Thumbnails: Scroll down for North Island Archive.
South Island Archive
Tasman: Golden Bay-Pohara
If you can only visit ONE place in NZ, choose Tasman. We struck gold in Golden Bay! WOW!
Keep reading
East Coast: Akaroa-Lyttelton
My love of cliff walks started here, as did a fondness for alpacas. An infatuation for both that just won’t go away.
Keep reading
East Coast: Christchurch
Christchurch’s rebuild after a devastating earthquake is extraordinary! Cutting-edge development and art alongside heritage sites.
Keep reading
Southern Alps: Mt Cook, Tekapo
Reaching new heights (literally) on NZ’s highest mountain where every scene is BIG!
Keep reading
Southern Alps: Wānaka, Lake Hāwea
Where in NZ would I live? Here! Because of the richness of this area I would aspire to be a lifetime resident in Wānaka.
Keep reading
West: Arthur’s Pass to Punakaiki
Repost/Updated: NZ’s West Coast NEEDS visitors. Get there via train or car from Christchurch to Arthur’s Pass and beyond. It’s like a dream.
Keep reading
West: Hokitika, Glaciers, Haast
New! :This post covers the magic of Hokitika Gorge, Fox/Franz Josef Glaciers, Haast forests and waterfalls.
Keep reading
West: Cape Foulwind to Nelson Lakes
Wild West Coast to central forests, lakes, waterfalls on SH 6. Dramatic Cape Foulwind, a bouncy swingbridge, and a photo icon from Nelson Lakes National Park.
Keep reading
Tasman: Cape Farewell
Before leaving NZ we made “second round” visits to sites we thought we would never see again. Paradise is at the top of South Island: Cape Farewell’s arch, Wharariki Beach – “The MS Windows Image”.
Keep reading
Tasman: Kaiteriteri-Harwoods Hole
Maybe it was the joy of seeing new things after lockdown and/or the luxury of additional time. Able Tasman was perfect.
Keep reading
East-SW: Kaikōura, Twizel, Ohau
Kaikoura – whales, walks, albatross, dolphins and a coastline radically and visibly changed by an earthquake in 2016.
Keep reading
East-West: Moeraki, Oamaru, Clay Cliffs
On the east coast, driving south to north, are the “mysterious” Moeraki boulders and quirky Oamaru to see blue penguins.
Keep reading
Southland: Dramatic Dunedin
Dunedin – Victorian and gothic buildings, massive street art, mosaic beach cliffs, penguins, albatross….Wow!
Keep reading
Southland’s Secret: The Catlins
On our way to the VERY Bottom of South Island, we drove through the magical Catlins. No exaggeration on the power of nature here.
Keep reading
Southland: Bottom End-Invercargill
Invercargill and Stewart Island – from the local fair at the fairgrounds (sheep, lumberjack games) to birding on Stewart Island. A special stop.
Keep reading
Southland: Fiordland-Wet, Wild
Fiordland is a remote corner of New Zealand. Within this corner, we visited two iconic locations: Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound. Neither are easy to get to.
Keep reading
Southern Alps: Queenstown, Glenorchy
Queenstown and the mountains, and perhaps the prettiest drive in NZ to Glenorchy.
Keep readingNorth Island Archive
Hawke’s Bay Daytrips
We have left New Zealand, but my NZ Travel Diary is incomplete. Longing for the wine and hikes of Napier and Hawke’s Bay.
Keep reading
Tongariro Volcanoes-Color Explosion!
Feeling small, surrounded by giants in the Volcano Zone. Hiking in Tongariro a high point!
Keep reading
Taupō – Central North Island
From Hobbiton and Rotorua, to Lake Taupō and Tongariro National Park, Central North Island’s volcanic middle-earth is unforgettable.
Keep reading
NZ-East Cape Escape
Taiawhiti “The coast upon which the sun shines on the water”…except during a week of torrential rain. But we sloshed onward.
Keep reading
Gold! And The Bay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty – WOW! Named by Captain Cook. Warm and sunny with avocados, citrus, kiwifruit at roadside stands. And…oh those walks.
Keep reading
Coromandel-Seaside Splendor
“Good for your Soul” is the tagline for The Coromandel Region where Kiwis holiday. Two coastlines with mountain ranges and forest in-between.
Keep reading
Whangārei-250 Miles of Beaches!
Why Whangārei? We never expected a wonderland! Underestimated by tourists en route to the Bay of Islands, this is a “stop and stay” city.
Keep reading
Far North-Paihia Day Trips
This post features a massive boulder field (thank you volcano), gallery, parrots, and a bicycle trail (with eye-pecking magpies).
Keep reading
Northland – Seas and Trees
The one where I became addicted to coastal walks and climbing up the path…just to see.
Keep reading
Winterless North-Bay of Islands
After a pause in blogging, this post resumes our travel memories looking at Northland. There was SO MUCH sensory overload that I had to step back..and wait for all of Northland to reveal itself. Here is the view from the Bay of Islands.
Keep reading
Cape Reinga-Where Spirits Soar
At the top of North Island is Cape Reinga and the sea. Stunning.
Keep reading
First Peoples-Waitangi Treaty
New Zealand was transformed from an exclusively Māori world into one of European domination. The story is told at The Waitangi Treaty Grounds in the Far North. The historical site is stunning.
Keep reading
Hobbiton – The Shire
After reading The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings and watching all 6 movies during lockdown. Hobbiton was a must do!
Keep reading
Prismatic Rotorua
Between Rotorua and Taupo are fantastic geothermal areas with unique moss and mineral formations, crystal blue lakes, and lots and lots of steam
Keep reading
Blown to Oblivion! Taupo Volcanic Zone
Walking on a volcano! The Tarawera Crater Walk, an infamous eruption in 1886, a “blast” of a walk today.
Keep reading
Waitomo Glowworms and the Forgotten World Hwy
Driving a road called the Forgotten World Highway; Walking through a cave with “big shiny…
Keep reading
Ring Around the Mountain – Taranaki
North Island, west coast – Mt. Taranaki, a perfectly shaped volcano.
Keep reading
Wine, Badlands, Lighthouses – Lower North
Astoundingly beautiful day-trips around Martinborough with iconic lighthouses, cliff drives and rugged pinnacles.
Keep reading
