I Just Drove 8,000km Around New Zealand And Realized This Country Can’t Be Real
I’ve been traveling the world for the past 3.5 years and I had the chance to explore quite a few gorgeous places in different parts of the world. However, I knew I couldn’t say a certain place was really beautiful before I explored New Zealand.
Everyone kept telling me it’s the most picturesque country in the world and I knew it’ll be nice… but I could never have anticipated how out-of-this-world it actually was.
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I flew to Auckland, bought a 1996 Mazda SUV car and began my trip all around New Zealand
I knew the country will be beautiful, but I could never have anticipated how out-of-this-world it actually was
At first I went to the Northernmost Point in all of New Zealand that looked like a dream. Then… I started going South
A few days later I hiked the highest volcano in the country (which is also a place where they filmed “The Gates of Mordor” for The Lord of The Rings)
The next morning I crossed the famous Tongariro Crossing that took me over 20 kilometers across gorgeous mountains, valleys and lakes
Eventually I made my way to the South Island and that’s where the real fun began
First off I went to the Abel Tasman National Park and hiked 70 kilometers literally all across it in just 2 days
Then I proceeded to Wanaka, which was the most beautiful town I visited throughout the whole trip. Why?
Because this… is just one of the places I casually visited during my time there
On my last day in Wanaka I decided to see it all from above and thus I jumped from a plane at 4,500 meters above the ground. That. Was. Fun.
Then I proceeded to Queenstown, a little town in the South that claims some of the most beautiful surroundings ever!
Not only that, they have the world’s first commercial bungee jump, which I, of course, couldn’t miss
That same day I went to the very South, into the Fjordland National Park that’s bigger than Cyprus, Qatar, Jamaica and many other countries
It took me over 2 hours to trek to this lake, but I had it all to myself since it’s so remote. What a gorgeous place!
Then I started going back up North by stopping here and there. This was one of the short hikes I did during those stops. I mean… what?!
Eventually I ended up at the foot of Mt. Cook – New Zealand’s highest and most dangerous mountain
The sunset that day was… magical. I was sitting there thinking: “How can this be real life?”
Then I began making my way back to Auckland, where I’d sell my car and officially finish this breathtaking adventure
However, before I did that I simply had to visit the real Middle-Earth – the Hobbiton. It was too touristy for my taste, but I was extremely happy to finally see it real-life
All in all, it was a wonderful adventure I will never forget. And once again… HOW CAN THIS COUNTRY BE REAL? I have absolutely no idea
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Oh, it should be awesome to live there! I think I'll come and stay longer sometime in the future. One of the most beautiful countries in the world, for sure.
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Used to live here, and am in the process of moving back. New Zealand is a country of unsurpassed beauty, the people are just as beautiful as their country!
Based on your (excellent) photos, I get the impression you skipped a lot of the North Island, which, if so, is a pity. If you ever get the chance to return, might I suggest both the East and West coasts, especially Northland, Auckland (more than just a city, eg Great Barrier Island, Rangitoto, Muriwai, Karekare, Piha, Whatipu and Huia), Coromandel, Raglan and the entire East Cape! Not forgetting White Island. Oh and New Plymouth, and the Wanganui River Road - or boat..... and... we'll, you get the idea! Ideally, a month in each island would be the way to go.
Yesss I agree. I live in whitianga and we definitely have some amazing scenery that has to be explored!
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I hope to be able to call it my home one day in the not so distant future
Sounds like an epic plan! Go for it :)
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Quite a few people were hitch-hiking all around the country and they told me it's one of the best things they had ever done. Go for it!
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Nwe Zealand is the perfect Middle Earth. Such lovely sceneries and awesome nature, I can imagine Hobbits and Elves everywhere. I want to visit this beautiful country, too!
