Exploring New Zealand’s South Island

My time in Antarctica ended with a flight from McMurdo Station to Christchurch, New Zealand. The company I was working for let us pick our departure date back to the United States, so I decided to spend some time exploring New Zealand while I had the chance! Trying to plan a trip while in Antarctica is quite challenging as the internet is extremely slow, so I relied mostly on recommendations from coworkers and am very satisfied with what I ended up doing.

Below is a (fairly confusing) map of where I went. The red house is Christchurch, the blue car is Greymouth, the purple marker is Arthur’s Pass, the green marker is Pancake Rocks and Blowholes Track, the light blue marker is Towers Bay, the yellow marker is Bruce Bay, the orange marker is Mueller Hut Track, the navy marker is Lake Marian Track, the salmon marker is Milford Sound, and the orange marker is Te Anau. The brown star is Sunrise Ridge Track, the beige star is Mt Robert Circuit, the white star is Roberts Point Track, the light gray star is Twizel, the dark gray star is Kiosk Creek Campsite, and the black star is Pleasant Flat Campsite. The stars represent places I spent the night.

Day 1

There was a huge music festival happening in Christchurch and the rental car prices were insane, so I rented one in Greymouth. When I was figuring this out at Willy Field, Antarctica (standing outside in the cold because the wifi only worked outside), I almost decided to rent a stick shift because it was the only option that would load. My coworker convinced me this was a bad idea since I had practically no experience driving a manual car, and I’d be driving on the left side of the road for the first time. I took a bus from Christchurch to Greymouth, which was very enjoyable. We stopped for a bit in Arthur’s Pass National Park.

I went for a short hike on the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes Track in Paparoa National Park. In New Zealand they call hiking trails “tracks”. Being around trees and greenery again was amazing!

Day 2

I car camped at the trailhead for the Sunrise Ridge Track in Kahurangi National Park and hiked it in the morning. The trail was super overgrown and had a bunch of river crossings but was still fun. I got lost quite a few times. I probably wouldn’t recommend the hike, but it was an excellent place to camp.

I then drove around Abel Tasman National Park and saw the famous Split Apple Rock in Towers Bay. The rock is 120 million years old and looks like an apple that has been split in half.

Day 3

I car camped at the Mt Robert Circuit trailhead in Nelson Lakes National Park and hiked the loop in the morning. I was the only person on the trail, which I loved.

Day 4

I car camped in a spot that was definitely illegal (I didn’t realize at the time) near the town of Franz Josef. In the morning I hiked the Roberts Point Track in Westland Tai Poutini National Park to a lovely viewpoint of the Franz Josef Glacier. The river water was extremely blue! This is caused by a combination of the water’s selective absorption of light and the presence of rock flour. Rock flour causes the sunlight to scatter which intensifies the blue color (and makes it appear “milky”).

I am mildly afraid of heights, and this EXTREMELY long suspension bridge tested my limits a little bit. Especially with this mildly worrisome sign.

I got a hot chocolate on the side of the road in Bruce Bay. Seeing the forest up against the ocean was really interesting.

Day 5

I got an excellent night’s sleep in the High Country Motel in Twizel and made my way to Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park in the morning. I took the Mueller Hut Track and had extraordinary views the entire time. This is definitely one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever done. The Mueller Hut (little red hut in the third picture) was closed, and I ended up being one of the only people in the area.

Day 6

I car camped at the Kiosk Creek Campsite and headed to Fiordland National Park in the morning. I hiked the Lake Marian Track, which had more of that turquoise water. This was the busiest hike I did on this trip which wasn’t surprising. This area is quite touristy, and the hike wasn’t very long.

I then headed to the famous Milford Sound. These mountains are the backdrop for scenes in The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Chronicles of Narnia.

Day 7

I car camped at the Pleasant Flat Campsite in Mount Aspiring National Park and had an excellent view of the entire galaxy. Unfortunately, my phone did not capture this very well. In the morning I stopped in Te Anau to grab a hot chocolate, and a worker at the cafe said, “will you please feed the alpacas, they’re starved!” which I obviously had no problem doing.

I drove back to Greymouth to return the car, took a bus back to Christchurch, spent the last day in the city with friends who had recently arrived, and got on my flight back to the USA. The route I took was mostly planned around weather, as it can be very rainy on the South Island. I definitely lucked out with this. I would love to come back and explore the North Island in the future.