Packing Montbell Cha-Cha Pack 35 L Women’s backpack Medium Ziplock: To store trash accumulated along the way Clothing, shoes & Hand- carried gear Mountainsmith Carbonlite Pro Trekking Poles, Slate Patagonia Torrentshell Jacket – Womens Patagonia Women’s R2® Regulator® Fleece Jacket Montbell Super Merino Wool Round Neck Shirt Womens […]
While out in the trail, it’s usually just me physically moving my feet and hands, but in my head, especially during and after certain difficult sections, thoughts naturally just pop in and sometimes they persist, like constant reminders.
I began my 17 days South Island trip in Christchurch. Took a red- eye direct flight on Singapore Airlines and arrived at about 10am local time. I booked an Airbnb accommodation, mainly because I’d wanted a space to store my hard case luggage, without incurring massive storage fees for that 2- week period of backpacking. Luckily, the host of my apartment agreed to keep my luggage, until I was back 2 weeks later.
My main aim on this second visit was to truly experience what NZ is about. The amazing landscapes, and the ruggedness of travelling through it all…
I began my trip to South Island in February 2016 with the Kepler Track. This was my first multi-day hike, and I’d started planning for it in late September 2015. I’d wanted to do one of the great walks in NZ, and so I began with researching on the Department of Conservation(DOC) website(very useful by the way), narrowed down through the various trails by hike duration, browsed through pictures of the scenery and decided to do this one.
Of all the places we stopped by throughout the road trip, I was most excited about Yosemite. So after a nights’ stay at Mammoth Lakes, we drove about an hour and arrived at Yosemite Valley, where our accommodation was at.
I’ve received several requests to put up my packing list for the Kepler Track hike, so without further wait, here it is! I got most items off Amazon, cos such gears normally cost a lot more in shops here in Singapore. By Category Packing North Face 50 litres […]
I visited Tekapo on my previous trip to NZ, and it was kind of like the very first place that made me fall in love with the country. It was such a short, day trip that time, so I felt like I must come back and spend a little bit more time here on this trip. The Astro Cafe is and will always be my favourite cafe on earth. And also, I got to do a stargazing tour this time round! Church of the Good Shepherd was also open just in time to visit. I remember on the previous trip, I’d just missed the closing time.
This was my last leg of the 17 days backpacking trip, so I was feeling a little sad while on the bus from Mt Cook. The 4pm bus took about 2.5 hours to get to Tekapo, so it was evening by the time I got there. Being the last stop of the trip, I decided to check- in into a decent hotel, The Godley, which sits just in front of the lake. After which, first order of business was to Kohan to get my salmon sashimi fix! So, so glad to be back.
I love Mt Cook. Of all the places I’ve been to on this trip, this area is by far, the most beautiful place I have ever been to, and stayed in.
So I left Wanaka early morning at about 9am, and took an Intercity bus to Mt Cook, stopping by a couple of places in between. The first stop I remember was Tarras, a small sheep farming settlement, known for producing merino wool. It was rather cloudy that day so it all looked a bit dark and gloomy. And sure enough it poured throughout the bus journey, till about 12pm when we reached Mt Cook! Super lucky I’d say. Was thankful to still be able to catch the Lake Pukaki along the way, one of the blue-est lake in NZ!
After Queenstown, I took yet another Intercity bus onwards to Wanaka. After browsing through so much of it on Instagram, it was kind of a place I really looked forward to, especially hiking Roy’s Peak. I didn’t complete it, though. Instead, I decided to give up mid-way and did a scenic helicopter flight instead. Yes, I guess I was just addicted to the feeling of flying! It was so fun… and just overindulgent I know.
Wanaka is a really quiet town, like Te Anau. Of course, I got to finally see that famous Wanaka Tree. I guess the most memorable thing I did in Wanaka was that I spent pretty much an entire day cycling around the circumference of the lake. It was so relaxing, though I got really burnt at the end of it. Haha.
So after Te Anau, I took an early morning 7am bus which picked me up at my YHA hostel and went on to Queenstown. Queenstown is one of my most anticipated places to visit, purely because it looks like a really compact town, with pretty urban features yet is surrounded by so much nature to see. Prior to arriving, I’ve heard of people who didn’t like it at all, because it is noisier, and way more touristy. I always feel that certain places are touristy for a good reason! And for most of the time, it’s because a place is so worth seeing, that everyone has to visit. Right? Albeit usually crowded for sure. Well, after experiencing a short stay there myself, I’ve got to say it’s definitely worth a trip down, and if given a chance again to go, I’d do skydiving for sure!I did my first ever helicopter ride there, and it definitely was a major highlight of my life!
NEXT PLANE OUT 