Mesmerising South Island

The long 10-hour flight to New Zealand didn't seem so dreading because this was the first time we were visiting this beautiful country, and we were all looking forward to the vacation. Moreover, it was a night flight so most of the time we were supposed to be sleeping. But I was too excited to sleep.


December 2 Tues - Christchurch to Twizel
Upon arrival in Christchurch, we wasted no time to pick up our rental car at Hertz at the airport and drove to the nearest supermart to get some snacks and mineral water. Then we began our 10-day self-drive journey to South Island, starting with Lake Tekapo and the Church of Good Shepherd which was just by the beautiful lake. Along the way, we drove past large green fields where we saw many sheep, horses and cows grazing on the grass, unattended. It was such an unusual sight as we have never seen this in Singapore.

We made a stop at Geraldine, a small town where we had a late lunch -- yummy chicken and steak pies with piping hot latte at the Country Cafe. There was a shop named the Bull Rush Chocolate selling gourmet chocolates, and a couple of quaint gift shops selling unique souvenirs and interior decors.

Church of the Good Shepherd

When we reached Lake Tekapo, we were met with a spectacular view of the turqoise lake glistening in the sun, and against blue mountain peaks and puffy white clouds. The scenery was beyond beautiful! By the lake was the unique cobblestone chapel Church of the Good Shepherd which, regrettably, was closed when we reached there. So we could only take pictures outside the church and at the lake.

Lake Tekapo

Later in the day, we stopped by another beautiful lake, Lake Pukaki, for toilet break and more picture-taking. After several hours, we finally arrived at our first motel in the small, quiet town Twizel. The Mountain Chalets Motel was made up of several 2-storey chalets with an attic and can accommodate 5 persons in each chalet. It was fuss-free with minimum amenities. But it was fine by us as we just wanted a place to rest and sleep. The room heater was a bonus, though, as South Island was freezing cold even though it was summer then. We had authentic Thai food at Jasmine Thai Restaurant near the motel. The piping hot Tom Yum soup was a welcome against the cold weather.


December 3 Wed - Twizel to Mount Cook to Dunedin

Aoraki Mount Cook National Park

We set off early in the morning to Dunedin. No South Island trip is complete without visiting Mount Cook, so we stopped at Aoraki Mount Cook National Park. It was a nice, scenic place but a little touristy. We went to the Visitors' Centre to look at some museum artefacts and learnt about the history of Mount Cook. We had lunch (fish & fries, ham omelette) at the nearby TasmanDelta Cafe, Glentanner Park Centre, where one can also hire a helicopter to have a bird's eye view of Mount Cook, if you have deep pockets.

Driving towards Dunedin, we passed by more breathtaking scenery -- Lake Benmore, Waitaki Valley - picturesque view of valley of lakes surrounded by mountain. We also drove past a busy and more inhabited town named Oamaru, but didn't have time to stop.

At Dunedin city centre, we stopped to visit the First Church of Otago -- a magnificent, gothic-looking Anglican church that looked very well-maintained inside with beautiful stained glass, high ceiling and 2 levels of pulpit pews.

After that, we checked into the Dunedin Holiday Park Motels and refreshed ourselves before heading out for dinner at a nearby beachfront restaurant named Salt Bar & Restaurant. The good thing about summer here was that the day was long so by the time we finished dinner, it was still bright enough for us to take a stroll along the beach. There were several surfers on the water at that time, despite the chilling cold weather.


December 4 Thur - Dunedin to Te Anau
We were visiting Larnach Castle and Cadbury Chocolate World today, and the kids, A and Y were very excited. After a hearty MacDonald's breakfast, we drove to Larnach Castle. The weather was gloomy, rainy and cold. We were driving on a narrow windy cliff road to the castle, which was perched on top of the cliff.

Larnach Castle

After alighting from the car, we had to walk a narrow pebbled path to the castle ground. It was depressing walking in the rain, even though we were wearing raincoats. But the sight of the magnificent castle swept all gloom away. We toured the inside of the castle and were amazed to see ancient fireplaces, bath-tubs, priceless antiques, historical artefacts, exquisite ceiling designs and even an antique grand piano!

There was also a narrow spiral staircase that led to the top of the castle with a splendid view of the entire castle ground and beyond. But the spiral staircase was so threateningly steep and narrow that we had to go single file up and down the staircase. But the breathtaking view at the top was well worth it.

