Avalanche City’s Top 5 Unmissable New Zealand Spots
#3 The drive from Nelson to Christchurch
It’s a fairly long drive, but completely uninterrupted by cities. You’re dwarfed by the mountains as you negotiate the windy roads. You’ll pop out into hidden valleys and race alongside a mountain fed river. You’ll snake through a gorge or two and cross the one lane bridges that are the norm in rural New Zealand, and this is rural New Zealand at it’s best. As you pass through the odd small town, remember to keep an eye out for second hand shops; there’s treasure inside. Reid’s Store is almost halfway, and a great place to stop for a coffee and some food. In the South Island you can pick any road to drive and it will easily deliver breath taking scenery – the one from Invercargill to Queenstown is another favorite. If you’re planning to drive from the top to the bottom, make sure this Nelson to Christchurch road is part of your trip.
#4 The Coromandel
Years ago my wife and I borrowed a van, threw a mattress in the back and spent a while driving around the Coromandel. It’s a large peninsular in the upper part of the North Island and you’ll need at least a week or two to see it all. Secret beaches and hidden coves are everywhere in this place so go slow. If you have the stomach for it you can reach the very tip of the peninsular by taking a very skinny very windy one lane gravel road cut into the side of a mountain. There’s a cliché perilous drop to rocky churning sea on one side, and the unforgiving mountain cliff face on the other. I don’t know what you do when you meet another car, so I guess you just pray that you don’t. I did it in a van, but I wouldn’t recommend it in anything bigger. On the east coast of the peninsular is the famous Cathedral Cove, and south of that is Hot Water Beach. Bring a spade, dig a hole in the sand and let the geothermic springs under the beach heat the water – it’s a natural spa.
#5 The Grove Restaurant in Auckland
I can say with honesty that The Grove serves the best food I’ve ever had, ever. It’s fairly pricey, but not outrageous for what you get. It’s not swanky either. The waiters and waitresses are friendly and very knowledgeable about the courses, they’ll give you a little talk about each dish, where the ingredients come from and how it’s prepared. Doing one of their degustations is the way to go. I’m vegetarian and the five course vegetarian degustation menu is off the charts.
I’ve tried to explain how good the food is to people before and the best I can do is say that each dish is perfectly balanced. Before I’d eaten here I’d never known what people meant by that, and you might think that too, but after visiting The Grove you’ll say the same thing. It’s not massive intense flavour hits – it’s just next level tasty and well rounded flavours that you’ve never thought would go together. They cater for a range of dietary requirements too. I highly recommend trying this place out.
Avalanche City’s We Are For The Wild Places is out now. Check out Qantas flights to New Zealand here.
