Adventure Down Under, Through Middle Earth!
- kiiimpanzeee
- Aug 11, 2018
- 10 min read
Updated: Jan 31, 2019
For uni winter break, some friends and I planned on visiting Tasmania and New Zealand for a few days — and it was the best decision ever!! As working students in Sydney, we rarely have time to go around and explore (we are very lame people because we take school way too seriously), so we were really looking forward to having a fun-filled break. Down under, the seasons are the other way around, which means that the winter months are on June-August. We really went during the peak of winter, and I highly suggest you do so too! I’m writing this entry as motivation to all the working students, postgraduate students or just plain yuppies that think to themselves “I want to go on an adventure!” or even “what will I do with all this hard-earned money??” As people who love the outdoors, we were able to maximise the limited time we had to explore as much as we can, with a good working budget, and I hope you can too!
Let’s begin with the fun parts first before we move on to the technical bits! Here are the top places we most enjoyed during our trip:
TASMANIA
Cradle Mountain It was quite a long drive to Cradle Mountain from Hobart (about 4-5 hours!), but it was really worth it!! We didn’t really expect to see snow while we were in Tasmania, but Cradle Mountain had just the right amount of snow. The deep blue colour of Dove Lake offered a good contrast to the snow-capped mountains surrounding it. We attempted to do the Dove Lake Circuit but the snowy mountains lured us to Marion’s Lookout. We got carried away and ended up walking for about 5 hours!
Mt. Amos, Freycinet National Park Freycinet National Park was an unplanned surprise as we wanted to explore more coming from Launceston. We chose to go up Mt. Amos despite its difficulty rating. It was a warm hike up it’s rocky surface, where we sometimes had to use our arms to pull us up as the walk was pretty steep. If you’re up for this 3-hour challenge, a good view of Wineglass Bay will meet you at the peak of Mt. Amos.
Cape Hauy, Three capes Out of the Three Capes, we visited Cape Hauy and Totem Pole which took about 4 hours. Since some of us are afraid of heights, the views had us clinging onto the ground. The high rocks by the coast will have you thinking Drogon will fly over your head anytime soon!
Mt. Wellington Mt. Wellington is accessible by car so we didn’t really expect much from it -- but it was really nice! We were pretty excited as we started seeing snow on the way up and had a lot of fun playing around in the snow! It offers an overlooking view of the city from above.
NEW ZEALAND
Mt. Roy, Wanaka Mt. Roy is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. It’s a 5-6 hour return hike, the way up a 2.5-hour steep uphill. Going up was pretty warm as the sun was shining and the incline was at least 45 degrees constantly. Towards the top, the ground was a bit snowy, but because of the heat, some of it had already melted. The view point was amazing -- once the skies cleared, the snow glowed as the sun shone and the lake gently reflected the islands and mountains above it. The people paragliding around made it all too good to be true!
Aoraki Mt. Cook Even from afar, Aoraki had the hair on our arms standing up! It looked so majestic, and the stories of the past climbers at the visitor’s centre added to the glory of the place. Although we wanted to explore the whole park, we only had time to visit the Tasman River and do the Hooker Valley walk. The Tasman River is a short 15-min walk where you can get a really good view of the ice that broke off from the glacier. My jaw literally dropped when I saw it! The Hooker Valley walk was a bit longer (2 hour return) and it’s the best walk out of all-- especially as it gives a top view of the Tasman River and the peak of Aoraki clearly (provided good weather). If you're looking for a place to stay, the YHA at Mt. Cook is one of the nicest ones, and it’s smack in the middle of the park.
Lake Tekapo Besides the turquoise lake that is Tekapo, two things left us speechless during our short stay. The first was Mt. John Observatory where we had a 360 degree view of the southern alps beyond the lake. There we had a breathtaking view while sipping on our coffees at Astro Cafe. The next morning, as the sun slowly peaked through the mountains, it left the sky colourful and vibrant as a painting! The church of the Good Shepherd, the alps, and the lake composed one of the best sunrises we’d ever seen.
Milford Sound The Milford Sound Cruise had us feeling like we were in Jurassic Park! Although it was drizzling, the various rock formations, the falls and the rainbows left us in awe. The cruise was 2 hours and the roads heading there are quite dangerous, so it’s best to go for the coach+cruise tour.
