World Traveller April/May 2020

Arresting architecture of
the The Alcázar of Seville
These pages, clockwise from inset:
Mount Cook in Lake Matheson; yelloweyed
penguins; Swing bridge crossing to
Hokitika Gorge
Days 14–15: South Island
crossing
Change of island means a change of
cars. Most hire arrangements mean
dropping yours off at the Wellington
ferry terminal prior to the often-choppy
voyage to Picton at the top of South
Island, where you rent a replacement.
You’ve landed in the Marlborough
wine region – world famous for its
Sauvignon Blancs. But the real star in
these parts is the craggily coastlined,
forest-shrouded Abel Tasman National
Park. Sea caves, cormorant-nesting
sites, splashing seal pups, cove beaches
and dainty rock islands line up to be
gently paddled around, with Kahu
Kayaks (kahukayaks. co.nz) running
full-day tours and half-day jaunts.
Days 16–18: Wild west coast
Even by Kiwi standards, the west coast
of South Island feels remote, detached,
weather-beaten and enigmatically
doughty. But many highlights can be
combined in a mini road trip. Kick off
90 minutes southwest of Nelson with a
stroll in the Nelson Lakes National Park.
The 90-minute Braeburn Walk at Lake
Rotoroa passes shimmery waterfalls and
the world’s largest fuchsia trees. Bird life
is diverse. Now, swing west for a pit stop
at Punakaiki’s Pancake Rocks, where the
sea mashes away at the weird, pancake
stack-like formations and explodes up
through blowholes. Forty minutes south,
Greymouth counts as a big town in these
parts and has an arty streak – check out
the Left Bank Art Gallery (bankarts.com)
for greenstone carvings and ceramics.
The seemingly supernatural turquoise
waters of Hokitika Gorge make a good
stop on the way, two hours further south,
to glacier country. Then, at the Franz
Josef and Fox glaciers, the experiences
are similar – a short helicopter flight
on to the ice, followed by a few hours’
fully kitted-out hiking through eerie
blue crevasses and ice caves. But Franz
Josef has more to do around it – horseriding,
rafting – so makes a better base.
Days 19–20: Queenstown thrills
Queenstown bounces like a student
on energy drinks, but its setting – on
a splintered lake surrounded by ski
fields – is so impressive that the
resort town’s enthusiasm becomes
endearingly infectious. It’s a four-hour
45-minute drive down from Franz
Josef – stop at Monro Beach and check
out roadside waterfalls along the Haast
Pass highway en route. And, once there,
decide how you want to scare yourself.
Commercial bungee-jumping was born
in Queenstown, but white-water rafting,
sky dives and lurching 300-metre swings
into a canyon feature on a lengthy whiteknuckle
menu. These work out cheaper
when packaged up, which Queenstown
Combos (combos.co.nz) specialises
in. Daintier options include taking the
TSS Earnslaw steamship (realjourneys.
co.nz), for a cruise on Lake Wakatipu,
and 4WD tours (nomadsafaris.co.nz)
to Lord of the Rings filming locations.
Days 21-22: Milford Sound
and Te Anau
Whatever you do, don’t use
Queenstown as a base for visiting the
58 worldtravellermagazine.com