New Zealand
It’s been a week now since we came home to our crowded and busy UK home. The suntan from our brilliant 10 days in Aitutaki in the Cook Islands, has faded. We had a great time on the island. A quiet, unspoilt and beautiful coral island right in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. We […]
Before leaving the Coromandel Peninsula we visited Cook’s Bay to see where Captain Cook landed and laid claim to what is now NZ in 1769. A delightful little bay with a bonus of a small vineyard named Mercury Bay Wines. A private vineyard selling only directly from their shop. From there we journeyed to Auckland. […]
The Black Water Rafting experience in the Black Labyrinth cave was brilliant. Clad in wetsuit and white wellies and carrying a lorry inner tube, we made our way deep into the incredible cave system. Some training first in how to jump down a waterfall backwards whilst sitting in the inner tube and we were off. […]
After the somewhat strenuous Alpine Crossing, we moved on next day to Lake Taupo, NZ largest lake. A warm sunny day, we stopped for lunch by the lake. A beautiful place with every water activity imaginable. The campsite had a lovely swimming pool so we relaxed for the remainder of the day, finishing up with […]
Brilliant sunshine brought out the weekend trekkers. The crossing had been closed for the past 3 days due to bad weather, so today was always going to be crowded, and so it was, an estimated 1500 peopled lined the route through the spectacular volcanic mountain range. Tough climb up to the crater rim,then a spectacular […]
Nice ferry crossing to Wellington on North Island. A very windy and busy city. Spent sometime in the Te Papa museum. Excellent sections on Mauri history and earthquakes. Then took a ride on a Victorian cable car and walked back down through the botanical gardens. Overnight at another excellent campsite. Decided to move on next […]
What an experience on the Franz Joseph glacier! Helicopter flight upon to the glacier. Excellent guide, small group average age about 25 years (excluding us!). Wore crampons for first time ever. 3 hrs exploring crevasses and ice caves. Hard work but brilliant fun. Back at base relaxed in hot glacier pools, with our new young […]
Wow, just when we thought things couldn’t get better, they have . A spectacular drive from Queenstown to Wanaka. Stopped on way to see the original TJ Hooker Bungy activity. I wanted a go but not allowed due to prosthetic knee. Also influenced by not wanting to pay around £100 to jump into space above […]
Hampden on the east coast overnight. Good campsite by the beach. Sunday morning off to Dunedin. Visited famous rail station and cathedral and then drove the perimeter road along Otago Peninsula. Spectacular scenery and then went to headland to see the only mainland nesting albatrosses in the world. Great sight, once again a privilege to […]
Have just arrived in Hampden on the east coast and already we have been to see the rare yellow eyed penguins in the wild and just managed to get on the beach to see the famous Moeraki boulders before they disappeared at high tide. Yesterday we had a fantastic time trekking up to the Tasman […]