Author: Takeshi

These things become difficult to update as the trip draws near the end. It’s also difficult when you decide on a whim, to increase the total driving hours to around 10 😮‍💨

Our original plan was to drive to Hokitika and learn about pounamu before traversing Arthur’s Pass and heading back to Christchurch, but things didn’t quite go that way. We both purchased pounamu pieces in Hokitika that we learnt could be cleansed or blessed (for want of a better term) in waters to make them more personal.

I took Nic’s to the nearby shore of the Tasman sea, filled my boots with salt water and sand and said a few words. I then told Nic that I’d like mine dunked in a mountain stream somewhere along the way.

At some point on our drive out of Hokitika, Nic was struck with a brilliant plan. What about going back to Lake Tekapo?

Something about that place speaks to me in ways I can’t fully understand yet. It’s pristine, magical, calming, yet energising. It’s where I discovered a fragment of myself, hiking up Mt John.

Upon arrival into the West Coast district, we decided to stop at a waterfall and go for a walk through the steaming jungle. It was 12°. Tak was immediately set upon by flesh-sawing sandflies.

It’s not entirely incorrect to say I bought a new telephoto lens just because I wanted to better capture Fox Glacier from the lookout point. The iPhone 11 did its best in 2019 but I was determined to come back one day and try again.

– Tak

We didn’t get to check out Franz Josef Glacier today, but we understand it’s just a short drive and walk from where we’re staying, so we’ll give it a go tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, another big day. We’re going to stop by Hokitika to learn about pounamu and hit Arthur’s Pass for one last alpine coffee before making our way back down to Christchurch for the last two nights.

Probably Nic’s favourite overall destination so far, Southland in general is stunningly beautiful. Wānaka in particular, surrounded on all sides by soaring mountains and bordered by a brilliant turquoise lake, is breathtaking.

Tak took a handful of photos on the way and around town, followed by 5000 pics of ~that~ tree…

As luck would have it, the day cleared up and the road to Milford Sound opened. Game on!

We went on a cruise. We saw penguins and a seal. We did the waterfall mist thing on the boat and we took a heck-tonne of photos.

Oh yeah, IT SNOWED ever so briefly while we were waiting to enter the tunnel towards the sound. Nic got a video – hopefully it captured the brief flurry of teensy flakes.

8:30pm – Now back in Te Anau. We’re going to eat in and plan tomorrow’s trip to Wanaka before uploading some more pics.

Queenstown is weird. It’s like Surfers Paradise at night. But it’s a lesson in tourism fuelling development. Nic’s car would fit in beautifully here and would also be a blast to drive through the windy streets.

We went to Glenorchy, had a pie and enjoyed the views through the fog and driving rain.

I had a pork and apple sauce pie from Mrs Woolly’s and Nic had a chicken and mushroom pie. The pastry was flaky and delicious. So much so, I followed up with a mince and cheese pie just to double check 😅

After lunch, I stood in the Glenorchy storage cabin while Nic wandered out over the pier to take some moody shots over the water.

The rain and wind got worse as the afternoon went on, so we returned to Queenstown and checked out the Time Tripper underwater observatory. Heh. It’s aight.

Finally, we went back to the apartment and hunkered down to watch the F1 race from over the weekend.

Tomorrow, we aim for Milford Sound… if the roads are open 🙉

– Tak

We’ve decided to bring our Onsen night forward by two days and camp out the storm in Queenstown.

We visited Twizel and discovered what we think is a university rowing practice lake. We took an impromptu detour and checked out the Clay Cliffs. We overtook a billion-million-bajillion camper vans (and can now name the company/brand on sight as they round a corner) and after a solid few hours of driving up, down and through some rapidly changing scenery, finally arrived at our apartment in Queenstown.

We ordered some takeaway pizzas from nearby, took some much needed showers and now it’s time to prepare for a luxurious evening pampering at the Queenstown Onsen 🥰

10am – What day is it? 🫩

Big breakfast and some coffee at a local cafe before we go for a leisurely drive out towards Aoraki/Mt Cook.

Two hikes in a row – Holidays are wild.

– Tak

12pm – I should not be trusted with directions. We drove 40 minutes out of town in the wrong direction before it dawned on me and we chucked a U-turn.

2:30pm – We’ve finally arrived 🫣 Nic has decided to brave the suspension bridges – we’re tackling the Hooker Valley track!