Taranaki Falls, Tongariro National Park The Tongariro Crossing was something we would’ve wanted to do, but we only had one afternoon there and opted for the Taranaki Falls walk (2 hour return). This walk offers the chance for you not only to see the falls from the bottom, but also climb up and stand beside the cliff overlooking the waterfall. This was the best spot at the North Island in our opinion.
The pictures above don't even do justice to the beauty of Tassie and New Zealand!! Now let's move on to the technical side for more practical matters.
ITINERARY
People mentioned that Tassie was like a mini version of New Zealand, so we decided to do Tassie in 5 days, and NZ in 14 days (since there are 2 islands). The flights that we took for all were with Jetstar. The ones for Tassie came out around 190 AUD (without baggage --- travel light!) and the NZ ones were around 450 AUD plus the connecting flight of 90 AUD (with 20kg baggage). Below is the general itinerary that we had:
Tasmania
New Zealand
Getting a visitor visa to for NZ is pretty easy for Filipinos. We don't have to pay for the actual visa, just the processing fee of 30 AUD. Simply go to http://online.immigration.govt.nz to lodge your application, show your passport at their office in the CBD and pay the fee, and wait to receive your visa via email for up to 2 weeks.
For the walks and for almost everything, it's smartest to drop by the visitor centres first because they have all the free maps, information, and souvenirs. Generally all areas have at least 1 visitor centre! They're only open until 4 or 5pm so be sure to get there before then.
ACCOMMODATIONS
In Tassie, we stayed at AirBnbs, except for Cradle Mountain. Though we never met our hosts, our AirBnb’s were really good— we had the entire place to ourselves,. Around NZ, we stayed mainly at YHAs (Youth Hostel Accommodations) mainly because they are highly reliable and very affordable! The staff are really friendly too and they work towards operating sustainably. Their common areas are so cosy because of the fireplace and the heaters ensure a good sleep! Sign up to be a member to get good discounts. Each night will come out only around 20-35 AUD (depending on the location) for the mixed dorms. For the places without YHAs, we stayed either at an AirBnb (Taupo) or at a hotel (Lake Tekapo). Don't forget to bring a padlock to keep your belongings safe in the lockers of the hostels! In the kitchen, make sure to label your food if you don't want them disappearing mysteriously.
TRANSPORTATION
It’s best to hire a car and drive around especially if you’re with a group as it will come out cheaper and you'll have time on your hands. Gas can be expensive playing around 1.98 AUD per litre in Tassie and 2.20 NZD per litre in NZ. At Tassie, we hired a Mitsubishi Outlander through Thrifty costing around 390 AUD with full insurance. Due to the abundance of wildlife in Australia, there are lots of animals crossing the road --- kangaroos, wombats, wallabies, echidnas, and possums --- that end up as roadkill, so be really cautious! In NZ, we could only afford a Toyota Corolla with basic insurance and roadside cover from Apex Car Rentals. This set us back around 450 NZD. Driving in Australia and New Zealand takes getting used to as they use right hand drive, where the car is on the left side of the road-- unlike in the Philippines. In winter, snow chains, which prevents cars from slipping in icy roads, are required (don’t worry, they’ll show you how to use them!). Because of the cold temperatures, the windshield fogs up a lot and when that happens, just turn up the defogger with cold air. Also, the car develops a layer of ice in the morning, and we just poured some warm water over it to defrost.
There were times when we had no data signal, and had to use the free maps from visitor centres, so don't take them for granted!
COMMUNICATIONS
At the airport, we already bought the Vodaphone travel sim for 49 NZD. It’s best to buy it at the Duty Free area for 45 NZD, which includes 3GB of data, 100 minutes of calls and 150 SMS messages. En route to some places, there is no cellular signal, so better to preload the route at Apple or Google Maps to be sure you are going the right direction! YHAs have free wifi but only with a maximum of 2GB per device per day.
