South Island New Zealand Part I: 'Calimero's Mission of a Fairytale'

Helena Nijs
Jun 3
7 min read

Kio ora koutou

Would you like to get lost in my fairy tale for a while?!

South Island, what did you do to me?! My hair stood on end with emotion, I regularly wiped away a tear and my heart skipped a beat or sometimes stopped. It was as if I was driving through a gigantic natural work of art that was constantly changing. With fairytale scenes, where elves spread the magic, the wood nymphs that danced, the trolls that hid in all kinds of rocky formations and the giants that were covered with a blanket of forests that pretended to be asleep.

Wow, Calimero and I thought it was pretty special to ride on that boat early in the morning. Not only was that unique... but I was sitting behind the glass right in front of the TV screen watching a beautiful documentary. That ferry crossing is considered one of the most beautiful in the world thanks to its sensational views of the Marlborough Sounds Fjords. It was wonderful not to have to drive like that, not to have to do anything and just enjoy it with a delicious coffee of course. If you want to cross by car, it is best to book your ticket in advance .

A little over three hours later, Calimero and I could start our new adventure. As we drove towards Ngatimoti, a hamlet not far from 'Abel Tasman National Park', the sun was burning brightly on this dry landscape. Mmmm delicious, the atmosphere felt completely different than on the North Island. Holiday, quiet and especially (even) less people. On our route we came across thirty-nine cars in two hours, and for the rest here and there a farm. Calimero and I were only surrounded by mountains, hills, vast dried-out area. It seemed uninhabited. The Airbnb was close to the Motueka River. Stephanie, the host, had tipped me off to take a dip there. So doing; I had to step over a nice old bridge to get to the right swimming spot. My first splash in NZ was nice and fresh! It reminded me of my childhood in the Ourthe. Just as fresh and an 'Ardennes feeling'. At Stephanie's I had my own place! She invited me to come and have a drink and a sharing meal. How nice was our click, cool lady that Stephanie.

Mmmmm, slept like a king on this peaceful domain. After a hearty breakfast on the terrace it was time to explore again. We drove to Marahau on the coast, near the entrance to the 'Abel Tasman National Park'. Before I started a trek, I first settled down with a nice coffee . That way I could figure out which walk I would do. I booked a water taxi to Anchorage, where one of the 'Coastal Tracks' starts. We were all allowed to sit on the speedboat, while the man transported us with a tractor and then dropped us with boat and all in the sea. Bliss! First he took us to the 'Split Apple Rock'. Hehe, that boat crashed into the waves at high speed. We were surrounded by idyllic turquoise bays, a stormy sea, golden beaches and lush green landscapes. The trek went through the national park along the coast. It was easy to walk. The views were again to die for: the clear blue sea, the lakes and that oh so beautiful hilly vegetation. On my way I came to a beach, so I dared to take a dip in the sea. Brrr, the water was ice cold. Again I enjoyed it and continued my journey. The last part I went off track, where I walked on the vast beach towards Calimero. Again I ended the day with a nice chat and a sharing meal at Stephanie's 💖.

The next day I decided to chill for a few hours at 'Kaiteriteri Beach' and 'Little Kaiteriteri Beach'. Blissfully, I lazed around the whole afternoon. How good it felt to rest for a while. Hehe, I had picked the perfect day because the next morning it was pouring rain. Stephanie gave me an extra night because she didn't want me to drive to the West Coast in the heavy weather. It would have been really bad there. This came at the right time, so I had an extra day of relaxation time! She arranged my next stay in Barry Town, a town located on the West Coast.

My farewell to Stephanie was difficult. I knew I might never see her again. How I loved being there. She was such a nice lady, very inspiring and above all heartwarming.

Finally, on my drive to the West Coast I thought about how lucky I was to be staying there again. Driving on the South Island is always a magical challenge. Nature literally and figuratively comes at you. When I almost arrived in 'Punakaiki' I was blown away again by the crazy rough rough sea, the strangely shaped rocks sticking out of the sea and the tropical crazy green hills on the other side of my view. Wow, where had I ended up again! The wind was blowing hard and the temperature was on the low side.

