New Zealand road trip
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January – February 2018

New Zealand road trip

From the volcanoes of the North Island to the fjords of Milford Sound, via Akaroa, Mount Cook and the Routeburn Track.

Road trip10 stories9,1 km on foot

The route

Stories from this journey

  1. January 2018
  2. The adventure continues: discovering New Zealand
    January 12, 2018
    Stage 1 of 10

    The adventure continues: discovering New Zealand

    New Zealand! Land of myths, legends and fantasies. A country we'd imagined from France, invented in our minds. It was literally the farthest point possible on the map. When someone…

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  3. A volcanic adventure in New Zealand: Frying Pan Lake, Wonderland and geysers
    January 18, 2018
    Stage 2 of 10

    A volcanic adventure in New Zealand: Frying Pan Lake, Wonderland and geysers

    Māori culture was really promoted by the government and by New Zealanders, and you could feel it in everyday life. We regularly saw mixed groups of white people and Māori,…

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  4. Encounters and discoveries in New Zealand: from Wellington to Cape Palliser
    January 21, 2018
    Stage 3 of 10

    Encounters and discoveries in New Zealand: from Wellington to Cape Palliser

    Wellington was also known as the base camp of The Lord of the Rings, and it was easy to find filming locations there. We were surprised to find a very…

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  5. Visiting the Hamilton Gardens: a cultural and playful immersion
    January 22, 2018
    Stage 4 of 10

    Visiting the Hamilton Gardens: a cultural and playful immersion

    This park was the very first created in New Zealand and the fourth in the world, so it had naturally become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its most famous hiking…

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  6. Meeting Hector's dolphins in Akaroa: an unforgettable New Zealand experience
    January 25, 2018
    Stage 5 of 10

    Meeting Hector's dolphins in Akaroa: an unforgettable New Zealand experience

    We got up around 7:30 to be ready to leave at 8 so we'd be sure to return the rental car by 9. There was a lot of traffic in…

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  7. Hikes and unique experiences in the heart of New Zealand: Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook
    January 27, 2018
    Stage 6 of 10 · 9,1 km

    Hikes and unique experiences in the heart of New Zealand: Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook

    You had to live it to understand it, but constant movement wore out bodies and minds. Settling somewhere for two days had become a luxury for us. For sedentary Westerners,…

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  8. An unforgettable experience in the fjords of Milford Sound – Te Anau, New Zealand
    January 28, 2018
    Stage 7 of 10

    An unforgettable experience in the fjords of Milford Sound – Te Anau, New Zealand

    Waking up, over breakfast, we reckoned there wasn't much point going back to France. We'd be just as powerless by her side, and by the time we got to Marseille…

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  9. February 2018
  10. Discovering Dunedin: a fire, mishaps and laughs on a slope
    February 1, 2018
    Stage 8 of 10

    Discovering Dunedin: a fire, mishaps and laughs on a slope

    After the long, hard day before, we'd planned to rest a little. We lingered in bed before a leisurely breakfast and then lunch. I was cooking our steaks when a…

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  11. An epic hike on the Routeburn Track in New Zealand
    February 3, 2018
    Stage 9 of 10

    An epic hike on the Routeburn Track in New Zealand

    We started the next day fairly early with a good hike in Arrowtown. After 45 minutes of steep climbing, the path took us to the top of the Tobins Track.…

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  12. From Hokitika to Christchurch
    February 7, 2018
    Stage 10 of 10

    From Hokitika to Christchurch

    The next day we set off further north to get closer to Christchurch and the end of our trip. Hokitika beckoned and we strolled along its promenade. We should have…

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  13. The end American West road trip The next journey American West road trip February – March 2018 Keep going