top of page
Search
  • Writer's pictureChewy Pineapple

The Big South Island Road Trip - Week II

Updated: Mar 27, 2020





It’s the end of our first (#vanlife) week which means it’s already time for another itinerary article. It’s crazy to think how fast these 7 days have gone by but when you’re keeping busy, time really flies. Anyway, before introducing our plan for the following week, we promised we’d review the last one ... so here it is.


Last week:


Monday (07/10/2019)


The Plan


Mt Edoras Track (45min return) - Short and with great views - this place is absolutely amazing. The mountain is actually called Mt Sunday.

Mt Guy (2,5hrs return) - We didn’t have time to do this. After Mt Sunday we decided to go straight to Lake Camp, where we had a campfire.


What Happened


We started the week already running late... (yes we were late for our own plan!) and so we decided to swap Monday’s plan with Tuesday’s. After Leaving Coes Ford campsite we drove to Christchurch to get our roof rack welded/repaired. It didn’t take long to get this done so we still had some time in the afternoon.





Tuesday (08/10/2019)


The plan


Mt Somers (6hrs return) - We started at Woolshed Creek Car Park, took the Miners track to Woolshed Creek Hut. We then did the Mt Somers Track and returned via the Ryolite Ridge Track.

Burnett Quarry Reserve (by the road) - We actually forgot to stop by the cottage and went straight to Mayfield campsite for the night.


What Happened


Tuesday started very well, after having pancakes for breakfast we drove straight to Mt Somers and did the track as detailed above. It took us longer than expected and was actually a bit more challenging than we thought but absolutely worth the effort.





Wednesday (09/10/2019)


The plan


Big Tree Walk (30min) - This was an easy walk with (suprisingly) some big trees.

Mt Peel (5hrs return)

- Take the Ridge Track to the summit

- Take the Deer Spur Track back

- Unfortunately, we underestimated the time we needed for both walking and filming Mt Peel and didn’t have enough time to continue to the top.

Emily Falls (1,5hrs return) - This turned out to be part of the Ridge Track and was also the point at which we realised we would be unable to finish the walk. Instead we headed back towards the car park and did another side track to Rata Falls which we thouroughly enjoyed.

Timaru to see the penguins at dusk (or dawn) - We saw quite a few little blue penguins coming back from the sea and actually got up early the following morning to catch them again at dawn, but apparently 6am wasn’t early enough.


What Happened


Another day on which we managed to pretty much follow our itinerary and also made it all the way to Timaru, where we stayed right by Caroline Bay.





Thursday (10/10/2019)


The plan


Church of the Good Shepherd - Patiently waiting for all the tourists to jump back on their buses eventually paid off.

Lake Tekapo Walk (1,5hrs) - Technically we didn’t do the walk but just freely walked around the lake instead.

Stargazing Tekapo Springs at 23:15 - Our booking was moved to 21:30. On a seperate note though, this experience was honestly not worth the money.


What Happened


Thursday was also very good in terms of following our plan. In fact, we managed to tick off all the places not only from Thursday but also the things planned for Friday. On our way to Tekapo we stopped by ‘Route 66’ in Burkes Pass and it’s absoulutely a MUST stop! Later that day we arrived to the Pattersons Ponds Camping Ground, but not after driving around until after 1am (thanks Google Maps!)




Friday (11/10/2019)


The Plan


Mt John (2,5hrs return or 4hrs return with the Peninsula Walk) - We decided against doing the 2.5hr walk to the top of Mt John, where there is also an observatory. Instead we tried to drive straight to the observatory but were discouraged by the $8 vehicle toll.

Peninsula Walk - Absolutely stunning view of Lake Tekapo. On this walk you get to see how huge and beautiful this lake really is.


What Happened


As we said already, all the activities by the lake that we wanted to do, we actually did on Thursday... leaving Friday free for a lay-in and some editing.





Saturday (12/10/2019) - Lake Pukaki


The Plan


Breamar Station (nice scenery) - As we were already by the south shore of the lake and the weather wasn’t good, we decided not to go to this supposedly ‘super nice’ area.

Pukaki Kettle Hole Track (1hr) - This track is incredibly rewarding considering how easy it is. The highlight is not the kettle hole but the breath-taking views of the lake.


