Destination Arrowtown and Franz Josef glacier, South Island, New Zealand

Today Arrowtown is charming and quaint, yet once it was buzzing with the excitement of hundreds of miners desperate to make their fortune in the local gold fields. The miners have long gone but their legacy lives on.

Less than a half-an-hour drive from Queenstown on New Zealand’s South Island, this pretty place, hugging the banks of the Arrow River, is a delight to visit. Historical wooden buildings dot the main street that is now filled with cute boutiques, art studios and cafés, plus a pub or two. Even the new builds pay homage to those of the town’s past golden days.

Today Arrowtown is charming and quaint

On a flying visit, a museum would not usually be on my agenda but I'm glad I made an exception for the Lakes District Museum. It was a treat. The museum paints a picture through working displays and artefacts of early Maori life and what the European settlers and miners had to endure during the gold rush of the 1800s. 

Unfortunately, there was not time to hire a gold pan to see if there was any treasure left in the Arrow River but I did feel somewhat richer for visiting Arrowtown.

Thunder Creek Falls

I was about to get even wealthier as my tour continued along the Haast Pass to the West Coast. Unbelievable scenery, rainforests, glaciers, and waterfalls littered the route which was once the pathway for the Maori explorers looking for pounamu (jade). Thunder Creek Falls, one of the country’s finest tumbling into the Haast River, was stunning.

The tempestuous Tasman Sea

When it comes to beauty no picture could ever capture the magnificence of the grandeur of the West Coast of New Zealand. Wild, rugged, raw and remote, this region sandwiched by the tempestuous Tasman Sea and the Southern Alps, is unequalled in New Zealand. It is a potent cocktail of lush wilderness and untamed coastline laced with a story to tell of settlers on the prowl for gold and coal.

In Lake Matheson you could see the reflections of Aoraki/Mount Cook and Mount Tasman in the crystal clear waters. But my standout moment was getting up close and personal, or as near as I could, with the nearby Fox Glacier. 

Fox Glacier

Named after Sir William Fox, a former Prime Minister of New Zealand, the steep walk up to see the face was worth it. Unfortunately, the Fox and its twin the Franz Josef Glacier which I also saw in the distance, have melted incredibly quickly in recent years making hiking up the mountains too dangerous. Getting a glimpse was reward enough. 

As I sat savouring a glass of pinot gris that night over dinner, I reflected on a very special day that will be imprinted on my memory forever.

By Daralyn Danns

Getting there

Which city you fly into in New Zealand will depend on where your tour starts from and therefore, which airline you choose. Highly recommended are Cathay Pacific cathaypacific.com and qantas.com The service and inflight experience is spot on. Ensure that the flight you book is operated by the company and not just code-sharing.

The tour was part of the Grand Pacific Ultimate Small Group Tours which I booked through Trailfinders (trailfinders.com) as I did the flights

The advantage of travelling aboard the Ultimate Coach is that instead of carrying the normal 48 passengers, it only carries 20. You sit in comfort in leather fully-reclining seats so no neck ache at the end of a long day. (Distances are vast in New Zealand.) There is plenty of personal storage. It is much easier being in a small group, no hanging around waiting for people, no long queues for the loos, overall much cosier

First published in All About Hair (All About Hair UK), the travel and lifestyle blog with a luxury twist

Destination Queenstown, South Island, New Zealand

Framed by the Remarkables Mountains that seem to carry on forever, Queenstown hugs the shores of the clear blue waters of Lake Wakatipu. Whatever you have heard or read about the “Adventure Capital” of New Zealand, it will astound you more than you can imagine.

Many flock to this South Island town for an adrenalin rush. Jumping off a bridge, paragliding, mountain biking or holding on tight on a jet boat on the Shotover River,  billed as “the ultimate in water sports excitement”, were not high on my agenda. So I was pleased to discover that this delightful historic alpine town pulsated energy and danced to the beat of a city with many sides to its character.

The clear blue waters of Lake Wakatipu 

It has a superb gastronomic scene with plenty of enticing restaurants. Ferburger is a Queenstown institution and serves arguably one of the best burgers you have ever eaten. There is always a line but the wait is worth it.

The tranquil waterfront is the ideal spot to meander and take in the awesome scenery. It is also a good place for people watching, and enjoying a glass of pinot noir, for which the Central Otago region is renowned, at one of the many bars or cafés.

Queenstown

If you find you are consuming too many calories, do not worry. There are several outstanding walks, from the challenging Tiki Trail  which leads from the base of the Skyline gondola to the summit of Bob's Peak, to a sedate saunter through the stunning Botanical Gardens. 

For those of you whose idea of exercise is a trip to the shops Queenstown will not disappoint. The streets surrounding the waterfront are packed with boutiques and stores as well as some interesting art galleries.

