Travelling to Middle-earth for Chinese New Year (2016 New Year's Day Road trip in South Island of New Zealand) ?

Good beauty! The photographer behind the camera is working hard.

The photo looks very emotional

Day 2 Beautiful French town of AkaroaOn the way from Christchurch to Akaroa, the sun was shining, and we fully experienced the power of the ozone hole in New Zealand. Beautiful grasslands and herds of cattle and sheep could be seen everywhere along the road, with extremely lush water and grass. The grass was almost half a person tall, and it was here that we truly felt the saying 'when the wind blows, the grass bends and the cattle and sheep appear.'ChristchurchAkaroa is a port town, favored by tourists for its picturesque coastal location and indescribable French charm. New Zealand is far from France, so it is truly precious to experience such a pure French atmosphere here, especially in stark contrast to the English style of Christchurch. Not only do foreign tourists fall in love at first sight, but it is also a holiday destination for many locals in New Zealand.After stopping and taking photos along the way, we arrived in Akaroa in the afternoon. After checking into the hotel and resting for a while, we couldn't wait to go out for food. Since it was New Year's Day, many restaurants were closed, and only a few were open, all of which were packed. We randomly chose a restaurant that served authentic local cuisine. Mr. Pan ordered lamb chops, and I ordered salmon.AkaroaI have to say that the portion size here is really big. I was surprised when the food came, but the taste was not very good. I am more used to heavy, salty and oily food, but here the food is cooked in its original flavor with a little sauce and side dishes. Eating meat in its original flavor is a bit hard for me to accept, but the salmon and lamb were very fresh. It was this meal at the restaurant in Akaroa that made us decide to cook for ourselves as much as possible in the hotel in the future.After dinner, we strolled around the town, and the French atmosphere and slow pace made us feel very comfortable. We also went to a nearby supermarket to buy some fruit and milk.AkaroaAkaroaFood in New Zealand is quite expensive when converted to Chinese yuan, but cherries and milk are relatively cheap.

That round stone looks pretty good in the photo

Waiting for update~~

The traffic rules are summarized very well! Thank you

In 2016, there was a magical beginning. It was the first time I celebrated New Year's Eve on a plane, and the first time I crossed four time zones to the other side of the earth. I even doubted whether I had actually experienced the moment of midnight on January 1, 2016 during the process of crossing time zones. All of this originated from the impulsive decision at the beginning of 2015. New Zealand has always been one of the places I must visit in my lifetime, so when I saw the discounted tickets from Southern Airlines, Mr. Pan and I quickly booked our tickets for New Year's Day after just a few seconds of hesitation. Throughout the whole year, I was filled with excitement and exhilaration. Besides the stunning scenery, what left the deepest impression on me from the trip to New Zealand was the gentle nature of the New Zealand people. As Gao Xiaosong said, those who are anxious and impatient go to North America, while those who are calm and steady come to New Zealand. The people of New Zealand place great emphasis on equality. There is no first class on domestic flights in New Zealand, and everyone sits in the economy class. In their view, they do not treat people differently based on wealth or power, and they treat all living beings equally. After returning home, I often find myself missing the blue skies, white clouds, lakes, and starry skies of New Zealand, even the strong winds and the unappetizing food in the restaurants there. This is because there were so many surprises and warmth along the way, that I can't help but reminisce, fearing even the slightest bit of forgetfulness or unfamiliarity. Let's start with the trailer: Christchurch, the first stunning sight, overlooking Tekapo, Omarama, Dunedin, the abandoned train station, Dunedin, I really want to keep walking with you like this, Milford Sound, for some reason, there is a kind of Chinese beauty here, always feeling that a master will appear rowing a boat around the corner, Lake Pukaki, how lucky I am to meet your beauty in this life, and Cook Mountain National Park.

