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We had our first road trip together in Aotearoa, aka New Zealand. The whole trip was 13 days long, starting from Queenstown, Otago in South Island, finishing in Picton, Marlborough. We covered more than 1,900 km of driving, equivalent to 23 hours of driving. From Picton, we boarded the ferry InterIslander to cross the ocean to Wellington, which was our last stop before flying back home.

Map Illustration: Queenstown -> A) Wanaka -> B) Te Anau -> C) Lake Tekapo -> D) Christchurch -> E) Akaroa -> F) Kaikoura -> G) Hanmer Springs -> H) Murchison -> I) Blenheim -> J) Picton -> Wellington (North Island, not on map)

Nov 5 (Tue)

Ready for a 9-hour flight to Sydney!

Nov 6 (Wed)

We interchanged at Sydney International Airport. The boarding gates to our destination and our home going side by side was an interesting scene.

Breakfast at 7am in the morning, Sydney time.

Virgin Australia’s in-flight menu was surprisingly good!

We boarded the #1 bus. The whole city have only 4 bus routes operating.

After a 0.5-hour bus ride, we checked in our Airbnb and were welcomed by the beautiful lake view of Queenstown. Every breath of air felt soooo much cleaner compared to home.

We had our first dinner at Rata, recommended by a local friend.

Beef Wellington 😋

Nov 7 (Thur)

Getting ready for our big Photoshooting day!

Absolutely no retouching required

Mr. Chong has treated Ms. Fong well. All the sweetness is portrayed by her double-chin XD

Is Queenstown where you want to spend for the rest of your life? Yes, I do!
If we don’t need to work…

I can show you the world, shining, shimmering, splendid

Ready to run for our next destination?

Next look in the white velvet dress from Pronovias

Fueling up our ride 😉

A helicopter trip costed NZD 400 per head, but it’s totally worth it, because…

This lake view on top of the Remarkables is absolutely stunning

Ms Fong was glad that she is not too heavy for Mr. Chong to lift 🙂

“Bi zi peng bi zi”

We know it’s too bright. Do you need our sunglasses?

Walking down the street in Arrowtown like Prince & Princess

Agnes in the Wonderland

How do you feel?

Tired. You?

Hungry.

Back to Queenstown, exhausted and hungry! Queues for the infamous Ferburger. Our choices were Lamb & Pork Belly. JUICY & DELICIOUS!

Warmth emitting from paper bags, burgers ready to be eaten

Ice-cream cone from Pantogonia

-5C bar – you are mad if you paid to get into a fridge, drank ice-cold cocktail from an ice cup with freezing hand but still managed to smile to the camera!

Nov 8 (Fri)

Rented our Toyota SUV from Apex Car Rentals.

Kararau River – the 1st Commercial Bungy Jump site

Afternoon tea @ Big Fig. Slow food, served fast.

The legendary Wanaka Tree

Mount Iron trail. Accompanied by hares all along.

Dinner @ Alchemy Wanaka

Nov 9 (Sat)

Weather was fine in Queenstown, but deteriorated as we drove towards Milford Sound.

We couldn’t reach Milford Sound because of road blockage (because of Avalanches…). Alternatively, we went to Manapouri for a short hike.

Venison Pie @ Miles Better Pies.

We boarded the 1930s-vintage cruise ship Faith in Te Anau.

Talking to the captain – George

Adam’s secret talent – playing the pipes in the rain. Bravo!

Call me Captain Fong!

Delicacy & drinks on board

Book your cruise here – https://www.faith-in-fiordland.com/the-boat/

Late night dinner @ Caribe Latin Kitchen

Nov 10 (Sun)

Feeding Salmon!

Fresh salmon served from the salmon farm

Hooker Valley Track – a 3-hour walk with 3 bridges, alpine streams, glacier and plenty of strong wind

Snake-like waterfalls

Mr. Photographer looking cool

Salmon Tataki @ Poppies Cafe Twizel.

Lamb Rack

This is the supposedly night view in Lake Tekapo. However, we were unfortunate to arrive in bad weather.

Instead we bathed in a hot pool while listening to the experienced guide’s stories about Tekapo and astronomy. Nevertheless, we enjoyed hot chocolate with marshmallow, which was the best in a chilly night.

The next time you visit NZ, make sure you pick a cloudless day without much moonlight in order to fully enjoy the amazing starry nightsky in Lake Tekapo.

https://tekapostargazing.co.nz/

Nov 11 (Mon)

Our friendly B&B hosts, Dennis & Joanne.

