New Zealand Travel Diary: Abel Tasman National Park & Nelson

I'm back with some more New Zealand travel coverage! It was quite the trip, and I've got at least 3 more posts after this one. 

After we left the little slice of heaven that is Napier, we headed towards Abel Tasman National Park, which is in the northern area of the south island. 

On our way to Wellington (the gateway to the south island!) we drove through Martinborough and did some additional wine tasting on the way. Not a bad way to road trip! Special shout out to my DD who let me try as much wine as I wanted :) 

he's the best :)

The nice guys at Martinborough Vineyards let us taste all of the wines for $5NZ! Quite the deal if you ask me. We also stopped by Margrain Vineyards, and while the wine wasn't my preference, they were perfectly nice and poured generous samples. They also have a very cute cafe is you need a snack!

Then we drove our little car onto the Interislander Ferry and took a trip across the Cook Straight! The ferry was comfortable and nice, and the ride was only about 3 hours. There are plenty of booths and chairs to sit and relax if you want, they also screen a movie you can buy a ticket for if you'd like. 

They have a cafeteria style restaurant if you're hungry, but you're also able to bring your own food (which we did!). They also sell beer, wine, coffee and other fun drinks. While you're invited to bring your own food, you cannot bring outside alcohol for consumption. 

I'd also suggest bringing something to fill your time. We hung out on the deck for the sunset, but once it went dark, I kicked back with my book and sat by the window. We also played cards for a bit, but you could also watch a movie on your laptop or take a nap :)

PS - Check with your rental car provider if driving your car onto the ferry. Some require you turn in your car in Wellington and pick up a new one on the South Island. Jucy allowed us to drive our car across, which saved us a lot of time! And driving the car on/off was actually a lot easier than I imagined it would be.

The drive after we landed on the South Island in Picton, was the worst part of the trip for me personally. Luckily, I had anticipated a little car sickness, as per my friend Claire's tip (THANK YOU!) and had some ginger gum to help easy my nausea. YIKES. 

While it might not look that bad, let's zoom in a little bit.

Every single little zig and zag was pretty much on the side of a cliff. And like I said before, unless you're in a major city like Auckland, you'll be driving on 2 lane roads. In this case, in the dark. With people coming careening around the corner.... I was miserable. I think this would be slightly better if done during the day, but still would make me nervous as you wouldn't have the headlights to let you know someone was coming!

But once we got to Nelson (the town outside of Abel Tasman) where our hotel was, and I was a happy camper again! We stayed at The Sails hotel which was adorable and modern. It was a favorite of ours from the trip. We stayed on the ground floor, which I actually preferred because I could sit on the balcony and drink wine in my bathrobe :)

In the morning, we drove over to Able Tasman to go sea kayaking on a half day tour to Split Apple Rock. It was so beautiful and so much fun!

We were the only two on our tour with The Sea Kayak Company, so it was like we had a private guide to ourself! It was also nice not having to wait for slower people and kind of go where we wanted! You can just rent kayaks rather than going on a "tour", but I enjoyed having someone who knew where we were going and history on the islands we stopped at.

We stopped on this beautiful beach and went shelling (I'm a dork and love shelling) and found some gorgeous shells and awesome sea glass! It was interesting shelling on the complete other side of the world, I saw things I'd never seen before, even with living in Florida my whole life.

After exploring the beach and paddling back, we were shocked to see the beach we started at was much longer... the tide had gone out almost a quarter mile! 

When we got back from our kayaking adventure!

When we arrived! Big difference!

I also found this pretty little starfish guy. So unique, right? Definitely unlike any starfish I've ever seen! The perfect end to a perfect day.

After a long day of kayaking, we wanted a nice dinner! We got a few suggestions from our guide, one of which he said "you'll never get in without a reservation" - but we walked right in! The hostess said we were incredibly lucky, apparently this never happens. I'll take it! It was one of our favorite meals :) 

It was at the Boat Shed Cafe, and I loved it! We ordered several of their "small" plates and shared... my favorite way to eat. Not to mention, we got a table on their covered patio (it's open when the weather is warmer!) with this beautiful view of the sunset! The whole restaurant was adorable and we loved it. 

I would definitely recommend making the reservations if you're headed to Nelson! And ask for a table on the patio ;) 

We also dined at DeVille for coffee and a breakfast to-go that we loved in Nelson! I wish we'd had another day to stay and hang out in adorable little Nelson/Abel Tasman. We loved it!

Have you ever done Abel Tasman? While it might not be Milford Sound, I think it's a site not to be missed on your epic trip to New Zealand!

xo

Renting a Car vs. Renting a Camper Van in New Zealand

When we decided to go to New Zealand, we knew we'd need a mode of transportation. Unlike Europe, New Zealand is spread out and more recently developed. Trains and public transportation are almost non existent, especially between different regions. We knew renting a car (and driving on the other side of the road!) was in our future, and we needed to decide which was best - the all inclusive camper van, or the standard full sized car.

