NZ South

On Thursday 8th of February we left Auckland and North Island behind and flew to Queenstown. I was gaping out of the plane window for a long time enjoying the amazing views as we approached the airport. Queenstown Airport is surrounded by beautiful mountains and lakes and it's definitely one of the most picturesque airports I've ever been to (I'm not the only one thinking that)

Airport grounds and the Remarkables

We searched for accommodations about a week before our flight but this time we ran into problems. Until then we had had no problems booking our rooms few days in advance or even the day before staying but it was a different story in South Island. First it felt that EVERYTHING was fully booked and we found out it was the peak season with the Chinese New Year going on on top of that (we also learned that Queenstown is hugely popular throughout the whole year so book well in advance even outside the peak season). Luckily we didn't leave all the planning for the last day and had at least some time to plan our moves. For starters we got an Airbnb homestay place near the airport for the first couple of days. It was just a walking distance away from the airport and the house was empty as we got there. Well, almost empty as our bed was taken...

Coco the cat

It was still early afternoon when we got our stuff in place so we did a little Google research and decided to go to Queenstown and walked to the nearest bus stop. We found out that you can get a GoCard from the bus and it's the cheapest and easiest way to get around. Shortly after arriving to town center we saw Small Planet Disc Sports and had to pay a visit there, after being taken away from the disc golf scene for few months I had the urge to do some shopping.. After buying some discs we wanted to see Lake Wakatipu and Queenstown waterfront so we walked there. It was just beautiful with clear water and mountains in the background. We also walked to Queenstown Gardens and got a glimpse from it's disc golf course but it was getting late so we hopped on the bus going back to Frankton where we stayed.

The place we stayed in was a homestay and it was the first time staying in one for both me and Sini. The place had many good reviews but I was still pleasantly surprised. The owner turned out to be really nice and we felt like home and on top of that the place was located just a 20 minute ride from Queenstown. They also had a (bed invading) cat and a dog we planned to kidnap but unfortunately we didn't have space in our backpacks. ;p

Afternoon sun in Queenstown

The next three days we took it easy and just enjoyed disc golf in Queenstown Gardens and the town itself. Even if I don't fancy touristy places too much nowadays I fell a little for Queenstown. The place has it's charm for sure and it became one of my favorites in NZ.

It's in

On Monday morning we made our way to Omega Car Rental near the airport. We had rented a Hyundai Tucson SUV for three weeks and the car greatly eased our situation with accommodations. After paperwork and getting the car we went to get our backpacks and set our way to Alexandra. It's a small town one hour drive east from Queenstown. There's not too much to do around the town but there are some nice hiking possibilities and the guest house we stayed in, Irish Charm, was well worth the money. On our way to Alexandra we stopped to check out the views at Lake Dunstan near the Clyde Dam.

Lake Dunstan

We were very pleasantly surprised as we got to our guest house as it was located near New World supermarket and it was spacious, clean and had an Apple TV with the game Jetpack Joyride which we totally rocked! It would have been easy to lock ourselves in to beat the high scores but we decided to check out Shaky  Bridge Cafe that our host recommended. Coffee and a local pale ale in pretty surroundings worked just fine.

Shaky Bridge Cafe

Next day we decided to do a day trip to Wanaka which was around one hour drive one way. It turned out to be less touristy version of Queenstown which was just great. And there's a beautiful disc golf course also, perfection!

Checking out the views in Wanaka

Irish Charm was fully booked after Tuesday so we switched places again which was becoming a theme in South Island. Our next place was a Bed and Breakfast a short drive away from Alexandra. After leaving our stuff there we drove to Blue Lake in St Bathans. For me it was a 'meh' experience as there is so much beautiful nature in New Zealand that you kind of become blind to it. What got me more excited was the fact that the place we stayed in had a grill and we bought some steaks and red wine, it's hard to beat a good BBQ! We still had one full day near Alexandra so we decided to do some hiking, or tramping, as the locals call it. It's a long way to the top but boy it feels good when you reach it :)

On the top

Our Bed and Breakfast place had some farm animals and later that day Sini got to help with collecting chicken eggs and feeding the sheep. The sheep were a bit suspicious of us and stomped their feet at us but they fled pretty quickly when we did the same to them :D At dinner time we enjoyed some BBQ again as we had the chance.

