Now or Never

After parting ways with Susan and Ken, the second leg of our New Zealand trip was focused on hiking and beach adventures as we headed back north to Auckland to round out our six months abroad.

Day 20 and 21: Wanaka

Our first stop from Queenstown was the small lakeside town of Wanaka which we stopped through briefly a week prior. We booked a couple nights in a holiday park and managed to wake up at 4am to hike the very popular Roy’s Peak Track followed by some relaxation along the Lake Wanaka.

Day 22 and 23: Mount Cook National Park

Our next stop was Mount Cook National Park, named for the highest peak in all of New Zealand. This area was a highlight of our trip – amazing hikes through valleys and up mountain peaks.

Day 24 and 25: Arthur’s Pass

After we finished exploring Mount Cook, we drove another five hours north to Arthur’s Pass where the Avalanche Peak hike was at the top of our to-do list. We stayed at the funkiest hotel (shout out to the Otira Stagecoach Hotel), but the hike was well worth the trip.

Day 26 to 29: Nelson and Picton

At this point we were starting to feel a bit worn down do we decided to spend a few days relaxing on the northern coast of the South Island before crossing back via ferry to the North Island. This area is famous for its beautiful coast line, Abel Tasman National Park, the hip town of Nelson, and countless wineries.

Day 30: Wellington

After a massively delayed ferry back across the Cook Strait we stopped through Wellington to visit the Weta Workshop, a famous special effects company that is known for its work in many movies, but most importantly, Lord of the Rings.

Day 31 and 32: Mount Taranaki

Our next stop was near Mount Taranaki, a huge dormant volcano along the North Island’s west coast. We were hoping to hike to the crater because it’s touted as “New Zealand’s toughest day hike”. However the weather unfortunately ended up being too cloudy on the volcano for the hike, but we still had a great time hiking around the hills that surround its base. Once clouds clear from the peak, Mount Taranaki is incredibly striking.

Day 33: Auckland

We stopped back in Auckland for a night to drop off our rental car and pick up a camper van. A friend of a friend was kind enough to let us borrow their DIY converted camper van “Vinny” so we could experience a few days of New Zealand van life before heading back to the US. Bonus: Ian got to learn how to drive a manual for the first time (and on the wrong side of the road)!

Day 34 and 35: Raglan

Our first two nights in the van were spent in the hippie/surfer town of Raglan, famous for its black sand beaches and bohemian community.

Day 36: Coromandel Peninsula

From Ragnlan we headed over to the East Coast to visit Coromandel Peninsula, a popular vacation destination for Aucklanders and in contrast with Raglan, is known for its expansive white sand beaches.

Day 37 to 39: Auckland

After returning to Auckland we spent the last few days hanging out with friends and getting our affairs in order before officially wrapping up the international leg of our trip.

From Auckland we hopped on a plane for a six-day layover in Oahu, Hawaii to both readjust and visit Ian’s friend Chase before flying back to where it all started…California.

AND THAT’S A WRAP! Thank you for following along our epic journey for the past six-plus months. As we shift back into real life in California, we will end our blog with some words of wisdom….life is short, get out and see the world before it’s too late, you won’t regret it!