Wine buffs will want to venture further afield and take a trip through the Gibbston Valley to sample the best numbers of the area. For those that yearn for a bit of quiet solitude there is good trout and salmon fishing. Golfers will adore this place.

TSS Earnshaw

Following an action-packed day, I relaxed on a leisurely cruise aboard the 100-year-old steamship TSS Earnshaw. The beauty of Queenstown passed before my eyes as the “Lady of the Lake, as she is known as, sailed to Walter Peak where we sampled a taste of farm life.

After seeing sheep and deer as well as Scottish Highland cattle, we enjoyed a buffet dinner. This was followed by a trip to the shearing shed to watch farm dogs round up the sheep and a farmer, which was a first for me, shear one.

Street in Queenstown

Compact and gorgeous, the spiritual home of bungi jumping will have your heart pumping and you do not have to be sporty!

By Daralyn Danns

Getting there

Which city you fly into in New Zealand will depend on where your tour starts from and therefore, which airline you choose. Highly recommended are Cathay Pacific cathaypacific.com and qantas.com The service and inflight experience is spot on. Ensure that the flight you book is operated by the company and not just code-sharing

The tour was part of the Grand Pacific Ultimate Small Group Tours which I booked through Trailfinders (trailfinders.com) as I did the flights

The advantage of travelling aboard the Ultimate Coach is that instead of carrying the normal 48 passengers, it only carries 20. You sit in comfort in leather fully-reclining seats so no neck ache at the end of a long day. (Distances are vast in New Zealand.) There is plenty of personal storage. It is much easier being in a small group, no hanging around waiting for people, no long queues for the loos, overall much cosier

First published in All About Hair (All About Hair UK), the travel and lifestyle blog with a luxury twist

Destination Te Anau to Milford Sound, South Island, New Zealand

I had read about it, seen pictures and dreamed one day of being there. It was why I wanted to go to New Zealand. And now that day had come and I really was at Milford Sound. 

Rudyard Kipling described this fjord in South Island’s Fiordland as the eighth wonder of the world. This place certainly has the wow factor. It is everything you imagine New Zealand to be.

Its name is deceptive because it is not a sound but a fjord carved out by glacial activity. This is wilderness at its best.

Milford Sound

Lush rainforests hugging mountains that seem to scrape the sky, roaring waterfalls cascading down cliffs that rise out of the water. Dolphins coming out to play only served to enhance what was already a sensational day.

The Bowen Falls, the highest of the numerous water wonders, thundered loudly. The fabled Mitre Peak was just as imposing as I imagined. Words fail to describe this spectacle that slowly passed before my eyes on my two-hour cruise along the fjord out to the Tasman Sea and back.

Bowen Falls

That was not my only dose of beauty for the day. Leaving the calm waters of Lake Te Anau and the eponymous town, where we had spent the night behind us, we headed along the road to Milford Sound. I cannot remember ever being on a road that threw up so many gems.

Passing along the Eglinton Valley, once filled with glacier ice, with its steep rocky sides and a flat golden bottom, we hit upon the Mirror Lakes. It was a beautiful clear day so we could see a reflection of the Earl Mountains. The Avenue of the Disappearing Mountain had us all astounded. An optical illusion makes the mountain in front of you become smaller rather than bigger.

Mirror Lakes

After passing through the Homer Tunnel, which took almost 20 years to create, we stopped at the Chasm for a 20-minute walk into the rainforest. The stunning series of waterfalls, where the Cleddau River has purged a path through solid rock down the mountain, has over thousands of years left sculpted shapes in its mist.

The Chasm

If I thought that there could be no more wonderful surprises that day, I was wrong. As we arrived at Queenstown, overlooking the mystical Lake Wakatipu, it looked like tomorrow was going to be another glorious day in New Zealand.

By Daralyn Danns

Getting there

Which city you fly into in New Zealand will depend on where your tour starts from and therefore, which airline you choose. Highly recommended are Cathay Pacific cathaypacific.com and qantas.com The service and inflight experience is spot on. Ensure that the flight you book is operated by the company and not just code-sharing.

The tour was part of the Grand Pacific Ultimate Small Group Tours which I booked through Trailfinders (trailfinders.com) as I did the flights

The advantage of travelling aboard the Ultimate Coach is that instead of carrying the normal 48 passengers, it only carries 20. You sit in comfort in leather fully-reclining seats so no neck ache at the end of a long day. (Distances are vast in New Zealand.) There is plenty of personal storage. It is much easier being in a small group, no hanging around waiting for people, no long queues for the loos, overall much cosier

First published in All About Hair (All About Hair UK), the travel and lifestyle blog with a luxury twist