Mazda3: Winter wonderland of Aotearoa

These days the term "breathtaking" gets bandied about more than a grumpy cat meme. But it’s a spot-on summation after a long journey, when you stop between two snow-dusted mountains, staring at a glacier as light mist from a nearby waterfall cools you.

If you think I’ve gone all Ernest Hemingway or Paul Theroux, take a gander at the photos and video we shot ‘across the ditch’.

The tip of the Southern Alps, on New Zealand's south island, is home to glaciers, rivers, forests and gulches whose rugged beauty is completely and utterly spellbinding…It's almost enough to start barracking for the All Blacks.

Part Three
Exploring the heart of the south island's alps requires a bit of fortitude – especially in winter – and a suitable chariot. It sometimes rains and snows for days on end, landslides are common. And as for wayward ewes? They'll do in even the pluckiest of drivers.

In my head I had ideas of exploring up hills, down dales and along paths less travelled – and my daydreaming turned out to be correct. Something about visualising things to shape the future… Anyway, I naturally assumed the chariot of choice would be an SUV.

As it happened, our 'Car for All Seasons' series requires a Mazda3, which at the time, and considering the drive route I had planned, did seem a little incautious. I surmised historians might subsequently file my journey in the category made famous by now-retired AFL commentator Dennis Cometti when he coined the phrase: “He went in optimistically but came out misty-optically”.

But after a week behind the wheel of a top-spec Mazda3, I can confirm you don't always need a jacked-up SUV-ish ride to see some of most spectacular winter wonders in the southern hemisphere.

That the Mazda3 turns 40 this year was the original reason to use the vehicle in Japan (spring), Norway (summer), New Zealand (winter) and of course a final autumnal destination which is still classified. In retrospect it wasn’t the worst idea as the spirited small car has acquitted itself admirably.

A town fit for a Queen
My journey through New Zealand's spectacular winter landscapes started in the extreme sport capital of the nation, Queenstown. It's a place frequented for its skiing and snowboarding, where Mazda ambassador, world champion snowboarder and all-round legend Alex "Chumpy" Pullin trains.

It's also a great place to drive.

Queenstown is nestled within the Southern Alps, where there are more peaks and troughs than Bitcoin's value in recent months. Drive for five minutes and you'll see more natural glory than Claude Monet's Gardens in France. Keep going for another 10 minutes and you'll be cruising through the cloud line…it’s all about as far removed from the working week peak hour traffic drudge as you can get.

From any angle the scenery is dramatic. Over the millennia, deep gorges have been created by cobalt blue rivers cutting a swathe through the dense rock and, with backdrops of tall snow-covered mountains, you’re constantly reminded this place is not for the faint of heart; Even around Lake Wakitipu, nightly temperatures can drop to negative eight degrees.

The lake is the third-largest in New Zealand and its surface is at 310 (1000ft) metres above sea level. Oddly, it has 'tides' which rise and fall every 25 minutes by about 10cm.

Ancient Maori stories say the tides are the heartbeat of Matau, a leviathan who sleeps on the lake’s floor. Measuring 80km long, and, when viewed from above, shaped like a lightning bolt, the lake is an incredible 380 metres deep (meaning the bottom is actually below sea level). Rest well Matau…

Queenstown is also a skiing mecca with a huge variety of snow fields suitable for everyone from newbies to pros. Speaking of which, it's a training area for Australian two-time world champion snowboarder, Alex Pullin. I spent a day with the lad nicknamed ‘Chumpy’ and talked about everything from the best cars we've ever driven to the secret life of ants.

‘Chumpy’ is a decent athlete – everyone can improve, right? – but it's the long-haired ruffian’s easy-going attitude, honesty and a level of wisdom belying his age which really makes him in an intriguing individual. For a bloke who swans around the world snowboarding, he's an incredibly perceptive individual.

Lakes, beaches, glaciers and epic roads
Man crush complete, I headed north up State Highway 6, marvelling at the excellent quality of New Zealand's roads. Winding my way down from the mountains then squeezing through the narrow pass between the stunning lakes Hawea and Wanaka, the Mazda3 provided a good blend of dynamics and comfort.

