1. Franz Joseph Glacier: The trek to this beautiful view saw us braving rainy weather and chilly temperatures but the sight definitely made it worth it. If you count yourself as a bit of daredevil do try out the glacial hike on offer here. However if adventure sports isn't your thing, worry not. Trekking up to see the views of the glacier we captured above has its own charm. Do check out the Fox Glacier as well, although it has retreated quite a bit and only possible to see it from the distance but the steep almost vertical mountains left behind are beautiful in their own right.

2. Bruce Bay: We were en route Franz Joseph when we came across one of the craziest landscapes I have been blessed to see. In all honesty, I can't even begin to describe the awe of how beautiful this place was. Pebbles and bark scattered the beach with an overcast sky and the peeks of distant vegetation in the background, witnessing this scenery with the sound of crashing waves was one of my favorite travel moments so far.

3. Haast River: On the topic of crazy landscapes, this little detour was definitely memorable. Prior to driving over the single lane bridge in the Haast Pass featured above, we decided to stop and explore. It saw us walking along a rocky path with yellow flowers growing on either side and even a little wooden gate. However, the sight that met us beyond this gate was quite the contrast. Pebbles covering the earth with craters of water popping up every few meters and the outline of trees in the background made for quite the eerie atmosphere. The Haast River leaves a lot of silt and that is what had created the eerie scenery above.

4. Farm: I'm sure no one is surprised to see photographs of sheep in New Zealand but diving past the little and sometimes not so little herds of animals in from of picturesque mountains and bright blue sky meant that unlike usual, there wasn't much car napping on this road trip.

5. Lake Wanaka: After seeing so many lakes, we were starting to get immune to their beauty. Although Lake Wanaka isn't turqoise blue like Pukaki and Tekapo or grey/white like the glacial lakes, it still has its charm and offers perfect picnic spots.

6. Hokitika: Perhaps if we hadn't visited Bruce Bay mentioned earlier, the grey sand and rocky terrains of Hokitika beach would have been even more alluring but the charming vibe of the down and delicious hot chips on offer more than made up for it. Add to that the opportunity to pretend to be khaleesi with our very authentic looking cane and badass background music.  (not sure why Khaleesi decided to leave the dessert and come chill on the beach but we'll ignore it for now).