Naturally New Zealand
We started our adventure in Auckland staying in the very centre of the city and spent a few days exploring the city including the Sky Tower, Victoria Market, Queens Street shopping and took the bus and the train out to the suburbs and walked part of the harbour area. We then collected a camper van which was our home for the next 56 days - yes we did go a little stir crazy at times and had to sneak in a couple of nights in a house on Stewart Island and a lodge in Abel Tasman! Having said that the camper was very comfortable with its own shower and toilet and it certainly gave us plenty of flexibility. We mainly stayed on campsites which were well equipped with the usual facilities - shower and toilet blocks, kitchens, barbecue areas and laundry facilities. If like us you are touring for a long period of time it is definitely worth joining one of the campsite loyalty schemes as this gave us some great savings on the nightly rates and discounts at restaurants and places of interest for just a few dollars joining fee. The driving is easy and fuel was cheap.
We headed out of Auckland to the Coromandel Peninsular and the fascinating Hot Water Beach - dig in the sand and the water is in places too hot to stand but in others like a glorious natural bath. One of my favourite spots was Hahai and a marvellous coastal walk to Cathedral Beach the site of a fantastic stone arch! Our route took us in land to Rotorua with its famous geysers and sulphur pools although we decided to visit Okariki, the Hidden Valley, which is a cave and Thermal Park between Rotorua and Taupo and the geysers put on a great show for us! From Taupo we then headed back out to the coast to the art deco town of Napier and Mission Estate, the oldest vineyard in New Zealand. Then it was south stopping off at Mount Bruce and our only sighting of live Kiwi's - in captivity unfortunately but the pair were mating at the time much to the embarrassment of the keeper!
Wellington was the next stop before taking the Interislander Ferry to Picton. Our stops in the South Island included Kaikoura where we swam with wild dolphins, hand fed albatross and went whale watching in a helicopter; Mount John and a tour of the observatory; Twizel; Hamner Springs; Christchurch - tram rides, Antarctic and RAF museums; the Akaroa Peninsular - there was definitely a French influence here; Omaru - lots of penguins; Dunedin - the Speights Brewery was a definite hit with the boys; Stewart Island - lots of bird watching but the Kiwi's were illusive; Invercargil; Doubtful Sound - one of the wettest places on earth but it stayed dry for us; Queenstown - jet boating, white-water rafting and canyon swings were the order of the day. Wanaka was more restful before Fox Glacier and a fantastic guided walk on the glacier before heading north along the coast to Abel Tasman National Park where we spent a few days walking the coast tracks. Back on the North Island it was up the west coast before heading in land to Tongariro National Park and the Tongariro Crossing - New Zealand’s best one day hike - it took me a week to recover! Christmas saw us north of Auckland at Pahia in the Bay of Islands where we went King Fishing, Catamaran sailing and enjoying this stunning area!
I have so many wonderful memories of our time in this stunning country and not enough space to mention it all but I would recommend it to anyone and would go back tomorrow given the opportunity!