Welcome to our January travel newsletter- the first edition to the new year.
Our monthly newsletter aims to share exciting updates with what we’ve been up to, any travel stories and the best pictures we’ve taken this month. Hopefully this can inspire you to fuel your own wanderlust.
And what a start to 2024 it has been for us.
In This Issue
- An Overview of January
- Destination Spotlight: Where we’ve been
- Travel Tips & Insights
- Travel Tales: Our Favourite Moment
- Upcoming Adventures: What’s on our horizon
Hello everyone!
We hope this newsletter finds you all well. As another month ends, it’s time to recap our month and see what we’ve been getting up to in January.
January has been a turbulent month as we have changed jobs and changed where in New Zealand we are living (again).
For us, we love having the freedom to move around and see new parts of the world. We have very little responsibility apart from looking after each other, so we are using that to make the best decisions for ourselves and live the life we want to live.
We spent New Year in Fox Glacier, working at a cafe and saloon bar called The Cook Saddle. We handed our notice in on the first and two weeks later we travelled Lake Ōhau Lodge, via Wānaka.
When in Wānaka, we met our friend from Inkster (the company we worked for in Christchurch) and had such a good time catching up with him!
We departed Wānaka by bus after doing just a couple of nights there. We managed a small hike and a visit to the amazing Puzzling World as well as a couple other things!
Now we are living and working at a stunning lodge, set in the Mackenzie Basin with views of Lake Ōhau, Glen Mary Glacier, and Mount Cook in the distance.
But January doesn’t stop there – we bought a car! A Nissan X-Trail!
We picked up our car from Christchurch, so we had a few days back in the city that we love.
Very shortly after this, one of Jess’s college friends was over in New Zealand so we drove down to Wanaka in our new car to meet her. We had a great time visiting a winery (Paddons Paddock) then trying out some new food spots- Big Fig is amazing! We even discovered our new favourite cafe in Wanaka; it’s called Kamino and had a vegan blueberry lemon scone that Jess hasn’t stopped talking or thinking about for the last week!
Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this month, long term or short term
It’s a pleasure to have you, our readers, join us on a journey across the world!
Enjoy the newsletter 😊
Safe travels, Jess & Ben Travel
Destination Spotlight: Where we’ve been
This month, we’ve spent time in a few places in New Zealand:
- Fox Glacier
- Wanaka
- Lake Ōhau
- Christchurch
We have written a few articles on these places which you can click on below!
Travel Tips & Insights
Here we share our best travel tips and hacks that we have uncovered on the road. From top tips in the local area to finding hidden gems, we’ve got you covered. We want our travel journey to benefit the world and our readers.
Wānaka
If you are planning to come to Wānaka, then here are our top tips and best recommendations:
Top Tips
Speak to the people at the hostel desk for recommendations if you’re not sure what you want to do, there are so many hidden gems and fun things to do that the tourists may not always know about.
There is no public transport so if you want to go do some of the more iconic hikes like Roys Peak or Diamond Lake and don’t have a car then chat to some people and see if they’d do the hike with you or try hitchhiking (which should be very easy especially in the high summer season as there are so many tourists). You can also hire bikes very easily- most people probably don’t want to do that before a hike but it’s always an option.
Our Recommendations
Stay at the Adventure Hostel Wānaka, their facilities are second to none, its nice and cheap (around $60 a night for a dorm in peak summer) and the central location is ideal, the staff are also super friendly.
Go for a coffee and snack at Kamino!
Hike Mount Iron.
Fox Glacier
If you are planning to go to Fox Glacier, then here are our top tips and best recommendations:
Top Tips
Prepare for an early morning. Watching sunrise at either Lake Matheson or Lake Gault is an absolute must do. It’s the best time of the day to see the stunning reflections the lakes are famous for and there is normally less clouds etc.
If you plan on doing a Heli hike, book an extra night. 60% of the Heli hikes get cancelled because of the weather and if you have an extra night already planned if something does go wrong you can explore one of the other hikes in the area and avoid disappointment. If it goes to plan you have time to rest when you get back and check out things like the Glacier Viewpoint or Gillespies Beach.
Our Recommendations
Food at Betsey Jane and Lake Matheson Cafe are absolute must dos.
We recommend staying at the Rainforest Motel, it’s highly rated and has amazing views out the window and includes at kitchenette in case you don’t fancy eating out.
Travel Tales: Our Favourite Moments
Mount Iron, Wānaka
We were not in Wānaka for a long stint, but we made the most of our time there.
A short hike called Mount Iron takes you up to an elevation of around 250m, which isn’t high but is high enough that you can see both Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea.
It. Was. Stunning.
Probably one of the best day hikes we’ve done in a while and we will recommend it to anyone heading to Wānaka! We also had a great time chuckling at all the people heading up this hike with kids, especially the ones that kept running off or complaining loudly.
Memories with Friends
We have met so many people this month. Our friends in Fox Glacier, became very close and very important to us as they made our lives so much more fun in that strange, small town and will forever be in our hearts.
We’ve also seen a couple of friends in Wanaka this month. Firstly, a mate from Inskter Company in Christchurch came down and we enjoyed some beautifully chilled Guinness pints and an amazing meal at Amigos (who were awesome with Jess’s allergies so big shout out to the staff there!). Then we met up with a college friend of Jess’s from the UK. It was awesome for Jess to see her after about 5 years and catch up on how much our lives have changed for the better over some drinks! Both were amazing, so great to catch up with people we haven’t seen for a while!
Collecting the keys to our car
Always a fun moment seeing your car for the first time!
We checked it out and only when we saw it did we realise quite how massive the X-trails are. We are absolutely in love with it, including the 6 cupholders in the front! It’s a beautiful thing to drive and will make the rest of our time in NZ so much more practical… Especially when we go for a road trip.
Upcoming Adventures: What’s on our horizon
Stay tuned for what’s ahead for us!
Over the next month, we will spend a lot of time working at our new jobs and exploring the local area. We will be heading up some cool hikes around Lake Ōhau and we are close to some really amazing places, such as Lake Tekapo (famous for being one of the most stunning lakes in New Zealand) and Omarama (famous for gliding).
It’s also Jess’s birthday in February so thats exciting!
Thank you for being part of our travel community. We hope to inspire your wanderlust and help you to take that leap of faith into living your best life.
Jess & Ben Travel
Amazing Ben and Jess. Such a wonder experience and life in NZ .. enjoy it all the scenery , food and drinks look incredible and good it caters for everyone’s different requirements. I’m sure your documentation is very helpful to people wishing to visit this wonderful country .
So happy for you that you are enjoying and exploring so much. Take care guys and carry on writing about your travels. It makes me feel closer.
Thank you so much! We are glad that you are enjoying it and that it brings us closer despite being all this way! Lots of love, Jess & Ben x