The ' Truman Track ' runs through pristine subtropical forest and ended at a black beach where penguins were supposed to be. Unfortunately no penguins to be seen. But a great beach with limestone, golden high rocks and the sea that found its way to the black sand.

If you are in the area. ' The Pancake Rocks ' and ' Blowing Holls ' are must sees. The rocks here are literally stacked like pancakes and sometimes I saw the sea spitting itself out between the nice weird formations. Special to see how this nature film played out continuously. Overwhelmed I walked back to Calimero. Because he wanted to drive on to 'Barry Town' where I met Barry! Barry, a self-made retired man, vegetarian, with long hair, katsjoe boots and dirty clothes to maintain his house, vegetable garden and garden. He passionately told me about his house and land that he had bought at the time and gave me a wonderful tour. We stopped in his garden where you could clearly see that the world is round. And yes, I saw that the edge of the earth that was rounded off at the end of my sight in a semi-gigantic circle. Cool right! We walked to the cottage where I was allowed to stay. It was a little higher than his house with a view of the turbulent sea with the jungle in the back. That place did something to me.

Barry gave me some tips on what to do and if I had any questions, I could call him. He was so sweet! How I enjoyed this paradise gem!

That evening and the following morning I drove to Greymouth. The drive between Greymouth and Westport was supposed to be one of the world's top ten most beautiful Coastal Drives and I could see why. Huge cliffs, crashing waves, rock stacks and secluded beaches make this a spectacular place to be. The adrenaline was pumping as I drove Calimero. On the agenda was the ' Pororari Punakaiki Loop Track '. This drive takes me away from the sea, along the Pororari River and through the jungle hills of the 'Paparoa National Park'. I felt like I was back in the magic of some fairy tale. With the sound of birdsong, a rushing crystal clear river, dramatic cliffs towering above you and the sunlight filtering through the palm fronds, turning them an incredible shade of green . 'Nature madness'!

I saw three spectacles during my stay in Barry Town. A rough sea, a calmer sea and the last morning it was like a mirror. When I had to say goodbye to Barry, it was agreed that I would give an amount of my choice for my two nights. What I gave, he thought was too much. He put some back in my hand and said: 'Go and fill up with gas or eat something nice'. And wow, what a special experience this place and that man was. Kiwis are a symbol of their unique nature, they are friendly, hospitable and healthy... You see, through the grapevine I found the most unforgettable place to stay on my trip. Thank you Barry and Laksmi 💖!

On Stephanie's advice, Calimero and I would drive to Wanaka. On my way I stopped in Hokitika for lunch and then plop down somewhere on a terrace with a delicious coffee ! Hmmmm, they do that well here... and those 'ginger slices', jeezes they are heavenly! I'm not a sweet tooth but when I saw them... I couldn't walk past them. After this enjoyable moment of rest we continued our course to 'Hokitika Gorge'! Wow, this short track showed the breathtaking turquoise Hokitika River and the gorge that has been eroded through the brilliant white limestone walls 😍.

My next drive would be, according to Stephanie, 'it's worth the drive'. And yes, it was! This 140km long section of State Highway 6 is a spectacular and scenic road between Wanaka and Haast. This road stretches beyond the windswept lakes Wanaka and Hawae. It winds through golden grass-covered hills, winds between steep mountain peaks shrouded in lush rainforest and crosses turbulent rivers. A warm glow of happiness came over me. I had to stop ten times to capture those images. Hehe, and the hairpin bends almost made me sick myself! By evening I arrived in Whataroa! Not far from 'Franz Josef Glacier' I had booked an Airbnb. I noticed that Airbnbs were scarce. Actually, booking in advance would have been better, but this is not my way of traveling. And thank goodness for that because I got fantastic tips from all the hosts I stayed with.