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.

[singlepic=323,200,,,right]Similar in size to the UK, it was more manageable to explore the country by car. We decided to focus on the north part of the South Island during our two weeks. Flying into Christchurch, we quickly made our way north to the coastal town of Kaikoura. A great spot for whale watching, Kaikoura also offers some spectacular sea and mountain views on foot.

We continued north to the small town of Renwick, which sits in the heart of the Marlborough wine region. Here we traded in the car for bikes and sampled some of their finest wines.

[singlepic=264,200,,,left]Back in the car we followed the windy roads through the Marlborough Sounds to the Queen Charlotte Track. Located at the very top of the island, we hiked a portion of the 44-mile trail. We decided to combine more hiking with kayaking, and the Abel Tasman National Park was a great place to do so. Known for its golden beaches, granite cliffs, and mild climate, the coastal track is world-famous.

We completed our exploration of New Zealand by car and foot. Heading west through Buller Gorge to Cape Fowlwind, we made our down to Punakaiki, famous for its blowholes and pancake rocks. And our drive back to Christchurch took us over Arthur’s Pass and the Southern Alps – a beautiful way to close this chapter of our trip.

You can read more about our experience in individual New Zealand posts.

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