Umm… Before we start, I would like to inform you that
we shoot this video for fun only
because we're there really for holiday and we're not really shooting
Hold on, what is it with you?
We haven't started, yet you are already apologizing
You can't be like that, Ward. You have to be confident.
It's good!
But a lot of the footages are shaking
Then the color is all wrong
Quiet! People don't see that.
People would not understand.
It's very good. I've seen it countless times.
But a lot of things get in the frame
Then there's people passing in front of the camera
Then there's the backlit and...
Shhh…
Guys, I'm really sorry
Edward is known to be very perfectionist
So he's a bit of a pain in the back
But really, the video is cool
Enjoy!
You yourself just apologized.
Tsk!
My name is Edward
Me and my wife Francy
got the chance to travel across New Zealand
on August 2010
What's unique about our experience at the time
is that we're travelling with a campervan,
A vehicle that's equipped with a kitchen
a bathroom, a bed and also other facilities
just like a home
We drove,
cooked,
barbequed,
showered,
and slept inside it,
moving across New Zealand South Island,
while enjoying one of the best view
the earh has to offer
This is our story.
I would say that everything I heard about New Zealand is true
That it is the most beautiful land on earth
That the mountains are majestic,
the sky is so blue,
the lakes are so clear,
and of course, the lambs perfectly adorn the green fields.
Getting the first chance to circle the youngest nation on the planet
just me and my dearest wife with a campervan,
is one of dream adventure that came to be for me
We plan to leave from Christchurch,
then go all the way down until Milford Sound,
while passing Mount Cook and Queenstown,
before getting back to Christchurh through the north coast.
But first thing's fist.
Let's get some food!
After shopping our supplies in the local supermarket,
we leave Christchurch for Lake Tekapo
where we plan to have our first night.
Because this really is my first time visiting New Zealand,
I acted like some village people,
commenting about almost everything.
Also if we saw a road where we could pullover, we'll stop
and started to take pictures.
The day is almost gone when we arrive at Lake Tekapo,
and also unfortunately, thick clouds is rolling above our heads.
So after taking a quick look at the Church of The Good Sheperd,
we already look for a place to spend the night.
Our first camping ground is quite remote,
it's on the north shore of Lake Tekapo
Besides our car, there's only one other car that spend the night.
The atmosphere is quite gloomy and horrid
To be honest, for the first night we were a bit worried,
A lot of things came to our minds
what if we got mugged?
what if the engine won't start tommorrow?
what if we saw some sightings?
But in the end,
after locking the doors and closing the curtains,
we try not to think about the outside world
and just soak in the comftyness of our little bedroom
Thank goodness nothing happened that nite
we even woke up, find a better spot,
and had our breakfast with this great view.
Everyday we could choose our view and menu differently
but more or less, this is what happened on every morning.
Based on Robbie's tip, the guy at the campervan rental,
on the way to Mount Cook, there's this Mount Cook Salmon Farm
the highest of its kind in the world.
They're situated in canals with water streaming
down from the mountains
You need to wear those just to get in the farm eh?
We could get in and feed the salmons.
The water is just so clear and fresh.
You can be sure they have some beautiful harvest here.
When we found out that they sold the sashimi
from the salmons they had there
we immidiately ordered a large plate
Ward, this is so fresh
How is it, Cy?
This salmon, just from over there,
real fresh, they don't put anything, just this sauce,
it's crazy, nothing can beat this
Never in our whole lives we tasted that good of a salmon
it was heaven!
Where would we had lunch eh?
Decisions, decisions.
What?
Where would we had lunch eh?
Sometimes we're undecided where we would have our lunch
today: Mount Cook or Lake Tekapo?
Besides lunch,
we also spend the night at the shores of Lake Pukaki
fortunately, this area is known as for it's darkest sky
across New Zealand
So the view would be amazing later that nite
and truly, we never saw the sky like that nite.
We must say that the route to Mount Cook is
the prettiest of them all
Just like what we saw in the LOTR Trilogy
spanning fields bordered with mountains at the distance
with the blue sky as the perfect backdrop.
Mount Cook itself with the height of 3754 metres
is the highest peak of New Zealand
When we saw her, her blanket of snow was glowing
from the evening sun
It was so beautiful and glorious
This is what we came here for.
We're filling up the fresh water
Grey water is water from the bathroom, the sink
Oh, this is heavy...
Oh, my Lord!
We're gonna use that thing...
Queenstown is the second largest town after Christchurch
The town is situated on the hills right beside Lake Wakatipu
and is walled with mountains on almost every side.
Just like those little beautiful towns you see in postcards
Queenstown is also the centre for adventure tourism
for the adrenaline junkies
like shotover jet,
and skiing, which is 15-30 minutes from the town center.
We climbed up to one of the mountains
through a steep and unfenced road
to get to Remarkables
one of the ski park there
If we're not careful
we could really fall off the cliff
But after we get to the top
the view is stunningly beautiful
It was worth the ride
While Queenstown is pretty on her every corner
but because we're soaked in this sensation
of free outdoor adventure
walking through shops and restaurants
is not what we're looking for
probably next time
After the day move to a close,
we decided to go to Milford Sound.
In the 300km journey to Milford Sound,
we're passing through an area of high trees
that we never experienced for this whole trip
We stopped for a moment and walked slowly
while enjoying the forest sounds.
Another surprise that we get is that
one of the valley that we passed still got some snow left
while we started to enter the valley
it's like a curtain has opened
and there's this majestic view presented before our eyes
there's only white as far as eyes can see
It was so majestic we had lost words to describe it
My first snowfall.
see?
I know it's a bit too much, but...
glad to have it here.
It hurts Ward!
Aragorn!
Where are you mate?
How can it be Aragorn? It's Legolas!
I want Aragorn.
Oh you want Aragorn?
Legolas is too… sweet.
I'll look for Arwen then...
Arwen!
Arwen, where are you Arwen!
I like Frodo better y'know?
He's cute eh?
Arwen?
*speaking elf*
After spending the night in a motel's parking lot
very early we walked around the ferry terminal
while waiting to board one of the cruise
Milford Sound itself is a lake with a channel to the sea
formed by the glacier tens of thousand years ago
After the ice melted, sea water poured in and formed a lake
with steep mountains on its sides
While cruising slowly with our ferry
we could feel the majesty of this place
Yes, that word again
It seems that everything is majestic in Milford Sound
Your heart is thumping eh?
You look like an astronout
How does it feel?
Like you're going to die?
It was when I was up there
like my heart is going to stop
Like you're going to die?
Yes.
Cool.
Too bad for you Ward.
Lose some weight.
So that's about it guys!
After Wanaka we drove through the north coast,
all the way to Christchurch
We stopped at some other towns,
but we've showed you guys our best times!
We hope this video has inspired you guys
to start travelling with new ways
Our tips:
especially for the couples
take risks,
be the first,
have fun,
enjoy the view,
don't let the little things get in the way,
and we promised you a journey full of adventure,
just like we had with our campervan.
We leave you with footages from the rest of our journey,
we thank you for watching,
and see you in the next adventure of
Edward and Francy!