- 2 months ago
I recently returned from traveling across New Zealand and I want to share with you my favorite places and experiences. Enjoy this travel guide featuring New Zealand’s most incredible destinations. From the Milford Sound to the Southern Alps, New Zealand is waiting to be explored. Where is your favorite place in New Zealand?
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TravelTranscript
00:00What's up guys!
00:01My name is Ryan and I recently returned from exploring the incredible country of New Zealand
00:06and I want to share with you my favorite places so here is my New Zealand Top 10.
00:15Located in the southern hemisphere, New Zealand is made up of two main islands and it's easily
00:20one of the most beautiful countries on earth.
00:22From the daunting mountains of the Southern Alps to the wonders of the Milford Sound,
00:26New Zealand is waiting to be experienced.
00:28Let's start this video off at Cathedral Cove.
00:31When I imagine New Zealand, this is one of the first places that come to mind.
00:35It's located on the Coromandel Peninsula and it's about a 2.5 hours drive from Auckland.
00:39To get to Cathedral Cove, you can either hike or take a water taxi.
00:43The hiking path was closed when we were there so we took the water taxi which is located
00:47on Haje Beach.
00:48The water taxi was this car boat hybrid that could drive up onto the beach and it cost about
00:53$50 USD for the round trip tickets.
00:55I mean the boat ride into the cove was beautiful.
00:58There were these white rock cliffs that were so unique.
01:00We boated around the Te Ho Ho Rock which is the crowning feature of the area and possibly
01:04the most iconic rock in New Zealand.
01:06The water taxi then drops you off on the beach and you can explore it for about an hour before
01:10they return.
01:11The area is amazing.
01:12There's an archway that gives you the famous view of the Te Ho Ho Rock.
01:15We had a great time just enjoying the beach and area and I understand why it's one of the
01:19famous places in New Zealand.
01:21Another nearby spot is the hot water beach.
01:23It's located just 9 minutes from Cathedral Cove and it's this beautiful area and what's
01:27special about it is that there's this small spot on the beach where thermal hot water rises
01:31from the sand and you can take little pools to relax in during low tide.
01:35We went here and I think it was a public holiday so there was a lot of people but I was amazed
01:39by how hot the water and sand was at some places.
01:42Regardless it was a unique beach and definitely would be a cool place to come for sunrise or
01:47sunset.
01:48After we're going to head to Middle-earth to visit Hobbiton.
01:51Located about 50 minutes from Hamilton, Hobbiton is the famous filming location for the Shire
01:55which is featured in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films.
01:58You can experience the area by taking a guided tour that costs about $75 a person.
02:03You start by taking a bus in and then proceed to walk through the incredible movie set.
02:07It was really interesting to hear from the tour guide all the facts and behind the scenes
02:11of what took place here in order to make the film possible.
02:14The attention to detail was immaculate and it really felt like you were walking in a fantasy
02:18realm.
02:19It was also interesting to learn the story why it was chosen to be the place of the Shire.
02:23Basically Peter Jackson was looking for a farm that had rolling green hills, a massive
02:26tree and a lake and this place checked all the boxes.
02:30One of my favorite parts of the tour was going into one of the Hobbit homes.
02:33We got to explore it for a good amount of time and it looked quite comfortable to live
02:36in.
02:37After it we walked over the bridge and explored a little bit more of Hobbiton.
02:40If you are a Lord of the Rings fan you got to come and experience the Shire.
02:44After it we are going to head back to the coast to visit Three Sisters.
02:48Located about a two and a half hours drive from Hamilton, Three Sisters is this incredible
02:52beach area.
02:53Now to reach it we parked and walked down the muddy and slippery banks of this river.
02:56When we got to the beach I was amazed at the color of the black sand and then there
03:00were these beautiful sea stacks in the distance.
03:02There is also this unique rock formation called Elephant Rock that looks like it is having
03:06a trunk go into the sand.
