New Zealand, was the JUCY worth the squeeze?

When we were researching New Zealand we learnt early on to expect some of the most breathtaking vistas on the planet but from the moment we arrived in Christchurch to our departure from Auckland, we never stopped gasping at every scenic view.

I think the best way to write about the trip is to try and tell it chronologically. If nothing else, it will serve as a nice reminder for us about the trip, where we stayed and what our favourite moments were. We were in New Zealand for around a month and managed to squeeze in an unbelievable amount, so readers will have to excuse me for missing out some of the less profound moments. I’ve linked a lot of the locations through Google within the blog so if you’d like to see the exact spots (and see if I’ve reviewed them!) then you can click through.

Arrival

We touched down in Christchurch in March having already spent a month out in Australia filming with the Southern Koala and Echidna Rescue team so we had been assaulted with extreme heat. It was a blessed relief to find ourselves in relatively temperate conditions. Unfortunately, due to some logistical confusion on our part, we had to make our way from Christchurch down to Queenstown on the evening we arrived which meant a speedy drive through all the spots which we would later come back to visit.

First Few Nights

We eventually made it down to Queenstown and picked up our little green machine, the JUCY van. Dinky but well equipped, we were ready to start exploring! We drove about 90 minutes, passing Glenorchy where we saw our first Tui - an amazing native bird with one of the most ornate and distinct songs of any bird I’ve seen! We passed the Isengard lookout bridge - one of the many locations in the area around Queenstown which was filmed for the trilogy - and after a very bumpy drive down a dirt track, found our first wild camping spot of the trip. As the sun set, we were joined by a few other campers but one of the nice things about NZ is that in general people are very respectful and friendly and the spot was kept clean and tidy. It might be worth saying at this point that we had a couple of apps which helped us out along the way: Campermate and Camp4Night. The former is supported by the NZ government and really very good!

After the first night I realised, like the fool I am, that we couldn’t actually get out to the west coast from Glenorchy and so we adjusted our plans and decided to loop South Island in a clockwise direction, starting at Dunedin… so off we went! The drive was stunning with plenty of places to stop and admire views along the way including Roaring Meg (an impressive waterfall into a steep gully) and in gold panning country near Alexandria. We learnt at our campsite that night that our JUCY actually had a hot shower too which was unbelievably nice after my evening run along the river - such luxury!

Dunedin

Dunedin is a city right on the south east side of NZ which has a few headlands which jut out from the land. These are hilly but flatten off at the edges forming incredible mudflats with a multitude of birdlife and, as we had hoped, some mammal life too. We headed to Allans Beach early on to try and capture the NZ sea lions which are a rare species found only in NZ. They aren’t shy and many of them can be seen basking in the sunshine during the day, becoming much more active in the evenings. While there, we also checked out the albatross centre where royal albatross can be seen nesting. However, and we may not be thanked for saying this, the price to enter is pretty expensive and if viewers wait in the carpark or viewing platform, then these giants can be seen with ease soaring overhead. Before moving on, we ended our stay by heading to Sandfly Bay which has yellow eyed penguins and plenty more sea lions to spot. Incredible sunsets, but one hell of a clamber down and then back up in the dark!

Heading West

we followed the coast along the south and west stopping at the petrified forest and Owaki for beach walks. A stand out for us was the Lost Gypsy Gallery which had some of the most amazing pieces of art and sculptures made from junk - Alice’s heaven! We also ticked off the southern most point of NZ for breakfast. This reminds me at this point… having the van at these spots was amazing because it meant that I could do a bit of the drive in the morning but then get to the destination, make a cuppa and then enjoy the view from the dry. We had two hob burners too which meant I could cook the morning’s pancakes too (we ate a lot of pancakes!). We eventually made it to Te Anau and prepared for the Doubtful Sounds cruise - the most amazing views I have ever seen…

When you arrive in New Zealand people will often say that the ‘sounds’, a series of mountains which erupt from the sea not unlike the Norwegian Fjords, are the most incredible things you will ever see. I was cynical but my word… the waterfalls which cascade from the peaks and the drama of the scenery was unlike anything I have seen before. We opted for doubtful sound cruises because the reviews were that it was much quieter and the views more spectacular (because you have to take a bus, then a boat, then another bus, then another boat, only to do it all again in reverse at the end - but it’s worth it!). More than once Alice was lost for words which, as anyone who knows Alice will attest, is not a common thing…!

