Queenstown

No words can describe how perfect this town was. It had everything we could ever want, from the bluest water in the rivers that you could boat down, to amazing hikes that let you see so many different islands from one spot. Just walking outside of our Airbnb, we had huge, gorgeous mountains surrounding us on every side. If you could paint a picture of the perfect town, it would look like this one.

A hike we did named Roys Peak is super popular, and for a reason. After hiking up the side of this mountain for 5 hours, we finally made it to the top where we were met with views that pictures can’t do justice. You could see small towns, large rivers, and lakes, and we even met some sheep friends at the top. There’s nothing like that rewarding feeling you get at the top when you can see everything with your own eyes.

One notable stop we made was at this huge cave on one of the biggest beaches I have ever stepped on. After hiking through a jungle and along a long beach, you arrive at this opening in the side of a mountain that goes so far back we had to use flashlights. But what we were not prepared for was the cave to loop back around and open up to the ocean again. It created a beautiful silhouette and an incredible view.

Milford Sound

One of the ugliest, rainiest days we had on our whole trip turned out to be the most incredible experience we have ever had. This story is the one I always talk about when I tell people about New Zealand because I still can’t believe I got to experience it with my own eyes. We had a boat tour planned for this day in Milford Sound, and luckily, it was thunderstorms all day. We went anyway, bought ponchos, and hoped for the best. We were soaked before even getting on the boat, and it wasn’t looking good. But when we started out, we quickly learned that the rain made this tour a million times better. We were boating through a ravine with mountains on either side of us, and all the rain was creating hundreds of waterfalls. Not even exaggerating when I say hundreds. We quickly realized how lucky we were when the tour guide told us that the waterfalls are never there until heavy rain. What we thought was going to be a dreadful day easily became my favorite thing we witnessed in New Zealand.

Dunedin

We knew before we arrived in New Zealand that it was going to be beautiful, but seeing it with our own eyes made it even more remarkable. Dunedin is one of those small towns that you can’t comprehend how beautiful it is, and people just live there. Not only did it have Nugget Point, which was a lighthouse set by the water with incredible rocks, but it also had a night sky you couldn’t stop looking at. See, in New Zealand, they have a dark zone law that, at nighttime, requires every building to dim their lights or turn them off, so there was no light pollution. This made the Milky Way stars look brighter than you will ever see.