The scenery in New Zealand can heal all the melancholy in life.
Organize the feelings from New Zealand. A 14-day trip to New Zealand is like falling into Alice's garden.
March-May is the autumn in the southern hemisphere. At this time, New Zealand has colorful colors, and the scenery flows between different towns and regions. The snow-capped peaks of Mount Cook in the distance, the layered yellow maple forest in the town...
The entire itinerary is mainly concentrated in the South Island of New Zealand. The towns and regions surrounded by nature in autumn all have their own characteristics, refreshing our perception of the scenery for those who are used to living in the city. Even the original camera of the mobile phone can take the color of the reversal film. The blue here is the color set by God for this.
▪️Kaikoura
Whale watching is our biggest expectation in the itinerary. Seeing whales jumping out of the sea is a wish that existed in adolescence. The whale watching boat sailed into the deep blue sea, and was surprised to see the moment that has always been remembered.
Kaikoura Peninsula Trail is a hiking route I like very much. Here you can overlook the coastline, and there are lazy seals and sea lions sunbathing on the distant reefs. From the seaside to the top of the mountain pasture, the scenery changes with each step, and the scenery in the oil painting is probably like this.
▪️Wanaka
Arriving in Wanaka is a sunny afternoon, lying on the lounge chair on the apartment terrace and drowsy. At night by the lake with only moonlight left, he played with the slide in the park, as if he had returned to his childhood. This is our story in the beautiful town.
Take a walk by Lake Wanaka in the early morning, the lake is bluer than the sky, reflecting the distant snow-capped mountains, groups of three or two people walking and chatting, and people passing by us from time to time, jogging, walking dogs, riding bicycles... The ducks by the lake are all walking leisurely, feeling the relaxation of Wanaka.
▪️Queenstown
The TSS Earnslaw is the only steamship still in operation in the southern hemisphere, as old as the Titanic. Get on the boat on Lake Wakatipu and head to the Walter Peak Mountain Farm on the opposite bank for dinner. Along the way, there are the colorful autumn scenery of Queenstown. Sitting on the deck, the boat slowly sails, feeling the old romance. There is also a commemorative wooden steamship refrigerator sticker on the ship, which is very delicate.
The farm also has a wool shearing performance, and the family strolls around the cute little sheep's peripheral shop, which is so good that it almost missed the return ship... In the farm surrounded by mountains and lakes, watching the golden sunset and the blue coast, it’s just beautiful to be in a daze~
▪️Hobbiton™ Movie Set
The North Island has rich geothermal landscapes and Maori culture. What impressed me most was Hobbiton. The "Lord of the Rings" and other series of movies were filmed here. There are scattered hobbit huts on the hillside, and there are smoking chimneys on the roof, as if entering the story in the movie.
Looking at the photos of New Zealand, I still feel the breath of every beautiful scenery. I want to go back and take a walk in the town~
Super lucky to see 3 whales in the beginning of my trip. What a day!
We saw two sperm whales, and the sound of their tails was very shocking. Many dolphins chased the boat and played with it. Albatrosses floated leisurely on the sea. Standing on the bow of the boat gave us a feeling of riding the wind and waves. Be sure to buy tickets a few days in advance, as you may not be able to buy tickets at the last minute and will have to wait and see.
The check-in point is conveniently located right next to the train. The weather was nice and the scenery was beautiful. We successfully saw whales, sea lions and dolphins. I took medicine in advance and didn't get carsick, so I was satisfied overall.
Let me start with the main point: Be sure to prepare seasickness medicine in advance! Take seasickness medicine! I have been out to sea and taken a boat before, but this time it might be because of the big waves, I vomited so much, wow wow vomited three times! After vomiting, I had to run to the deck to see whales and dolphins! Because I really don’t want to miss it! The whole process is actually very beautiful! It’s just that I was so seasick! At least I was lucky! I saw whales and groups of dolphins! I also saw the whale wagging its tail! Although there was only one! Although it was just a small whale! But I am already very satisfied! It’s luck to be able to see it! Finally, the staff on the boat are all beautiful ladies and handsome guys! They are also very friendly and enthusiastic! More than half of them are seasick! They vomit constantly! These staff members are so hard! Thumbs up for them!
The price-performance ratio has room for improvement, and it is suitable for tourists visiting New Zealand for the first time... When the sea weather is good, you can see whales... The smell of the sea will be present throughout the trip, and those who are prone to seasickness should prepare medicine...
Kaikoura's whale watching boat has two time options: morning and noon. There is a boat every 30 minutes. We booked the noon boat. We drove from Christchurch to Kaikoura early in the morning. The journey took two and a half hours. After arriving at the tourist center, we had a simple lunch, and then each person took a Sealeg (seasickness pill). When the time came, the bus took us to the dock and went out to sea. We were lucky this time. As soon as we went out to the open sea, we encountered a sperm whale coming up to breathe. After it sank, we began to track its path. We followed it for about 45 minutes until the sound detector could not hear any sound. The captain said that this meant that it had finished foraging and began to float up. Not long after, we saw its figure again. The sperm whale has a strong sense of territory. Not long ago, it drove away a sperm whale larger than itself. After all, its size is about the same as our boat. We can only observe quietly from a distance, and everyone dare not cheer too loudly. Although we could only see the back of the sperm whale all the way, it was already very shocking. After chasing the whales, we turned around and drove to Goose Bay. More and more dolphins appeared under our boat. The guide estimated that there were more than 100 dolphins. We saw enough at one time. We were already starving after landing. Fortunately, we had booked The Pier on the boat. We placed an order as soon as 5 o'clock came. My daughter finished half a Kaikoura local lobster by herself. It really lived up to its reputation. Not only were the ingredients fresh, but the taste was also very well processed, which is not easy for New Zealanders.
Kaikoura is close to Antarctica. You can see large whales and dolphins when you go out to sea from here. There are also special cruise ships here for this kind of tourism projects. You can go out to sea with the ship for a half-day tour to watch whales and dolphins appearing on the sea. The dolphins are especially cute. They will jump around the bow of the ship continuously, as if to welcome everyone's arrival.
It is said that whale watching in Kaikoura is very luck-oriented. The trip we went on was particularly lucky. We booked the boat for noon, departed from Christchurch in the morning, drove about four hours to Kaikoura, and waited for the captain to take us out to sea after exchanging tickets. As soon as we went out to the open sea on the whale-watching boat, we encountered a sperm whale coming up to breathe. After it sank, we began to track its path. We followed it for almost 45 minutes until the sound detector could not hear any sound. The captain said that this meant that it had finished foraging and began to float up. Not long after, we saw its figure again. Sperm whales have a strong sense of territory. Not long ago, it drove away a sperm whale larger than itself. After all, its size is more than twice that of our boat. We can only observe quietly from a distance, and everyone dare not cheer too loudly. Although we could only see the back of the sperm whale all the way, it was already very shocking. After chasing the whale, we turned around and drove to Goose Bay. More and more dolphins appeared under our boat. The guide estimated that there were more than 100 dolphins, and we saw enough at one time. We were already starving after landing, and my daughter finished half of a Kaikoura local lobster by herself. It really lived up to its reputation. Not only were the ingredients fresh, but the taste was also very good, which is not easy for New Zealanders.