This November we decided to take off to the South Island again, this time with the intention of seeing a little more beyond Queenstown, exploring Aoraki, Mt Cook and getting off the beaten track. We were suffering a little from Covid fatigue, so designed our trip to get away from it all and explore this beautiful country!
We opted for a Campervan trip, which was AMAZING. We love motorhome / campervan travel. It’s relaxed, easy and such a fantastic way to travel. We decided to start and finish in Queenstown, heading North to explore Wanaka, Mt Aspiring National Park, Aoraki Mt Cook, & Lake Tekapo. Here’s what we got up to.
10 Days Explorer Trip - Mt Aspiring National Park / Mt Cook & Queenstown
Day 1: Queenstown to Raspberry Flat
You will be forgiven for never having heard of Raspberry Flat, it’s at the end of a long road that winds through a station and marks the start of the Rob Roy Glacier track. It was a happy accident that this spot was also a designated freedom camping area, which suited us perfectly.
But let me back up. We flew from New Plymouth to Queenstown and picked up our 4 Berth ‘Beach’ Maui camper, which was a cool rig. We named her Bertha, picked up our online shopping order from Countdown (forward planning win!) and we were on our way. From Queenstown, which was 25 degrees when we landed, we headed towards Wanaka stopping only for real fruit ice creams. We found Wanaka Lake Aspiring Road, and then turned off google maps as we knew we just needed to keep driving until we ran out of road.
If you have the time, this road is a must. It’s a spectacular journey, about an hour and a half to Raspberry flat carpark, traveling through some of the most stunning alpine scenery. At 27 degrees when we arrived, we couldn’t get over the scenery. Raspberry Flat is surrounded by mountains on every side, it’s the kind of place that makes you feel small. We hung out for the rest of the afternoon and the following morning were up early to do the Rob Roy Glacier track. This was a stunning track, amazing views, I would say medium grade. It’s worth mentioning that you can only go as far as the lower lookout due to avalanche warnings (at the time of writing).
We loved it here, very secluded (although lots of cars of people off on hikes) and absolutely breathtaking. For me, this was up there with visiting Milford Sound or Glenorchy.
Day 2: Raspberry Flat to Wanaka
After doing the Rob Roy Glacier track in the morning, we cooled off in the river (feet only, FREEZING!) and headed back to Wanaka where we had to partake in some Patagonia ice cream at the lake. We then drove the 15 mins out of town to check in to our camping spot for the night, Landescapes Wanaka. This is a very cool spot, different to anything I’ve seen anywhere around the world. Set on 60+ acres, pull up to your secluded campervan parking spot next to a spring fed cedar hot tub for the night. Basically, hot tubs in paddocks with beautiful scenes all around - this was an epic spot. They also hire e-bikes, so we took the opportunity to bike into Lake Hawea on one of the Clutha trails. Central Otago has so many amazing rail trails, we loved the gentle cycle along the river and canals, ending up at the most stunning alpine lake, Lake Hawea. All up we cycled around 20kms, and ended up back at our campsite just in time for home made burgers and a long soak.
Day 3: Wanaka to Aoraki Mt Cook
We all enjoyed another hot tub in the morning before breakfast and then hit the road North towards Mt Cook. The scenery was stunning as we drove to Twizel, and on to Lake Pukaki. We packed the boys fishing gear on this trip, pretty determined to slow down and hopefully catch some fish! We stopped at on the shore of Lake Pukaki for a dip (me) and fishing. We were treated to the most amazing views of Aoraki Mt Cook across the water thanks to a cloudless day. In the afternoon we headed towards Mt Cook, having booked the night at Glentanner Holiday Park, which is about 10 mins from Mt Cook Village. The road to Mt Cook is just stunning, we stopped several times to take photos and enjoy the view! Once at Glentanner, we parked up and enjoyed our surroundings, plus board games and dinner. We had a great view, the park is excellent. Great facilities, really nice spots for tents or camper vans and lovely views.
Day 4: Aoraki Mt Cook
The only plan for this day was to hike and enjoy Aoraki / Mt Cook. I did a lot of research on walks in the area, and couldn’t resist doing the Hooker Valley Track - which also happens to be New Zealand’s most popular day walk. The hike is 10kms, includes stunning mountain views on all sides, suspension bridges, glaciers, and the best views of Mt Cook you will get. We loved this walk, I cannot recommend it enough. Definitely my favourite day walk that we have done. It is an easy grade, a few little ups and downs, but it’s a great, well marked track. Pack a lunch like we did and stop for a bite to eat at the end of the track, enjoying incredible views of Mt Cook in front of you before you head back to the carpark. Enjoy the photos!
