Travel Planning Mojo

As my UK and European buddies rug up for a wintery Christmas, I’m busting out the dresses and skirts and enjoying the warm summer walks in the sun… when Auckland isn’t sharing its spring/summer showers that is!

Dealing with end of winter snowboard injuries meant I needed to plan so serious summer travels to have something to look forward to once winter was over…

South Island Road Trip

As the company I work for shuts down over Christmas/New Year and you’re expected to take annual leave, I opted for what I thought would be an easy trip around the South Island of New Zealand. I’ve wanted to do a proper road trip, beyond just long weekend visits to places down there. I quickly discovered planning a road trip around the busy Christmas/New Year period is quite involved!

Just what I needed to take my mind off the pain and sadness of missing the snow!

First was scoping out everywhere I wanted to go. Then google mapping the driving distances. Visiting information centres for maps and inspiration booklets. Then I realised I can’t do everything. Like any good trip, I decided I wanted to enjoy my travels and not be jumping around everyday unable to go for hikes etc. and after all, I live in New Zealand, I can visit the region again to do more!

So this road trip will take me camping/hosteling down the West Coast, visiting Franz Josef Glacier and few days in Wanaka, then off to camp down in Fiordland to get amongst some of the most scenic spots in New Zealand and visit Doubtful Sound.

Unfortunately I’ll be skipping the far South and Otago on this trip, instead I’ll venture up to Lake Ohau around New Years to enjoy a few luxurious nights in a lodge there after camping. I’m really looking forward to the scenery and hikes around Ohau, Twizel and Tekapo.

When I was younger I always wanted to go to a rowing regatta in Twizel, it never happened, so it will be neat to finally see the lakes there and the incredible night sky.

I’ll then venture up to Hamner Springs, continuing to camp along the way (yes actually doing my first solo camping trip… sort of). I’ll enjoy the lovely springs and some more hikes before heading up to Picton to take the ferry back to the North Island.

It’ll be solo road trip, but with the madness and stress the end of the year has brought, it will be a much needed break away.

Borneo

Yes, that’s right, since Japan’s snow monkeys aren’t amongst snow in summer, I figured my next best option was checking out the wildlife that Borneo has to offer! So come May I’ll be off to Malaysia for the first time!

Then before I know it, it’ll be time to bust out my snowboard and head to the mountain again!

So yes, I have my travel planning mojo back and looking forward to the adventures ahead despite everything else going on in my life at the moment!

Stay tuned for more tales and adventures, or follow me on Instagram for a daily dose of the fantastic scenery that is the South Island of New Zealand https://www.instagram.com/kiwifootprints/.

Merry Christmas to everyone near and far!
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