Moving North

The evening of the cruise we started our migration to the west coast and then north however, I was adamant I wanted to get a good mountain walk in on the way and so we stopped at Isthmus Peak for a sunrise hike. This hike takes in views from both sides as you climb with incredible vistas over Lake Hāwea and Lake Wānaka. We started in the dark but made it to the top for sunrise and were blessed with calm conditions throughout. That evening we got as far as Frans Josef, stopping for the night at the Glow Worm Hostel to do a bit of washing and prep for the next leg of the journey. We even heard our first Kea that evening, which was something we had been hopeful we would see from the beginning. Frans Josef is a town on the west coast which sits in the shadow of some serious mountains. For an enormous fee visitors can take a helicopter to the glaciers at the top of these hills but we opted for a much more budget option of ‘walking’ to the view points. Walking is a loose term here because it was a fairly substantial hike with river crossings and some scrambling but it was so much fun and rewarded with the views we were after.

We continued north for the next couple days stopping at some really cool spots. Our favourite (and weirdest) was Neil’s Eels: a small stream on the side of the road were Neil (presumably) keeps his friendly eels which are very eager for any tasty food scraps from passing travellers. We gave them a couple eggs and enjoyed the sunshine on this bizarre roadside stop before reaching Abel Tasman that evening

Abel Tasman

This National Park is situated in the North West of South Island and we could have easily spent weeks here enjoyed the views and walks around this incredibly coastline. As it was, we opted for just a few days up in Mārahau because it was meant to be quiet and with great access onto the coastal walks. We actually ended up staying in a campsite there which was so easy with the camper van because of hookup. This meant we could charge camera gear and get a small amount of work done while there. Mārahau acts like a springboard for loads of walks in the area for most people and the easiest way we found was to get a boat from the port out to the start point and then walk back along the coastal path which is well laid out and easy to follow. We even brought our swimming costumes for some beach swims along the way back which broke up the 15km walk well!

Back North Again!

We had a prior filming project arranged with the NZ Department of Conservation which meant which had to head south with some haste so once again we hot-tailed it to Te Anau stopping at Lake Tekapo once again for a night’s kip. Once finally back in Te Anau we decided to explore Milford Sounds to see what all the fuss was about and, hopefully photograph the kea along the way too. An early breakfast in the van in the valley near Mt Christina rewarded us with a private encounter with these amazing mountain parrots. Although the weather was claggy we were still able to enjoy the views and get some photos along the way. Once again our little JUCY made life so much easier because we were able to keep fuelled up on these long days of exploring!

Following these adventures we met up with the Takahē Recovery project and rattled through our filming projects with them for a few days. The original plan was to film a release of these amazing birds but unfortunately poor weather meant this was postponed and so we stayed at their breeding site near Te Anau instead. This did also mean that we had a few extra days to play with before heading to North Island so up we went again, all the way back through Lake Tekapo to Kaikoura for some whale watching and then to Blenheim for the ferry from Picton. … this was probably the least fun we had in the trip with a lot of driving. We were genuinely so lucky to have a comfy bed in the van and a fridge on board to keep my various travel snacks handy!

North Island

We only had a few days to get our green machine back to Auckland and so we zoomed through North Island much faster than we would’ve liked. However we did find time to stop at the hot springs in Rotorua for a few days. It is one of the most surreal things to be sitting in a river in the pouring rain while near-boiling water pours from the rocks around you. The spectacle of this volcanic wonderland has to be seen to be believed and, as someone who’s never really seen volcanoes, it was extraordinary. We also found time to visit Hamilton Gardens which is a remarkable collection of international plants and we thoroughly enjoyed exploring every inch of it, all the time comforted by the fact that we wouldn’t have to pay for a coffee in the visitor centres because we had our coffee machine ready to go in the van! At last we reached Auckland with our final stop in Hobbiton rounding off the trip wonderfully. As two LOTR fans, this was incredible and the tour was conducted so well that we felt fully immersed in the day, even ending with a drink at the Green Dragon.

A Fond Farewell

We had grown rather fond of our JUCY van, and the lifestyle which came with it. Users will learn early on that it is common curtesy to wave at every other JUCY van one passes and that people are always ready to have a chat at a camp spot when you’re driving one. We loved the two beds (Alice wanted her own space during some of the campings when I was particularly stinky perhaps!). We loved that we had a toilet, kitchen, kettle and everything else you might need whenever we needed it and so it was with a heavy heart that we bid farewell to our little van. Already we’re excited for our next trip, wherever it may be!