03:08We had a good time exploring here and it would be a great place to watch the sunset.
03:12After we are going to head to Egmont National Park.
03:15Located near the town of New Plymouth.
03:17The main feature of the National Park is Mount Taranaki.
03:20If you look at the park and Mount Taranaki from space there is an almost perfect circle of
03:24trees that shows the park's boundaries.
03:25I really wanted to go to the Pogokai Circuit Reflective Tarn.
03:29We started on the Mengori Track Trailhead and it was a steady incline through a forest
03:34and we reached the Pogokai Mountain Hut.
03:36We continued on these raised boardwalks that went through some beautiful vegetation with
03:40a constant view of Mount Taranaki.
03:42After two hours of hiking we made it to the tarn which is basically this little pond.
03:46It was smaller than I imagined but it offered a beautiful view of Mount Taranaki.
03:50If there was no clouds or wind it would be a perfect reflection of the volcano.
03:54We enjoyed resting there for a bit and taking in the view.
03:57It was definitely a challenging trek and took us 4 hours to do but I'm glad we did it.
04:01After we are going to head to the South Island.
04:03We left from Wellington and took the ferry that crosses the Cook Strait.
04:06It was about a 3 hour journey and a nice boat ride.
04:09We arrived at the town of Picton which is located in the Marlboro Sounds which is an incredible
04:14area on the northern point of the southern island with picturesque bays and scenery.
04:18Afterwards we are going to head to Varariki Beach.
04:21Located about 4 and a half hours drive from Picton.
04:23This was easily my favorite beach we visited in New Zealand.
04:26To reach it, it was a beautiful 15 minute walk and when we got to the beach I was blown
04:31away by the beauty of this place.
04:32The windswept sand was so picturesque and felt otherworldly.
04:36Now the crowning feature of the area is the Archway Islands.
04:38They are the set of two islands that have a bunch of arches in them.
04:42I mean they were so unique and epic.
04:44We had a great time waiting around for sunset and watching the islands light up with an orange
04:47glow.
04:48It was out of the way.
04:49This place was well worth the journey to get there.
04:52After we are going to head south to visit Lake Di Capo.
04:55Located about a 3 hours drive from Christchurch.
04:57Lake Di Capo is this incredible blue lake.
04:59If you come here between the months of November to January you might be able to see the scenic
05:04lupine flowers around the lake.
05:06The area around Lake Di Capo is also one of the best places in the world to see the night
05:10sky.
05:11Now we are going to head to Mount Cook.
05:13Located about an hour's drive from Lake Di Capo, Mount Cook is the tallest mountain
05:16in New Zealand with a height of 3,724 meters.
05:21When you are heading towards Mount Cook you will drive on the shores of Lake Pukaki.
05:24I think this is one of the most beautifully colored lakes I have ever seen.
05:27The water was just so perfectly blue thanks to the glacier runoff.
05:31Now the drive to Mount Cook is arguably one of the most scenic in the world and you will
05:34have views in the incredible southern alps coupled with the glacier blue waters of Lake
05:38Pukaki.
05:39Once you arrive at Mount Cook National Park there are a lot of hikes you can go on.
05:43One of the most famous is Hooker Valley track.
05:45It's about a 10 kilometer round trip trek and it takes about 3 hours to do.
05:49The trail is relatively easy with a steady incline.
05:52One of my favorite features of the hike is the swing bridges that cross the glacial rivers.
05:56They offer amazing views especially the first one that has a great look out into Mueller
06:01Lake.
06:02After you continue on the trail and walk on some overland tracks.
06:05When we reached Hooker Lake I was amazed at the view with the glacier ice chunks in front
06:09of the massive backdrop of Mount Cook.
06:11It was possibly the windiest place I've ever been.
06:13The wind was blowing so hard and it was whispering up the lake water creating for one of the most
06:18epic situations.
06:19The power of the wind was just absolutely insane.
