Our Adventures in New Zealand
The Waitomo caves are an underground fantasyland on the North Island of New Zealand. Ooh and aah at the stalactites and stalagmites that have been slowly growing over millennia. Go on an adventure and raft through these dark caves. And of course, the main reason for visiting the Waitomo caves, gaze up at the glowworms, which light up the ceilings …
The Southern Scenic Route is a 600+ kilometer driving route that connects Dunedin, Invercargill, Te Anau, and Queenstown, New Zealand. It is a gorgeous drive, and along the way you are treated to some of the most spectacular scenery in the country. On this drive, you will visit quaint coastal towns, deserted beaches, waterfalls, fiords, and a long list of …
Hike to viewpoints of glaciers, see the rarest Kiwi, soar over Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier in a helicopter, capture Mount Tasman’s reflection in Lake Matheson, go heli-hiking or ice climbing, and relax in a hot tub…these are all things you can do in and around Franz Josef, New Zealand. Glacier Country is an area on the west coast …
A helicopter flight over the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers is a thrilling experience. To see this land of glacier-capped mountains, rainforests, and rugged coastlines is one of the best experiences to have in Glacier Country, if not all of New Zealand. On a helicopter tour from Franz Josef or Fox Glacier, you will fly over several glaciers, get to …
Doubtful Sound is a fiord in southwest New Zealand. It’s a neighbor of the more popular Milford Sound. A visit to Doubtful Sound, with its more remote location and less touristy vibe, is a much different experience than a visit to the Milford Sound. A Doubtful Sound day trip takes one full day. To get here, you first have to …
New Zealand…this is the land of fiords, volcanoes, black sand beaches, glaciers, glowworms, hot springs, and breathtaking landscapes. On this New Zealand itinerary, you can road trip through one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Along the way, go hiking, test your wits and go bungy jumping, go wine tasting, and much, much more. It’s no secret that …
Abel Tasman National Park is New Zealand’s smallest park. Located on the northern coastline of the South Island, Abel Tasman is home to one of New Zealand’s multi-day walking tracks, aptly named the Abel Tasman Coast Track. This is also a great place for kayaking, exploring the wide, empty beaches, and walking on trails amidst a rainforest-type landscape. We planned …
Unfortunately for us, the time had to come when we said goodbye to New Zealand. Our family has fallen in love with this small but incredibly beautiful country. We were immediately transfixed by this place, from the moment we stepped off of the airplane at the Queenstown airport. For three and a half weeks we toured New Zealand, bottom to …
The second half of our New Zealand adventure took us through the North Island. Although the North Island lacks the stunning scenery that we were wowed by on the South Island, there are still heaps of fun activities for families. The North Island has it all…beaches, volcanoes, fabulous cities, famous movie sets, more adrenaline generating activities, and even caves filled …
What is the cutest little spot in New Zealand? The answer is Hobbiton, the movie set for The Shire in both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. What is Hobbiton? Hobbiton was constructed in 1999 for the filming of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It was used for just several weeks of filming and not intended …
The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is often labeled as the world’s greatest single day hike. Hearing this gave us high expectations for the day. Honestly, New Zealand has left us feeling a little disappointed with its hikes. The trails have been too manicured, too pristine, almost too safe, if that makes any sense. Don’t get me wrong, the scenery has been …
Our travels in New Zealand started in Queenstown on the South Island. April in New Zealand is autumn…chilly nights, changing leaves, cooler temperatures. As the weather got colder, we slowly moved north, trying to stay ahead of the cooler temperatures. Over the course of two weeks we gradually moved north into slightly warmer temperatures, traveling from Queenstown up to Wanaka …
This post was written by Tyler and Kara. We are a family of four who have been traveling around the world for ten months. We have slept in caves, in tents out in the African bush, in teahouses on the Everest base camp trek, and even under the stars in the Indian desert. While in New Zealand we had the …
For more amazing New Zealand views, do not miss the Hooker Valley Track in Aoraki/Mt Cook. Located in the Southern Alps of New Zealand, Mt Cook is New Zealand’s highest peak. It is best seen by helicopter or airplane flight but since we had recently blown the budget in Queenstown our feet were stuck on the ground, at least for …
Time to go hiking again! This time we are in Wanaka, New Zealand, a gorgeous area with lakes framed by beautiful mountains. It is autumn, a terrific time to be in New Zealand. The trees are changing color, temperatures are cool but not too cold, and it is low season for tourists. Climbing up a mountainside for unbeatable views makes …
This post could have been called a lot of things. Blowing the Budget BIG TIME. Having the Time of Our Lives. Getting Our Adrenaline Fix. Best Three Days Ever. #Neverwanttogohome. We had an absolutely amazing, action packed three days here. And there is still so much to do when we come back, and come back we will definitely do. Forget …
Prior to this trip, we would never have gone bungy jumping. That’s just for crazy people, right?! But as we passed bungy jump locations around the world, the idea grew on us. Once in Queenstown, the birthplace of bungy jumping, the idea didn’t sound so crazy anymore. How could we circle this globe, trying to experience as much of the …
The Milford Sound, one of New Zealand’s most popular sights, is located just a few hours away from Queenstown on the South Island. Before arriving in Queenstown, we heard that you cannot visit New Zealand without visiting Milford Sound. It would be like going to Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower. After seeing tons of photos on line and …
I had once heard that New Zealand is such a beautiful place that you can’t believe it, even when you see it with your own eyes. We have only been here several days now and I agree with that statement. New Zealand just may be the most beautiful country we have ever visited. We arrived in Auckland from Fiji, spent …