Go for it! I can assure you you're not gonna regret it :)
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I simply loved your post. I felt the same when I travelled to New Zealand. I'm addicted to travel and I've been in many beautiful countries but nothing compares the unique experience I've had there. I loved Milford Sounds, Coromandel. Hope to go back and stay longer. there's so much to see
Thank you very much! I really do hope to come back and stay longer as well, there are millions of awesome things to do in NZ! :)
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Thank you very much for the kind words! I'm happy to hear that :)
Load More Replies... Yeah, the country is super spacious and there are tons of really remote areas you can discover. Glad you liked it! :)
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It really is paradise on Earth! No other way to describe it haha :)
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I reckon it's definitely one of the best places to live in. I'm sure you'd love it :)
Load More Replies... I agree, New Zealand is beautiful! But why do you put yourself in every single photo? Are you celebrating this beautiful land or yourself?
It is a very nice place to live and to be from. I don't want to live anywhere else! But you definitely need to visit again and see some more places... just so many!
Looks incredible! Hopefully I will get the pleasure of visit one day. My grandmother used to fly there when she worked for United.
love your photos, makes me miss New Zealand, especially the south! nothing compares to home! especially the food and the land! did you see Maori culture there?
Jus tas vaikinas is Domus galerijos, mazdaug pries metus maciau ir pasakiau jums kad labai jau matytas, tik pamacius sita posta prisiminiau kad jusu paskaitoj TVMe buvau kai jums 16 metu buvo. Dbr galesu ramiai miegot:D P.S. superine kelione turejote, labai grazu!
Little known fact - this country isn't actually real. We're just really good at special effects. It's amazing what you can do with a little No. 8 wire and a well-placed gumboot. Another little known fact - Kiwi's aren't actually real either. They're made of bits of No 8 wire stuck into a kiwifruit.
what a coincidence, let's suppose middle Easterns and u are in a same page, we believe this couldnt be real too
I'm not gonna lie but my partner and I spent 3 years in New Zealand, been back for almost 2 years in Scotland and have been miserable!!!
My family and I moved here 3 years ago, and I can't believe how beautiful everything is.
GOD!!! HE MADE IT REAL FOR US!! Do not destroy it, for it is a great gift!!
It really is a beautiful place. I spent 3 weeks there in Jan 2016 traveling around in a camper. Abel Tasman was my favorite. My only complaint was that, coming from California, the scenery was almost to picturesque and often lacked diversity. Just hundreds of kilometers of the same thing to the point where I just stopped noticing how amazing it was. It is a very silly and overly privileged view to have but when I grew up being able to go from ocean, desert, mountain snow and 2 different types of rain forest all within a few hours I kind of got picky. And the police there giving tourist tickets didn't sit well with me but I have encountered that nearly everywhere I have driven overseas. I had the good fortune of going to KiwiBurn while I was there and that was just out of this world. Burners are burners everywhere but the location was something else altogether. So much natural beauty with so many wonderful happy people.
I have a very good Kiwi friend who lives in Christchurch. What an amazing country...truly spectacular.
Totally agree, I did the same thing years ago and I still think about it every day.
I would also love to go there sometime soon. It seems like most of the time you were in the middel of nowhere, how did you find food/water? Did you store it alle in your car? And how did you find all these beautiful places? Did you plan it all or did you just start driving? :) Sorry for all the questions, great post!
Looking at these pictures, making me go visit these places. Good job!! Please travel more and post it
I love the photos but you didn't include the bush land beauty and coastline. NZ is incredible and its bush is amazing.
Best experience of my life ! I Will never forget it, i traveled also Alone and its the best way to see everything and to soke it all up!
Hi! I have some questions. It's your kindness if you answer :) I'm a girl that my biggest dream is to travel around the world, just like you! But my parents even don't give me permission to go around my city alone! And in my country is not usual or custom that a girl travel alone. (Because first I want to see my country) My first question is how did you convinced your parents to leave them at your young ages? And because I want to be independent I have to earn money by my self, do you think I can travel with mediocre income? At last I want to invite you to see our country, Iran :) It has its unique beauties!
These photos are amazing ! I live in Auckland and it is by far one of the most beautiful places :) I have also walked the Able Tasman, now that was breathtaking.
Disclaimer: I live in New Zealand. Many other countries in the world have just as good, or better, scenery. The only advantage of NZ is that it is all pretty close together.
It's really cool that all those places are so close together, but not many other countries in the world have just as good, or better, scenery :) Some, of course do, but just a few I reckon.
