The Oreti Beach was crowded with photographers last weekend while the southern lights were playing on the beautiful starry sky. Ever since we moved to the far south I was impatiently waiting to see this very special nature phenomenon. And I got it.
Oreti Beach is one of the best places to see southern lights and I’m lucky to be living just ten minutes from there so I made it on time to capture this moment!
The desire to wander, travel, explore and discover is just getting bigger and bigger. I know that for a lot of you, as well as for me, the only question is ‘Where to next?’. It is just the way of life. Isn’t it?
Did you know there is more than 4000 lakes in this amazing country?
These are the most stunning lakes in New Zealand and there are some truly fascinating facts about them…
Lake Te Anau, South Island
Lake Te Anau is second largest lake by surface area in New Zealand and it’s more than 4oom deep. Most of this lake is situated within Fiordland National Park and it is a must see place while traveling around Southland especially if you are planning to visit Milford Sound or you are going to walk New Zealand Great Walks.
Lake Taupo, North Island
Lake Taupo is the largest lake in New Zealand. It sits in the caldera of Taupo Volcano created by a supervolcanic eruption. Every year more than 2 million people come here to admire to this gem of the North Island.
Lake Wanaka, South Island
Home of the probably most famous tree in the world is Lake Wanaka situated at the lower South Island in Otago region. This lake lies in valley formed by glacial erosion during the last ice age. It is a great place for adventure tourism all year around.
Lake Pukaki, South Island
Glacial sediments fed this lake by the Tasman and Hooker Glaciers, there’s the reason for beautiful blue colour of the water. With the massive Mt Cook in the background it is not strange that Lake Pukaki found its place in the Hobbit Trilogy.
Lake Tekapo, South Island
It doesn’t matter if you visit this lake during the day or night, it’s amazing! It gets turquoise colour from glacial dust suspended in the water. Lake Tekapo is part of the UNESCO Dark Sky Reserve, making it the perfect spot for stargazing. I can’t describe you how tranquil this place is…
Lake Wakatipu, South Island
Famous adventure capital Queenstown lies on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, New Zealand’s longest lake. Because of its unusual shape Lake Wakatipu has a so called ‘tide’ which causes the water to rise and fall about 10 cm every 25 minutes. Perfect scenery for the postcard, isn’t it?
Amazing place just five minutes from downtown Rotorua is Whakarewarewa Forest known by the locals as Redwoods. People come here to ride a mountain bike, enjoy horse riding and a walk along great walking tracks. For me the most fascinating thing was Treewalk. It consists of 23 suspension bridges between 22 Californian coastal redwoods. The view of 100 years old dense native bush, from 12 meters above the ground, is stunning!
This is definitely one more special place in New Zealand. Cape Reinga is the spot where two seas clash. It is the meeting point of Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean. Really amazing. You can see how unsettled the water is, it looks like a race. If you are watching from atop the view is absolutely perfect…
Situated on the west coast, within Fiordland National Park, Lake Te Anau is a part of the travel itinerary of every wanderer here in New Zealand. This small town, with a population of only 2000, is a starting point for three New Zealand Great Walks (Milford Track, Kepler Track and Routeburn Track) and it is the last town on the route to one of the most famous sights – Milford Sound.
Town centre is nice but there’s nothing much to do and that’s why this is the place where travellers come to spend more time in nature, walking and exploring. For us, perfect weekend getaway.
As I already told you, weather conditions on the South Island this summer weren’t great for camping but we decided to give it a go and it was awesome! Finally we had the chance to sleep under the stars…
Lake Te Anau is the largest lake on the South Island and second largest by surface area in New Zealand (Lake Taupo is the largest).
One more place to check out while you are in town is Ivon Wilson Park, land planted with native trees with a beautiful small lake in the centre. Perfect picnic spot!
Lake Henry in Ivon Wilson Park
Quick stop at the Lake Mistletoe
This is one of the reasons why I love to live in New Zealand. You don’t have to go far away to find gorgeous spots. They are always just around the corner…
