Guest Post: Two Travellers, One Motorhome, and Wonderful New Zealand

Written by Worldwide customers Neil & Marjorie

We arrived in Christchurch two weeks before the start of the escorted tour, with a plan to visit the Marlborough region in the northeast of the South Island. To this end, Jo at Worldwide Caravan and Motorhome Tours went above and beyond and arranged car hire and accommodation for us during this time.

After spending two nights in a central Christchurch hotel, we collected the car and headed to Kaikoura, where Jo had booked us into the Nikau Lodge B&B for three nights. Kaikoura is a lovely little town from which we took the whale-watching trip, and it is almost guaranteed to spot sperm whales, dolphins, and albatrosses. We were lucky enough to see all three.

Moving north, Jo had reserved us a cottage for six nights just outside of Blenheim, surrounded by some of the famous Marlborough Vineyards. From here, we booked ourselves onto Wine Tours by Bike, a great day cycling around various wineries with the obligatory tastings. It was generally off the main roads and perfectly safe and legal. A wine tour is a must when visiting this region, but bus tours are also available for those not wanting to cycle.

When it was time to move on, we dropped the hire car at Picton, where we were booked onto the Coastal Pacific train for our return to Christchurch, one of the great railway journeys of New Zealand. It was clear why as we travelled south along the beautiful eastern coastline, spotting seals and dolphins just off the beaches.

We spent another five nights in Christchurch, this time at a hotel on the edge of Hagley Park, a vast area that includes the Botanic Gardens and Christchurch Cricket Ground.

Christchurch is a small but pretty city, still recovering from the devasting earthquake of 2011. Close to the central shopping area and lining the small river which runs through the city are several bars and restaurants with terraces for sitting outside on those warm summer evenings. Often in the summer, various street performers draw crowds. It really is a lovely atmosphere. There is also a hop-on hop-off tourist tram, which is certainly worth taking, with commentary from the driver about the many points of interest the tram passes. One of those is Quake City, a museum describing the effects of an earthquake and including video commentary from some of the survivors of the Christchurch quake.

During this time, we took the TranzAlpine rail return journey over Arthur's Pass to Greymouth on the western side of the South Island. The train passes through stunning mountain scenery and crosses several viaducts and rivers.

It was time to start our New Zealand Discovery escorted tour with a dinner at the hotel to meet our fellow guests and tour hosts, Robbie and Gail, before setting off for the motorhome depot the following day. The Discovery tour takes in all of the major sights, firstly heading inland to Mount Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand. It's difficult not to be impressed at the first glimpse of the mountain, dusted with snow even during the summer months. What a great start to the itinerary, which set us up for more imposing views that we would see throughout our tour.

From there, we headed south to visit Dunedin and Invercargill, the latter is home town of Bert Munro, famous for setting an under-1,000 cc world record in 1967 that still stands today. In the early 1950s, Munro set himself a challenge - to see how fast a motorcycle could go. He started with a 1920 Indian Scout with a 600cc engine. After months of tinkering in his shed, the engine reached 1000cc and ran on methanol. In 1967, after setting previous records in New Zealand, Munro set a new all-time speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats in the US, racing across the flats at 183.5mph (295km/h).

Visit E Hayes & Sons in Invercargill, an unassuming hardware and automobile shop with an extensive collection of motoring memorabilia, including Munro's modified Indian Scout (free to visit). To the north of the city, Gala St Reserve is home to a sculpture of Munro's record-setting Indian. On your return, we recommend watching the 2005 biopic The World's Fastest Indian, starring Antony Hopkins, currently streaming on ITVX (only available in the UK).

Our next stop was Te Anau, a pretty site close to the banks of Lake Te Anau, from where we took the excursion to Milford Sound. We were blessed with a clear, sunny day for the boat ride, and the scenery was magnificent as we sailed towards the ocean, with the mountains dropping into the Sound and waterfalls cascading from great heights. Again, we saw seals basking in the sunshine just off the water's edge.

Arrowtown, an old mining town, was our next stop. All the buildings, both on the main street and the residential streets, have been beautifully preserved. Thankfully, it was just a short distance from the bustling town of Queenstown, where we were meeting the group. Our evening meal was at the Stratosfare Restaurant & Bar, perched atop a hill looking over the town and its surrounding lakes and mountains, and reached by a scenic gondola ride (see the view from the viewing platform below).

Sorry, this map cannot be displayed.

The following consent is required:
Tracking & performance, Targeting & advertising.

Allow Consent Settings

Another drive slightly inland took us to Franz Josef Glacier. Unfortunately, the glacier has receded rapidly over the last decade or so, though it remains very much visible from the viewing points and is still a rather striking landscape to witness. There is the opportunity to view the glacier by helicopter, but sadly, if the loss continues at the same rate, it may not be there for many more years.

The west coast drive has fantastic views of the Pacific Ocean with rugged cliffs carved out by the waves. It is worth a stop at the Pancake Rocks; tall rock formations made up of flat layers of limestone that sit just off the main cliff edge. The drive brought us to the small town of Westport and then to Kaiteriteri in Abel Tasman National Park. Both are on the northwest of South Island and are pretty beach resorts with golden sands.