Load More Replies... Wow really.. Is hitch-hiking legal? I read an article yeah maybe some coutry they dont allow but it is really legal? Sorry for asking that 😊.
Yeah of course.. It is undeniably beautiful, so you travel alone doin those stuff?
Yeps :) Though I picked up over 15 different hitch-hikers and we traveled together for a while.
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Great photos and places! I wonder how much would cost such an adventure.
Thank you very much! It's less than most people expect, because you can sleep in the car (and quite a few campsites are free) and if you cook yourself, groceries will be fairly priced. However, the fuel is extremely expensive, so I reckon it's all about traveling with friends and sharing those costs with them. Then it's definitely not too expensive :)
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You were mentioning here and there that you did this all by yourself, always using 'I', not 'we' - but who was taking photos then? :)
It was either my tripod, random bystanders (who acted like a tripod) or the hitch-hikers I picked up along the way (there were over 15 of them and we made real good friends with a few of them).
Load More Replies... Great photos BUT they aren't matching the locations you are naming. Hope you enjoyed our country though. :)
Thanks! But... which photos aren't matching the locations I named?
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Yeah, definitely too short for New Zealand... However, I'll def be back in the future to explore the places I didn't explore this time :)
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Oh, it should be awesome to live there! I think I'll come and stay longer sometime in the future. One of the most beautiful countries in the world, for sure.
Load More Replies... Used to live here, and am in the process of moving back. New Zealand is a country of unsurpassed beauty, the people are just as beautiful as their country!
Based on your (excellent) photos, I get the impression you skipped a lot of the North Island, which, if so, is a pity. If you ever get the chance to return, might I suggest both the East and West coasts, especially Northland, Auckland (more than just a city, eg Great Barrier Island, Rangitoto, Muriwai, Karekare, Piha, Whatipu and Huia), Coromandel, Raglan and the entire East Cape! Not forgetting White Island. Oh and New Plymouth, and the Wanganui River Road - or boat..... and... we'll, you get the idea! Ideally, a month in each island would be the way to go.
Yesss I agree. I live in whitianga and we definitely have some amazing scenery that has to be explored!
Load More Replies... I hope to be able to call it my home one day in the not so distant future
Sounds like an epic plan! Go for it :)
Load More Replies... Quite a few people were hitch-hiking all around the country and they told me it's one of the best things they had ever done. Go for it!
Load More Replies... Nwe Zealand is the perfect Middle Earth. Such lovely sceneries and awesome nature, I can imagine Hobbits and Elves everywhere. I want to visit this beautiful country, too!
Go for it! I can assure you you're not gonna regret it :)
Load More Replies... I simply loved your post. I felt the same when I travelled to New Zealand. I'm addicted to travel and I've been in many beautiful countries but nothing compares the unique experience I've had there. I loved Milford Sounds, Coromandel. Hope to go back and stay longer. there's so much to see
Thank you very much! I really do hope to come back and stay longer as well, there are millions of awesome things to do in NZ! :)
Load More Replies... Thank you very much for the kind words! I'm happy to hear that :)
Load More Replies... Yeah, the country is super spacious and there are tons of really remote areas you can discover. Glad you liked it! :)
Load More Replies... It really is paradise on Earth! No other way to describe it haha :)
Load More Replies... I reckon it's definitely one of the best places to live in. I'm sure you'd love it :)
Load More Replies... I agree, New Zealand is beautiful! But why do you put yourself in every single photo? Are you celebrating this beautiful land or yourself?
It is a very nice place to live and to be from. I don't want to live anywhere else! But you definitely need to visit again and see some more places... just so many!
Looks incredible! Hopefully I will get the pleasure of visit one day. My grandmother used to fly there when she worked for United.
love your photos, makes me miss New Zealand, especially the south! nothing compares to home! especially the food and the land! did you see Maori culture there?
Jus tas vaikinas is Domus galerijos, mazdaug pries metus maciau ir pasakiau jums kad labai jau matytas, tik pamacius sita posta prisiminiau kad jusu paskaitoj TVMe buvau kai jums 16 metu buvo. Dbr galesu ramiai miegot:D P.S. superine kelione turejote, labai grazu!