Cadbury Chocolate World

Next on our agenda was the Cadbury Chocolate World. It was every child and chocolate-lover's dream come true as we were led on a guided chocolate-making tour in the factory. It was indeed an eye-opener to learn how Cadbury chocolates, which I have eaten since I was a child, were made from scratch and packaged for sale. As a bonus, we were each given a bagful of different varieties of Cadbury chocolates to bring back.

After the satisfying chocolate tour, we set off for Te Anau. As the journey to Te Anau was long, we made rest stops at small towns in Milton and Gore, and then grabbed some takeaway dinner at a small shop in Mossburn.

The drive to the Edgewater Motel in Te Anau was scenic as several lakefront boutique motels lined the stretch of the beautiful Lake Te Anau. There was also a glass panelled wedding chapel, specially for couples who wanted to hold their romantic wedding fronting the lake. There were several retail shops and supermarts in the vicinity, so it was convenient for us to grab some groceries.


December 5 Fri - Te Anau to Milford Sound to Queenstown
Hubby and I woke up early at 6am to take an early morning stroll along the beautiful lake. There was a helicopter parked on the lake for those who wanted to take a bird's eye view of Milford Sound. As the journey to Milford Sound was going to be very long and we were scheduled to catch a cruise there and might not have time to make rest stops, we decided to grab some hot pies for lunch before setting off for Milford Sound.

The journey to Milford Sound was indeed poster-perfect. It was like driving through posters after posters of beautiful scenery. We came across several scenic views like the Mirror Lakes and Mackay Creek. We also drove through the signature Homers Tunnel. Although the drive was long and tedious, the journey was worth it for the awe-inspiring scenery along the way.

Milford Sound

After what seemed like ages, we arrived at Milford Sound to take the cruise boat, Milford Sovereign, around the picturesque Milford Sound. The weather that day was great! Clear blue sky with white puffy clouds. The view from the cruise was so beautiful that it was like heaven on earth. Cascading waterfalls, misty mountain peaks, crystal blue waters and even seals suntanning on the rocks, were a sight to behold!

It was hard to say goodbye to Milford Sound as it was such a beautiful place. The long drive to Queenstown was equally scenic and breathtaking. It was a pleasant surprise when we checked into The Blue Peaks Motel, as this was a very well-maintained apartment with toiletries! A nice touch compared with the previous motels we had stayed in. After freshening up, we took a 10- minute walk to the town centre for dinner and some shopping.


December 6 Sat - Queenstown
Compared to the previous towns and places we had been to, Queenstown was a bustling vibrant town with many souvenir shops and interesting weekend markets.

 Scented soaps shaped like cupcakes

 We visited the Creative Queenstown Art & Craft Market at the wharf after breakfast. There were not many stalls, but most were selling unique, self-made products by the stall-holders themselves. We bought a novel wall clock made from a flattened liquor glass bottle and some exquisite handmade soaps shaped like a cupcake or a slice of cake. They looked too pretty and delicious to be used!

After so many days in New Zealand, we finally tasted Chinese food at the Lakeside Palace Chinese Restaurant in the city centre. The food was quite good as the chefs and people running the restaurant were Chinese. After lunch and some shopping spree, we headed to the Skyline Gondola and took a cable car to get a bird's eye view of scenic Queenstown. From the cable car, we saw numerous houses perched on hills and mountains, and surrounded by lakes. It was a picturesque sight.

No trip to New Zealand was complete without watching the Maori shows. Despite the costly ticket prices, we decided to catch the 30-minute Maori Haka performance. The show itself was nothing to shout about, but having hubby and my little girl on stage to perform with the Maori performers were a rare treat indeed!


December 7 Sun - Queenstown to Glacier
Visiting Fran Josef Glacier was one of the highlights of this trip. As it was a long drive, we stopped by Lake Wanaka for toilet break. There was a mini weekend market there, but it paled in comparison to the one in Queenstown. We also drove past the highly acclaimed Puzzling World -- an interesting place of mazes and puzzles for kids and families -- but regrettably didn't have the luxury of time to visit.

We made a stop at Haast for fish and chips lunch, and another stop at Knights Point Lookout to stretch out and enjoy the ocean views. We made a final stop at Lake Matheson for some yummy chocolate mud cake at the Matheson Cafe before finally arriving at the Fran Josef Glacier.

