New Zealand Journals
Waiheke Island
A Couple Days in the North
Island
Marlborough Wineries
A Not-So-Sunny Day in Abel
Tasman National Park
Gorges, Swing Bridges and a
SupaJen
Queenstown
The Majestic Milford Sound
The Drive to Fox Glacier
My Life in Glacier Country
Abel Tasman: Take Two
Back in the North Island
The Tippity-Top of the
North Island
Life on the 'Other Side' of the
Road
Waiheke Island
A Couple Days in the North
Island
Marlborough Wineries
A Not-So-Sunny Day in Abel
Tasman National Park
Gorges, Swing Bridges and a
SupaJen
Queenstown
The Majestic Milford Sound
The Drive to Fox Glacier
My Life in Glacier Country
Abel Tasman: Take Two
Back in the North Island
The Tippity-Top of the
North Island
Life on the 'Other Side' of the
Road
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Photo Albums
Captioning has yet to be done
on these albums!
North Island
Abel Tasman National Park
Queenstown
Milford Sound
South Island Drives
Bay of Islands
on these albums!
North Island
Abel Tasman National Park
Queenstown
Milford Sound
South Island Drives
Bay of Islands
Links relating to
my trip
my trip
Accommodations:
The Quadrant - Great hotel
where we stayed in Auckland.
Alpine Lake Motel - Great
accommodation in Taupo (a
bit pricey but the only thing
available).
Nomad's Capital - Great
hostel in Central Wellington.
Aurum Hotel & Suites - Where
we stayed in Queenstown. A
little piece of luxury since it
was the least expensive of the
expensive options in town.
Treks in Rotorua - The best
hostel that I have stayed in.
Other Sites:
The Zorb - A little bit pricey
but sooo fun!
Waiotapu - The thermal area
we went to in Rotorua.
Queenstown Hang-Gliding -
Amazing!!!
Wineries We Went To In
Hawke's Bay: Crab Farm
Winery, Esk Winery
Wineries We Went To In
Marlborough: Allan Scott,
Cloudy Bay, Fromm, Nautilus,
Wairau River, Huia, Highfield
Estate, Isabel, Spy Valley.
Winerie I Went to in
Martinborough: Ata Rangi,
Alana Estate, Margrain,
Martinborough Estate/Burnt
Spur.
Other wines I loved: Chard
Farm Pinot Noir, Dog's Point
Sauvignon Blanc.
Patagonia Chocolates - My
favorite cafe in Queenstown!
Drive NZ rental cars - I found
this company through
www.cheapcarhire.co.nz.
Extremely nice people who
work there.
Bacchus - A fab restaurant we
went to in Blenheim (the
Marlborough wine country).
Bistro 1284 - The restaurant I
went to with Joy and Jason in
Rotorua.
The Quadrant - Great hotel
where we stayed in Auckland.
Alpine Lake Motel - Great
accommodation in Taupo (a
bit pricey but the only thing
available).
Nomad's Capital - Great
hostel in Central Wellington.
Aurum Hotel & Suites - Where
we stayed in Queenstown. A
little piece of luxury since it
was the least expensive of the
expensive options in town.
Treks in Rotorua - The best
hostel that I have stayed in.
Other Sites:
The Zorb - A little bit pricey
but sooo fun!
Waiotapu - The thermal area
we went to in Rotorua.
Queenstown Hang-Gliding -
Amazing!!!
Wineries We Went To In
Hawke's Bay: Crab Farm
Winery, Esk Winery
Wineries We Went To In
Marlborough: Allan Scott,
Cloudy Bay, Fromm, Nautilus,
Wairau River, Huia, Highfield
Estate, Isabel, Spy Valley.
Winerie I Went to in
Martinborough: Ata Rangi,
Alana Estate, Margrain,
Martinborough Estate/Burnt
Spur.
Other wines I loved: Chard
Farm Pinot Noir, Dog's Point
Sauvignon Blanc.
Patagonia Chocolates - My
favorite cafe in Queenstown!
