Babbling Brooke’s Travel Blog

After taking my first flight lesson in Wānaka, Matt and I journeyed north to Mount Cook for a night, stopping along the way.

It had already been an incredible start to the day, and yet there was more fun to be had! Our drive took us through Lindis Pass and I was shocked to still see Lupines in bloom practically everywhere! I thought they bloomed in Spring, so I had not even dreamed of seeing all the purple, pink, blue, yellow, and cream colored flowers during our time here in NZ. We pulled off the highway to take some pictures. The smell outside the car was so fragrant I wish I could’ve bottled it up to take home in a perfume.

We continued along, passing a few stops we had planned for tomorrow on our trek back South. The drive so far had been so beautiful, however I was not prepared to come around the bend and see Mount Cook in the distance with Lake Pukaki in the forefront! That electric blue color of the lake is burned into my memory- it was absolutely exquisite! We pulled off at a scenic view point to take pictures and walk around. The sun was out and nature was really showing off!

Amazed by the scenery and also trying to to wrap my head around the fact that we had just seen this mountain from a different angle while in Fox Glacier, we kept driving closer (and Mount Cook kept getting bigger).

Matt and I decided to go for a hike before checking into our hostel for the night, so we went to park at the main car park for Hooker Valley Track (which is only partially open at the moment) and Mueller Hut. The parking lot was absolutely packed and there was a big sign stating the lot was full, leading folks to park all along the long gravel road leading up to it. We took a chance and kept going to see if we could find a real spot, and I am so glad we did because we lucked out. There was actually a decent amount of parking and I felt bad for the folks that walked so far for no reason!

We grabbed the cameras and some water and set about the Sealy Tarns track, or as New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC) calls it: ‘The Stairway to Heaven’. And they aren’t kidding! It was so many stairs.

To be honest we didn’t make it all the way to the end but I truly feel we did 80-90% of it. We hadn’t prepared to do a long hike and hadn’t had a proper meal in a while. So, back down the million stairs we went!

We checked into our one and only hostel for our trip, the Haka House, before grabbing a bite to eat at Chamois Bar & Grill. I will say, the food in Aoraki / Mount Cook Village didn’t seem like it was the pinnacle of cuisine NZ had to offer. The prices were a little steep for some burgers and a glass of wine, but we were also starving and would’ve probably paid whatever for a hot meal that filled us up! It comes with the territory of a very small village that is primarily hotels/accommodations and is also very remote!

With full bellies, we went back to our hostel and veged out. We had had such a long day and I was so happy to shower, write, and watch Emily in Paris on my iPad while Matt played his Pokémon game.

In the morning, we left Aoraki / Mount cook Village and headed back the way we came the previous day. We basically were doing one long detour but it was absolutely worth it in my book.

On the drive, we stopped in the town of Twizel for some breakfast and got some delicious food at Mint Folk & Co. It was absolutely packed but our food came out super fast, which was amazing.

From there, we drove back into Wānaka and actually stopped across the street from the airfield (where I had taken my flight lesson the day prior) to try our hand at archery! Matt and I had been wanting to try archery so bad as we both dabbled in it as kids. Today was our lucky day. At Crossfire, they not only had archery but also rifle target shooting, clay pigeon shooting, mini-put, and a driving range! We booked a 30 minute slot for archery and practiced for awhile before competing against one another for who could get the most points. I won one round of best out of 3, and then Matt won in a sudden-death round (we were running out of time to do another best of 3).

I had such a fun time and am totally hoping to get back into archery once we get home!

We continued our drive past Wānaka and onwards towards Queenstown. Knowing we’d be spending 3 nights in Queenstown to end our trip, we opted to just drive past for now and head straight to our final destination for the day- Te Anau.

We checked into our Airbnb, got freshened up and went out in search of food. Such a long day of driving and we had worked up an appetite!

We started by going to The Redcliff Restaurant, as we had heard good things about it. Unfortunately they were booked for dinner but we were able to order some starters and sit outside. It was sunny and wam and oh, man, were our starters amazing! It was such a tease, so we actually made a reservation right then and there for another day so that we could have the full experience.

Still needing a real meal, we wandered around checking out different places. It was busy and all the top rated places were packed. We ended up eating at a hotel restaurant, and while it wasn’t my favorite meal of the trip, I desperately needed vegetables and was happy to have a giant salad. I ❤️ fiber.

Afterwards we got a couple cocktails and some churros at the Black Dog Bar and WOW were they all so good! It’s also part of a movie theater, which was super cute.

Truly fatigued after a lot of driving over 2 days, we gladly passed out at our Airbnb, knowing the next morning we had one of our last booked adventures to look forward to! We were going into the Fjordlands to stay overnight on a boat in Milford Sound. I went to bed asking the universe for rain, which might sound weird, but you’ll find out soon why I wished for it!