Four weeks ago my friend and I flew into Dunedin on New Zealand’s south island into the freezing cold at some ridiculous hour in the morning. After a two hour drive to my friends hometown of Invercargill, I waved goodbye to her and jumped into a car with her mother and aunty, both of which I’d never met before. And so began my amazing adventure around the beautiful south island of New Zealand. The trip involved hours of driving and little sleep, but it was well worth every moment of puffy eyes and numb butts to see so much of what New Zealand has to offer.

I saw and experienced so many things; the Moeraki boulders and the crystal clear water and snow-capped mountains of Lake Tekapo. I platted huskies and experienced a snow storm at the Antarctic Centre. Walked through the cardboard cathedral and enjoyed the city of Christchurch. We road in a carriage pulled by a beautiful Clydesdale in Hamner springs before taking a relaxing dip in the hot spring pools. I stayed in a beautiful bed and breakfast on a hill overlooking the beautiful beaches of Greymouth while enjoying local beer. I saw the beautiful formations and layers of rock at Pancake Rocks. I visited the beach at Hokitika and walked in my ‘jandals’ through ice water and past amazing waterfalls to see the Franz Joseph Glacier and see first hand how far it has receded. I had the thrill of jet boating in Queenstown then having a delicious cocktail in the Ice Bar and walking through the crazy rooms of Odyssey. Then last but not least, after meeting back up with my friend we traveled to Te Anau and visited the magical glow worm caves.

I only had ten days in New Zealand but feel like I experienced and saw so much of what it has to offer and I couldn’t have done it without my friends mum who drove me most of the way around the south island. Below are some photos of my New Zealand adventure, and stay tuned to hear about the holiday my husband took me on after only being home for twenty-four hours.