Destination: New Zealand

Day 8 and 9 - Bridge to Nowhere, Whanganui River

Sat, 6 Nov 2010 | By anijensen | Views [692] | Comments [2]

Woke up to a rainy day in Tongariro and drove about 84 K to Pipiriki.   We caught the jet boat and drove up the Whanganui river for about 2 hours to the Bridge to Nowhere.    It was a very scenic boat ride with rising cliffs on either side of the river.... Read more >

Photos: WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND

Fri, 5 Nov 2010 | By locomocean | Photo Gallery

Day 7 - A Walk under Mount Doom

Thu, 4 Nov 2010 | By anijensen | Views [806] | Comments [2]

We were supposed to do the Tangariro Alpine crossing which consisted of walking over the top of three mountain tops, but due to the weather we had to adjust our plan.   The snow was down to 1200 meters and we didn’t want to have to fool with any extreme ... Read more >

Day 6 - Geo-Thermal Mud and Tongariro National Park

Wed, 3 Nov 2010 | By anijensen | Views [594] | Comments [5]

Today we drove south from Rotorua to the Tongariro National Park.   On the way, we stopped at an area of intense geo-thermal activity called the Wai-O-Tapu Geothermal Preserve, an amazing landscape of pools, streams, and bubbling mud, all reeking ... Read more >

Day 5 - Volcanoes and Maoris

Tue, 2 Nov 2010 | By anijensen | Views [675]

We started the morning with breakfast in our room, then a 1.5 hour boat ride out to White Island, New Zealand’s only active marine volcano.   300 meters of the volcano is above sea level, and we took the dinghy ashore and walked around the floor of ... Read more >

Photos: October in New Zealand

Tue, 2 Nov 2010 | By bettedarling | Photo Gallery

Photos: WANGANUI, NEW ZEALAND

Tue, 2 Nov 2010 | By locomocean | Photo Gallery

Day 4 - Hahei to Whakatane

Mon, 1 Nov 2010 | By anijensen | Views [1120] | Comments [4]

We woke this morning with a fabulous view of the islands off of the coast of Hahei and the sun streaming in our window.   Breakfast was scrambled and bacon with toast, quite delicious, cooked in the microwave!   Amazing.   We left around 8:45 and ... Read more >

Photos: TAUPO, NEW ZEALAND

Mon, 1 Nov 2010 | By locomocean | Photo Gallery

Day 3 - Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach

Sun, 31 Oct 2010 | By anijensen | Views [5878] | Comments [2]

Our kayaking trip to Cathedral Cove was canceled last night due to expected high morning winds, so we changed our plans and planned on heading out early to enjoy the thermal pools at Hot Water Beach.   Low tide was at 7:00, and for two hours on ... Read more >

Photos: New Zealand 2010

Sat, 30 Oct 2010 | By anijensen | Photo Gallery

Day 1 and 2 - Auckland to Hahei, New Zealand

Sat, 30 Oct 2010 | By anijensen | Views [856] | Comments [1]

We arrived in Auckland, after a total of 18 hours in flight and an 8 hour layover in Honolulu.   The airport and surrounding area is so new, nothing seems old so it is very different from most of the other countries we’ve been to.   Auckland is very ... Read more >

Change of Planz

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 | By bettedarling | Views [443]

Sometimes it's best to be still and take in your surroundings, and other times, you need to charge forward headfirst. I spoke to Liz, my dear friend in Sydney, and after talking with her for about 14 seconds, I realized how much I wanted to be with one ... Read more >

Everybody's got a story.

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 | By bettedarling | Views [542] | Comments [1]

I'm now in Little River, Banks Peninsula, New Zealand. Actually, I'm about 5k outside of Little River wwoofing on a property owned by Glen Rositter. Glen is a sometimes DJ, party promoter, and organic enthusiast. His property is really lovely - on the ... Read more >

Everything. All the Time.

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 | By bettedarling | Views [437] | Comments [2]

I have reached saturation point. I had the most amazing day, seeing sights of profound wonder and beauty in Milford Sound. I also am exhausted from leaving another amazing place, sitting on a bus for 8+ hours, and getting ready to jump on another 8 hour ... Read more >