22/10/2026
For travel journalist Chelia Batkin, this was the view between adventures.
Aboard a Ritchies bus between Queenstown and Wānaka, her camera caught snow-covered mountains, golden tussock and winding roads, with a flock of sheep briefly bringing the journey to a pause.
Chelia filmed this in late August while travelling south through New Zealand. She’d just spent six nights aboard a Fiordland Discovery boat, with wilderness walks, kayaking, humpback whale sightings and a complete break from phone service and internet. Back on land, it took a few days to shake the feeling that she was still rocking on the boat.
Ahead was Lake Hāwea Station, where she would learn about regenerative farming and conservation, watch sheep being shorn and wool graded, and make time for The Secret Sauna and a swim in the lake.
With experiences like those on either side, the bus ride could easily have been a footnote. Chelia’s footage gives it a story of its own.
🎥 Filmed and generously shared with us by travel journalist .batkin on Instagram.