New Zealand Week 1: Christchurch, Mount Cook, Queenstown & Milford Track
- coleenkarpf
- Mar 25
- 4 min read
Day 1 & we finally made it!
After nearly 30 hours of travel (with a noodle shop stop in San Francisco during our layover), we touched down in Christchurch. Despite having under 24-hours in the city, we found Christchurch immediately charming! It's super green, walkable, has a laid back feel, and is full of cafes offering lots of creative gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan options.
We fueled up on our first Kiwi meal of Bhuddha bowls at Barefoot Eatery and then strolled off our jet lag with a walk in the beautiful (and free!) Christchurch Botanical Gardens. They have the most extensive rose garden I've seen, and I fell in love with this varietal called the Wildcat.
We wrapped up our first night of sabbatical with a stay at the Observatory Hotel, a stunningly restored historic gem in the old University of Canterbury campus. It was the perfect place to rest our heads after all the travel.
Day 2: our first full day in the country and jet lag had us up around 4:30AM! We decided to head out early for the scenic 3.5-hour drive to Mount Cook National Park. As we've quickly learned, the road itself is part of the adventure in New Zealand!
The drive from Christchurch to Mt. Cook is stunning and winds along 2 glacial lakes: Pukaki & Tekapo. We were blessed with a super warm and sunny day and made lots of stops for coffee, PB&Js, trail walks, and even tried our first kiwi berries (new fave-- pics to come!) By the time we approached Mt Cook National Park, rain had set in and we hunkered down in our hotel room, thankful it had a kitchenette where we cooked our first New Zealand dinner of local salmon, quinoa and veggies while staying dry indoors.
Day 3: Despite a few inches of rain and some fog, we decided to stick with our plan to hike the Hooker Valley Track in Mt. Cook National Park. Mt. Cook is a remote region, and aside from hiking trails and our lodge, there is pretty much just wilderness!
We had a minor setback in the early morning, finding the bridge to the trail closed due to track maintenance. To our good fortune, it opened a few hours later and we were able to complete the gorgeous, albeit misty 10-miles around the base of Mount Cook, crossing 3 swing bridges and taking in views of the Mueller Glacier as we went.
Day 4: Thankfully the next morning turned out to be a perfect blue sky day! We decided to tackle the Mueller Hut Hike—2,200 stairs, 3,300 feet of vertical gain, and jaw-dropping 360 degree views of the Southern Alps including Mt. Cook, which is New Zealand's highest peak. We decided to start early before sunrise and were so grateful to have the first half of the trail to ourselves. We could hardly believe this scenery was the same as yesterday's-- what a difference sun and rain can make on a landscape. Jason and I both agreed that this hike was absolutely epic. The terrain, the views, the sounds of the glaciers crackling all made this one of our top 3 favorite hikes to date.
Day 5: Queenstown Bound! We hit the road early driving through the breathtaking Lindis Pass on our way to Queenstown. Lindis Pass is one of New Zealand’s most scenic mountain passes that separates the Otago and Canterbury regions. It's known for its rolling tussock landscapes that shift dramatically with the seasons, and we were lucky to see it in golden tones as we welcome early Fall in New Zealand.
Arriving in Queenstown we immediately felt the mountain town energy set in. Queenstown is surrounded by dramatic peaks, Lake Wakatipu, and paragliders, hikers and bikers are everywhere. We quickly became friends with the local cafe, Bespoke Kitchen, and strolled through the gardens before grabbing a pre-Milford Track celebratory dinner at a local spot called Rata.
Days 6-10: Fueled by one last Bespoke Kitchen breakfast, we set out for the famed Milford Track with Ultimate Hikes.
Mildford Track is a 33.5 mile hike spread across 4-days in Fiordland National Park, New Zealand's largest national park and one of the wettest inhabited places on Earth. Prized as "the finest walk in the world," it honestly didn't disappoint! We spent 4 days off-grid and deep "in the bush" as they call it here ;) taking in lush rainforest, the biggest ferns and waterfalls we've ever seen, and venturing up Mackinnon Pass, the track's highest point with super beautiful alpine views. It definitely felt like one of the most untouched and remote places we've been and I'd place it as a must-do for anyone considering a visit to New Zealand.
We wrapped up the trek with a stay at Mitre Peak Lodge (still rocking its 60's decor) and a well-earned feast of local New Zealand blue cod. Before heading back to Queenstown, we had an amazing boat tour of the Milford Sound, which connects the head of the fiord with the Tasman sea and has some absolutely amazing waterfalls and sea cliffs along the way.
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