Following Australia, Michael and I traveled to New Zealand as part of our 2007 career break. The following is a video overview of our experience.
Text Version: Next stop – New Zealand. Known as the capital of adventure tourism, there is no shortage of activities to fill the days. And with 30% of the country designated as national parks or reserves, it is renowned for its walking trails.
Michael and I traveled to New Zealand as part of our 2007 career break. The following is an excerpt from our travel blog.
We were excited to see New Zealand before we even landed. From the sky we could see the crystal blue waters, the glistening white mountaintops, and the vast green pastures of the beautiful South Island. We were ready to get going.
New Zealand is much smaller and easier to travel around than Australia, so we decided to higher a car so we could take our time exploring the South Island. New Zealand is so small in populace (4 million people) that even their cities have a small town feel to them. We arrived in Christchurch late afternoon, so after finding a place to stay, our next task was to find some food and wander the quiet streets.
Michael and I traveled to New Zealand as part of our 2007 career break. The following is an excerpt from our travel blog.
New Zealand is a mecca of outdoor activities and Kaikoura would be our first experience with it. We arrived on a cloudy afternoon into this small coastal town, known for their whale watching tours and opportunities to swim with the dolphins. But we opted to explore the peninsula by foot. And the site of clear blue skies the following morning offering pristine views of the rising foothills was a great start.
We headed to the beginning of the peninsula to have a look at the local seal colony before heading up and around the top. For miles all you could see were views of the water and pasturelands, which we were walking through. At points we had to wait for the local “cow-wow” to end their meeting at one of the steps that take you up and over to the next field before proceeding.
Michael and I traveled to New Zealand as part of our 2007 career break. The following is an excerpt from our travel blog.
The beautiful blue skies followed us up the coast as we made our way to the small town of Renwick. Many people who travel to the Marlborough wine country will base their wine tours out of the much larger town of Blenheim. But as Renwick literally sits in the center of the wineries, we thought it was much better suited for our needs.
There aren’t as many options for accommodation in Renwick but by far the most popular choice is Watson’s Way Backpackers. They offer a variety of sleeping options – from campsites and campervan parking to dormitory style rooms and private en suites. They also have a large kitchen and grill as well as picnic areas and a wraparound porch.
Michael and I traveled to New Zealand as part of our 2007 career break. The following is an excerpt from our travel blog.
The Queen Charlotte Track stretches 71km (44 miles) and passes through coastal forest and pastures. Along the way are various campsites and lodges, many only accessible by ferry or foot. If you are doing the entire track, or even multi-day hikes, you can even send your gear ahead to your next lodging via water taxi.
Michael and I traveled to New Zealand as part of our 2007 career break. The following is an excerpt from our travel blog.
Nelson, 2007 – as we pulled into town the day before to overcast skies and light drizzle, I was apprehensive that Nelson would ever live up to its moniker in my presence. And I was nervous about our three-day kayaking/hiking experience we were to set out for today. As I awoke in our hotel in Motueka (which lives close to Abel Tasman National Park) blue skies did greet us on my birthday morning. I could only hope it would last.
It’s the beginning of summer in New Zealand, but the weather has been more spring-like. For every clear day we’ve had a day of cloudy skies. But I think it is still the best time to travel here, as it’s not quite the busy season. So you feel like you almost have places to yourself, including the Abel Tasman, which can be quite the highway, but we had quiet trails.
In the summer months, when all of New Zealand is on break, you need to book accommodation and tours well in advance. That would not have worked well for the way we’ve been traveling – playing it by ear and never booking anything in advance.
Michael and I traveled to New Zealand as part of our 2007 career break. The following is an excerpt from our travel blog.
For our last two full days in New Zealand we decided to take our time driving back to Christchurch, taking in our last views of the gorgeous landscape. From Nelson we drove inland to reach the West Coast, stopping in Buller Gorge to traverse New Zealand’s longest swing bridge.
Our first stop on the coast was Westport and Cape Fowlwind, where we watched the local seals frolick about. From here it was short drive to our stopping point – Punakaiki, famous for their Pancake Rocks and blowholes. We had one of those sunny days for the first part of our drive, so it was no wonder we woke up to grey. But it’s amazing how the weather and lighting can really change the mood of the place. And even though it was way past high tide, the blowholes were really kicking it up at Punakaiki.
Michael and I traveled to Australia as part of our 2007 career break. The following is a video overview of our experience.
Text Version: Our first destination was Australia. Approximately the same size as the United States, with only 7% of the population, most of the landscape is made up of arid desert. Not surprisingly, the majority of the residents live along the 22,000 miles of coastline where most tourists tend to flock as well.
With just three weeks we wanted to make the most of our time and experience as much diversity as possible – from cities and seas to sand dunes and deserts.
Michael and I traveled to Australia as part of our 2007 career break. The following is an excerpt from our travel blog.
We lasted about four hours our first day in Sydney. By the time we got to our hotel and freshened up, it was around 2pm Sydney time. But for our bodies, it was midnight. So we decided to soldier through the day and hopefully into the night to fight off jet lag. Walking from our hotel in the Kings Cross-Darlinghurst section of Sydney, we were reminded of the rolling streets of Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco. And as we strolled into Pitt St. in the City Center, we felt as if we were walking the mall-like streets of Chicago.
Sightseeing wasn’t really on our agenda, as we were in search of a cell phone to use domestically and other miscellaneous items. But I wanted Michael to have his first look of the famed Opera House and Sydney Harbour. As we made our way into Circular Quay, he was a bit quiet. He admitted it wasn’t quite the view he expected. But what he has seen in photos is from a much different angle – usually showing the Opera House surrounded by a large body of water with the Harbour Bridge in the background. It wouldn’t be until the next day that he had that view, but from Circular Quay, the Opera House appeared to him as a “big thing in a little harbor.”