6:30pm – Aoraki/Mt Cook and its surrounds are outrageously beautiful. There’s far less snow on the mountains as I’d expected, based on my previous experience. Still, we managed to score a totally fine day which makes Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki pop with swirls of turquoise and aquamarine.

We walked for about four hours, stopping to take photos and to just sit and hear the natural sounds around us. We took some less trodden paths and found adventures within adventures, climbing over rocks and down pebble-strewn hillocks.

About tomorrow: We originally planned to drive to Te Anau tomorrow to check out Milford Sound, but the weather forecast predicts over 200mm rain and possible flooding. Heh. We’re going to think of something else in the morning. G’night for now.

This is Nic’s first time in NZ, so I’m looking forward to her reaction as we come over ~that~ hump in the road to see Lake Tekapo for the first time. iykyk.

Breakfast downstairs before heading out whenever. How good are holidays?!

– Tak

11:30am – Detour to Timaru. I didn’t see much of the eastern coast last time, so a brief detour further east to check out Timaru before heading to Fairlie for a pie.

Seems Nic took most of the pics in Timaru. Here’s one of a seagull I took… 😅

One of my fondest memories from November 2019 is the sensation of the temp slowly dropping as I approached the mountains.

We left Christchurch this morning with the temp hovering around 10°. Meanwhile, it’s getting warmer as we make our way towards Lake Tekapo.

1:30pm – Fairlie Bakery for lunch. We even heard a woman on the plane talking about it, so we had to drop in. We had mince and cheese pies and shared a jam donut.

2:30pm – Lake Tekapo! Woo! Damn, it’s good to be back. It’s as blue and as beautiful as ever. It’s also stinking hot 🤣 Regardless, the sky is so clear, it should ensure the 1am Night Sky tour is a simply magical experience.

10:15pm – We decided to walk (hike) up Mt John around 5:30pm. It took us 30 mins to get to the start, 45 mins to get to the top and we spent another 45 mins taking some incredible photos that I can’t wait to share. We started our descent around 8:30pm as the sun was setting. A few breaks and a couple more photos later, we stumbled back into town in the dark, aching but happy to have done the thing. The view from the top is indescribably beautiful, with the alps the majestic backdrop for what might be more than 270° of the visible sights.

Around 9:30pm, we stumbled through the doors of Fishtail Indian and Nepalese restaurant, with the folks there graciously firing up the stove for us to order takeaway.

We’re now going to try to catch a nap before getting up before 1am for the Dark Sky Summit Experience at the observatory at Mt John 🥱

3:35am – What an amazing evening. Though the moon is mostly full and overpoweringly bright, we got to observe Saturn, the Pleiades and a cluster of some 1000 visible ‘new’ stars in a nebula above the southern cross. The Milky Way also became ever so slightly visible before the tour ended.

Time to crash out to sleep. More tomorrow.

– Tak

2am – Torn from slumber by the unmelodious screeching of two simultaneous alarms. “Let’s maximise our time there and take a 6am flight” he said.

One of us rises immediately while the other rolls over with a whine and a grunt. One of us went to sleep at 8pm while the other fought their late afternoon iced coffee well past 11:30pm.

If you’re new here, note that you get no bonus points for guessing who makes the better decisions. If you’re joining us for another adventure, thanks so much for following along.

Today, Tak and Nic are off to Christchurch, New Zealand!

Mission 1: Get ready for the 3:30am Uber to OOL. One of us likes to be at the airport with plenty of time. The other would probably have left the house at 5:15am if we were driving…

4:30am – Checked in and lining up at Paradox for breakfast and a coffee 🥱

The airport says the flight is delayed by 30 mins. Qantas says otherwise.

6:10am AEST – We’ve boarded! Next stop, Sydney 😅

6pm NZDT – Look, it’s been a mission. Flight delay from OOL meant we nearly missed our flight to Christchurch. Our names were called and err’thang. But we didn’t miss it and now, TakNic is in Christchurch! Let’s goooo~!

10pm NZDT – We had dinner at the Curator’s House Restaurant in the Botanic Gardens. Spectacular tapas with a friend, followed by a saunter into town for dessert at Rollickin’ Gelato.

I reckon it’s about time to wind down and dream about tomorrow’s drive to Lake Tekapo.

TakNic do NZ South Island 2026!

It’s been 2 years since our last adventure to Japan. This time, Tak’s taking Nic around the ol’ South Island of NZ. It’s a 2019 motorbike trip redux!

Let’s GOOOOOO~!