Little known fact - this country isn't actually real. We're just really good at special effects. It's amazing what you can do with a little No. 8 wire and a well-placed gumboot. Another little known fact - Kiwi's aren't actually real either. They're made of bits of No 8 wire stuck into a kiwifruit.
what a coincidence, let's suppose middle Easterns and u are in a same page, we believe this couldnt be real too
I'm not gonna lie but my partner and I spent 3 years in New Zealand, been back for almost 2 years in Scotland and have been miserable!!!
My family and I moved here 3 years ago, and I can't believe how beautiful everything is.
GOD!!! HE MADE IT REAL FOR US!! Do not destroy it, for it is a great gift!!
It really is a beautiful place. I spent 3 weeks there in Jan 2016 traveling around in a camper. Abel Tasman was my favorite. My only complaint was that, coming from California, the scenery was almost to picturesque and often lacked diversity. Just hundreds of kilometers of the same thing to the point where I just stopped noticing how amazing it was. It is a very silly and overly privileged view to have but when I grew up being able to go from ocean, desert, mountain snow and 2 different types of rain forest all within a few hours I kind of got picky. And the police there giving tourist tickets didn't sit well with me but I have encountered that nearly everywhere I have driven overseas. I had the good fortune of going to KiwiBurn while I was there and that was just out of this world. Burners are burners everywhere but the location was something else altogether. So much natural beauty with so many wonderful happy people.
I have a very good Kiwi friend who lives in Christchurch. What an amazing country...truly spectacular.
Totally agree, I did the same thing years ago and I still think about it every day.
I would also love to go there sometime soon. It seems like most of the time you were in the middel of nowhere, how did you find food/water? Did you store it alle in your car? And how did you find all these beautiful places? Did you plan it all or did you just start driving? :) Sorry for all the questions, great post!
Looking at these pictures, making me go visit these places. Good job!! Please travel more and post it
I love the photos but you didn't include the bush land beauty and coastline. NZ is incredible and its bush is amazing.
Best experience of my life ! I Will never forget it, i traveled also Alone and its the best way to see everything and to soke it all up!
Hi! I have some questions. It's your kindness if you answer :) I'm a girl that my biggest dream is to travel around the world, just like you! But my parents even don't give me permission to go around my city alone! And in my country is not usual or custom that a girl travel alone. (Because first I want to see my country) My first question is how did you convinced your parents to leave them at your young ages? And because I want to be independent I have to earn money by my self, do you think I can travel with mediocre income? At last I want to invite you to see our country, Iran :) It has its unique beauties!
These photos are amazing ! I live in Auckland and it is by far one of the most beautiful places :) I have also walked the Able Tasman, now that was breathtaking.
Disclaimer: I live in New Zealand. Many other countries in the world have just as good, or better, scenery. The only advantage of NZ is that it is all pretty close together.
It's really cool that all those places are so close together, but not many other countries in the world have just as good, or better, scenery :) Some, of course do, but just a few I reckon.
Load More Replies... Wow really.. Is hitch-hiking legal? I read an article yeah maybe some coutry they dont allow but it is really legal? Sorry for asking that 😊.
Yeah of course.. It is undeniably beautiful, so you travel alone doin those stuff?
Yeps :) Though I picked up over 15 different hitch-hikers and we traveled together for a while.
Load More Replies... Great photos and places! I wonder how much would cost such an adventure.
Thank you very much! It's less than most people expect, because you can sleep in the car (and quite a few campsites are free) and if you cook yourself, groceries will be fairly priced. However, the fuel is extremely expensive, so I reckon it's all about traveling with friends and sharing those costs with them. Then it's definitely not too expensive :)
Load More Replies... You were mentioning here and there that you did this all by yourself, always using 'I', not 'we' - but who was taking photos then? :)
It was either my tripod, random bystanders (who acted like a tripod) or the hitch-hikers I picked up along the way (there were over 15 of them and we made real good friends with a few of them).
Load More Replies... Great photos BUT they aren't matching the locations you are naming. Hope you enjoyed our country though. :)
Thanks! But... which photos aren't matching the locations I named?
Load More Replies... Yeah, definitely too short for New Zealand... However, I'll def be back in the future to explore the places I didn't explore this time :)
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