New Zealand Trip Vibes Hit So Hard — I Teared Up While Looking Back

Today, I drove from Shanghai back to Hangzhou, and after 2.5 hours, my back and waist ached like crazy. But just a week ago in New Zealand? I drove 4 hours straight in a day and barely felt tired. Turns out, the healing power of the scenery along the way was so strong that my brain had no room to sense exhaustion — nature really is the best painkiller 🌿. 🗺️ My Itinerary: 7 Days in the North Island + 8 Days in the South Island Auckland → Raglan: Wake up, grab breakfast, and wander around town in the morning. Hit the road in the afternoon for a 3-hour drive. Arrive to hike and stay in a cozy cabin 🏡. - Raglan → Rotorua : Stop by the *Lord of the Rings* Hobbit filming location for a 2-hour tour on the way. Reach Rotorua by evening. - Rotorua: Spend the day at Waiotapu Geothermal Park and take a short hike in the Redwood Forest 🌲. - Rotorua → New Plymouth : A 4-hour drive leads to “Taranaki Mountain” (New Zealand’s “Mount Fuji”) — an extinct volcano. Stay in a lakeside stargazing cabin at night, perfect for nature and hiking lovers (I shared this spot before too! ✨). - New Plymouth → Wellington: Check in at Jay Chou’s iconic street spot. It’s such an artsy city, but sadly, it poured rain that day, leaving everything looking gray and dull ☔. - Wellington → Christchurch : A 1-hour flight — the South Island views from the sky blew me away! Wandered the art gallery, the riverside food street (both super* photogenic!), and watched the sunset from the hilltop. I fell in love with Christchurch — it brought me back to my student days 🥰. - Christchurch → Lake Tekapo**: This lake is *unbelievably* beautiful — no words can do it justice 🏞️. -ekapo: Sleep in, take photos, and just chill. Still, the beauty here left me speechless. - Mount Cook : Hiked the 4-hour Valley Hook classic trail. Unfortunately, the glacier had melted a lot by November, so it was a bit less, but the scenery along the way? Still took my breath away. Caught the last bit of sunset on the drive back 🌇. - Tekapo → Wanaka: Captured the “Lone Tree” (my feed’s cover photo!) and my pinned note — it kept redefining what “beautiful” means to me 📸. - Wanaka → Queenstown : Maybe the previous spots were too stunning? I felt a little numb when I arrived. It’s more touristy and has a lively, small-town vibe — so many people were soaking up the sun by the lake ☀️. - Queenstown Must-Do**: *Deer Heights* is HIGHLY recommended! Overlook Queenstown from above, and there are tons of cute animals — sheep and alpacas you can get up close to 🐑🦙. - Queenstown Fun**: Sleep in, take a vintage steamship 🚢, ride the Skyline Gondola 🚠, and do 6 laps of go-karting 🚗 in the afternoon. For dinner, try the famous Fergburger — cheap, huge, and so tasty!!! #MySecretTravelRoute #RomanticLifeRecorder #NewZealand #TravelMemories #PostTripBlues ✨