Destination: New Zealand

Walking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing

Tue, 14 Jan 2014 | By clare-tamea | Views [445]

Not for nothing is this said to be one of New Zealand's most spectacular Great Walks. The walk takes a full-on day to complete, rising up from the scrub past steaming fumeroles, active volcanoes, desert-like plains, brilliant blue and green lakes and ... Read more >

Tags: trekking

Photos: On Milford Sound (Finally!)

Sat, 11 Jan 2014 | By taylortreks | Photo Gallery

On Milford Sound (Finally!)

Sat, 11 Jan 2014 | By taylortreks | Views [221]

Finally! Milford Sound! Once we arrived at the Milford Terminal, we waited about 20 minutes before boarding our ship (Maiden of Milford). We took time to don our fleece jackets and windbreakers before venturing out on the open deck on top of the ship.... Read more >

Photos: Bus Trip to Milford Sound

Sat, 11 Jan 2014 | By taylortreks | Photo Gallery

Bus Trip to Milford Sound

Sat, 11 Jan 2014 | By taylortreks | Views [207]

WOW! We can't say that enough about our Milford Sound tour. Not only for the scenery, but for the weather – sunny, comfortable temps, and little wind (except when we were underway on the water). The drive from Te Anau to the Sound itself takes ... Read more >

Photos: Second leg - New Zealand

Fri, 10 Jan 2014 | By clare-tamea | Photo Gallery

Photos: On the Way to Milford Sound

Fri, 10 Jan 2014 | By taylortreks | Photo Gallery

On the Way to Milford Sound

Fri, 10 Jan 2014 | By taylortreks | Views [202]

We took our time driving to Te Anau (our base for the bus trip to Milford Sound) from Omakau. First, we stopped at the Roaring Meg stream along the Kawarau River. The Kiwis have taken advantage of the forceful current in the stream by setting up a hydroelectric ... Read more >

Photos: Cardrona

Thu, 9 Jan 2014 | By taylortreks | Photo Gallery

Cardrona

Thu, 9 Jan 2014 | By taylortreks | Views [258]

After stopping for ice cream in Wanaka, we took the Crown Range Road down through Cardrona to State Route 6. The town of Cardrona was about halfway down the road with several historic buildings ( http://www.historic.org.nz/TheRegister/RegisterSearch/RegisterResults.... Read more >

Photos: Wanaka - Part 2

Thu, 9 Jan 2014 | By taylortreks | Photo Gallery

Wanaka - Part 2

Thu, 9 Jan 2014 | By taylortreks | Views [154]

The day was sunny without much wind so we decided to drive up to Wanaka. We had a short stop near the lake before driving around Glendhu Bay to West Wanaka Road. We stopped for a quick lunch – an SUV drove up while we were eating and three climbers ... Read more >

Land of volcanoes

Wed, 8 Jan 2014 | By clare-tamea | Views [418]

Another brilliant experience in the North Island is to visit some of the thermal areas. The area is very volcanic, one major eruption happening as recently as 1995. As you drive through the countryside, you see plumes of steam coming out of the ground ... Read more >

Cave-tubing at Waitomo

Sun, 5 Jan 2014 | By clare-tamea | Views [1049]

This is one of my favourite experiences so far. Set amid Hobbiton countryside, the Waitomo caves are a must-do. We chose to see them by cave-tubing, which is where you put in a wetsuit, helmet and head torch and jump into the cold river with your inner ... Read more >

Tags: caves

New Zealand - arrival in North Island

Sat, 4 Jan 2014 | By clare-tamea | Views [400]

We arrived in Auckland on the 3rd Jan, still buzzing from the Sydney fireworks. Auckland for us was a bit of a disappointing start to New Zealand. sure, it has the Sky Tower where you can walk round a little platform 200metres high, but it was so expensive ... Read more >