06:21I mean I felt like we were going to be blown away or something.
06:23Another incredible place in the park is the Tasman lake.
06:26It's a short 10 minute hike from the parking lot and has some amazing views of the Tasman
06:30Glacier.
06:31Next we're going to head to Wanaka to hike Royce Peak.
06:34Located just a few minutes outside the town of Wanaka.
06:36This is one of the most popular hikes in the area.
06:38The full trail is about 16 km and is a constant incline with an elevation gain of 1,300 meters.
06:45It was the hardest hike we did in New Zealand.
06:47There was a parking lot at the beginning of the trail and the ascent starts.
06:50There is some beautiful views of Wanaka and the lake on the way up but the trail is
06:53pretty exposed without much shade.
06:55It is a popular hike to start around 3 or 4 am to catch the sunrise but we didn't wake up
07:00that early.
07:01After about 2 and a half hours of a grueling uphill climb we made it to the lookout.
07:05There still was more to hike to reach the official Royce Peak but we were pretty gassed
07:09and I decided this is as high as we were going to go.
07:11There was a nice little trail that offered an incredible lookout and view of the area.
07:15If you're in Wanaka and want a challenging day hike, Royce Peak is a great option.
07:19While you're in the area you can also visit the real famous tree found on the shores of
07:23Lake Wanaka.
07:24After we're going to head back to the coast to visit Nugget Point Lighthouse.
07:28It's located about a 3 and a half hours drive from Wanaka.
07:30Nugget Point is this incredibly scenic lighthouse that was opened in 1870.
07:35To get to the lighthouse it's a short walk from the parking lot and the area is full of
07:38incredible sea cliffs.
07:40The lighthouse overlooks a bunch of jagged rocks that jet out of the sea.
07:43They definitely would have been dangerous to unknowing sailors.
07:46Another nearby beautiful place is Pura Canoe Bay.
07:49There's an amazing beach coupled with impressive sea cliffs and it's also an ideal place for
07:53camping.
07:54For the final location we're going to visit the Milford Sound located in the Fjordland
07:58National Park.
07:59The Milford Sound is possibly the most famous place in all of New Zealand and after exploring
08:04it I understand why.
08:05The Milford Sound is pretty isolated and the closest town is Te Anu which is about 2 hours
08:09drive to get there.
08:10The road is one of the most beautiful I've ever been on.
08:13The scenery reminds me of the Fjords of Nori but slightly more tropical.
08:16We saw some kiya birds which are the only alpine parrots in the world and they were seriously
08:20so beautiful.
08:21Once we arrived at the Milford Sound we got on a boat that took us on a tour of the famous
08:25fjord.
08:26It was about $90 a person and took about 2 hours.
08:29The views on the front of the boat were amazing as we headed into the fjord.
08:32I mean the scale of this place is insane.
08:34The mountain walls were straight up thousands of feet high.
08:37We came across several waterfalls cascading into the Sound.
08:40The most famous one is probably Sterling Falls.
08:43Our boat took us up right to it and then the views of the falls was really nice as we
08:46headed back to the ferry dock.
08:48Now after the boat tour I really enjoyed just walking around the Sound.
08:51There were some nice trails and I liked this little coastal area that had smooth rocks and
08:55really unique vegetation that lined the shore and it was just so calming to watch the little
08:59waves roll in.
09:00It was very sunny the day we were there but the Milford Sound is famous for being one
09:04of the rainiest and habitable places on earth.
09:06I mean I'd love to experience the place when it's raining.
09:09The Milford Sound truly is on another level of beauty and if you come to New Zealand you
09:13gotta experience this place.
09:14Well that is it for my New Zealand Top 10, there's truly so much to see in this country
09:18and I'll have to come back for part 2.
09:20Let me know where your favorite place is in the comments below.
09:23It's Ryan and we will see you later.
09:24It's Ryan and we will see you later.
09:25It's Ryan and we will see you later.
09:30you
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