From the mountains of Queenstown to the rugged south coast of NZ. Another epic trip across the ditch.
Photography: Stefan Haworth and Alex Knorr
We were greeted by the familiar face at the Queenstown airport - our all-time guide to the South Island of NZ, Stefan Haworth. With our hats strapped to our backpacks, we were met with clear skies and scorching sun. Something we weren't used to in NZ!
After our quick catch up, a few laughs and the usual standard comments on how unusually hot the weather was ,we strapped the boards to the Landrover's newly installed roof racks (courtesy of Stefan's handy work) and we hit the road.
Colac Bay
Our accommodation for the night was an old lifeboat (we called it the submarine) that had washed up on the shore of Colac bay years ago. And an old legend had bought it for nothing on Trade Me (Gumtree or Graigslist) then put it on his empty block that overlooked the surf. Will was the most pumped to stay here, but in the end we all decided it was one of the coolest accom's we'd spent time in. We could wake up, check the surf from the top of the submarine, stroll down to the beach or wander through the golden field surrounding it.
We road tripped West to explore the remote spots of West Colac. On this day it happened to be raining like we mean raining! While Stefan had installed the new rood racks on the landy, our waterproof canvas didn't arrive in time for the trip... This led to us driving around in our wetsuits to stay warm. It was worth it though, this day brought us to a random dirt road we decided to follow, we scored one of the best sunsets (and shots of the trip) and surfed with not another human in sight.
Catlins
Stefan had told us about the mythical wave that sat within Catlins just out of the quirky town Perakanui. We had made it from Colac in the night – we spotted a sweet location to set the tent up, thanks to the landy we were able to get there! With ocean views and a backdrop of white limestone cliffs that jutted out from the ocean. We had been there to score wave but in true fashion it was flat. It didn't seem to matter as this amazing camp spot was epic enough without the waves. This would be our base to explore the rolling hills and rugged coastline of Catlins for the next few days.
Wanaka
We had planned to keep road trippin' along the coast up to Dunedin but decided to head inland to a spot we missed last time and were desperate to check out. We drove into what we thought was a sleepy town to a bustling hub that is Wanaka. Hundred of campers lined up in the shores of Lake Wanaka trying to get some respite from the scorching sun. A few in need of hats we thought haha. We headed out of town to find a quiet spot to camp for the night and man we scored! This where it pays to travel with the locals - after a few phone calls we had tracked down the farmer that owned the land of our preferred spot and set up for the night overlooking the stunning Lake Hawea.
Bridge jump at Blue Pools. 40mins outside of Wanaka is a stunning blue glacial water running down the mountains. The girls are wearing Baker Tan and Harvey Amber.
Glenorchy
After a short pitstop back in Queenstown and an outdoor shower under the stars to wash away the dirt from last few days on the road. We had one night left in NZ and wanted to make the most of it. It was still hot, so we pumped up our air mattresses and headed to Glenorchy where the glacial rivers run through the valley. We drove upstream to float down in the sunshine towards our camp spot towards town. That night we scored an amazing light show as the sun dipped behind the mountains. Seemed to be a fitting ending to another amazing trip to New Zealand.
Sunset at Glenorchy's campsite. Not a bad light show for the last night. Loz is wearing Woodley Stone.
Big thanks to Stefan Haworth for the amazing pictures and for being the best guide. Stay tuned for the next blog post coming soon. Adventure often!
To see more of Stefan work make sure you follow him on @stefan_haworth and check www.stefanhaworth.com
