I’m struggling to write this post. Not from writer’s block, rather I’m apprehensive to let the cat out of the bag as to how AMAZING the Rockburn Valley is. I’d rather keep it all to myself.
Nevertheless, here I go.
The Rockburn Valley is EPIC. It’s incredibly accessible and missed by thousands of people each year that get to within 2-3 hours of it.
When I first arrived in New Zealand some years ago, the first thing I did was hop in a campervan and head straight to New Zealand’s wild West Coast.
I knew very little about the West Coast at that time, and was only heading there as I had landed a job at local tourist retreat. Little did I know, the South Island’s West Coast is perhaps one of New Zealand’s most iconic areas. It’s a wild place, an untouched place and a very, very wet place. The West Coast catches the brunt of any weather system coming off the Tasman Sea, and this results in inches and inches or rain falling on the West Coast each year – about 78 inches to be exact.
In the great Adventure Tourism Pilgrimage around New Zealand, experiencing the Waitomo Caves must be one of the top five must-do experiences. Surprisingly, this isn’t something I’ve managed to tick off the list in the last five years I’ve called New Zealand home.
New Zealanders have an affinity for the outdoors. Whether that is a trip to the beach, or a walk in the bush, much of New Zealand takes advantage of the wealth of pristine natural landscapes that the North and South Island offer.
New Zealand is also a country that is proud of its mountaineering heritage. Likely the most popular New Zealander is Sir Edmund Hillary, a mountaineer who grew up a long ways from the mountains in the farmland south of Auckland, but went on to be the first person to summit Everest – using Aoraki Mt Cook, New Zealand’s highest peak, as his training ground.
New Zealand is a small country, but still one that is often very hard to plan an itinerary for. There are countless “Must See” places around the country that you’ll want to experience – but fitting them all into two or three weeks as most people have can be VERY DIFFICULT.
Backpacking Matt 