Farm girl

There was finally some space in Queenstown hostels on Friday so we made our way there. We checked Bookme for some deals and booked some luge tickets for the next day. It turned out to be great fun and you should definitely book at least 5 rides. We had 7 and each felt faster than the previous one so maybe it was good we didn't have more to avoid injuries :D

Down the hill we go!

After the downhill fun we had pizza and went to play disc golf. On the course we met some local guys and played a round with them. They asked if we wanted to join them the next day on a different course that's near Queenstown and we were in of course. It was harder one for sure but nice to try still.

More visitors

On Monday 19th my mom and her friend were coming to visit us for two weeks. We were going back to Alexandra and we drove there beforehand with Sini to check in because our guests' flight was landing pretty late. In the evening we went to the airport to pick up my mom and Kisu and it was nice to meet again after many months of traveling. They had stayed in Singapore for one night to ease the jetlag but had a long flight behind and we still had an hour to drive. It wasn't too bad though and soon they got to paying some sleep debts.

The next day was rainy so we mostly just watched the Olympics and drove around Alexandra checking out the Shaky Bridge and the nearby town Clyde where the dam is. Following morning we set our way to Wanaka. There's a unique cafe and tourist attraction in Wanaka we decided to visit because it was still too early to check in and the rain continued still. It's called Puzzling World and it has all kind of brain teasers, puzzles and illusions to offer.

Coffee and puzzles

Again it was raining through the day so we kept inside after buying some groceries and rum to keep us warm. Little before sunset the sky started to clear out a bit so we did a little walk nearby before hitting the bed.

On Thursday morning we woke up to a whole different world as the sky was clear and the sun was shining. Unfortunately we couldn't enjoy Wanaka more that time as it was time, once again, to change motels. Our next one was located in Cromwell, a small town in middle of Queenstown, Alexandra and Wanaka. On the way we stopped to buy heaps of fresh fruits and went for a walk after checking in at our motel. It was good spending time outside after the rainy days although the town itself didn't have too much to offer. Later that night we had a big meal in Five Stags Restaurant.

Once again we had booked only one night stay and in the morning we went back towards north. We drove all the way to Twizel, 140 km from Cromwell stopping in Omarama to caffeine up and do some clothes shopping and to buy some fish in High Country Salmon that our hostess recommended earlier.

Scouting for salmon

After unloading the car and chilling for a while we drove another ten minutes to Lake Pukaki, which Sini had searched up before. We had to rub our eyes a bit when the lake came in view because it was just amazing. The lake has a distinctive light cyan color which it gets from glacial flour and it's an impressive sight. After getting back we still had time to check out the disc golf course which was located conveniently just next to our motel..

Lake Pukaki

Sunday was a relaxation day which we spent in Lake Tekapo and floating in Tekapo Springs hot pools ranging from 37 - 39 degrees Celsius. We were meant also to participate in Salmon Festival but it was already ending when we got back to Twizel that afternoon.

Our next destination was another small town named Kingston on the shore of Lake Wakatipu and we had the luxury to stay there in a spacious Airbnb place a whopping three nights.. On our way there we stopped for some wine tasting as there are tons of wineries in Central Otago ranging from big to small and bought a bottle of red. We didn't stop for groceries on the way and after getting to Kingston we noticed that the town is so small there's no grocery stores. So I hopped in the car and 60 km later in Lumsden I got us some food :D

We decided to spend the next day in Queenstown as Kingston was probably the smallest town we'd been to in NZ. On our earlier visits we'd seen the massive lines outside the famous Fergburger and now was the time to put those hamburgers to the test.

The hype outside Fergburger

Luckily we Finns love to stand in queues because the place was crowded as usual. In less than 15 minutes we had our meal in the bag and we took it to Earnslaw Park by the lake. The burgers were mighty fine, maybe not worth all the hype but very tasty indeed. After the meal we headed to the disc golf course with Sini and my mom did some walking and shopping with Kisu.

