In June 2021, I wrote a blog post about my travel goals. Eighteen months later I finally achieved some of these after booking a spontaneous solo trip back to New Zealand.
One of my biggest personal goals has been to travel solo overseas, and I’m thrilled that I have finally achieved this!
On this eight day trip, I spent three nights in Queenstown, one night at Lake Tekapo, two nights in Twizel and two nights in Wanaka before driving back to Queenstown to fly home. I followed a similar itinerary to my 2020 South Island Road Trip, but skipped Milford Sound to spend more time in each place.
Here’s a breakdown of my first ever solo trip!
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Queenstown
For my third time in Queenstown and first time solo, I wanted to do something special. While skydiving is still high on my bucketlist, I don’t quite feel ready to take the leap (literally). So, as a compromise I spontaneously booked paragliding with NZ Gforce instead. The flight takes off from the top of the Skyline, floating down over Queenstown – epic!
If you’re looking something semi-adventurous, I would highly recommend paragliding. It was one of the best things I’ve ever done – I didn’t feel scared at all and I couldn’t stop smiling the entire time. So so good!
Keep in mind that this is a weather dependant activity. I was lucky enough to have the warmest, clearest day ever, but if it’s something you really want to do, book early in your trip so you have flexibility to reschedule.
At the end of my flight, I started chatting to a girl who’d also paraglided and we decided to go back up the Skyline to do a few Luge rides together. This was my second time doing the Luge and round two was just as exciting.
As we walked back down into town, one of the iFly workers asked us to throw a tennis ball in a helmet to win a half priced indoor skydiving voucher. Usually I would’ve said no, but because I was solo and with a new friend, I went for it. And you guessed it, I won the tickets for us!
There are iFly’s all through Australia and some of my friends did it when we went on the Ovation of the Seas cruise. It was my first time and it was also so much fun. It’s not something you need to do in Queenstown because you can do it everywhere, but something to do once in your life. This also felt like a good compromise to actually jumping out of a plane!
I spent the rest of my time walking through Queenstown Gardens, eating at Fergburger, Fergbaker and Caribe Latin Kitchen. I also got my nails done at the beautiful Amore Day Spa.
If you’re looking for more specific Queenstown recommendations, check out this blog post.
The Road Trip
As this was my first time travelling solo, I followed my previous South Island itinerary fairly closely to keep it easy. I won’t go into too much detail, because you can read that blog post here.
Overall, I felt really safe the entire time. The only downside to road tripping is that it’s harder to meet people outside the bigger towns. I made friends in Queenstown who I met up with again in Wanaka, but for most of the trip I was alone.
That said, I really enjoyed the solo time and freedom to do whatever I felt like each day!
Lake Pukaki & Lake Tekapo
After picking up my GoRentals car from Queenstown Airport, I headed north towards Lake Tekapo. This was one of the spots we visited on the last trip and I was keen to return to see the lupins again.
On the way to Lake Tekapo, you will pass by Lake Pukaki. Even the second time around, this lake took my breath away. With bright blue water and Mount Cook centre stage, it’s a truly magical spot!
Lake Tekapo was similarly spectacular. I drove along the lake searching for lupins, but realised I was a little early (they bloom from mid-November to December). Regardless, I still found a few and was glad I got to shoot some great photos.
I spent the night at the Godley Hotel which was central to the shops, main part of the lake and the Church of the Good Shepherd.
Aoraki (Mt Cook) National Park
The major highlight of the last trip was visiting Mount Cook and doing the Hooker Valley Track. There’s no other trek in the world that I’d prefer for my first solo hike! It is the most scenic, relaxed walk ever.
I left Lake Tekapo at 7am and arrived at the track at 8:30am. When I arrived it was very cloudy and you couldn’t see Mt Cook on the drive. By 10am I reached Hooker Lake and magically the clouds cleared for gorgeous mountain views!
On the way back, I stopped at Peter’s Lookout, where you can take the infamous photo of the road leading to Mt Cook.
Twizel
Twizel is the town between Aoraki National Park and Lake Tekapo. I spent two nights at High Country Lodge and Backpackers.
I wandered through town, ate at Hydro Cafe, drove around to Lake Ruataniwha and towards Lake Ohau.
Twizel is very small, but charming and the perfect place to slow down for a few days.
Wanaka
I spent my last two nights in Wanaka at Mt Aspiring Holiday Park. This is a five minute drive out of town. If you want to be central and not worry about a car, I’d stay closer to town. However, there’s plenty of parking along the lake, so it’s still easy to drive in.
One of the most popular things to do in Wanaka is hike Roy’s Peak. Unfortunately, the one day I could do the 16km hike it was raining, and I didn’t want to risk getting to the top to only see clouds! That’s ok because now I have a reason to return to New Zealand again!
Wanaka is quite touristy, but boasts gorgeous walks around Lake Wanaka, the infamous #ThatWanakaTree and many hikes in the nearby Mt Aspiring National Park.
Around the lake, I finally found the lupin field of my dreams and got some great photos!
I also caught up with the friend I’d met in Queenstown and we did the short loop around Diamond Lake (15min drive from town). This took less than an hour but boasted gorgeous panoramic views of the mountains.
Wanaka is also famous for its eats. I recommend Burrito Craft, Curbside Coffee and Bagels and Doughbin.
Heading back into Queenstown, take Crown Range Road for panoramic views over the city. Just be prepared for the 10km of switchbacks along the way!
I would highly recommend New Zealand for a first solo trip – especially if you’re Australian because it’s so similar. The roads are easy to navigate – single lanes each way with highways that connect you from one town to the other. The people are lovely, there’s plenty of activities to do in Queenstown to meet people and the scenery is spectacular.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post. If you have any questions about New Zealand or doing your first solo trip, get in touch via DM or leave a comment.
Check out my New Zealand archives for some more inspiration and follow my adventures on Instagram, Tik Tok & YouTube.
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