Hitchhiking in New Zealand: Wanaka to Fox Glacier

Hitchhiking in New Zealand: Wanaka to Fox Glacier

12th of July, 2025.

On my walk through town, I ask to borrow a marker in a French bakery. The young lady working there is lovely, and we start talking about travels. She’s from France and is here on a working holiday Visa (as apparently so many young people from other countries). I ask here if they don’t have any leftovers from yesterday and when she figures that they don’t, she herself gives me a pan au chocolat (chocolate croissant). How adorable! I give her my Instagram, and after saying many times thank you, I leave.

It’s some walk until outside Wanaka. The thing is, here is still not the best place to stand. The ideal place is where I was yesterday, because there’s the connection with another highway. The worst part is, on my way here and after waiting for a long time, even under some drizzle, nobody even offered to take me to that intersection, which is about 12 km from here. And I know that a lot of these people are going there, because yesterday loads of cars were coming from this direction to there.

Finally, a guy in a van stops. He quickly tells me that he’s not going to Fox Glacier (my new sign and my actual destination), but he can drop me off in that intersection. Yay!

Chucky (not Norris) is a super friendly tour guide. We talk a lot in our short 12 km driving, and he seems like a very nice person. He’s surprised about my travels journey and I give him my Instagram as well.

When he drops me off at the intersection, a small campervan with a young couple driving it kind of stops. I think they we’re trying to understand what was going on, because I was just partially holding my sign and holding by backpacks at the same time. Chucky is also helping trying to tell them that I need a lift to Fox Glacier. Luckily they stop anyway.

Rosalie is from the Netherlands and Tony is Irish. The first thing they tell me is that they will make quite a few stops on the way and that they are going only to Haast. I tell them that I’m fine with the stops, as I also want to see the viewpoints (those are the stops they are making), and I don’t want to get stuck here again today so Haast it is. After arranging all my stuff on the back of the campervan, I sit in front with them, and we drive.

They are so much fun! Really cool people. We talk a lot about travels and life. I tell them about my adventures and my experiences in their both countries. They have been living in Australia though, planning on going back to the Netherlands soon. We almost make no stops though. The reason? The rain. It’s pouring rain for almost the entire trip, so we can’t really enjoy the so much called gorgeous West Coast of New Zealand. It does look pretty though, so it’s really just a shame this weather. We stop once in a bridge with a strong river going down under it. The power of the water is amazing! And we also see plenty of tiny waterfalls coming out of the big and high mountains, which looks really nice. Better if we could actually see it, with a good visibility. They give me a banana, which is awesome, and soon enough we arrive to Haast. We take a photo before saying our goodbyes. They stay in their campervan to make some coffee and rest before driving to a campsite not far from here.

Haast it’s funnily tiny. Like super tiny. If you blink while driving by you miss it. I sit inside a cafe and have my banana followed by my delicious chocolate croissant. The rain gave us a break just before we arrived here. But it comes and goes. I plan to stay outside but under the covered area, and run to the road to show the cars my sign when I spot them. I don’t even need to do that once.

As I’m arranging my backpacks outside, a man is going back inside, as I had seen him before with his wife. So I just casually ask him if they are not going to Fox Glacier, to what he answers yes. I get so nervous and excited that I can barely ask him if I can come with them, but then I finally manage to say something. He says: “Yeah, sure!” OMG! I can barely believe it! I’m so happy!

Jackie and Mike are from Geraldine, where I was hitchhiking from some days ago, when I was going to Glenorchy. They are both really nice and polite. Mike delivers farm mechanical equipment for a company, so he has basically driven almost all over New Zealand. He’s delivering something a bit before Fox Glacier, but they are going there for filling the pick-up afterwards.

During the drive, they also tell me that I should be careful while hitchhiking in New Zealand. I haven’t mentioned this yet but basically every single person who picked me up here told me the exact same thing. That’s insane! And so sad. I can’t believe that even a country like New Zealand became like that.

We do the delivery in a very remote farm. The simple man standing outside the gate, waiting for us, say the very same thing which is crossing my mind – that his piece of machinery which we are delivering looks way too fancy for his little and simple farm. Laugh.

They take their time. It’s interesting to watch. And soon enough we are on our way to Fox Glacier.

They drop me off at the gas station. Before they leave, we take a photograph and Jackie gives me a slice of an oat caramel pie, which she had with her.

I ask to a senior lady working at the gas station where is the church. She is so grumpy that makes me sad. Later on, another local person would call her “lemon face”. So it’s not just with me, she’s like that with everyone. But at least I get my info. Another thing that happens is, when I ask her if I can wait inside, because it’s warmer, she simply says: “I close at 17.00 hours”. It’s now 16.30 hours. Then when I tell her that I’m only waiting until the rain stops so I can walk, she wickedly says: “I don’t think this rain will stop soon” – to what I answer with a smile – I just have to hope for the best!

Five minutes later the rain stops. And it wouldn’t rain again for the next few hours. Thank you, universe!