Glowworms and tattoos

On February 27th it was time to explore Fiordland so we hopped in the car pretty early and started driving towards Te Anau. We arrived before noon and went straight to Real Journeys office to book tickets for a glowworm cave tour. They had still enough space for the 3 pm tour so we bought those and got some snacks and coffee. There was still plenty of time before the tour and there was a 9 hole disc golf course and some good walking areas nearby so we had no trouble spending those few hours. At 2.45 pm we were back in the Real Journeys office and soon got on the tour boat.

Entering the caves

The caves were really cool, we walked there on platforms next to a underground river and saw glowworms and a waterfall. Few times we stopped to spot the worms and the guide turned off the flashlight. It was a little disorienting as it was pitch black and quiet, the only thing you could see were little specks of light from the glowworms. The coolest part was yet to come as we got on a small boat and in the darkness floated deeper in the caves where there were thousands of glowworms. It felt like floating in space, it was all quiet and those worms shone like distant stars.

We still had some days left with our guests and next we went back to Wanaka. On the way we drove up to The Remarkables Ski Area to remind ourselves what snow looks like and had a stop in Cardrona as well. After the drive we just chilled and threw discs at Lismore Park later on.

On March 1st there was a nice coincidence as we were having lunch (a massive lunch, Lake Bar's Taste Plate was HUGE!). Before 2018 New Zealand had won only one medal in Winter Olympics and this year they won 2 bronze medals, both by teens living in Wanaka. It was their homecoming party that day and they drove past us when we were eating. :)

Ordering food when you're hungry..

Wanaka Olympic medalists

The next day we did a little car trip to Blue Pools. There's some nice tracks going through woods and across the Makarora River and you have plenty of options to choose from, the one we took was 1,5 km one way. Back in Wanaka we went to have a small picnic in Eely Point and searched for That Wanaka Tree. In reality it didn't look like much but hey, the hype is real so we had to take a picture of course. Later that night we shot a round in Lismore Park and Sini got -1, you go girl!

Perhaps the most photographed tree in New Zealand

The next morning it was time to say goodbye to Wanaka. We drove to Arrowtown, a historic gold mining town located near Queenstown. The place was bigger and more touristy than I had imagined but had a nice feel to it. We did some shopping and continued our way back to Kingston. It was the last night for my mom and Kisu so we had booked something different to stay in, two yurts. It was actually a really comfortable stay.

One of our yurts

On Sunday we drove our guests to airport and went to a nearby cafe to play Tantrix, a tile-based strategic game we bought in Te Anau. Next few days we were in a slight slumber, the travel weariness starting to get us. We had tried to book a table in Stratosfare Restaurant for our last night together with my mom and Kisu but they were fully booked then. I got a table for the two of us for Tuesday though. It didn't fit in our daily budget but it was still definitely worth it, the 95 NZD price included a gondola ride up the hill and the buffet had lots of delicious options to choose from.

Not too shabby

The next day was our last in South Island and all about adrenaline. We booked a KJet ride that took us from Lake Wakatipu to Shotover River, doing 360 spins and skimming over shallow waters. It was a one hour long ride and even if it the jet boat was going fast we could have enjoyed an even faster ride. It was fun still and after the thrill I had only half an hour to get to Otautahi Tattoo, where I had reserved a time to get some new ink on my calf. I'd planned it for a looong time but as it is a travel themed tattoo it felt right to have it done there on the other side of the globe. :)

Getting inked

- Matias

Our route so far

Down under in Brisbane

We traveled from Surat Thani to KL to Bali and finally to Brisbane on 9th of January. The trip took almost 24 hours (we didn't get any sleep) and then it was time to meet the infamous Australian border officers at 6 am.. Matias had a wooden souvenir from Bali so first time ever it was time to take  the red line. The process was quick and easy to our surprise. Few questions and sniffs from a cute lab and we were good to enter the country. After some coffee we pondered whether we should get our prepaid sim cards from Vodafone or Optus. Google search didn't give a clear answer so we ended up with Optus which had a better deal at the moment. With 15$ we got unlimited calls and texts in Australia and 10GB data. (It was more than enough, after 3 weeks still had 8GB left 👍)

