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! 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!