Kaikoura and Arthurs Pass and More!

Taking trips through New Zealand is made accessible through the intercity buses. They come and pick us up at the city bus interchange. There are set bathroom breaks and stops along the way when traveling. I don’t mind taking the bus, especially because New Zealand looks so unreal like a green screen background. The bus can be scheduled to drop and pick up on the same day or different days. This makes travel more convenient when not owning a car. Although, the best advice I received about driving on the flip side of the road or side you are used to is to always have the driver by the line/center of the road. 

We got up early in the morning and grabbed some breakfast before taking off. When we arrived in Kaikoura, the weather was beautiful. Kaikoura is known for its whale tours but we chose to go on a hike over to the seal colony instead. As we drove up to Kaikoura we spotted some pods of dolphins as well. The shops were all cute and there were some good thrifting and second hand stores. I got a muffin at a small cafe and I must note that many things close early since it is a small town. The views of the mountains and ocean were lovely with a rocky beach. I would recommend wearing layers for this. I ended up switching from pants and a sweatshirt to shorts and a short sleeve. Do not forget sunblock! The seals were incredibly close to the paths but no matter how cute they are, they are still wild animals. They have a powerful jaw and can move faster than they look. We took pictures of them without disrupting them as much as possible. Other things to do in Kaikoura is to visit the lavender farm, get some seafood, and ice cream from Poppys.

Another day trip my friends and I took together was to the west coast of New Zealand’s south island. We booked this tour through Cheeky Kea, which was a wonderful experience that picked us up from the bus interchange in Christchurch city center. They provided snacks, multiple amazing photo opportunities and of course dietary changes to the meal provided if you have dietary restrictions. Our first stop was at the jet boat museum, which was a cute little stop with the smallest boats I had ever seen. Jet boats were invented in New Zealand in order to travel rivers upstream. We walked on a little nature walk that gave details of all of New Zealand's native plants and description of what the plants are used for. The next stop was at Lake Lyndon for a photo opportunity. The lake was beautiful with the surrounding mountains and reminded me why New Zealand has had so many fantasy movies filmed here. After getting our instagram worthy shots we headed off to Castle Hill. Castle Hill has stunning limestone rock formations with an easy and quick trek around them. The rocks carry significance to the native people and are part of a conservation area. Then after this we stopped at this cute bed and breakfast place that has the wackiest decoration and collectables. They had the strangest pianos and books as well as a pet african gray parrot. I had a great time taking a break inside here for a while. Then we made it to our final destination, Arthurs Pass. We hiked up Devils punchbowl waterfall. It was sprinkling a bit more out here so definitely bring a raincoat because the west coast does get more rain. and Our driver was super kind and dropped us off at our apartments which was not required of him.