Category: New Zealand
Given Queenstown is the birthplace of bungee jumping, it was only natural that bungee jumping would be on our itinerary. Upon further risk/benefit analysis, I determined that the risk of suffering from a heart attack was greater than the benefit of 2 seconds of adrenaline rush. So I abandoned the activity at the last minute. … Continue reading Hooker Valley Track
Back in Queenstown but avoiding the town center because of the horrendous traffic. Instead, we drove back to Mt. Aspiring National Park for a hike. It’s a 2-hr drive from Queenstown, but a word of caution - the pavement abruptly ends and the last 25 miles or so is gravel road with 9 fords, so … Continue reading Rob Roy Glacier Track
Doubtful Sound is another one of the 14 fjords in Fjordland National Park. Unlike Milford Sound, Doubtful is less accessible. To get there visitors must get to Manipouri, a 30-minute drive from Te Anau, take the 55-minute transfer boat to get across Manipouri Lake to the Wilmont Pass, then take a 30-minute bus ride to … Continue reading Doubtful Sound
One last hike before we board our overnight cruise to Doubtful Sound. I wish we had booked a longer stay in Fjordland National Park so that we could hit all the major day trails. Alas, I had to make a decision between the Kepler track and the Key Summit via the Routeburn track. The overnight … Continue reading Key Summit Trail
Perhaps the star of the Fjordland National Park is Milford Sound. It is one of the 14 fjords in the park, and is the most accessible, which translates to more crowds. Milford Sound is actually a misnomer. Sounds are valleys shaped out of river flows, whereas fjords are carved out by glaciers. Both are then … Continue reading Milford Sound
Our fourth national park in New Zealand, the Fjordland National Park, occupies the southwest corner of New Zealand. It is the largest national park in the country, and it is where we’ll be spending the next four days just scratching the surface of this vast and beautiful landscape. Before checking into the Te Anau Lodge … Continue reading Lake Marian Trail
To get from the West Coast to Queenstown, Haast Pass, that cuts through Mt. Aspiring National Park, is likely the most scenic route. It is dotted with waterfalls and viewpoints. There is no signage for Depot Creek Falls, but if you pin it on Google Maps, you’ll be directed to a gravel parking lot, and … Continue reading Haast Pass – Waterfall Hopping & The Blue Pool
The southern alps in New Zealand is where you used to be able to hike up to glaciers. As a result of global warming, the glacier terminal has retreated so far that it is no longer possible to walk up to it. Eighteen thousand years ago, the glacier reached as far as the Tasman Sea … Continue reading Franz Josef Glacier – Robert’s Point Track
The 2AM Cook Strait ferry crossing from Wellington to Picton was not by choice. We were lucky to have even snagged a reservation at the last minute (7 days in advance) as every other time slot was booked…for weeks! The last resort was to return the car in Wellington, fly into Christchurch, and rebook another … Continue reading Hokitika Gorge
The extra day in Wellington gave us a chance to do a short hike along the coast. The view isn’t dissimilar to what we get at home, but instead of the Pacific Ocean, we get a view of the Tasman Sea. The point to point Escarpment trail measures about 6 miles, and you can start … Continue reading Pukerua Escarpment Track
Wellington, the southernmost capital in the world, was originally planned as an overnight stopover between Tongariro National Park and the South Island. However, I had failed to book the inter-island ferry early on because I simply assumed we’d be able to get on the ferry on day of travel. Luckily, the car rental lady in … Continue reading Wellington
Continuing on with our Lord of The Rings circuit, we stopped by the Tongariro National Park for a hike. The most well known hiking trail in the park is the point to point 12-mile Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Unfortunately, the steep decent down gravel was not a good option for Joe’s ankles, so I mapped out … Continue reading Tongariro National Park
New Zealand consists of a North and South Island. Of the two islands, the South Island is reportedly the prettier one with all its natural beauty. We could have spent all 3 weeks in southern New Zealand, but it would have been a shame not to visit half of the country after spending all that … Continue reading North Island – Auckland Day Trips
Thirty-six hours after leaving Osaka, we finally landed in Auckland. A direct flight would have been much shorter, but with the restrictions of award flights and last minute itinerary changes we ended up laying over in Tokyo and Sydney. View of Sydney, with the Opera House seen next to the harbor bridge. The 7-hour uninterrupted … Continue reading Park Hyatt Auckland
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