We took an Uber from the airport and went straight to meet our new lovely Finnish friends Solei and Sirpa. We had been in contact for months with Solei but this was the first time actually meeting the sisters :) Also it was so lovely that they had Finnish coffee, cinnamon buns and Finn Crisps (with Salami) there waiting for us. We were in heaven!
We chatted quite a bit and got to hear the valuable local tips on what to do around the area. Thanks to these ladies we also got to experience the local life little bit as Sirpa had arranged us to be housesitters and dog watchers for a week.
Housesitting is quite common in Australia and I hear there is some pages where you can register and you might find free accommodation like that and end up spending part of your vacation petting cute dogs and chilling at the backyard in the sun with a pool. That's what happened to us anyway :)

We had a car in our use for the first week which was great. It was scary though.. to drive a MANUAL car for the first time on the other side of the road. The shift stick was on the left and the signal on the right and window wipers where the signal usually is... So like our new Finnish friend Mika says "the tourists always have the cleanest windows" 😂. Well we sure had it like that. We had some car trouble after visiting Aldi (local Lidl) for the first time.. After visiting the shop and buying all the food, the car didn't start! Oh crap! Luckily the car owner's dad lived nearby so I called him and he came to give some extra power for the battery and he had it replaced so we would not have the same trouble again.

Our street with the quirky car

The north Strafford Island and Brisbane city exploration - week 1 

Solei and Sirpa say that one of the best places to visit (on Earth I think :) ) is the Straddie island. It's easily reachable from Brisbane and especially from Cleveland/Ormiston area where we stayed. The ferry ticket costs total of 14$ or 20$ per person depending which company you choose. You could also take your car there but it's more expensive and there is no point if you are just visiting for one day. The ferry trip took something like 20-30min I think and then there was a bus waiting at the harbour, ready to take people to Point Lookout. The return bus ticket was around 10$ each and the trip to other side of the island took maybe 25min. At first the bus ride gave me a feeling that we were in Ruissalo Turku, with the exception of road signs about koalas and kangaroos 😎 When you get to Point Lookout you'll find a couple of restaurants, beaches and also good public toilets, but the absolute must is to do the Gorge Walk. I mean really, you gotta do it! Even after seeing the pics that Solei and Sirpa had, that could not prepare us for the views and wildlife we got to see.. It was astonishing! We ended up seeing two kangaroos, stingrays, seaturtles and one undefined whale/dolphin/shark creature. We could have spend longer time there, but we were worried about the little doggies so we just spent few hours on the island and went back to our petting and belly rubbing duties :) (these little dogs that were on our watch, Keksi and Pertti*,  were so cute and affectioned! we really fell for them ❤️
*The names of the dogs might have been changed due to protecting their privacy :) )

Doing the Gorge Walk

A roo

The next day we hopped on a train and travelled 50 minutes to Southbank which is the cultural center and quite laid-back urban city area with many restaurants and a beautiful riverside. We wondered around for some time and ended up enjoying some greek food at Zeus restaurant and some live music at a park. It was very nice and with time and more money, we could have stayed longer there. But again the belly rubbing duty awaited us.. or so we though!

We arrived back home around 6pm only to find only one dog in the backyard.. that was weird at first but after looking all over the place, we realized that Pertti had gone missing! OMG! I called the owner's mom and she calmed me and said that Pertti has done it before and we should not worry too much about it or go look for him.. but we worried and went out looking for him and called his name hoping so badly that he would appear from somewhere.. but nothing :( after returning home we just sat by the open front door and waited.. and waited.. and waited. We must have looked so sad and desperate there. I started to search local missing dog sites from Facebook and at first we got nothing, but then at 10pm I saw Pertti's photo on Queensland lost pet registers site!! OMG we found him! Maybe 15 minutes after that Pertti was back home with us. We were so happy! Pertti on the other hand seemed very nonshallant and was playing it very cool. We learned that he had found the tiniest and quite high up hole from the fence and escaped from there and wandered a bit until a neighbour from the nearby street found him. Pertti ended up having great time with the neighbours and enjoyed some BBQ and got lots of cuddles also. Hah.. that little furball! Phiuuff luckily this story had a happy ending 🙏