A colorful Lupine flower patch in front of Lake Tekapo

Situated on the shores of Lake Tekapo is the Church of the Good Shepherd, which, in 1935, was the first church built in the Mackenzie Basin. The church at Lake Tekapo was designed by Christchurch architect R.S.D. Harman, based on sketches by a local artist, Esther Hope. The church is arguably one of the most photographed in New Zealand, and features an altar window that frames views of the lake and mountains.

The weather cleared up! And so did our mood. Went for a coffee @ Greedy Cow cafe

A hot pie (or two) tasted even better after a long drive.
Salmon & Bacon, Pork Belly pies @ Fairlie Bakehouse

Stopped over at Geraldine for some cheese @ Talbot Forest Cheese

Racks and racks of cheese

The pepper flavoured wafer crackers are amazingly nice match with blue cheese

Finally arrived in Christchurch, the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. The Christchurch urban area lies on the South Island’s east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula. It is home to 404,500 residents, making it New Zealand’s third-most populous city behind Auckland and Wellington. After 6pm, there wasn’t much to do in the city. We found the Botanic Garden still opened and toured around.

Couldn’t deny our craving for Asian food any longer. Laksa @ Madam Woo!

Nov 12 (Tue)

8am Kayaking in Akaroa? We made it in time, despite delaying for 20 min because of the thought-to-be lost car key. Eventually, it was found in Ms. Fong’s jacket. Opps.

For non-HK reader’s knowledge, this is what “chok” literally means.

Ms Fong was actually less comfortable than how she looked in this pic, being exposed to cold wind while getting soaked in seawater lol

Fur seal up close!

Our experienced guide introducing the wildlives and geographical features of Goughs Bay.

Gentlemen did all the hard work. Even harder up the shore then down after more than an hour of kayaking!

Baby penguin in a hatching box, still looks furry but has almost grown to the size of its own parents.

Totally exhausted (and still sleepy)

Seafood chowder @ Bully Hayes

Seafood Platter with smoked salmon, mussels, tempura prawns, crispy squid, Thai fish cake, ceviche etc. We haven’t seen the sun in a few days but yay here we go!

A coffee a day keeps the doctor away

Akaroa (which name means “long bay” in Maori) is divided between the waterfront and the old town. If you pick a map at the information center (iSite) you’ll realize that street names like Balgueri, Jolie or Lavaud testify French origins. Just google “why does Akaroa feel so french?” and you can read about the interesting history of the early french settlers.

Got a bottle to share on the road! Cheers to our Summer Love (too cheesy)

Glenmark train station

Mr. Chong is already obviously more tan 7 days into the trip

Impatiently waiting for my ride

Cellar doors closed before 5pm. We couldn’t make it.

Stop-over spot

Amazing view… we also captured by drone!

Gore Bay. We couldn’t help pull over our car, walked along the bank while looking at the sunset

Daytime moon @ Gore Bay

The only restaurant still open in the Kaikoura town at 10pm serves fish & chips. Not bad!

Nov 13 (Wed)

The whale watch tour is only NZD150 per head and they claimed there’s a 95% chance of seeing at least 1-2 sperm whales during the trip, and guarantee 80% refund in case of failure. For us, we managed to see killer whale and sperm whale, the latter twice.

A sperm whale breathed at the water surface and the dived back. All captured perfectly in video.

Book your whale tour here –
https://www.everythingnewzealand.com/whale-watch-kaikoura-1047/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAl5zwBRCTARIsAIrukdMyOreWWzE0Qgun4YdTrm8DKF7jsQu9MNSWaTHcyNGygt7OxUta3JMaAgMXEALw_wcB

Eating crayfish in Kaikoura is named the 7th top food experience in the world by Lonely Planet in August 2018.

At the kiosk off the highway, you get to hand pick fresh crayfish, they do magic on the barbecue plate.

A paper plate of absolute delight that attracts not only hungry tourists but also seagulls.

Time for something sweet! Kaffee Eis make their milk-based gelato with milk instead of cream, thus lower in fat but fuller in flavours. Their fruit gelato is sorbetto, and contains 38% of real fruit. We tried two of their award-winning flavors – SPECULOOS & (unfortunately you cant see it in the pic) BOYSENBERRY

Lavender farm – posing and trying not to freak out when crazy bees buzz around me.

Another 3 hour drive brought us to Hanmer Springs.

Most famous attraction – Thermal pools!

Heightened appetite after dipping ourselves in hot pools and running up stairs several times for water slides.