Our next site was at Picton, where we spent two nights before catching the ferry to Wellington on North Island. It was our second visit to Picton, having spent a few hours there ahead of taking the train to Christchurch earlier that month. The site is just a short walk into town passing a pedestrian bridge over the marina from which we spotted several rays swimming serenely through the marina waters. It is a pleasant little town with gift shops and restaurants dotted along the main strip. From here, it is possible to take several cruises around Queen Charlotte Sound.

The ferry journey to Wellington is itself a lovely cruise, taking in the twists and turns of the Sound before crossing the Cook Strait to North Island. Although Wellington is the capital, it has a modest feel. It has a few shopping streets and a waterfront promenade, and its buildings are a good mix of modern and traditional. The Te Papa Museum of New Zealand is close to the waterfront, a modern building that houses information about the country, its history, and wildlife. The museum also encompasses the Gallipoli Exhibition, a moving history of New Zealand's part in the ill-fated battle.

The Wellington Scenic Cable Car was on our to-do list, but finding the lower terminus was a mission. Once we eventually found it (it's nestled between two modern shopfronts), we ascended 120m to the hilltop suburb of Kelburn. The cable car is more like a funicular railway, and upon reaching the top, there are various attractions like the Botanic Gardens and an observatory. Sadly, we didn't have time to visit all of these, but it was worth the trip for the view of Wellington.

Our second stop on the North Island was Napier, a biggish town rebuilt in the Art Deco style in the 1930s following an earthquake. It is also in the Hawke's Bay wine region, and one of our fellow tour guests suggested a wine tour for those interested. This time, we hopped aboard a minibus, and our driver took us to four wineries, including Mission Estate, the oldest in the country, established by a church, hence the name.

No trip to New Zealand is complete without visiting Rotorua, our next stop. On the drive there, we called in at Craters of the Moon, a bubbling, steamy landscape that gave a hint of what was lying very close beneath our feet. On the second evening of our stay at Rotorua, the group meal was at Te Puia Te Po, followed by a Maori presentation, during which a tour group member was invited to make peace with a Maori warrior. Luckily, his friendship was accepted, and we were all invited to the Maori performance. Afterwards, we walked to see the geysers, one of which was particularly huge. Of course, we were standing in the wrong place at the wrong time and were sprayed with warm water and steam!

The next day, we headed through Auckland north to the Coromandel Peninsula, where it is possible to visit the Hobbiton™ Movie Set en route to Whitianga, a harbour town from where we took the sea caves boat trip, which came highly recommended, and we were not disappointed. The fast RIB took us out to the Pacific Ocean cliffs, where the action of the waves created many caves, the biggest of which our boat was able to enter. The sea was so clear that we could see shoals of fish swimming around the boat and get up close to a sea lion, climbing up the rocks to what must be his regular resting spot.

A night's stop at Orewa, and then we caught the vehicle ferry to Russell in the Bay of Islands for three nights. In the 1800s, Russell was called the Hell Hole when its inhabitants included whalers, seafarers, and convicts who had escaped Australia's penal colonies. These days, it's a quaint little town frequented by cruise liners who anchor offshore and allow passengers to visit its small museum, shops and restaurants.

We opted to take the Hole in the Rock boat tour, which sailed around many of the islands that make up the Bay of Islands. There are said to be 85 islands in the bay, many of them rocky outcrops, and none of them inhabited. Our last island (or should I say rock) was the famous Hole in the Rock, a rugged rock formation that juts out of the water and features an 18-meter hole.

Motukokako Island (Hole in the Rock) is of great cultural significance to the Ngāpuhi tribe and was historically associated with various sacred customary activities. Be wary that the island's traditional owners often receive no financial backing from most boat tour operators. Island Getaway Tours, who operate Boat Cruises & Island Tours, are the only cruise company in the Bay of Islands approved by the Motu Kōkako Ahu Whenua Trust to visit the island, share its history and make contributions to the trust in recognition of the owners' mana whenua/mana moana rights.

Sadly, it was time to return the motorhome to the depot close to Auckland airport. It was a sad day, but we were still keen to visit the city. Our hotel was ideally placed, and it was an easy walk to the quayside at Viaduct Harbour, lined with restaurants and filled with sailing and motor boats, as well as boats offering tourist trips. It is also home to the New Zealand Maritime Museum, which is well worth a visit. We were lucky that at the time of our visit, there was an ocean festival with many events and sideshows. Further down the quayside is the ferry terminal offering trips to Waiheke Island and Devonport.

All too quickly, the evening of our final group dinner arrived, and we were treated to a delicious meal at the Sky Tower in the revolving restaurant, which was spectacular. It was sad to say goodbye to our travel companions as we all went our separate ways, but especially to our hosts Robbie and Gail, who are caring, generous and good fun all wrapped up together.

Follow Neil and Marjorie's tailor-made route below.

Sorry, this content can not be displayed.

The following consent is required:
Required cookies, Functionality, Tracking & performance, Targeting & advertising.

Allow Consent Settings

In summary...

New Zealand is a beautiful country full of mountains, lakes, waterfalls, pretty little towns and bustling cities. On the drive through it, there seemed to be a stunning vista around every bend. We found the people to be the most friendly, laidback, and honest of anywhere we have been. It is a must-see country, the only problem being you will want to stay longer and see more of it. Maybe one day we will….

Discover New Zealand...

Celebrating something special? Got something you want to see that's not included in our tours? Talk to our team about tailor-made tours.