When the roads got twisty the car ‘3’ was more than up for a flogging, the gearbox one of its strengths. It's a proactive six-speed automatic transmission, happy to keep the engine on the boil which means you can really pick up the pace. The suspension setup helped keep the car tied to the road, and it was good fun blasting along the twisting, turning roads of this hilly region.

After heading north, Highway 6 took me west toward to the coast and where the mountains meet the ocean near Haast, it's a sight for sore eyes. The road winds its way up the South Island's west coast, a brilliant drive and no surprise at all to come across a Porsche 911 4S and AC Cobra replica roaring along.

Before too long, the Fox and Franz-Josef Glaciers neared, so it was time to ditch the car and hike up to see what all the fuss is about. I chose the Franz-Josef because it has two syllables instead of one, which is important when you're recounting stories.

The incredible glaciers which inhabit New Zealand's Southern Alps have been grinding down the rocks and mountains for millennia, creating vast valleys. While the glaciers grind everything down, the mountains themselves have been rising by around 15mm per annum for the past few million years. There's an ancient rhythm here which you feel as well as see.

Passing Arthur
My journey continued north past the majestic glaciers, mountains giving way to flatlands, but the views never disappointed. I headed inland at Kumara Junction, the Mazda gliding along happily at 100km/h with cruise control on, the adaptive radar functionality recognising caravans and slowing down to 15km/h a few times to blend in and avoid alarming the slow-moving behemoths.

Tracing a route which followed the vast, wide Taramakau river bed, traffic began to thin out…driving in winter has its benefits. It wasn't particularly warm, but the sun was shining and scenic waterfalls abounded, micro rainbows springing into existence.

Idyllic? Absolutely.

Arthurs Pass loomed, a remote town whose significance arose during the gold rush in the early 20th century. There's some amazing walks, such as Devils Punchbowl, but even driving the roads made my head spin, such is the natural splendour.

We didn't get a chance to hop on the Tranz Alpine Express which runs through historic rail tunnels in the area but, while train-spotting, we did get up close and personal with the Kea alpine parrot. The large parrots were incredibly inquisitive and didn’t mind having a sticky beak at the Mazda3.

After waving goodbye to Arthur's Pass, its magnificent scenery, epic roads and curious locals, the landscape continued to amaze. Jaw-dropping hills flew past, mountains, rivers, lakes. It was an endless cornucopia of visual grandeur on a scale so vast it was humbling.

There's a point not far from Arthur's Pass, the eastern gateway to the area if you like, where the Waimakariri river is joined by other tributaries. It was profoundly beautiful driving alongside it. Framed by the huge Southern Alps in one direction and flat, arable lands in the other, the Waimakariri is like a conduit which joins these contrasting environments, eventually draining into the Pacific Ocean just north of Christchurch.

The home stretch
Suitably inspired, it was time to head for Christchurch, the Mazda3 as much a part of the adventure as the spectacular vistas. But before I left the Alps completely the road took me south and I spotted an unusual sign: Mount Cheeseman. Initially I drove straight past it, but soon after turned around. I thought it would be something my daughter would find amusing – she later did – and the random drive up a fairly rough dirt road revealed a last hurrah for this awe-inspired motorist.

The Mazda3 proved surprisingly resilient up the rough and bumpy inclines, belting around corners and offering predictable and concise steering. Then, the snow started falling - talk about a fairy-tale ending. I have no doubt the view Mr or Mrs Cheeseman would have seen upon first reaching the peak would have left him or her speechless. Truly is like standing on top of the world.

Cruising east along Route 73 towards Christchurch, the spellbinding mountains and rivers made way for agriculture. Soon the urban sprawl arrived, and a sense of longing struck me; "Turn around, head back to whence you came" my conscience admonished. But the reality of everyday life beckoned…responsibility, taxes, paperwork and staring at screens.

If you ever get the chance to explore New Zealand, and a helicopter is unavailable, I highly recommend doing it in a car. You won't be disappointed.

Driving along the Alpine Highway, zig-zagging through Arthur's Pass and observing nature on a grand scale is incredible.

The first peoples of New Zealand called this area of the Southern Alps ‘Te Tiritiri o te Moana’. It means foam-tipped crests of the sea, described as such because the extraordinary views were said to reflect the distant ocean waves.

Then as now, the region inspires awe in those who experience it, and this scribe is suitably awed. Breathtaking? Like no other place on earth.