Kia ora! I’ve just returned from an incredible family trip to New Zealand’s South Island, and I’m excited to share all the incredible adventures that we had along the way. Over the next few blog posts, I’ll be diving into everything you absolutely must have on your New Zealand bucket list. Read the previous blog post here. For a bit of context: my brother lives in NZ, so my mum and I travelled over for a family holiday with him packed with hikes, swims, and endless mountain views. This trip marked my second time in this stunning country (after exploring the North Island in December 2022 with my Mum and Dad and brother), and I was beyond excited to come back. Trust me, there’s so much to see and do in New Zealand, I hope this blog helps inspire anyone looking to plan their own trip.

Travelling from Punakaiki to Fox Glacier, we had a day to explore Hokitika on route to break up the 3 hour journey.

Hokitika had been on my list of must-see places, primarily because I was eager to witness the stunning glacial blue waters that the region is famous for.

I learnt on this trip that the water is so blue because of the ‘glacial flour’. In short, in my basic understanding, the minerals in the recently melted glacial water haven’t yet settled, which is what gives the water that unique vivid blue colour.

It was incredible to see. I remember sending my friends photos and them having thought that I’d edited the water to be this colour…. I can confidently say, no filters or editing were needed; the water really is THAT blue.

We parked at the free car park in Kokatahi, and completed the Hokitika Gorge walk. Sadly it wasn’t a loop as one of the swing bridges was under repair so it was a there and back again walk, but I would still say that the gorge is totally worth a visit.

I also couldn’t resist a swim in the little eddy of the river. Swimming is not at all encouraged here due to the fast flowing nature of the river — you easily could get sucked up and dragged for miles in a matter of minutes. Thankfully Rich had been here before and recommended a safe swim spot where there is an eddy in the river.

Excited to see how cold it was going to be, I very quickly got into my swimmers and threw myself in.

I can confirm, the water was, as expected, very cold.

It was an incredible place to have a swim though. I feel very lucky to have been able to experience swimming here.

After the walk, we headed into the town of Hokitika for some classic touristy browsing through souvenir shops and stopped to enjoy a coffee. For lunch, we found a picnic bench right next to the iconic Hokitika sign made from driftwood.

Next on the travel itinerary is Fox Glacier.

I can’t wait to share more with you but for now, as a sneak preview, I’ll tell you that it includes: A helicopter ride, sunset views at Lake Matheson, and a secret beach hike.