Which did we choose? The full sized car. Here are 5 reasons why.

1. The False Promise of Freedom
We were intrigued by the camper van, thinking we could plan our entire trip very loosely, just parking anywhere on the side of the road. This, however, turns out not to be true; most of the country requires you to reserve a spot at a camp site rather than just park. There are a few areas on the south island, but not enough to allow a free roaming trip.

2. Saving Money
We thought renting a camper van would be an all inclusive - a place to sleep and means of transportation, killing two birds with one stone. While it can be both, there are still additional costs associated. Because #1 is true, and you still have to reserve camp spots, we weren't necessarily saving money on hotels. At an average of $40/night for camp spots (and nice hotels ranging from $80-$150/night), and the fact that camper vans cost more than twice as much than a car, the full sized won again.

3. Gas Money
Our little car got between 30-35 MPG, where the camper van would average 15MPG or LESS. Planning a 1400 mile road trip at half the gas price was instant savings.

4. Crazy Roads
While we didn't factor this in ahead of time, I am SO thankful we had a car instead of a van. The roads in New Zealand are crazy! We drove over dozens and dozens of ONE LANE BRIDGES. I don't mean one lane each direction, I mean one lane. With no stop light. Essentially "hope nobody is coming the other way" with a CAR. 

Also, unless you're in Auckland or Christchurch, you won't be on major interstates - more like state roads. One lane each way, and many are winding, cliff side, and terrifying. I am SO thankful we didn't have a top heavy camper van while we were driving on the side of a cliff with no guard rail. 

OH, not to mention on the other side of the road.

5. Leaving Your House At Home
While I found New Zealand to be an extremely safe country, I couldn't help but notice how many people were driving to every tourist attraction with a van full of their possessions. It was nice to have a place to do laundry, leave our valuables behind, and get out of the car for a while! 

Our little car! She was a keeper.

It's definitely nice to have options! I think the camper van might work best for some, but wasn't the right option for us. Perhaps consider it if you're staying in a few places for a longer period of time, rather than several places for 1-2 nights. Hopefully if you're doing some research, this helps you make a decision!

Have you ever rented a camper van?
xo

PS - We rented our car through Jucy Rentals and had a WONDERFUL experience! 

Wine Tasting on Waiheke Island, New Zealand

Today I want to share about one of the highlights of my trip to New Zealand - Waiheke Island!

Do you like wine? 

Do you like islands? 

Do you like unbelievable views? 

Then, my friend, Waiheke Island is the place for you. Even if you don't think you like those things.... you should go anyway.

While there are plenty of guides about what to do in Auckland, I found very little about Waiheke Island. But after a little digging, and asking around to friends who have been, I discovered that Waiheke island was going to be a favorite!

Waiheke is an island off the coast of Auckland, and takes about 30 minutes on the ferry to get there. We were able to purchase discounted tickets through GrabOne, which is similar to Groupon, which made our price $22 round trip instead of $36. However, the full fare is still worth every single penny! You can purchase them at the ferry terminal or online. The ferry leaves about once an hour so you can easily plan your trip there and back from Downtown Auckland.

You can hire a car or take the bus. The ferry from downtown Auckland will drop you off at the Matiatia pier, which is on the Western side of the island. From there, we took a bus down Church Bay Road and saw some of these gorgeous views of the harbor. We also could have easily walked (which we found out later and walked back to the harbor). 

We stopped at three wineries. Jurassic Ridge, Mudbrick, and Cable Bay. There are dozens of wineries on this island, but these all came highly recommended!

Mudbrick was a favorite of mine, because their food menu was just as amazing as their wine menu. After a generous tasting at the counter, we ordered a glass of the country's famed Sauvignon Blanc and some appetizers to share. It was AMAZING.

YUM. Seriously, it was one of the best meals I've ever had. Delicious breads & dips, perfect shrimp, salads, cheese and olives.... amazing. Tapas are my favorite way to eat! Not to mention we were on this gorgeous patio with the world's most perfect breeze sweeping by. I couldn't have asked for a better day with my two favorite people!

Cable Bay was a 5 minutes walk away from Mudbrick, and after that food, wine and view - we didn't think anything else could hold a candle to our little wine paradise. THEN we arrived at Cable Bay.

We only stayed at Cable Bay for about an hour, but their view was one for the books. They had luxury bean bags on this beautiful lawn and were happy to bring you food and wine to your little cozy spot. We drank wine and fell asleep in the sun. Are you dying to visit Waiheke yet?!

We were sun kissed, full, and happy when we left :) There are so many awesome vineyards on this island, I really hope we can go back for a long weekend sometime (because of course I'm already planning my return to New Zealand). A day trip was a great sample of all Waiheke's beauty and splendor! 

Have you ever been to Waiheke before? Any vineyards I need to hit up next time?
xo