February 14th 2025 – Jacksons, New Zealand

Next stop after Te Anau was Queenstown, earlier an old gold mining town, now New Zealand’s outdoor and adventure capital. Several Kiwis had warned us about it being the most expensive place in the country. On our first pass through town we just stopped to pick up some groceries before continuing to a campsite 10 kilometers out of town at the shore of Lake wakatipu. We found a spot for our tent a stone’s throw from the water. Lunch was consumed in the shade of a tree that dipped its branches in the lake.
Well temperate and fed it was time to do some exploring.

A short walk from the campsite we came to the Ithilien Lookout where Sam and Frodo saw the Olifants for the first time. The place was very recognisable. We only spotted a couple of rabbits among the bushes.
Trails through the forest took us to the trailhead of Mt Crichton Loop Track. The track/trail meandered through an old gold mining area. There were still signs of the digging and remote settlements. It was fun to imagine how life as a prospector must have been 150 years ago. We even passed a few people panning for gold in the river.
We returned to the camp late afternoon and enjoyed a refreshing swim in the lake before having dinner on the beach.

In the morning we drove north to where Lake Wakatipu becomes Dart River to have a look at Glenorchy and enjoy a kick ass breakfast at Mrs Woolly’s General Store. We continued to the end of the road in Kinloch before returning to Queenstown – this time to have a proper look at the town.
It was a nice place but felt more like a tourist resort than a town. Our lunch consisted of Argentinian ice cream.

West of town we turned north on Crown Range Road. It’s the highest paved road in NZ and from the summit we had a panoramic view of Middle‑earth: The River Anduin, the Pillars of the Argonath, Dimrill Dale and in the distance Amon Hen on the shore of Nen Hithoel.

Back down from the mountains we did a grocery run in Wanaka before visiting Andi and Ellen for the second time on this journey. They had invited us to stay with them again as we passed through on our way to the west coast. In the evening Rebecca joined us for dinner. Her and Ellen would set out the following morning to do the Milford Track Great Walk – which is arguably the most famous of New Zealand’s Great Walks. You need to book in advance, up to a year before, to do the Great Walks.

Once Ellen and Rebecca had left in the morning, Andi and I went to the shop. I lent him a hand with some general tidying up and cleaning. I then gave Bumblebee the same treatment while Andi did some bodywork on his 1955 Renault Fregate. It was a nice, relaxed and productive day. It also allowed me to mentally prepare for a job interview I had coming up in the evening – a result of the applications I sent out while we were in Dunedin.

The interview went well. The company had a shortage of paramedics and could offer me the position I had hoped for. We agreed to talk again in a few days when they had discussed the matter within the company and done a more thorough background check on me.

Katrine and I had planned to hike to Roys Peak the following day, but on advice from Andi we aimed for Rob Roy Glacier instead. It was a 1 ½ hour drive to the trail head. The last 45 minutes on a gravel road with washboard and several fords. The hike was worth it. Small trails through dense forest led to a viewpoint overlooking the glacier and numerous waterfalls. It was absolutely spectacular.
Andi had dinner ready when we returned. Kat and I supplied dessert in the form of really good ice cream we had picked up on our way back.

We said goodbye to Andi the following morning. Hwy 6 connects Wanaka with the west coast and is 1 of only 3 roads that crosses the Southern Alps. A short hike at Blue Pools just before Haast Pass got the blood flowing and another at Thunder Creek Falls just after the pass made sure we had an appetite when stopping for lunch in Haast at the coast of the Tasman Sea.
The drive up the coast presented us with a new, more rugged, side of New Zealand.

Fox Glacier was the day’s destination. The first campsite we stopped at was full but directed us to another one in town. The other one was a “Top 10 Holiday Park”. It was really nice and had plenty of nice spots for a tent. We booked for 2 nights. We learned that there was something called the “Top 10 Club”. It would give us a 10% discount on their campsites and even bigger discounts with some of their partners – one of them being a company that runs ferries between the islands. On just one crossing (and we need to cross twice) we would save more than the price of a yearly membership, so it was a no-brainer for us to join.

The first half of our rest day in Fox Glacier was spent hiking. First we circumvented Lake Matheson – a mirror lake that offered stunning views of the surrounding mountains. Then we relocated to the other side of Fox River and hiked up to the ice cape that gave Fox Glacier its name. It was a nice walk, but Canada, Alaska and Patagonia have spoiled us rotten when it comes to glaciers. The scenery here is equally amazing, but the glaciers themselves fail to impress.
Back at the campsite we enjoyed another benefit of our “Top 10” membership and booked the spa facilities on the campsite for half an hour free of charge. The hard life of a nomad…

Later in the afternoon I received a phone call confirming that there would be a job waiting for me when we return to Denmark. It feels great to have that sorted and I’m very excited about getting back into the game when the time comes.

From Fox Glacier we continued north along the coast. The car had only just reached working temperature when we stopped at Franz Josef Glacier. There are several trails to choose between in the area. We picked 1 that gave us a view of the rapidly receding glacier and another that took us across a long suspension bridge high above the Waiho River.

A 2 hours drive further up the coast took us to Hokitika Gorge and another walk in the woods. It was a warm day and the clear blue water of The Hokitika River looked very tempting. There were explicit signs warning people not to go into the water (cold, changing flows, strong undercurrents – YOU WILL DIE!), but no signs that banned swimming in the river. That is typical for what I’ve seen in NZ so far. Very few adventurous activities are illegal but you are made aware that your choices can have consequences and that you have the responsibility for your own safety. I love that approach!

Being riders at heart we just have to do all 3 passes that crosses the Southern Alps so at Kumara Junction we had to say “Goodbye for now” to the west coast. Arthur’s Pass was calling. It was getting late in the day. 50 kilometers before the summit we set up camp at Jacksons Retreat. We’ve never stayed at a campsite with nicer common areas. Everything was very clean, functional and cozy. Ad to that a scenic setting amidst mountains, rivers and waterfalls. We decided to stay for 2 nights.

The first evening after sunset we climbed down the banks of the river that runs through the campsite and found ourselves surrounded by thousands of glowworms. It was an impressive sight.
During our stay we have learned that the couple running the campsite are raving lunatics, but if we ignore them it’s a great place.