10/20/2026
Bonjour Colorado Springs from New Zealand! I love mountains! I don’t know if I could ever live in a place that does not have mountains. We were spoiled by the scenery while driving and hiking, and the snow on the peaks made it even more beautiful.
Our little 8.2 mile hike took us to Bealey Spur Hut through the forest, giving us views of the snowy mountains here and there. When we got there, we could only imagine how the night sky would look so incredibly pure, so far away from any city. We truly did not have much around us but nature, the chirping of the birds and majestic mountains.
Taking a little road trip to Arthur’s Pass already taught me a bunch on driving to New Zealand. When the rental agent asked me, after I confirmed it was my first time driving on the left side, if I felt confident… I replied “sure!”.
Of course Emie mocked me several times when starting the wipers instead of hitting the blinkers. I’ll get better! Coming from the USA, such a large country, it is quite surprising when you don’t see highways. You only have one lane, at 100km/h so if you get stuck behind a truck… well, deal with it! And we got a few trucks, but oh well, I’m on vacation and not in a rush! There’s also a bunch of one-way narrow bridges to pay attention to. Overall, it was a pleasant drive without much people out there and with gorgeous views.
In the city, we’ve only used public transportation. Coming from Europe, this is something I truly enjoy. We’re going to try to keep it up with our 20,000+ daily steps! Off to Auckland and the North Island now!