Drive NZ rental cars - I found
this company through
www.cheapcarhire.co.nz.
Extremely nice people who
work there.
Bacchus - A fab restaurant we
went to in Blenheim (the
Marlborough wine country).
Bistro 1284 - The restaurant I
went to with Joy and Jason in
Rotorua.
My New Zealand Experience... Highs: Hang-gliding; hanging out with Jim and Kat; wine tasting in Hawke's Bay; mastering the skill of driving on the other side of the road; doing the zig-zag hydro zorb; wine tasting in Marlborough; seeing Sharon (from my felucca trip in Egypt); Queenstown; having beautiful weather while driving near Lake Tekapo; hanging out with Lorenz; drive to Fox Glacier. Lows: How expensive the different activities are; not having enough time to see and do everything I would like to; the rainy weather in the South Island (and the lack of ocean visibility); the pain my feet felt after hiking in Abel Tasman. Best Moment: Hang-gliding! Smells: Sulphur in the thermal pools in Rotorua; post-rain; wines. Sounds: Jim's smart-a*s comments; sheeps 'baaaa-ing'; waterfalls; rainforest critters. Sights: Waiheke Island (ferry was $28NZ); Waiotapu thermal area ($25NZ); lavender; landscape that looked like Tuscany and Provence; Lake Tekapo; sheep; rainforests; lots of road-kill; Franz Josef Glacier; Cpe Reinga (Dune Rider trip was $99NZ); 90 Mile Beach; Bay of Islands. Tastes: Wines in Hawke's Bay; L&P (Lemon & Paeroa) soda; wines in the Marlborough region (especially Sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Noirs); greenshell mussels; Sauvignon Blancs, Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs; pavlova; hokey pokey ice cream; pancakes with blueberries and blackberries with lemon honeycomb butter; antipasto platters; kaumara (sweet potatoes); lamb; pumpkin and kumara hummus. Activities: The zig-zag hydro zorb ($45NZ); wine tasting in Waiheke Island (around $10 per winery), Hawke's Bay (free), Martinborough (small fees) and Marlborough (mostly all free tastings; Buller River Gorge 'Supaman' ($35 NZ); jet boating in Queenstown ($99NZ); hang-gliding ($180NZ); gondola ride (free if you hike up the mountain and only take it down - $17NZ if you take it up); Milford Sound cruise ($40NZ); thermal baths at the Polynesian Spa ($15NZ); sand-boarding on sand dunes. Towns I Stopped In: Auckland; Rotorua; Taupo; Napier; Wellington; Blenheim; Nelson; Greymouth; Hopitika; Reefton; Hamner Springs; Christchurch; Lake Tekapo; Queenstown; Te Anau; Milford Sound; Wanaka; Fox Glacier township; Franz Josef Glacier township; Murchison; Marahau; Motueka; Picton; Martinborough; Paihia. Purchases: Earrings; 4 bottles of wine (2 Sauvignon Blancs, 1 Pinot Noir, 1 Chardonnay); umbrella. Fun Food Finds: Hokey Pokey (i.e. honeycomb); L&P soda; Tim Tams. Western Companies Out Here: McDonald's; KFC; Burger King; Domino's; Pizza Hut; Blockbuster; K-Mart. Other General Info... Visa needed? No. Departure Tax? Yes. It is $25 NZ. Ferry Cost? I found a fare of $169 NZ for our car to get on the Blueliner to go from one island to the other. The InterIsland ferry was about $225 NZ. Type of currency? New Zealand Dollar. About $1 NZ is equal to $.70 US. Wallet Friendly? No. It was much more expensive than I was expecting. A typical breakfast was around $13 NZD. However, eating out seemed much more reasonable than Australia. Things New Zealand Is Known For: Sheep; amazing scenery; Maoris; kiwifruit; outdoor activities; All Blacks (rugby team). Religion: I'm assuming Christian. Costs: $2800 |
New Zealand...
January 3 - 27, 2007
Cruising the Milford Sound.
At Waiotapu in Rotorua.
View from the church at Lake Tekapo.