We stayed the night again at Glentanner.
Day 5: Aoraki Mt Cook to Lake Tekapo
The drive from Mt Cook to Lake Tekapo is stunning. We left our scenic overnight spot late morning and headed towards Lake Tekapo, stopping at the Canals for a spot of fishing along the way. Upon arrival at Lake Tekapo, we visited the infamous church and were so lucky to see all of the lupins in full bloom. It was stunning.
We decided to stay at Lake Tekapo Holiday Park and opted for a spot up high on the banks, which had great views out to Lake Tekapo. One of the reasons we wanted to park up here for the night is it is only a 5 minute walk to Tekapo Springs, a really lovely hot springs spot which we really enjoyed. There were nice views out over Tekapo and the water was beautiful.
Day 6: Lake Tekapo to Lake Dunstan
Today we drove from Lake Tekapo to Lake Dunstan, not a lot of kilometres, but we spent a while getting there… stopping to fish once again (this time in Twizel) and heading off the beaten track to visit the Clay Cliffs at Omarama. I actually heard about this spot via an instagram follower who said it wasn’t to be missed. We headed down a gravel road, and then onto private land ($5 at the gate to enter). We were amazed by what we found at the end of the gravel road - the Clay Cliffs are geological wonder; 'bad land' sharp pinnacles and ridges separated by steep and narrow ravines. It was very cool. We then made our way towards the northern end of Lake Dunstan, where I had heard about a good freedom camping spot. We parked up at the Bendigo freedom camping area, which offered a lot of great little spots to park or pitch a tent for free. Good toilets and recycling. It is on the side of the road, but the traffic noise was minimal. We enjoyed our last night in the camper here.
Day 7-8: Queenstown
Heading back to Queenstown to drop back our Maui campervan and swap for a car, we were very excited to check into Hotel St Moritz in Queenstown. We went from one end of the scale to the other, checking into a 5 star hotel! The Hotel St Moritz is a beautiful hotel, sitting just above the lake, it’s a quick walk into town or down to the lake for a walk. We loved the location. We booked a 1 bedroom suite with small balcony and the views were amazing! We spent the next 2 days in Queenstown. We were lucky to mostly dodge the rain and got some fun in!
Whilst in Queenstown the boys did the Shootover Jet (so much fun!) & The Odyssey Maze which was highly recommended to us as a wet weather option.
Queenstown Eats:
Yonder (amazing breakfasts)
Blue Kanu - our fave dinner spot
Flame
White & Wongs
Ferg Bakery
Botswana Butchery
Margo’s Mexican
Glenorchy / Routeburn Track Day Trip from Queenstown
It’s well known that the road to Glenorchy from Queenstown is one of the most beautiful drives in the world. It’s stunning. This day we got to experience it in a different way, with low lying cloud and mist hanging in the valleys. Our plan was to head beyond Glenorchy, to the Routeburn track trail head which has a few day walks. This is a great option for anyone who wants to experience the stunning Routeburn track without actually doing the full multi day walk. We did the loop, which was about an hour and a half, and we really loved it. What a magical part of the Sth Island and the world. A wonderful walk, highly recommend.
Day 9-11: The Camp, Lake Hawea
I love a good instagram find, and I was so excited to stay at The Camp at Lake Hawea. A beautiful camping ground on the shores of Lake Hawea, and a quintessential kiwi camping experience. I’ve never been to a camping ground quite like this. There were plenty of tall trees and open meadows for parking or camping in, but what made it unique were the very cool little ‘communities’ set up for clamping. They have a Belle Tent Village, with cute little belle tents already set up for your glamping experience (complete with commune fire pit), and the very cool ‘Denver Cove’ with Colorado tents all set up with a shared kitchen hutt as well. There is even an area elevated above the park with Domes, plus a food truck on the weekends, bike rentals and more. We stayed in the Safari Tent, tucked away at the end of The Camp, with views straight out over the lake. Unfortunately we had terrible weather, but it was clear just for long enough when we arrived to be able to wonder around and enjoy the view before we hibernated for the next day in our tent with the heater on. It has THE coolest nook for kids, Aiden said it was the coolest place he’d ever stayed.
We loved the chance to slow down here, and promised to make it back in better weather… and for longer.
On day 11 we headed back to Queenstown and flew home to New Plymouth via Christchurch.
