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Archive for the 'New Zealand' Category

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Farewell to New Zealand

Friday, January 19th, 2007

Nov 9-15

It was finally time to leave the South Island and head back to Auckland to catch our flight to Australia. After a rocky ferry crossing with high winds and rough seas we were a little green around the gills and settled in for the night in a bitty little cottage in Paikakariki (I love the names here!) overlooking Marlborough Sound just north of Wellington.

From New Zealand (…

The next morning, as we made our way north, we again drove through Wanganui – remember, home of the “world’s best park.” As we drove by the park, the kids howled, “Look, Mom, there’s another one!” You’d think it was Disneyland! Of course, we had to stop and spend another half hour there while they played, but they were so excited to see their favourite park again, it was worth it. [read on]

Our Antarctic Experience in Christchurch

Friday, January 19th, 2007

Nov 7-8

It was rainy and cold in Christchurch (surprise!) so we decided to spend the day inside. The Lego and puzzles at the hostel were starting to wear thin, so we headed to the International Antarctic Centre. What a cool place (pardon the pun)! We even got to experience a simulated Antarctic storm, complete with parkas and a -40 degree wind-chill – we felt right at home.

From New Zealand (…
From New Zealand (…

Alexa and Simon loved the interactive exhibits, especially the snowmobiles, and the life-sized mock-ups of the Antarctic Research Centre. [read on]

Milford Sound to Christchurch

Monday, January 8th, 2007
Nov 3-6 The next stop on our tour of New Zealand was Milford Sound which is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country – with good reason. We avoided the crowded midday cruises and arrived late in ... [Continue reading this entry]

Living it Up in Queenstown

Sunday, January 7th, 2007
Nov 1-3 We finally arrived in Queenstown and checked into the Hippo Lodge, a lovely hostel with a fabulous view of The Remarkables and a resident stuffed hippo who had a bulletin board full of photos of him doing all kinds ... [Continue reading this entry]

The Puzzling World of Wanaka

Sunday, January 7th, 2007
Nov 1-2 After leaving the west coast, we drove cross-country through the Southern Alps toward Queenstown, the adrenaline capital of New Zealand. As we drove, Claude had to stop to take a picture of the sheep grazing in the fields ... [Continue reading this entry]

A Hallowe’en to Remember

Sunday, January 7th, 2007
New Zealand (South Island) Oct 31- Nov 1
From New Zealand (...
The next leg of our trip took us down the South Island’s rugged windswept west coast with its tongue-twister names like Hokitika and ... [Continue reading this entry]

Of Split Apples and Cracked Lenses

Sunday, January 7th, 2007
New Zealand (South Island) Oct 27-30 After a 3 ½ hour ferry ride we landed in Picton on the South Island and ended up spending the night in a miniscule cabin at a local holiday park. After checking out of ... [Continue reading this entry]

Sulphur City and beyond

Sunday, December 31st, 2006
Here’s an interesting fact about New Zealand. In place names, they pronounce the letters “wh” with an “f” sound. This gets a little dicey when places have names like Whakapapa or Whakaari and I couldn’t help blushing when ... [Continue reading this entry]

New Zealand – The Far North

Sunday, December 31st, 2006
Oct 15 - 17 So we had finally left the South Pacific behind and it was time for some adventure in New Zealand. Thank goodness we had already gotten our fill of sunshine and warm temperatures, because we certainly weren’t ... [Continue reading this entry]