Mussels & Stone-baked pizza! What could be better?

Nov 14 (Thur)

Starting the day with something exciting – ready to jump?

The first 2 seconds felt breathless because of the weightlessness. After that it felt surprising nice, especially with the nice river view in bright weather.

Cool pose 😉

Not-so-cool expression XD

Bungee Jump captured from start to end by GoPro. Please mind the scream

Off to shoot some clay birds! Mr. Chong’s result – 1/10

Ms. Fong’s result – 5/10! I could be an Olympic shooter if I started younger. lol

https://www.hanmerspringsattractions.nz/claybird-shooting/

Energizing breakfast @ Power House Cafe

Also in the frame are Eggs Benedict, coffee, travel book and Ms. Fong looking relaxed after jumping from the bridge

Lewis Pass Alpine Nature Walk

Maruia Falls. Magnificent. We flew our drone across the river, and then… it crashed on the other side of the bank

What to do? The tide was too strong to swim to the other side. There’s no visible route behind the water falls. We checked google map and found the end of the stream 1.5km down the highway. We drove towards that end, got to the other side via a bridge, and saw a girl with a hiking stick and earphones on. We asked if she knew the way to the falls, she wasn’t sure but said she’s starting a hike to see cliffs. We walked with her for 1.5 hours, passing woods, crossing rivers, some with difficulty. She told us she is 16, from Germany and was doing her working holiday at a nearby farm. The hike was a lunch-break past-time. We parted ways when she had to go back, while we continued the journey towards the start of the stream. The plants alongside the route were spiked with thorns. Poor Eric was scratched multiple times without a hiking stick. We started to exhaust after walking non-stop without water for 2 hours. However, we didn’t give up because the drone had so many valuable videos we took along our journey. We started at 2pm, and by 4:30pm, we finally saw farmhouses in the distant. We crossed cow farms and walked towards a farm-house to seek help. We managed to catch the attention of a farmer herding deer. To reach the farmer, we walked along the bank of a water patch next to wired fence, and we only knew they were electrified until we felt electric shocks. (they’re supposed to stop farm animals from crossing). We explained our situation to the farmer, he pointed us to the right route towards where we dropped our drone, and offered to lift us back to our car after we retrieved it. We started walking with refreshed hope, but it started raining. We opened the DJI (drone company) app where we briefly saw the drone’s GPS signal, and searched for it with the limited hints. We were giving up when there’s no sign of the drone, and it was pouring. Then suddenly, I saw the familiar silver legs of the little robot sticking out of the grass. I couldn’t help but exclaim with joy. Eric couldn’t believe his eyes. By that time, the farmer reached the top of the bank. We waved at him excitedly to share the wonderful news. The hike back to the top was a bit difficult with the rain, but we managed to climb up and got into his truck. He offered us energy bars. They were the best we have ever tried. (Energy bars aren’t supposed to taste this good). We offered our gratitude when we got off his truck. We were so grateful we accomplished the mission which seemed impossible, safe and sound.

This picture was shot 10 minutes before finding the drone. Mr. Chong was awed that I managed to take pictures even when we were exhausted from walking. Well, the waterfall was nice, wasn’t it? It tasted sweet as well. I tried. 🙂

From Maruia Falls, we continued our journey towards Marlborough, 3 hours later then expected. Accidents didn’t come singly. 15 minutes into our drive, we were stopped by police, saying the highway to Murchison was blocked because of an accident. (route via Murchison is the only route to Blenheim (under 3 hours), unless we go South and return to Hanmer Springs and go via Kaikoura, which would take more than 4 hours). The officer said the road wouldn’t be re-opened the next day, but suggested an indland route towards Murchison which had dangerously deep streams in bad weather. We wasn’t sure about the route so we decided to go back South and spend the night in Kaikoura. A wrong turn misled by Google Maps caused it to reroute, showing the path to Blenheim via the Maruia Saddle Route. There, a van drove towards us, and he stopped when he saw us trying to make a turn. We asked the destination of the route and he confirmed that the route is towards Murchison, where he came from, since the main road is blocked by the accident. He said the water levels was minimal and that if his van could navigate them, then there’s no problem for our SUV. We chatted a bit and found out he is, like the girl we met at Maruia, is also from Germany. We thanked him and decided to go ahead with our original plan. Finally, we reached the town Murchison, which is a neat, not-too-busy town with 2-3 story buildings. We googled a hotel restaurant. A staff of the restaurant showed us a parking spot (the parking is quite full, given that travelers who want to get through Murchison was forced to stop). We got hot chocolate (the waitress offered to serve before the food), pasta and burger. Everything tasted amazingly satisfying after a long afternoon.

