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| *MILFORD SOUND |
New Zealand . . . a place where we've never been. It's a small, isolated country, similar in size to Great Britain or Japan, but with a population of only 4.5 million compared to Great Britain (67 million) and Japan (127 million). It's consists of two major islands, the North and the South. Its known for it's rugged mountains, spectacular glaciers, picturesque fiords, rolling hillsides, miles of rugged coastline, and peaceful sandy beaches. About a fifth of the North Island and two-thirds of the South Island are mountainous. The “Kiwis” are known for their friendliness and laid-back life style.
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| *MOUNT ASPIRING |
Nine months ago, we
heard about a promotional airfare that Air Tahiti Nui was offering
from Los Angeles to Auckland, and decided to take advantage of it.
Our children and granddaughter will be joining us—making it all the
more exciting. New Zealand is one of those places we've always wanted
to visit and this seemed like a good opportunity. I booked it for 30
days, the maximum number of days that the fare allowed, and chose the
month of November which is spring in New Zealand.
Our itinerary is
mainly around the South Island because it is has the most spectacular
scenery. One of the difficult things about planning this trip was
deciding what to do and what not to do. Everything looks so
fascinating. We also had to make sure that we allowed enough time to
savor the places we did visit. I scanned travel brochures to see what
the experts included in their tours. I also talked with travel
agents, researched travel books and websites, and found a good
touring map. Next, I put together a tentative itinerary and requested
feedback from everyone. This was followed by another itinerary to
review.
Another thing
I did right away was to book lodging while there was still
availability and reasonable rates. I used booking.com to reserve
two-bedroom apartments—all of which were cancelable. I did need to
make some changes. However, booking early provided far better choices
and the comfort level that I needed.
A capsule
version of our itinerary looks like this:
Auckland - 3- 7 nights (different
arrival dates)
Queenstown - 4 nights
Te Anau - 4 nights
Twizel - 1 night
Christchurch - 2 nights
Greymouth - 1 night
Nelson - 3 nights
Wellington - 4 nights
Auckland - 2 nights
Another
challenge was how best to navigate New Zealand, and that was probably
the most difficult of all. Ron and I travel in Europe by train and
bus—it works great for us and we wouldn't do it any other way.
Trains are scarce in New Zealand and buses are the alternative. Most
tourists prefer to rent a car, van, or camper. Our son and son-in-law
had a preference for driving. We will be trying a little bit of
everything: a flight to Queenstown from Auckland; a large van for one
week; a car for four days; two scenic trains from Christchurch to
Greymouth, and Wellington to Auckland; ferry boat rides; and a lot of
walking.
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| *MacKensie Basin |
*Photos courtesy of Tourism New Zealand
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