Here is my summary from our 6 weeks traveling in New Zealand.
If you love the outdoors and adventure, then New Zealand is a must visit location. Push it to the top of your travel list.
Stunning landscapes: coast line and beaches, lush tropical forests, awesome jagged peaks of the southern alps, and the beauty of the fjords.
Great hikes… for a day or a week.
Adrenaline rush activities enabled by sane liability rules.
Warm, friendly, helpful citizens who all go by their first names.
Intense sun (ozone hole), unpredictable weather (so seize the day), & constant wind.
Very sleepable airplane ride from the USA west coast… so fly economy and spend that business class premium on activities in NZ.
If you are coming to NZ, here are my recommendations:
Must see/do:
Cape Reinga at the far north of the north island. I would include boogie boarding in the dunes as well as hiking down to one of the beaches at the tip. The bus tour is good, but I’d recommend just driving up on your own & skipping the 90 mile beach drive.
Coromandel East Coast/Mercury Bay. This is Cathedral Cove, Han Hei beach, and Hot water beach. The hike between Han Hei and Cathedral Cove is beautiful, good kayaking as well.
Tongariro Crossing. Lonely Planet says best day hike in the world… enough said.
Abel Tasman Park. Do at least one day of hiking and one in kayaks. Remember that tides and water taxi schedules drive things here so do your research.
Southern Alps hikes out of Wanaka and Queenstown.
The Routeburn 3 day trek.
Doubtful sound cruise.
Must Do Thrills: Nevis bungy jump, aerobatic airplane ride, zorbing, skydive. As of today, Zorbing can only be done in Rotorua. Because we thought it was also available in Queenstown, we did not get a chance to try Zorbing.
My favorite food stops:
- Boat Shed; $$$ in Nelson
- Hot Rocks Pizza; $$ in Nelson
- Fergburger; $ in Queenstown
- Kebab Take away; $ on the waterfront in Wanaka
- TimTam cookies; at any grocery store
Have a great trip; Cheers; Kia Ora!!! … if you don’t come back with a fun burn… then you probably should just have them nail the lid on your coffin right now.
Dave, Karen and Brian,
You guys have been great guests in NZ, and fantastic representatives of the USA. It’s neat to read your experiences of travelling here, and to see that you’ve enjoyed yourself so much.
Also, the Kiwi economy thanks you ….
We look forward to your return visit, because there’s a lot you haven’t seen yet, e.g., Mt Cook, the Siberia Experience, the Milford/Kepler/Heaphy/etc. tracks, Rob Roy glacier, Stewart Island, Dunedin ….. better make your next trip at least 8 weeks!
Scott G
Comment by Scott Gilmour — December 10, 2009 @ 2:16 am
What’s Zorbing?
Comment by Aaron — December 10, 2009 @ 6:55 am
Zorbing is where they put you inside a big plastic ball and roll you down a 300M grass hill. You are actually inside a ball that is inside a bigger ball, so there is some air cushioning things as you roll down the hill. You can also have some water thrown inside your ball to make for a water slide effect.
Sounded like a real kick!
Comment by Dave — December 10, 2009 @ 12:00 pm
I read a few topics. I respect your work and added blog to favorites.
Comment by levitra online — December 15, 2009 @ 5:11 am
Hi Fellow Johnson’s:
I really enjoyed reviewing the sequence of Dave’s blogs and looking at Karen’s pictures. Some great memories of our trip over and lots of additional sites that we’ll look forward to when we make it down again.
Dave, what a year it has been for you: as I recall Tanzania, New Zealand & Central America have all been visited with loads of accomplishments and thrills. Karen, I am so proud of you…you are MUCH braver than me for making the leap out of the plane. Nice Gene Simmons imitation, btw. Brian, I hope you had a wonderful stint in NZ and are looking forward to getting back to CU.
Best to all…and welcome back.
Kit
Comment by Kit J — December 24, 2009 @ 11:38 am
Dave, Karen and Brian,
You guys have been great guests in NZ, and fantastic representatives of the USA. It’s neat to read your experiences of travelling here, and to see that you’ve enjoyed yourself so much.
Also, the Kiwi economy thanks you ….
We look forward to your return visit, because there’s a lot you haven’t seen yet, e.g., Mt Cook, the Siberia Experience, the Milford/Kepler/Heaphy/etc. tracks, Rob Roy glacier, Stewart Island, Dunedin ….. better make your next trip at least 8 weeks!
Scott G
Comment by Amy — April 22, 2010 @ 7:35 pm