a New Zealand dreamscape
Whenever and wherever I travel, I always find myself accompanied by one persistent companion: my future self. That eulogistic narrator who speaks of those days—these days—before the trip expiry even hits.
Very often it’s giddy and disorienting—the urgent fantasy about being in the precise location in future, even while there in the present. The curiosity for what I might interpret on a revisit begins to trump what is being uncovered with my naked and naive immediate perception. Punctuating these time-bending episodes brought on by travel is home. The sacred touch down. A place where the most elemental self can put itself back together and ask “What just happened?”
Aotearoa, New Zealand has a way of becoming this for both transient travellers and permanent patriots alike.
From afar, New Zealand is a land of laid-back life and wholesome hangouts. A sprawling playground of power and spontaneity. On the moodboard, one sees road trips, fish and chips, camp fires and skinny dips. But this place is so much more…. here you will find yourself amongst technological vanguards, cultivators, award winning wine makers, radical performers and curious creatives. Cheap thrillers, risk takers, mountain climbers and water explorers. This land is all about days of doing. Of ‘can do’-ing. And if that’s not for you, ones of luxurious undoing too. You come here to access a space that has, in our rapacious modern life-scape, become rarified. To stop the noise and the hurry buzz.
So, where to start?
As a born and raised South Islander, I’m likely a little biased. The parts of this place have burrowed deeply beneath my skin, and, therefore, any lineup of suggested travel tricks for a visit to NZ tip in favour of the familiar. This whole country is ripe for the rambling, but for now, we’ll tackle it with a bottom-up approach….
Queenstown is the epicentre of action. A remedy for the restless, a shot of life for the sedate, a profound encounter for the mystically inclined. Basing yourself in the main town, fringing Lake Wakatipu, you can fill your days wandering intimate streets indulging in a spot of retail therapy, parked up in a cosy cafe, picnicking on the stone walls of the waterfront or in the nearby botanic gardens or saving your appetite for a night out—the time it all comes alive and when this sophisticated ‘city-town’ extends its most hospitable hand. Nightlife scenes unfold in 5-star eateries, scenic rooftop bars, snuggly cocktail lounges, local breweries, après ski pizza dens and dance-heavy nightclubs.
Best discovered by car, scenes from the surrounding region of Central Otago are the stuff of cinema. To drive the day tracking the Kawarau River, making impromptu stops for things like fresh orchard stone fruit, real fruit ice-cream (a Kiwi summer staple) and gleeful roaming through tawny paddocks of gold, is how best to do it. You’ll also pass world renowned wineries like Mt Edward, Felton Road, Kinross and Peregrine. Back in the historic town of Arrowtown, you can ditch the car in favour of footpaths, spending a rainy day at Dorothy Browns (a boutique arthouse cinema and boutique bookstore at the end of a Euro-style alleyway also home to posh eateries and partially underground gig venue and bar the Blue Door). If the weather is playing ball and a more plein air atmosphere is required, locals look no further than a stroll along the Arrow River trail under age-old willow trees before winding up at The Fork and Tap—an institution, to say the least.
If your style of indulgence is more of the existential variety, never fear! Following the 80 kilometre lake top to tail through national parkland, you’ll find opportunity to be met with meaning at both ends. Most popular being a significant number of multi-day hikes making up the list of Great Walks of New Zealand, which can be completed as rough or as ritzy as you please with group experiences, private guides, luxury huts and helicopter departures all on offer from the town’s base. The most favoured (and thus requiring prompt booking in advance) are The Milford Track—a 5-day, 53.5 kilometre wilderness walk riddled with waterfalls, rainforests, alpine lakes, swing bridges and ancient rocks—and The Routeburn—a 3-day, 31 kilometre journey that sees you starting off in Mount Aspiring National Park and nursing your fantastic blisters and hardened shoulder muscles at the finish line in Fiordland National Park.
Swish lodges and well-being retreats like Aro Ha, Rosewood Matakauri, Jacks Retreat, Sherwood and the iconic Onsen Hot Pools can also be found on the outskirts of Queenstown. Perfect for relaxing and restoring thereafter. And, of course, for the true nature bunny, a good old campfire dinner and tented night under the stars can always be sought at one of the many DOC (Department of Conservation) spots like Moke Lake, just a 20-minute drive from town but a world away from cell service and pretension.
Mother Nature is the main character of New Zealand, and, on the South Island, the key spots for a deep wowing can be reached quite easily. Heading north, en route to Christchurch city and the bays of the Banks Peninsula, you’ll drive through the Lindis Pass—a sprawling marvel of its own, especially during winter when the hills wear their white coat. Aotearoa’s main character energy continues as you hang a left onto the iconic State Highway 80 for a night or two roaming Mt. Cook National Park, below Aoraki, NZ’s tallest peak. Or you can crack onwards through the Mackenzie Basin past turquoise (and brain-freezingly cold) lakes, Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki—oh the drama!
Bit of a bonus by night, this region also happens to be the cosmic promised land for seasoned astrologers and starry sky enthusiasts. The Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve is the largest dark sky reserve in the Southern Hemisphere; it preserves that precious ‘I’m a tiny human' feeling, now a rarity in our busy world.
Rosie Fea
Words come easy for Rosie. So does exploration. Our favourite writer pal is a dreamer, a doer, and she most certainly knows how to live life. When Rosie travels, walking is the name of the game. She walks and walks and just keeps walking, taking in every last sight and sound as she goes. Armed with a notebook, a pen and a camera, Rosie hits the road and finds magical corners and captivating faraway spots. It’s almost as if she’s got a magnetic pull for hidden gems. To Greece! To Queenstown! To Ethopia! she goes. And we couldn’t be more thrilled to be tagging along with her.
