Adventures in Aotearoa New Zealand
- Stephanie Seitz
- May 25
- 11 min read
Hello friends!
It's been a minute, but I wanted to share a little trip journal and highlights from my time in New Zealand this past February! This beautiful country has been on my to-visit list since I was ten years old and watching the Lord of the Rings for the first time. So when my brother asked about a year prior if I had any dream trips that he could help me plan with credit card rewards, I immediately thought: NEW ZEALAND.
I need to preface this trip journal by giving the biggest shout-out to Dan for all his help maximizing credit card reward points to get essentially FREE flights and even some free hotels on this trip. Not to mention the luxury of airport lounges. I've never felt more spoiled than while waiting for my flight while eating free artisan eggs benedict.
Coming into this trip, I knew I'd definitely want to see some Lord of the Rings film locations. And what better way to enjoy nerding out than bringing a friend and fellow LOTR superfan along? Kiki and I both knew we'd have a window of time in February, a great time to visit the southern hemisphere and escape the cold here. It's basically the NZ equivalent of our August weather - deep into summer, and snow in the high country is melted out. I also knew for sure that I'd want to camp at least one night in a backcountry hut. New Zealand is famous for them!
With the long flights on either end (around 13 hours from LA to Auckland), our twelve days away were more like ten. So I planned our itinerary to the gills, and figured we could always pivot if we needed a little more relaxation.
DAY 1 // Meet in LA
The first day of the journey arrived, and it felt surreal. I love a good long bit of trip anticipation, and I had the better part of a year to look forward to this one. I've come to realize that if you can save some cash and put a trip on the calendar, it's pretty likely to actually happen! So I found myself saying goodbye to Kevin at the Montrose Airport, heading to meet up with my dear friend Kiki.
I got to Denver for a quick layover, but it wasn't so quick that I didn't have time to check out the Centurion lounge and grab some free food. I made a mental note that scoring an airport lounge on the way back from a thru-hike would be absolutely incredible.
The flights were uneventful, and soon, I was feeling sweaty on the LA terminal transfer bus, excitement growing to see my friend. And there she was!
Kiki and I worked together at Seeds and were housemates as well, but she moved to Kentucky a few years back and is now the Director of Asbury University's Outdoor Leadership Program. So getting to spend so much time with her was definitely a highlight of this trip.
We got our bags checked, then took advantage of a nice 6 hour layover at the American Flagship Lounge. This was one of my favorite lounges of the trip. Kiki and I indulged in all the free food.
And then we were off!
DAY 2 // Redeye flight to Auckland, Low-key day in the city
Kiki and I both mercifully got sleep on the flight, thanks to our extra legroom seats. We arrived in Auckland around 10am, so while we were tired, the jet lag wasn't as bad as it could've been.
The next adventure was going through customs. NZ has pretty strict biodiversity laws, especially given that it's got a very distinct flora and fauna that was uninhabited for a long time. Invasive species could really wreak some havoc. So all of our camping gear, including our shoes and dehydrated meals, had to be inspected. The only casualty was a dehydrated meal containing chicken (dang bird flu).
Kiki and I noticed how pleasant it was to interact with the folks at the airport though. People were genuinely kind. This was true throughout pretty much our whole trip.
Next, we found our rental car place, and embarked on the next challenge for me - driving on the left side of the road.
It was a little weird at first, but (minus constantly trying to signal with wipers) it wasn't so bad!
We drove downtown to the harbor, and made it to the swankiness of the Park Hyatt, another Dan Seitz special.
We even received a little snack of Kiwi dip in our room later on for being premium members, or something like that.
We had a very restful day - we had a bit of time to explore the city, went for a swim, and got some dinner.
Kiwi Bird sculptures abound.
DAY 3 // Morning in Auckland, Drive to Hobbiton for tour, Dinner in Lake Taupo
Today started off with an included an INCREDIBLE complimentary breakfast at the hotel restaurant. We could pick one "large plate" and any number of small plates we wanted to try. I had shakshuka, and Kiki had a full English breakfast. There were also fresh juices and a giant pastry bar.