We set off again after filling our stomachs. 2-hour drive from Murchison, we finally reached the cozy Montgomery’s Cottage.

Nov 15 (Fri)

We are grateful that we managed to start our wine tour at 10am as planned (not practical if we spent the night elsewhere).
Cellar Door #1 – Saint Claire Family Estate. Its special Chardonnay-Pinot Noir blend named after the wine owner’s mother, Dawn, to celebrate her 100th birthday.

https://www.saintclair.co.nz/wines/saint-clair-dawn/

Cellar Door #2 – Allan Scott Family Estate
Its Generations Riesling 2016 and Pinot Noir 2017 were pleasure on the palate. Another surprise was Josh Scott’s Cavaliar Green Ginger Wine. Warmed up the stomach nicely!

https://allanscott.com/

Lovely weather for cellar-door-hopping. So blessed!

Cellar Door #3 – Cloudy Bay
One of the first wine makers in Marlborough

https://www.cloudybay.co.nz/

Taking a nap on wine barrels

Dreaming about owning a vineyard someday

Cheers

Cellar Door #4 – Giesen Wines for lunch!

https://giesen.co.nz/cellar-door/

A colorful platter showcasing seafood, cheese, meat, pate and ample of biscuit and bread served with spreads

All pictures look amazing if only there is subtly warm sunlight

Cute little home utensils store. Like a treasure island waiting for shoppers to discover valuables!

Picton’s Shakespeare Bay

Of course, we’ll treasure all the amazing memories from this trip ❤

Picton Harbour

Shopped for dinner ingredients! NZ supermarkets are as gigantic as American ones.

Pan-seared salmon and mussel linguine with tomato sauce!

Mo was such an energetic & cute girl!

Nov 16 (Sat)

While Rose served us breakfast, Matthew shared with us his family, wine business, sailing…

Thank you Rose & Matthew for your warm hospitality!

Had a nice lesson on Viticulure on their 3.6-hectare vineyard growing Sauvignon Blanc grapes

The couple grow plants for fruits & vegetables and raise hens for eggs

Cellar Door #5 – Bladen

Bladen was Rose’s favourite so we decided to go and taste their award-winning collection.

Rarely does Gewurztraminer wine so highly praised!

https://www.bladen.co.nz/?

Cellar Door #6 – Wairau Rivers
Last door for lunch

https://www.wairauriverwines.com/

Thanks Rose for the amazing lunch!

Really creamy chowder – BIG portion. Better get the Starter size instead!

Smoked Beef served with carrot, bak choy, bean sprouts and rice. Yum!

Cheese platter, an elegant glass of Sauvignon Blanc & Coffee

Edwin Fox Museum @ Picton

Milkshake, Ben & Jerry’s Ice-cream for afternoon tea @ Cafe Cortado

Returned our car before boarding the InterIslanders!

Finally breaking into open sea after passing through endless sounds

Fianlly arrived in Wellingon, a rare NZ city with night life.
Cocktails & some bar snacks please! @ Dragon Fly

Nov 17 (Sun)

Pho for brunch! @ Thanh Giong Pho

Ready to board the Wellington Cable Car! It looks quite similar to our Peak Tram.

Watched a movie about Apollo missions @ Space Place at Carter Observatory

Pano of 2nd largest city of New Zealand – Wellington

Our Lord-of-the-Rings-enthusiast guide leading us to explore shooting scenes from the Trilogy!

Weta Studio

Afternoon-snack – McDonald’s Georgie Pie (Localization item here!), Chicken Nuggets & our favourite, HOT CHOCOLATE!

Last dinner to celebrate both the completion of our trip & our 1st anniversary @ Logan Brown

https://www.loganbrown.co.nz/

Chef’s Tasting Menu
Asparagus Mousse
Paua Ravioli
Warm Pork Terrine
Wild Fiordland Venison Steak
Strawberry Parfait

Paired with local wine from Otago & Cantabury

Thank you my dear for treating me to a wonderful dinner. Happy Anniversary!

13 days passed in no time but we had so much fun & wonderful memories.
Photoshooting in Queenstown was one of the most unforgettable experience.
Check out the video made by our make-up artist, Lena, highlighting our beautiful shooting day.

We spent 5 hours editing footages shot by our drone to make the following film. Enjoy!

Thank you for reading!