What Happened


We made it to Lake Pukaki on Friday night and stayed Lake Pukaki Reserve. Unfortunately, it was raining which meant we didn’t get the beautiful views that were described on the internet. We were also running low on coooking gas so we decided to drive to Twizel to refill our LPG cylinder, only finding out once we got there that the garage didn’t accommodate for the smaller type cylinder as we have. On the way to the garage though we stopped by Pelennor Fields, a filming location from LOTR. We planned to take a scenic route onwards from there but took the wrong road...so we will probably try this route again sometime.





Sunday (13/10/2019) - Mt Cook Village.


The Plan


Tasman River - go there. There is a track that leads to the mouth of the river and the views of Tasman Lake are the best from here, due to the icebergs being on this side of the lake.

Blue Lakes - These lakes are actually green because they are not filled with glacier water anymore, that doesn’t however make them any less enjoyable.

Tasman Glacier and Lake View - Just a short way up the stairs you have views of the entire Tasman Lake, the very end of the Tasman Glacier and also the valley that was carved by the glacier many years ago.


What Happened


On Sunday morning we woke up by Lake Wardell, and in the evening went to bed at the foot of Mt Cook. We changed the plan slightly and started Sunday by exploring the South Eastern area of Mt cook, before moving round towards our campsite for the night at the South Western side. Our campsite was based where the Hooker Valley and Kea Point track both start.



If we could do this day again we would connect all these walks as a loop (2hrs, or 4 with View Of The Glacier)


Tasman River -> Glacier and Lake View via Morraine Walk -> Blue Lakes -> back to car park via Ball Hut Road, or from Blue Lakes add 2 hours with View of the Glacier before then returning via Ball Hut Road as normal.





Summary



Things ticked off our itinerary: 11/18

Things outside of the plan: 7 (Our little trip to the garage doesn’t count)

Money spent on activities: $0

Money spent on accommodation: $30




 
 


Considering this was the first week of our big trip, things went to plan pretty well. We had a great week and it shows that you don’t have to spend lots of money to create lots of memories. From next week we’ll start counting our mileage too because we realise our biggest expenditure at the moment is petrol!


For the next week we have only planned 6 days because we know we’ll have to dedicate one day to getting Carina (our van) fixed. For this reason, we’ll have to be slightly flexible and adjust our plan to suit. Other than that, we can’t wait for next week to start!


Here’s next week’s itinerary:



Monday (14/10/2019)


Starting point: White Horse Hill Campground ($15pp)


Kea Point Viewpoint (1hour return)

Hooker Valley Walk (3hr return)

Lake Wardell Campsite



Tuesday (15/10/2019)


Pelennor Fields - Scenic Drive

Ben Ohau Peak (4hrs return)



Wednesday (16/10/2019)


Lindis Pass Lookout (View from a hill)

Clay Cliffs near Omarama ($5)

View penguins at dusk at Bushy Beach Camping at All Day Beach



Thursday (17/10/2019)


Herbert Forest Walking Tracks (5hrs)

See the Moeraki Boulders on the beach

See the penguins at Katiki Point Penguins (dusk)

Katiki Beach North Reserve Campsite



Friday (18/10/2019)


See yellow eyed penguins at Shag Point (Dawn)

Go surfing at Warrington Recreation Reserve



Saturday (19/10/2019)

Explore the Natural Cave north from Dunedin (accessible at low tide - 10min)

Organ Pipes Track (1-2hrs)

Go to Baldwin Street (Steepest residential street)

Check out the First Church of Otago

Whakamana: The Canabis Museum

Tunnel Beach Track (1hour)



Sunday (20/10/2019) / The spare day



So that’s it, the comparison between expectation(s) and reality... or at least, one example in which the two were actually not so far apart. We’ve got big plans for our trip around the South Island and with a little bit of luck and determination who knows, we might just stay on track... we can’t be sure what will happen next but that’s what adventures are all about.


Thanks for reading and if you have any comments or suggestions for us, leave them below. Happy travels from ChewyPineapple!




 

Curious how we did following the plan? Check it our in the NEXT ARTICLE ;-)

 




11 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All
  • Insta Icon B0C770
bottom of page