Travelogues West Coast

It is so wonderful here, the outdoor kitchen, the garden, and even a very nicely designed toilet - I can't say often enough how beautiful it is here! In the morning, we set off...

The weather forecast the day before still mentioned "bad weather conditions" for the glacier region, specifically for the closely located Franz Josef and Fox glaciers. Our plan...

My next major destination from Westport was Punakaiki. However, I made a small stop in Charleston and enjoyed a little stroll at Constant Bay, where I had a great view from the...

Over Greymouth, continuing along the West Coast, we eventually reach Hokitika. Here, we want to take a look at the bay, where the river flowing through, the Hokitika River, is...

Our day begins with the drive south along Highway 6, which runs along the coast. We pass the Buller Gorge and Charleston on our way to Paparoa National Park. Our first stop is...

Māwhera or Greymouth - both place names have the same meaning.

We arrive at the next campsite a little later than originally planned. On the way here, we were able to see the Fox Glacier very briefly. Otherwise everything was hidden in the...

We wake up. 6° and the mountains in the distance are full of snow. Yes my loves, that's how it goes in New Zealand. The weather can change really quickly here. So cheers to our...

On Monday morning, Birgit and Oliver finally arrived. We met them at the motorhome rental. They had rented a stylish camper with a roof tent. After a 2-hour wait (during which...

With Ken, I took a trip along the west coast heading north to the literal end of the road in Karamea. From there, the only way further north is by foot on the 80km long Heaphy...

The French, Cap, Diane, Lou, and Soulin as well as the Spaniard Lide have roughly the same route as Madlen and I, which led us to meet again for surfing in Westport🥳🥳 at the...

Fox Glacier from a distance and hike around Lake Matheson instead of helicopter and quad bike tour.

Franz Josef Waiau below the glacier actually has only one purpose - to sell helicopter sightseeing flights.

After we've had a good night's sleep, we start the day with a short but mountainous jog and then give ourselves plenty of time to get ready. So it happens that we don't have...

Today is December 24th, and the day doesn't start out so well for Maren. We open the trunk lid and are happy about the beautiful view as many pesky little mosquitoes buzz into...

Light blue river, white river banks and views views views

We saw a Kiwi! And it was in the wild!! But it took a long time... The birds are highly respected by the New Zealanders. In fact, they call themselves 'Kiwis'. The Kiwi only...

On December 16th, we set off early in the morning by car to Wellington. We had packed the night before, and since we would be traveling for quite a while, the car was almost...

For now, we hold off on the pancakes and head to the Visitor Center. A magnet is our primary wish. There are beautiful T-shirts and other souvenir options available, but we...

Surrounded by jade colored water

A drive along the coast, rocks and sea

One of our guides from the Antarctica tour - a New Zealander who grew up on the West Coast of the South Island - told us that the Fjordland Crested Penguins...

We start early in the morning; after 20 minutes, there's a laundromat with a shower in the next town, providing a fresh start to the day for $6. With the revitalized engine, we...

Between expectations and reality

Unfortunately, I have a bit of a cold, but we still want to go hiking. However, we have to find out that the Blue Pool Track is closed, which is a shame. So we take another...

This morning, cautiously draw back the curtain to check, is it raining or not. Yes, the weather frog had mercy and almost no clouds and clear view of the Fox Glacier. So we set...

We leave Wanaka and drive on Route 6 towards Haast, first 60 km along Lake Hawea and then along Lake Wanaka. Afterwards we pass Haast Pass and drive to the Tasman Sea along the...

Today we had actually planned a helicopter flight to Fox Glacier with a glacier hike (3 hours). Unfortunately it rained early and the second tour of the day was also canceled....

After a short flight to Christchurch, we headed south. Our route first took us to Lake Tekapo and then to Mount Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand. Lake Tekapo is known...

We are heading towards Fox Glacier via Wanaka, passing Lake Hawea and then Lake Wanaka. The vegetation changes from shrubs and grasslands near the mountains to dense forests,...