OH! Magazine - Australian Version February 2016 | Page 28

( Where, Oh Where? )

ROAD TRIPPIN’ TO MILFORD
NEW ZEALAND
Photographer Gareth Christian, packed the Apollo Motorhome and headed
into the picturesque New Zealand wilderness for a self-drive adventure.
e’ve all got it sitting there on our
bucket list: a road trip in New
Zealand! The problem is it’s been on that
list for years!

W

‘New Zealand isn’t going anywhere…’,
that’s true.

Rolling out of the Apollo forecourt in the
evening, we debated the idea of staying
the night in Christchurch for a more
sensible morning departure, but with
mountains and lakes beckoning, we took
another look at what was behind us.
‘We can sleep in here. Lets just go.’

And... ‘You need at least two weeks to
experience NZ’, that is not true because
when flight times are only three hours
from Australia, it’s possible to tick off
that on-road adventure and experience
some of the best sights on earth, in just a
handful of days. Sweet as!
Desperately needing to brush off the
cobwebs and have an escape that was
both energetic and visually inspiring, I
grabbed a friend who wanted to see
Milford Sound and quickly jumped over
to New Zealand’s South Island.
To get this done we needed to be smart
about transport and accommodation, so
we booked a self-drive holiday with Apollo
Motorhomes, which ticked both boxes at
once.

Lake Tekapo is a few hours drive from
Christchurch and was a good place to
pull up first. Just ten minutes out of town
there are free options to park and sleep in
your camper at Lake Alexandria.
If you are like us and happen to arrive
late, jump out of the camper and look up!
You are standing in a Gold Status
International Dark Sky Reserve. Being
almost totally free of light pollution it is
literally one of the best places on earth to
view the stars. Photographers and star
gazers travel from all across the globe to
experience the clarity of this night sky.
Waking the next morning we wanted to
start our trip by totally resetting.
Tekapo has a great outdoor lakeside hot
pool facility, which is spot on to get you
totally relaxed. Cold air, hot water and the
sight of snowcapped mountains means
you’re best to buy a day pass, because
you’ll definitely want to double dip (i.e.,
return again later).

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FEBRUARY 2016 ( OH! MAGAZINE )

There is a one hour hike up Mt John to
Astro Café, which starts right behind the
hot springs. It’s a steep punchy hike to
get the heart going, but you’ll be rewarded
with unobscured 360-degree views of
mountain ranges and lakes, while you
chow down on brekky. Check out the Mt
John Observatory, which is also up there.
It is possible to drive there, which is good
news if you are saving your legs for a day
in the alps.
There are a few small ski fields in the
area that were established by ski clubs.
These fields have less facilities and a
cruisy vibe when compared to larger
commercial ski fields, yet can be used to
access awesome snow and serious terrain
on the good days. Roundhill is closest to
Tekapo and along with Ohau (one hour
south) and both have incredible views
and can cater for experienced skiers and
snowboarders wanting a bit more of a
‘back country’ feel.
Driving back after our first day of activities
we were stoked to have that hot springs
day pass. Dropping into the water again
as a pink sky faded to bright stars was
truly spectacular, and a good time to
debrief day one. Feeling tired but mellow
(and wrinkly after round two of the hot
springs), we chose to stay another night
at Lake Alexandria. You can pay a small
fee for a powered site right next to the hot
springs.