Day 3 Lucky Little Penguins Oamaru is the largest town in the North Otago region, with a permanent population of about 12,000. Here, there are New Zealand's famous blue penguins, as well as the best-preserved Victorian-style buildings in New Zealand, known as the 'Historic Precinct'. Oamaru Oamaru Oamaru Oamaru Oamaru Oamaru Oamaru Oamaru New Zealand's unique red-billed gulls Oamaru Oamaru Cathedral Town center's flower garden In the afternoon, we originally planned to see the world's smallest blue penguins, but in New Zealand, the summer sunset is always after 9 o'clock in the evening. To see the blue penguins return to their nests, we had to wait until at least 9:30. Considering how cold it was today, we decided to go see the yellow-eyed penguins instead. Yellow-eyed penguins are a unique species found in the southeast of New Zealand's South Island and its sub-Antarctic islands. They live in penguin reserves, not on ice or rocks, but in the bushes by the sea. They go out to sea to feed during the day and return to their hidden nests at dusk. As the name suggests, yellow-eyed penguins have yellow eyes and their fur is a mix of white and brown, different from the typical black and white penguin appearance. They are the least numerous of all penguin species and are therefore listed as endangered animals, with a total population of less than five thousand. Watching yellow-eyed penguins in Oamaru does not require any procedures or fees, but the viewing distance is quite far, so it's best to bring binoculars. To see the blue penguins, you need to pay for a local tour, but you can get a close-up view and see many blue penguins. If you want to see the blue penguins, you can sign up at the local information center. To see the yellow-eyed penguins, you can drive about ten minutes to Bushy Beach for an observation point. Seeing yellow-eyed penguins requires luck, as they usually return to their nests around four or five in the afternoon, but it's very possible to wait for hours and see nothing. So we didn't have high hopes, but after waiting at the observation point for about ten minutes, I saw a shaky figure climbing out of the sea onto the beach. At first, I couldn't believe my eyes, but after confirming with Mr. Pan several times, I was sure it was a yellow-eyed penguin. I couldn't believe our luck was so good! At that moment, I heard other tourists nearby also expressing their surprise at seeing the penguins. Oamaru Bushy Beach parking lot Oamaru Oamaru The small black dot circled in red is the little penguin, yes, it's that far away, and it's that small! This is the first dinner we made ourselves here, although it's very simple, it tastes great. Thanks to Mr. Pan's cooking skills!

About the itinerary2015.12.31 Beijing-Guangzhou-Auckland2016.1.1  Auckland-Christchurch;              Christchurch to Akaroa, overnight in Akaroa;2016.1.2  Akaroa-Oamaru, stroll in Oamaru, see penguins;2016.1.3  Oamaru-Dunedin, see albatross on Otago Peninsula;2016.1.4  Dunedin-Te Anau;2016.1.5  Te Anau-Queenstown, jet boat ride;2016.1.6  Dining at the top of Queenstown, hiking;2016.1.7  Queenstown-Wanaka;2016.1.8  Wanaka-Lake Tekapo;2016.1.9  Lake Tekapo-Mount Cook;2016.1.10  Mount Cook-Christchurch, return to Beijing via Auckland and Guangzhou by plane.The route map is as follows:Our route is in the clockwise direction as shown in the figure. We chose this route and gave up Kaikoura at the northernmost end of the South Island, Invercargill at the southernmost end, and the glaciers on the west coast, mainly considering the following:1. The main activity in Kaikoura is whale watching, which we are not very interested in, so we decided to skip Kaikoura to make the itinerary more relaxed;2. The journey from Dunedin to the southernmost Invercargill is long and tiring, and our trip is in January, not the peak season for oyster production from March to May, so there is no need to go to the southernmost end;3. Hiking on the west coast glaciers is greatly affected by the weather, and we are not particularly interested in helicopter glacier hiking, so we did not drive to the west coast, and also gave up the mid-way attractions, including Arthur's Pass National Park, Pancake Rocks, etc.For friends who like to see beautiful scenery and are not particularly interested in other activities, I still highly recommend our route, and the clockwise route has the advantage that the scenery seen every day is more beautiful than the previous day, and there are constantly new surprises. Some friends mentioned in their travel notes that they may experience some aesthetic fatigue in the later days, losing the original passion for the beautiful scenery, I think this is largely related to the order of the tour.

