Jon Algie 
If you’re travelling between New Zealand’s North and South Islands you have two options: fly or catch a ferry. You’ll obviously want to go opt for the ferry if you have your own transport, and that’s exactly what we did on our recent North Island trip. We travelled from Picton to Wellington on the Interislander, … Read more
In a country full of scenic roads, the road to Mount Cook stands out as one of the most spectacular. The Southern Alps, including Mount Cook, are on full view as you skirt the bright blue waters of Lake Pukaki. Thinking of driving the scenic road to Mount Cook? Keep reading for more information (and … Read more
So, you want to see Milford Sound but don’t want to shell out for a cruise? You should definitely consider the cruise option, but you can get some great views of Milford Sound from close to the car park. The Milford Sound Foreshore Track runs along the, ah, foreshore and is obviously easy to find, … Read more
This pair of side-by-side lakes sit right next to the main road through the Hakatere Conservation Park and are well worth a look when driving through this stunning area. Lake Clearwater and Lake Camp are two of the many “Ashburton Lakes” and are surrounded by mountains. Lake Clearwater is the more scenic of the two … Read more
Located a few kilometres north of the famous Pancake Rocks, the Truman Track is a nice little walk to a couple of viewpoints and then down to one of the best beaches on the West Coast. It’s not the reason you’ll visit Punakaiki but it’s good dessert after the main course (the main course being … Read more
Having done most of the popular hikes on the road to Milford Sound we found ourselves searching for this area’s more hidden gems. That led us to the Tutoko Valley Track, which starts a short distance from Milford Sound. It isn’t one of my favourite hikes (in fact, it’s one of my least favourites!) but … Read more
The Cape Foulwind Walkway is one of the best coastal hikes on the South Island’s West Coast and is reason enough to venture north from Punakaiki (something that a lot of tourists don’t end up doing). It’s only an hour north of the famous Pancake Rocks — hopefully this post will convince you to visit. … Read more
If there’s one place in New Zealand that entices you to visit with its name alone it’s Paradise, a tiny town (OK, not really a town) close to Glenorchy, which is itself close to Queenstown. What is a trip to Paradise like? Well, there’s a scenic drive, an incredibly underrated hike and one of New … Read more
Punakaiki, with its world-famous Pancake Rocks, is one of the best spots to spend a day or two on the West Coast. The coastline is pretty special, but head inland a little and you’ll see one of New Zealand’s most spectacular stretches of river. It’s quite unlike anything else I’ve seen in New Zealand and … Read more
New Zealand has glaciers, but they aren’t quite what you may be expecting. Instead of the crisp blue slabs of ice seen elsewhere in the world the glaciers in New Zealand tend to be small, far away and covered in a layer of grey sediment. The walks to see these glaciers are great though — … Read more