We left Nelson to start our fourth day on the road and headed south to Nelson Lakes National Park. We stopped at Lake Rotoiti for a short hike and then…

After visiting New Zealand’s three major cities, we rented a car and started a six-day tour of the rural areas of the South Island. We started along the east coast,…

Because of the earthquake damage hotel space in Christchurch is tight and comes at a premium. The best deal I could find on an Airbnb apartment for our three-night stay…

After leaving Wellington we flew to the South Island to begin our seven-day visit to the lower half of New Zealand. We spent one full day in the central Christchurch…

One morning in Wellington we rode the funicular from downtown up to the city’s hillside botanic garden. We worked our way back down the hill through the gardens before heading…

We only had four days in windy Wellington, but we made good use of our time and saw quite a bit. The city is small and compact, which makes for…

After we left Auckland we flew south to the capital city of Wellington. Located on the south end of the North Island, the city is a quarter the size of Auckland and is much more compact.

After we got a nice nights sleep following our 58-hour trip, we spent a week touring New Zealand’s largest city. In addition to our tour of Waiheke Island, we also…

On our first full day in Auckland the sun came out, and to make the most of a warm spring day we took the ferry out to nearby Waiheke Island….