Right by our hotel, a Manu competition was starting up in the harbor swimming area. What's a manu, you ask? It's a very Kiwi way of jumping into the water that somewhat resembles our idea of a cannonball. However there is a very specific technique to it that creates a very big splash. Your legs basically need to be straight up by your head for that to happen. So as we let our food settle, Kiki and I watched several folks try to create the biggest splash.
We took another walk to track down some stove fuel for our hut trip and explore a little park on the water. Kiki and I both loved how much greenery there was in Auckland. It felt like the city was coated in green spaces.
But soon enough, it was time to head out for Hobbiton! We drove out into the country and arrived for our 4:15 tour time, boarding a bus to drive us through this working sheep farm over to the preserved movie set. I didn't realize that the existing location wasn't preserved so nicely until after the Hobbit movie was made, but it sure was a thoughtful thing to do for the fans (not to mention a great moneymaker for the family that owns the land). Most Lord of the Rings film sites were on public lands and had to be taken apart after filming (as they should be!), but with Hobbiton being on a large, privately owned sheep farm, it was able to be preserved.
Coming down the path that Gandalf rode into the shire was quite exhilarating. We got our first glimpses of the Hobbit holes.
Our guide explained that the Hobbit holes were made at 90% scale or 60% scale, and this difference helped with the forced perspective technique used to make the hobbit actors look smaller (and Gandalf look taller).
We were extra excited that we were able to actually walk through a hobbit hole full of details recreated by the LOTR props team. This was only completed in 2023, so it was relatively new!
The tour ended with a drink at the Green Dragon Inn, where Bilbo met the dwarves to start his adventure in the Hobbit.
Kiki and I had such a blast nerding out over this place and taking pictures of EVERYTHING.
We ended the day by heading over to Lake Taupō, catching the end of a lovely sunset, and grabbing dinner before getting some much needed shuteye.
DAY 4 // Long drive past Tongariro NP and down to Wellington for afternoon ferry. Stop at Rivendell film site. Cross the Cook Strait and enjoy an evening in Picton.
An early morning wakeup was in order this day, with a long drive to Wellington for our ferry, with hopes of squeezing in the Rivendell film site outside the city.
The views on our drive were incredible though, and we also discovered the wonder of New Zealand's love for meat pies at the gas station.
Our main mistake this day was not realizing that our rental car return was at the wrong ferry terminal. But by God's grace, a taxi pulled up and we were able to hail it just in time for a ride to the other terminal.
Ferrying the Cook Strait was lovely. We had lunch (more meat pies), enjoyed the views, napped in the movie room while we were over the open ocean. As we got closer to the south island, we popped out to the deck for more views of the Queen Charlotte Sound sailing into Picton.
We had a really enjoyable evening in Picton, walking the town and finding a little beach to search for shells.
DAY 5 // Morning in Picton, Drive to Nelson Lakes NP. Backpack up Roberts Ridge to the Lake Angelus Hut for an overnight.
We drove our funny little Suzuki Jimny to Nelson Lakes National Park after a leisurely breakfast and grocery stop for backpacking food in Picton.
New Zealand is a country of hikers, or trampers, as Kiwis would say. There are over 950 backcountry huts you can book for lodging.
We booked the Lake Angelus hut, a large and popular spot in the park. The ridge route was beautiful and moody with some misty cloud moving in towards the end. I'll let the photos do the talking for today.
After 7.5 pretty intense miles, we made it to the hut! The one had water tanks, a wood stove, eating area, and 20 bunkbeds with mattresses. Folks from all over the world shared the hut with us - Kiwis, Germans, and other Americans seemed to make up most of the mix.
DAY 6 // Hike the Speargrass Creek Track down to the car. Rainy drive down the coast to Franz Josef.
The wind was whipping and the rain was driving when we left the hut after an early breakfast. It would have been so nice to spend a rainy day at the hut - but such is life on a time-limited schedule!
Thankfully, our hut had a bad weather route down, and we needed it. The ridge route would have been pretty dangerous. We followed the creek instead.
But the sun came out for us as we made our descent.
The trail seemed to go on a bit endlessly for me - even though it was downhill, it wasn't easy downhill. With lots of river crossings and huge, rooty sections of trail, I was feeling pretty tuckered out. But the trail was absolutely gorgeous.
