made at the time with a quick stop at Kawarau bridge, the infamous bridge where AJ Hacket set up the first commercial bungy jump. Though none of us wanted to do a jump there is a viewing platform at the bridge and we were lucky enough to catch three people make the jump - mad fools.
Arriving at the tiny village of Omarama with only one motel to its name Trisha and Chris had made sure that we were all booked for the buffet dinner that evening since there was nowhere else to eat here. Most of us started in the bar making the most of the hotel’s happy hour with a lovely drink on the lawn watching the sun set over the mountains beyond.
Leaving Omarama the next morning we headed back towards Christchurch for the last night of our journey together. But not before a visit to the Sir Edmund Hillary museum and the magnificent Hermitage hotel located art the base of Mount Cook. The drive to the highest mountain in New Zealand took us along the impressive Lake Pukaki and the Tasman river. With Chris trying hard to get us to the base while the weather was good we arrived with just a little cloud swirling around the top of this magnificent snow topped mountain.
Making our way back alongside Lake Pukaki we made another stop for lunch at the rather lovely Lake Tekapo with its gorgeous little church sitting on the side of the lake. Lake Tekapo is famous for being smack bang in the middle of South Island and being surrounded by some of the countries largest mountains, the lack of artificial lighting makes it the perfect spot for stargazing. Unfortunately we had to leave before darkness descended to make sure we got back to Christchurch for our early morning departure the next day.
Finishing our journey at our favourite hotel of the whole voyage, the Distinction Christchurch, we had a final farewell group drink in the hotel before heading out our separate ways for dinner with most of us having made reservations at the various restaurants around the town last time we were here. And just like that our land tour was over. After an intense but incredible 16 nights journeying from the north to the south of New Zealand taking in most of the countries best resorts, destinations, tourist hotspots and scenery with our lovely fellow travellers and the wonderful Chris and Trisha to take care of us, we couldn’t have hoped for a better way to see this magnificent country. We definitely left a little bit of our heart there and we're already planning our return journey to beautiful Aotearoa.
Hotels along the way, with a rating out of 10 based on our overall experience there (these are not necessarily about the quality of the hotel, rather the expectations versus the outcome).
Rutherford Nelson (2 nights) - a wonderful hotel offering an excellent location, beautiful rooms and exceptional service, the best of the whole trip - 9/10
Distinction Christchurch (2 separated nights) - the best hotel of the whole trip. An exceptional location in the centre of Christchurch with large, luxuriously appointed rooms - 10/10
Scenic Franz Josef (1 night) - despite the quite basic rooms this hotel had a nice bar and was surrounded by stunning scenery - 6/10
Copthorne Lakefront Queenstown (2 nights) - a large hotel suffering from staff shortages which meant that the restaurant and bar were unfortunately not able to offer a full service. But the rooms were nice, the reception staff excellent and the view from the room was 10/10. Overall rating 8/10
Te Anau Distinction Luxmore (1 night) - a dated hotel in need of refurbishment (especially the rooms) but a nice location and a couple of nice eateries and bar - 6/10
Omarama Heritage hotel (1 night) - more of a motel than a hotel with adequate rooms and lovely views. A nice bar and restaurant attached - 7/10
Thank you to Riviera Travel who hosted us on this incredible 16 night ‘The Land of the Long White Cloud’ New Zealand escorted tour and paid our fare, excluding flight out and home from New Zealand which we paid for ourselves. The tour included all of the hotels, including breakfasts, and most of the excursions shown. All other meals, except for the Te Paui Hangi meal were covered by ourselves. Riviera Travel had no editorial control over any of our content, either before, during our after our voyage and all views are our own.
If you enjoyed this blog please read our North Island Diary or take a look at our Lake Como Riviera Escorted Tour blog or our Cosmos Stay and Explore Jersey blog.
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