When driving in a foreign country, there is always a bit of nervousness, especially when switching from left-hand drive to right-hand drive. Especially before leaving, I saw many travel notes saying that the people of New Zealand love to complain, and driving slowly on the road will also be complained about. This was the issue I was most worried about before setting off. When I actually arrived in New Zealand, I discovered that the people of New Zealand are really nice, driving very civilized, giving way at roundabouts, and even using gestures to let us go first. So, there's no need to be nervous, as long as you drive civilized and remember the following rules, there shouldn't be too many problems: 1. Always give way to vehicles going straight when turning, and make sure there are no cars within sight range when coming out of a small road onto a big road. This rule is easy to grasp because there is almost always a big 'give way' or 'stop' sign at every turn or where a small road meets a big road. I understand the difference between these two signs to be that when you see 'give way', you need to slow down and observe the vehicles on both sides. If there are no cars passing, you can continue without stopping. If you see a 'stop' sign, then regardless of whether there are cars on the main road, you must stop obediently behind the line and ensure safety before proceeding. So, if you're afraid of not remembering, you can also stop when you see these two signs! Be careful when driving. 2. Vehicles in the direction of the narrow arrow on a one-lane bridge must give way to vehicles in the direction of the wide arrow. This sign is very clear, just follow the sign. 3. Do not overtake in areas marked with yellow lines. Most of New Zealand's roads are two-way two-lane, possibly due to the many mountain roads. But in relatively flat areas, there may be a passing lane for overtaking. In the passing lane, if you don't want to overtake, you should drive on the left lane and let the cars behind you pass. In areas without a passing lane, you can overtake safely, but if the side you are driving on has a yellow line, then you absolutely cannot overtake. Being caught by the police for this offense carries a heavy fine. The civility of the people of New Zealand is also reflected here. Because I don't usually drive much, I drive relatively slowly, but the cars behind me also obediently follow, not overtaking even in areas without yellow lines, making me feel embarrassed to stop on the side of the road and let the cars behind me pass. 4. Do not speed! Do not speed! Do not speed! This important matter needs to be said three times! The maximum speed in New Zealand is 100, even on mountain roads. Some curved roads have a speed limit of 85, which is already fast for me, so I obediently drive at the speed limit. However, there are still many cars clearly exceeding 100 in the passing lane. Although I haven't seen any police officers, who knows where they might be hiding. Getting caught and fined is a small matter, but if charged with dangerous driving, it will be troublesome. There have been cases of tourists encountering this situation before. So everyone must be careful. Why drive so fast? New Zealand's scenery is so beautiful that even driving slowly, it still feels like not enough time to appreciate it. 5. Keep left! Keep left! Keep left! This is another very important matter! New Zealand has a small population and not many cars, so sometimes when coming out of a small road, you can look around and not see a single car. At this time, it's easy to have a moment of confusion, which side should I drive on? Most of the time, I just drive on the right out of habit! We have encountered this situation several times and need to remind each other to overcome the habit we had before.

Wow, the front row photos are really nice!

Very practical! Thank you

A very beautiful country, pure

After reading the host's travel notes, I feel much more confident. I shouldn't be afraid of the right rudder anymore.

OP, you write so well!

Awesome!!

This yellow bike is so cool!

Free parking for 5 minutes... But I've got the hang of parking now

Day 4 Albatross in the Wind The morning arrangement was to go to a private wildlife sanctuary to see yellow-eyed penguins and seals. The sanctuary is at the end of Lighthouse Road, and you can search for this road on GPS. I read in a travelogue that we had to get up early, otherwise we wouldn't see the penguins heading out to sea. So we got up very early, around six o'clock, only to find that the gate didn't open until seven! It was so cold, but we had no choice but to wait. Omaru The hard wait was not in vain, and we finally saw the little penguins up close. This was a young penguin, with no clear black and white markings yet, all brown, but very cute. Omaru Omaru Throughout the sanctuary, lazy seals could be seen lying on the ground (I really can't tell if they're seals or sea lions, forgive me). Omaru Mr. Pan, with sharp eyes, spotted an adult yellow-eyed penguin in the bushes, with beautiful black and white stripes. After leaving the sanctuary, we went to the nearby Moeraki Boulders. At Moeraki, when the tide goes out, you can see over 50 huge round boulders exposed, which are so round that they look like giant stone eggs, leaving everyone who sees them in awe. Moeraki Boulders Moeraki Boulders Moeraki Boulders This is a cracked boulder, allowing us to catch a glimpse of its true nature, and the internal structure is truly amazing! After leaving the boulders, we headed straight to our destination for the day, Dunedin. After checking into the hotel, we decided to visit the Royal Albatross Centre, as the weather today was very stormy, making it perfect for seeing albatross. Albatross are very unique birds, with long wings, but they need the power of the wind to fly, so you can only see them flying in strong winds. When we arrived at the Royal Albatross Centre, it was already four o'clock in the afternoon. Just as we were parking and getting ready to sign up for a tour, we happened to look up and saw an albatross flying out of the center. Perhaps it was because the wind was so strong today that it was perfect for them to soar freely. So we decided to wait in the parking lot. The tour at the Royal Albatross Centre costs about 45 New Zealand dollars per person, and guarantees that you will see at least three albatross. However, they cannot be sure if the albatross will fly out, so if the weather is too calm, the tour will be cancelled. On days with strong winds like the one we encountered, you can easily see them even without joining a tour. Royal Albatross Centre On the way from Dunedin to the Albatross Centre, we took the coastal road, enjoying the seaside scenery. On the way back, we tried another mountain road, which was said to have even more beautiful scenery. However, as we went up, we saw a sign saying that the road ahead was under construction. Luckily, we ran into a friendly local uncle out for a run, who was very familiar with the area. He told us that we could bypass the construction area from Larnach Castle, and even kindly directed us to turn the car around, which made us feel very warm. Dunedin Dunedin Dunedin Dunedin Dunedin

Take a place~~·