R&R's Trip to New Zealand
We drove about 4500 km and took about 1000 photos... I separated the photos out by location so they are more managable than looking at them all at once. Click on the photos on the map below to see more from that general location.
General Itinerary: Summary of where we went and what we did
| Date | Location/Activities | |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Nov-05 | leave for NZ | |
| 30-Nov-05 | Arrive Auckland; go out for breakfast; BBQ at Leon's that night | |
| 01-Dec-05 | early morning paddle; Mike's stag: boys fishing all day then clubbing all night; Rachel w/ girls painting nails at Tracey's | |
| 02-Dec-05 | Raymon's mates call in; go to Piha beach then to dinner at Phil & Irena's in Titirangi | |
| 03-Dec-05 | Mike & Tracey's Wedding | |
| 04-Dec-05 | Family Breakfast @ Mike's; To Tauranga w/ Brian & Jenny => Adventure Begins! | |
| 05-Dec-05 | To Rotorua: buried village; Realm of Tane then Te Maki Maori village & hangi; sleep in cabin at camp ground, visit hot pool before bed | |
| 06-Dec-05 | Rotorua to Taupo to Wellington; over the Akatawera Pass (crazy!!) to arrive at Mel's around 9:30pm | |
| 07-Dec-05 | Wellington: tour of GNS with Alex; explore around town, ride cable car; dinner with Mel & Christine | |
| 08-Dec-05 | Ferry to Picton; set off driving right away; fish & chips on the beach in Nelson; camp at McKee Memorial reserve near Motueka (only $3 ea) | |
| 09-Dec-05 | Harwoods Hole; Pupu Springs; Pohara Beach; Totara Nui beach; Wainui Falls hike skinny dipping; camped at Kina beach near Motueka | |
| 10-Dec-05 | Email & photo transfer in Motueka; drove over hill; swing bridge & zip line hike (rip off); seal beach at Westport; hostel in Punakaiki; pancake rocks before dinner | |
| 11-Dec-05 | back to Pancake rocks for photos; river hike; Thomson track to beach w/ caves; attack of the killer birds; green pebble collecting; drove down coast to camp at Okarito near White Heron sanctuary | |
| 12-Dec-05 | Woke up early to bird-watch; didn't see much; went to both big glaciers (Franz Josef & Fox); went through Haast; over Haast pass to gorgeous camp at Wanaka | |
| 13-Dec-05 | Over mountain pass to Arrowtown for breakfast and greenstone shopping; to Queenstown, up gondola; drove to Invercargill; camped at Bluff | |
| 14-Dec-05 | ferry to Stewart Island; boat trip to small island bird sanctuary; walk through main town in Half Moon Bay; hike (~4 hrs) to Maori Beach to camp | |
| 15-Dec-05 | hike back to Half Moon Bay; catch ferry back to mainland; drove up coast toward Dunedin stopping along the way to see the big hole in the pasture; stayed with Brian P. at aquarium | |
| 16-Dec-05 | watched seals and birds on Otago Peninsula, then drove up toward Christchurch stopping to see boulders on beach; stayed with Uncle John & Aunt Rayne | |
| 17-Dec-05 | hike with Rayne in the morning then go to Tracy & Craig's | |
| 18-Dec-05 | explore Christchurch with Tracy, Craig & the girls; thru tunnel to Lyttleton; BBQ for dinner, then back to John & Rayne's | |
| 19-Dec-05 | Up coast through Kaikoura; wine tasting just past Blenheim; ferry back to Wellington; stay with Mel & Christine again | |
| 20-Dec-05 | Drive over hill through Masterton; picked up interesting hitchhiker; visited nature preserve to see Kiwi bird; late lunch in Napier; over hill toward Taupo stayed at amazing Tarawera Lodge; bathed in hot pool in the middle of nowhere before bed | |
| 21-Dec-05 | Through Taupo & Hamilton; detour to Waitomo where we went blackwater tubing through the caves to see the glow worms; back to Auckland; stayed at Leon & Janey's | |
| 22-Dec-05 | lazy morning; explored Auckland a bit then went to Ann's for dinner with Mike & Tracey too | |
| 23-Dec-05 | more touring of Auckland; Kelly Tarlton's aquarium; then to bar on waterfront where family & friends all met for last goodbye | |
| 24-Dec-05 | 12:55pm Leave NZ back to HI | |
| 23-Dec-05 | 11:30pm Arrive Honolulu |