All in all, it took us around 7.5 hours to do the ridge route the day before, and around 6 hours to descend down the creek route. We were beat, but our hearts were full. Mercifully, I got a second wind for our drive to Franz Josef. It was rainy most of the way, but we still managed to pull off along the coast to stick our tired feet in the ocean.
DAY 7 // Skydive plans cancelled due to rain, so rest and relaxation at the hostel most of the day. Drive to our sweet lodging spot on Lake Hawea.
We had planned to skydive in the west coast town of Franz Josef. But the rainy weather had our time slot pushed back, then cancelled for the day. It ended up working out well though, because it gave us a chance to have a leisurely day. We got breakfast at a sweet cafe, did our laundry at the hostel, then hung out in the common area.
If you're ever in New Zealand, the Haka House hostels are fantastic. They were very hospitable, even though we'd already checked out.
We had some time to reevaluate our itinerary as well, choosing to forgo another hut hike we had planned in Mt. Aspiring National Park. The weather looked terrible there, but nicer towards Mt. Cook, so we decided to change our plans. We also realized later that we could attempt to rebook skydiving in that location through the same company we were originally going to go with.
We headed out for another rainy drive to our next lodging spot on Lake Hawea. The clouds were dramatic and everything was so green!
Once we arrived, we realized that we had basically booked a family sized apartment at this campground on the lake. Such a great value!
DAY 8 // Lake Hawea, short drive to lodging in Twizel. Explored a nearby lavender farm and Lake Pukaki.
This was a more relaxed day - walking the shore of Lake Hawea, writing postcards, a short drive to Twizel, and some rest time at the hotel.
We popped by a lavender farm by Lake Pukaki that had the most delicious ice cream. And the lake itself was probably the bluest lake I've ever seen. Seriously, none of these pictures have the saturation up - it's just that blue.
DAY 9 // Skydiving with views of Mt. Cook, short drive to Lake Tekapo. St. John's Walkway Hike.
After breakfast at the hotel, Kiki and I got word - the skydiving was on! Winds were calm and the skies were dotted with little puffy clouds.
It was truly an amazing experience. The adrenaline rush was absolutely nuts. And it all happened before 9am. What a rush!
Kiki and I went back to the lavender farm for a celebratory ice cream, and our day was off to an amazing start.
We headed a short drive over to Lake Tekapo. (If you didn't notice yet, New Zealand has SO many pristine lakes).
Heading up the 5 mile St. John Walkway, we got great views of the lake, town, and mountains. There's also an observatory up there with a space themed cafe that's pretty fun.
We went for a swim in the lake after our hike down. It felt much overdue, given the summer weather, but we hadn't had the right conditions yet!
I could feel our time in New Zealand wrapping up, but I was glad for some moments to savor it on this beautiful day on the lake.
DAY 10 // Meat pies at the Fairlie Bakehouse, hike to Mt. Sunday, Christchurch.
Our last full day of adventure! We had to swing by the Fairlie Bakehouse on recommendation from one of my old Kiwi PCT buddies. We saved the pies for lunch, but they did not disappoint.
We headed for Mt. Sunday, the film spot for Edoras in the Two Towers. It's an iconic stone hill where they build the whole set for the Golden hall.
To our surprise, a tour group pulled up, and we got an impromptu invite to join their tour! It was definitely a sweet highlight!
Our evening was spent in Christchurch, walking the city, and making sure our bags were ready for our early morning flight.
DAY 11 (extra long with a day gained) // Flight from Christchurch to Sydney, Sydney to LA, LA to Montrose.
Dan managed to score us business class tickets for our flight home, including a stop at the fancy pants Quantas lounge in Sydney. Honestly, the best part about all these perks we got was seeing Kiki's face light up at all the free food and amenities. The trip really did fly by, but it was nice to get some actual rest on the way home. The jet lag really wasn't so bad, since 20 hours ahead actually feels more like 4 hours behind to our bodies.
My main takeaway was this: New Zealand is absolutely beautiful, and Kiwi hospitality is renowned for a reason. There's so much to see and do, that without an extended time in the country, you probably will feel like you've barely scratched the surface like we did. But either way, it was so worth it. I certainly hope I'll be back!
Calzone
What an epic adventure!