After that episode we weren't too keen on going far from home and it was 37 degrees out so pool and some BBQ suited just fine for us. It was a wonderful place to housesit and the dogs, like I said, stole our hearts a bit. We also felt really good having our Finnish friends and the owner's parents support there as we tried the local life :)

Keksi

Week 2 

I have been in Facebook groups like "Australian suomalaiset" and "Brisbanen suomalaiset" (local FB groups for Finns) and I saw this one guy telling that he rents cars with affordable prices. After chatting with him we learned that he also has a homestay option at their own home, also with affordable price and it includes the nice company of Mika and Elina, the other Finnish travellers and two beautiful dogs :) So with the help of Solei and Sirpa again and after saying goodbyes to the doggies, we hopped on a train on one afternoon and traveled to Kuraby, Brisbane. Mika came to pick us up from the train station so we didn't have to climb up the hill in the heat with all our stuff.
Their place in Kuraby is nice and it gives you a homelike feeling as it is the actual home for Mika and Elina. Mika has helped various Finnish working holiday travellers to get their things going when moving here down under so we highly recommend starting your Brisbane life from here.

We rented an automatic car from Mika and put it in very good use from the get go as we drove to the Gold Coast. Our friend in Finland has said that Surfers Paradise is a marvelous place so we had to see it for ourselves. And it was pretty! Amazingly long coastline, lovely city feeling with restaurants and shops and highrise buildings. We spend few hours there and then continued our way to Currumbin and oh I found heaven there on the beach! Some spots had silky smooth sand so I could not do anything than just lay there for a bit. I was so offline :)

Enjoying the silky smooth sand

Coffee @ Hard Rock Cafe 

The next day it was time to do our duty as Finnish citizens and we drove up to the consulate to cast our vote in the presidential election. It was our first time doing it abroad so it was really an interesting experience. After that we drove to Mount Coot-tha as we heard that it would have an awesome view of the city. I think it would been even better to visit there around sunrise or sunset but the view was pretty cool daytime as well.

Mount Coot-tha lookout

After playing tourists it was time to put the gamefaces on and play some frisbeegolf (disc golf). Around Brisbane area, there are few courses but what was odd was that we were the only ones playing! We visited three different parks and in one of them (Logan) we met a local lady who said that in her 10-12 years living near the park she has never seen anyone play this game.. :o what the heck! I mean it's not easiest to get proper discs here as they don't sell them in the local sport shops (we googled).. but still! Though I must add that the weather was maybe too hot so maybe it's more like a winter sport for the Brisbanites.. well anyway we were amazed but extremely happy we had the courses to ourselves :)

Can you spot the basket? 

Weekend fun at Eat Street North Shore 

We heard from one fellow Finn at Mika's that there is this awesome event that happens on the weekends at the Northshore. It's like a food festival kind of, with something like 70 different stalls and many options to buy food from different parts of the world and enjoy live music and other shows at the same time, maybe with a glass of wine or beer. It costs only 2.5$ to get in. We first walked around and checked what the place had to offer and then decided what we wanted to eat.
We started to get hungry so we first tried small hot dogs for starters and then headed to South American joint where I took a beefy bun and Matias had a plate full of everything. We finished the foods with a nice local Out and a Bout pale ale.
We highly recommend to visit this place!

Huge portions, happy stomachs

how to get there? 

If you have a car then you could drive there, but we definitely recommend the ferry option. I don't remember how much the ferry was because we payed with GoCards, but it was not more than few dollars. The trip took about 40minutes from Southbank and it was a lovely way to see the area. The way back especially was wonderful as you can see the city lights in the dark.

- Sini

Brisbane city lights

Our route so far