New Zealand Road Trip Diary

Wed 5th February

The antipode of London lies off the south coast of New Zealand — the furthest one can go without falling off the planet — 26 hours of flying.

Fri 7th

Zealous customs officers at Christchurch Airport seize three freeze-dried meals — chicken and pork are not welcome.

Sat 8th

We pick up the hire car and drive north to Lewis Pass. The good news is driving on the left side of the road. The bad news is the indicator stick on the right of the steering wheel and the windscreen wipers on the left. Hayley enjoys counting the number of times I turn on the wipers.

I can’t resist pulling over every few miles and hopping out to take in the wonderful landscape. Climbing down to the Waiau River, a long-haired man covered in tattoos emerges from the fast-flowing water. An old camper van sits in the trees. His partner and young daughter pick raspberries. The girl dances and laughs, long blond hair swirling, face smeared with red juice — joy in the wild.

Sun 9th

A cloudy morning, but the drive north east to Nelson Lakes is beautiful.

Mon 10th

There are too many interesting places to visit on the North Coast. The Grove Scenic Reserve is a magical labyrinth of rocks and trees.

Waikoropupu Springs are gorgeous.

Collingwood ends the first part of our road trip.

Our motel by the sea is perfect, enjoying a cool breeze off the sea and the most stunning sunset — a good omen for The Heaphy Track tomorrow.

Sat 15th

Back on the road after a great four-day hike, it’s a leisurely drive down the West Coast in glorious weather.

The roads are so quiet, running straight to the horizon, with the occasional swamp harrier circling above or feeding on roadkill.

Pancake Rocks is our first busy tourist spot, and we watch Hector’s dolphins, the smallest dolphin species.

Mon 17th

The Cardrona Hotel is our luxury stop, enjoying the fine restaurant and one of the prettiest beer gardens.

Tue 18th

Our final day on the road, driving south to Queenstown and preparing for The Routeburn Track tomorrow.

Sat 22nd

Back in Queenstown after another superb hike, this is our final day together. It seems appropriate to rewatch The Fellowship of the Ring.

Sun 23rd

A little sad to be leaving Hayley behind after a fun two weeks together, my first flight is to Melbourne. There’s a transfer window of 1 hour and 40 minutes before my long haul flight to Doha. The flight is an hour late when we land, leaving a tight 40 minutes. The stewardess has moved me to a seat closer to the front door to help speed up my exit, but I’m still 25 rows back and planes take a long time to empty.

Would you believe it. The connector bridge is faulty, so we are asked to sit down until an engineer arrives. There’s 20 minutes left when the door is finally opened. I apologise to the people filling the crowded aisle, explaining my situation, and everyone kindly steps aside to let me dash down the plane.

The stewardess tells me it’s 10 minutes to the transfer security gate. I sprint down the deserted corridors, my shoelace coming undone. Gasping for breath, I rest to tie it. Up a couple of flights of stairs, I reach the security desk with 15 minutes remaining. The officer asks if I’m ok, leaning on the conveyor belt to catch my breath — I don’t do sprinting. I throw my carry-on pack down to pass through the X-ray machine, only to be called back as I’ve left my bottle inside with some water. That has to be emptied. Tick tick.

Finally waved through, I scan the departure board for the gate for the flight to Doha. The security guard says it’s not far. Dashing up the stairs, over the tannoy:

“Last call for Mr Urwin.”

The departure gate lies at the end of the corridor and I dash down and through, making the plane before the door closes for take-off. My heart is still hammering as I slump into my seat. Maybe Avanti rail travel is not so stressful after all.

Mon 24th

It’s 6 am, landing at Gatwick, rain lashing against the windows. I’m definitely home.

Is there anything more sad than being the last person standing by an empty carousel at baggage reclaim? As feared, my luggage could not keep up with my sprinting between aeroplanes and is waiting in Melbourne. I guess it never wanted to leave wonderful New Zealand.

New Zealand Trip: Wednesday 5 to Monday 24 February 2025.