CLOTHES AND GEAR
In winter, it’s important to layer up because the temperatures can still be high during the day when the sun is out, then suddenly drop, even below zero in the South Island. Since we did some outdoor activities, “normal” clothes were very different from “walking” (aka trekking and hiking) clothes. Normal clothes were just 2-3 layers at the top --- a tank top, a long-sleeved shirt, and a “jumper” (aka jacket), and 2 layers at the bottom --- stockings/tights plus jeans or wool pants. For walking, I wore varying layers at different times of the walk. Most of my gear are from Macpac (since I work there!), check them out here
Baselayer: a drifit short-sleeved shirt (my dark gray shirt in the gif) with a drifit long-sleeved shirt (blue) for the sunny, uphill bits. Thermals can be good as baselayers. Trust me, it doesn’t feel as cold when you start walking already because your body will heat up.
Mid-layer: a fleece-lined jacket (light-gray) for when it starts to get windy. I also wear a down jacket (pink) for when I get to the peak because that’s always where it’s coldest!
Outer shell: a wind/waterproof jacket (white) for when it starts to rain and also for the peak.
Bottoms: stockings/tights plus fleece-lined tights on the outside
I wore gloves when outdoors because the low temperatures are really painful on my hands! For footwear, I mostly wore my trekking shoes with merino socks and sometimes knee high boots to fight off the cold. During walks, it’s important to have the right shoes that are waterproof with good traction. I use Hi-Tec shoes while Cy is overly happy with his new Columbia boots. Also, a lightweight weatherproof day pack is helpful for carrying your trail food, water, and extra layers during the walk.
WEATHER
Always check the weather before doing anything! We got lucky with clear blue skies at Tassie and at the South Island while it was mainly gloomy at the North Island. Having waterproof gear is a must in trips to Australia or NZ. They always say "don't trust the weather app!" but it's a good benchmark for planning on what to wear depending on the season.
BUDGET
Your budget highly depends on the activities that you want to do. You might want to go skiing, skydiving, parasailing or visit the zoo. At National Parks in Tasmania, you need to get a pass at the Visitor Centre, either as an individual or for the entire car for about 60 AUD valid for 3 months. In NZ, the parks are free (yay!) and we barely paid for activities except for the Hobbiton Tour, the Milford Sound Cruise, and the Maori Rock Carving sailing tour. Coming from Australia, it’s best to pay for everything through an ING Debit card as their exchange rates are pretty good and they don’t charge an international transaction fee. So we didn’t really need to exchange money to NZD because of this. Below is a good estimate of the expenses we incurred per person:
So given all those things, I'd like to leave you with a few tips for your upcoming trips down under and through middle earth:
1. Book in advance
Peak season for New Zealand is during the summer (December to March) so we were really lucky that the YHAs were not fully booked, even if we only started booking a month in advance! It's best to book all the accommodations and other deals beforehand because it gives structure to your itinerary, makes sure you have a bed to sleep on, and can save you some money from good deals. Check out bookme.co.nz.
2. Do groceries to save up
Eating out in New Zealand can be pretty pricey, so we did groceries to save up! We mainly cooked a lot of tuna pesto pasta, had bread every morning and ate sausages for dinner (we were too lazy to switch up the menu!). It's also good to pre-pack meals for the walks because you never know what time you'll get to finish and grab lunch.
3. Plan ahead
Make the most out of your trip! Search for everything that you want to visit and have the list handy for last-minute changes in your itinerary. We actually had only a general itinerary before the trip, and planned the day-to-day activities based on the weather, our general disposition, and other factors (like sometimes museums were closed). Of course the most important thing is for everyone to have fun! So talk with your mates and agree on what's best to do together :)
To give you a better idea of how our trip went, here is a short video that Cy and I made for memories' sake! Shoutout to our friends Rach and Jessi for joining us and helping us plan such a great trip to Tassie :) Also, more beautiful photos up at Cy's photo journal - cynetwilliam.com!
I hope you enjoyed journeying with us again through Tasmania and New Zealand! I'm sure you and your friends will have a blast too during your trip! Everything (absolutely everything) in those places was amazing --- we couldn't get enough of the views, as I'm sure you will experience too! Enjoy!:)
This post's INSPIRATION is on: going out of your comfort zone, enjoying life, and admiring the beauty of your surroundings!
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