We’ve all established that 2020 is the year of travelling local. And why shouldn’t you, when you live in a beautiful country. New Zealand has by far the best landscapes. North Island is quite different to South Island.

In September, my family and I decided to pack our bags (okay a bit dramatic) and head down to the South Island. We’ve seen the South Island extensively, so figuring out a new place or itinerary to follow was quite the challenge.

Cue *event manager skillset*. I suggested that we fly down to Christchurch, and take the Tranz Alpine train that goes from Christchurch to Greymouth. We’d been to Greymouth before, and what caught my eye was Lake Brunner (Moana).

Moana is a stop before Greymouth, roughly 40-minutes’ drive away. The journey on the Tranz Alpine is highly recommended. If you can be picky, I would suggest the trip in the middle of winter. That journey will be a winter wonderland. How do I know this? Well because we had snow one day, and it was beautiful. Just see the video below of the snowfall in Arthur’s Pass on our way back!

A lot of local tourists choose to travel to Greymouth and back on the same day. The train journey one way is about 4 hours. So, if you decided to the journey there and back you’re looking at roughly 9 hours (possibly 10) as the train halts for a wee while in Greymouth.

Now onto Lake Brunner, I’ll do a different blog on the train journey. Lake Brunner is a very small town. If I remember right, there are about 80 families that live there. It’s got a small town charm to it. Most of the houses there are holiday homes. Also, Lake Brunner is quite good for camping. If that’s your preference then Lake Brunner is your haven. The busiest time in Lake Brunner is the summer, when the population grows to 3000.

We stayed at the only hotel there is, Hotel Lake Brunner. This place offers bother self-contained suites as well as dorm options if you’re travelling in large groups. Again, I’ll do a different blog on it.

Speaking of the small town charm, they have a small train platform (not really a station). Two restaurants, some camping spots, one hotel, a post shop, a fire station and a school. Each time I go to a small town in New Zealand, I’m even more amazed at how much smaller the town gets, but the beauty remains.

If you are planning on a trip to Moana (Lake Brunner), I would suggest 3-days at max. The first day you’d arrive by mid-day if you were taking the train and once you arrive, you can just use that day to relax and unwind. If you were driving down, you’d have the freedom of stopping along the way for longer but remember it is a drive through the mountains, so you won’t really have a lot of pit stops or food stops.

For those who are active and love going on hikes, Lake Brunner has a number of great hikes. Whilst, I love my hikes, I couldn’t do any as the weekend we are at Lake Brunner, we were experiencing the Antarctic blast which means there was wind, there was hail, there was snow, there was torrential rain. I did manage to walk about 100m and then had to come back. Yes, I do suggest the Tranz Alpine journey in the middle of winter to experience the winter wonderland but Lake Brunner in the winter might not be ideal. The locals can help with the different hikes available. Also, remember there are hikes catered to different levels of fitness.

If fishing is your thing, you could hire a boat out and go Trout fishing. Lake Brunner is a popular spot for this. You could also indulge in other water based activities during the summer. Another option could be a nice picnic by the lake.

If you have a rented car, you may choose to drive to Greymouth for the day and explore and come back. I am unsure if there are any tours that you can pre-book that take you to Greymouth. Lake Brunner is also a nice place to do a nice bbq, if you’ve gone in a large group. You’ll find these at camping grounds, and if you are someone who prefers Air B’n’B or booking holiday homes, I’m sure some of these places will have one too.

Moana really is a very small town, with mostly hikes to do, and perhaps some water based activities. If you’re on an extensive road trip of the South Island, I would suggest you stop at Moana rather then Greymouth. The main attraction on this route really is Arthur’s Pass.

Until next time,

MiliG