Dean Papastrat, a solo traveller from Seattle visited NZ for a two week LoTR tour that incorporated both the North & South Islands.
Prior to joining Constance, his Road Trip guide, for a 9 course degustation meal at the esteemed Sugar Club Restaurant up the Auckland Sky Tower, nature loving Dean took a short ferry ride across the sparkling waters of the Waitemata Harbour to Rangitoto Island.
As they set out on their adventure they travelled across the Hauraki Plains before reaching the rolling hills of Hobbiton Shire where Dean visited the movie set and new Hobbit Hole attraction.
That evening after dining at one of the many options in Eat Street, Dean soaked in the healing thermal waters of Rotorua at the Polynesia Spa.
Dean walked in the treetops of the Redwood Forest then explored this thermal wonderland further by taking a stroll around Te Puia where he also got to see NZ’s National bird, the flightless Kiwi.
He also enjoyed an invigorating experience at Wai Ariki, Rotorua’s new Hot Springs & Spa which featured waterfall showers and a mud bath. Afterwards he travelled to Te Pa Tu for a cultural show and a modern twist on a traditional hangi (feast).
The next stop on leaving town the following day was the Waimangu Volcanic Valley. The walk in light drizzle did not detract from the mystical nature of this place with its unique geothermal features.
Between showers they checked out the Aratiatia Rapids and Huka Falls before the rain really set in as they headed further south to National Park.
Unfortunately the low cloud meant that visibility was poor for viewing Mt Doom (Ngauruhoe) & Mordor (Ruapehu), two of the three volcanic mountains in the Tongariro National Park.
The next day the rain was still hanging around but that didn’t stop Dean from visiting the National Army Museum in Waiouru and throwing a gumboot in Taihape before stopping for the night in historic Martinborough, a small town in the Wairarapa known for its premium Pinot noir wines.
Thankfully the sun made an appearance for the next days outing to Cape Palliser, the most South Eastern Point of the North Island.
The track to the Putangirua Pinnacles is currently closed due to a slip, so the track has not been well maintained. They ventured a little way up the riverbed to get a feel of walking along the Path of the Dead.
They then drove to the end of the road to see a large NZ fur seal colony. Due to the previous days of stormy weather many of these marine mammals were hanging out on the shore line & sleeping in the bushes.
Afterwards Dean and Constance scaled the steep 252 steps up to the wind blown Cape Palliser Lighthouse 70m above sea level. The view was phenomenal.
They followed this with a popular fish n chip lunch at the iconic Lake Ferry Motel before taking the scenic route to Featherston via Lake Wairarapa then up and over the Remutaka Hill into the nation’s capital.
Dean had the pleasure of exploring the night life of Wellington and chatting with some of the locals for two nights. During the day he went to WETA Cave and visited many LoTR film locations.
The next leg of the journey saw the pair fly to Christchurch, the Gardens City in the South Island. They took in the sights of the earthquake damaged city with a walking tour followed by a delicious Greek meal at Costas Taverna.
Moving on, the Road Trip saw them drive across the Arthur’s Pass with a short walk at Castle Hill, have an interaction with a couple of cheeky Kea (Alpine parrots), photo stops at the Devils Punchbowl (waterfall) and spotting Gollum & Gandalf at the Otira Stagecoach Hotel.
Once they reached the West Coast they headed north to see the blowholes and Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki before resting for the night.
An early morning start saw them arrive in Charleston so Dean could check out the Underworld Caves & Glow worms. Later in the day they travelled back down the coast via Hokitika, where the annual Wildwood Festival was in full swing, to Franz Josef.
Sadly the weather decided not to play ball which meant Dean missed out on his planned helicopter ride up to the glaciers. Instead Constance took him over the hill to do the Lake Matheson walk.
They managed to catch a glimpse of the Fox Glacier but were unlucky to not see the Franz Josef Glacier. The late afternoon was spent soaking at the Waiho Hot tubs.
The following day was also wet as they headed out but it eased by the time they reached Haast, so they enjoyed walks at Ship Creek, Thunder Creek & Fantail Falls before arriving in Wanaka for the night.
The next morning they took a stroll around the lake to see that famous Wanaka Tree then drove to Glendhu Bay for a view of NZ’s 3rd highest peak, Mt Aspiring.
A pleasant couple of hours followed at Stuart Landsborough’s Puzzling World. They completed the “challenging” version of the maze in record time before walking through the illusion rooms, admiring the new Glow Room Safari, best viewed through the camera lens of your mobile device.
From Wanaka they headed over the Crown Range, stopping for lunch at the historic Cardrona Hotel, with stops for photo opportunities overlooking Queenstown, the Kawarau Gorge and Arrowtown, on the cusp of turning into its fall colours.
Queenstown was the final destination for Dean’s Road Trip but over the course of a few days there he did a Fly/Cruise/Fly experience into Milford Sound.
His first ever helicopter ride also happened, with a 50min flight over some incredible terrain, jaggard mountain peaks, turquoise lakes and ice blue glaciers.
There was one more LoTR tour with Nomad Safari’s that took him out to Glenorchy and Paradise. This was followed by, as the tour begin, with an incredible 10 course degustation experience at the Amisfield Winery.
After some last minute souvenir and gift shopping, Dean spent his last night soaking up the view of Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkable Mountains from his lakeside hotel room before it was time to say Haere Ra (farewell) with an early morning drop off at the airport.
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