Fran Josef Glacier

Although it was drizzling, we decided to take a 20-minute hike up the glacier after coming such a long way. The view at the top was nice but it was quite disappointing to see that the glacier had receded. In a decade from now, there might not even have a glimpse of the glacier. Still, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to see such a magnificent beauty of nature that God had created!

That evening, we checked into the Glacier View Motel before heading for dinner at the 88 Asian Fusion Restaurant at the nearby Fran Josef Village. It was a nice boutique restaurant with good food and good ambience. But the wait was quite long. And we were almost starving by the time the food came. We were glad to be back in the motel as it was really cold outside. The view at the motel was phenomenal, with cloud-piercing mountain peaks in the background. It was nice to wake up to a scenic view like this!


December 8 Mon - Glacier to Hanmer Springs
The long drive to Hanmer Springs was a rare treat for the eyes. Along the way, we saw a lot of scenic mountains, vast fields, animals grazing on the grass, streams, lakes, and small cottages with old-fashioned chimneys. We stopped at Hokitika town centre to have lunch at Stella Cafe -- a small boutique cafe with a chilled Cheese Room and live bees displayed in a glass panel.

Hanmer Springs Thermal Pool

We arrived earlier than expected at the Greenacres Chalets & Motels, so we quickly checked in, put down our luggages and headed straight to the Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools & Spa for some rest and relax. The hot pools, with the sulphur pools at around 40-42 degrees celsius hot, were very therapeutic in soothing the aching muscles after the long car drives. You could literally see smoke coming up from the hot pools. There were different types of thermal pools such as the family pool with a play slide and waterfall area; the aqua pool with hydro jet; rock pool; lazy pool where the water temperature was below 28 degree celsius. Sweet Pea and her buddy Y had the most fun at the Family Pool. The adults also had a relaxing soak in the hot pools after a long day's drive.


December 9 Tues - Hanmer Springs to Kaikoura
Compared to the previous destinations, the drive to Kaikoura was much more relaxing as it was only a 2-hour drive from Hanmer Springs, and our whale-watch cruise was scheduled at 3pm. We reached Kaikoura at noon time and checked into the Kaikoura Gateway Motel -- a fairly new motel with a small pool. The room was by far the nicest compared to the previous motels, with a bigger shower area and a balcony.

As it was still early, we had lunch -- chicken pie, Hawaiian burger and ham&cheese sandwiches -- at the award-winning Why Not Cafe at the town centre before going for the cruise. We had to wait quite a while to spot a family of 3 orcas or killer whales.

We also saw a sperm whale do a flip-over with its tail in the air! As we were out on the high seas watching the whales, it was freezing cold with the sea breeze beating against our faces. Dinner was piping hot tom yum soup at Thai Siam, a small restaurant serving authentic Thai cuisine topped by excellent service.


December 10 Wed - Kaikoura to Christchurch Christchurch was the last destination in our itinerary. And it was vastly different from the other destinations. It was a rather depressing sight to behold. Most of the buildings, including the monumental Christchurch Cathedral, were destroyed in the 2010 earthquake. And many of these ruins are still standing there today, four years later.

Christchurch Transitional Cathedral

Despite the slow rebuilding works, the former Christchurch Cathedral had been rebuilt into the awe-inspiring Transitional or Cardboard Church. Made partially of heavy-duty cardboard that can withstand rain and shine, the new transitional church is an inspiring reminder that God can rebuild our lives even after we were torn or broken by circumstances.

Though some of the shopping malls were destroyed by the earthquake, the retail industry were able to pick themselves up and moved their shops into temporary containers to form the Re: Start Mall -- a great example of the resilience of mankind that determined to rebuild themselves even after a crisis.

Always in My Heart
New Zealand South Island is such a beautiful and peaceful place that I wouldn't mind retiring there in old age, if not for the bitterly cold and windy climate. There are so many things to like about New Zealand South Island -- the beautiful lakes; the picturesque mountain peaks piercing through the clouds; the awe-inspiring glacier views, even the hundreds and thousands of sheep, horses and cows quietly grazing in the fields -- such beauty and peace are a reminder of God's wondrous creations on earth. These memories of the mesmerising South Island will always have a special place in my heart for years to come.