New Zealand

december 2023 - januari 2024

Honeymoon to New Zealand Meer informatie

19Footprints
3landen
22dagen
168foto’s
17video’s
34,5kkilometer
32,1kkilometer

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New Zealand
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- Delen
- 3 jan. 2024
- ☀️ 21 °C
- Hoogte: 78 m
- Nieuw-Zeeland Auckland Blackpool Blackpool Beach -36.792549, 175.00024236°47’33” S 175°0’1” E
Dag 19–21
Waiheke Island
3 januari, Nieuw-Zeeland ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Waiheke Island - what a way to end our trip! After a morning in Hobbiton we took the ferry across from Auckland and arrived at Mudbrick Vineyard - our home for the night.

Drinking fizz, enjoying the views across the bay to Auckland’s skyline - we soaked up the sun and tucked into mussels, steak and a nice glass of red before a dip in the hot tub for some star gazing.

The next day we had a lovely lunch at the vineyard (amazing lamb) and then went to explore the island. Walking around the bay, swimming in the Pacific and ending our day with a beach-side pizza and L&P!

The perfect end to the best trip 💕Meer informatie
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Reiziger So happy for you both. I'm tearing up again. We love you both so much. Xx
04-01-2024ReagerenVertalen
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New Zealand
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- 3 jan. 2024
- ⛅ 22 °C
- Hoogte: 170 m
- Nieuw-Zeeland Waikato Matamata-Piako District Hobbiton Movie Set -37.871021, 175.68290737°52’16” S 175°40’58” E
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Dag 19
Concerning Hobbiton
3 januari, Nieuw-Zeeland ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
Time to unleash the nerd...

Hobbiton is set in a beautiful location (Alexander's farm) which was 'discovered' by Jackson in a helicopter flight when looking for the perfect spot for the Shire.

The tour took us through the entrance to the Shire and around the Hobbit holes featured in the films. Seeing Bag End, Sam' house and also Immy was able to revisit the party tree (where she got special access for her 22nd birthday - how much has changed since then!).

Then we get to experience the inside of a Hobbit hole, a new feature of the site, which had been meticulously crafted by Jackson around the story of a Hobbit family, the attention to detail was something else and we made ourselves at home very quickly.

Finally, we rounded off the tour with a 11am beer at the Green Dragon overlooking the whole set.

What. A. Morning.Meer informatie
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Reiziger Can't wait to visit your new place
04-01-2024ReagerenVertalen
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New Zealand
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- 2 jan. 2024
- ⛅ 22 °C
- Hoogte: 281 m
- Nieuw-Zeeland Bay of Plenty Rotorua District Ohinemutu Rocky Point -38.134871, 176.25506338°8’6” S 176°15’18” E
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Dag 18–19
Rotorua
2 januari, Nieuw-Zeeland ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
Next stop Rotorua, New Zealand’s most dynamic geothermal area and a sacred place for the Māori. En route we stopped at Lake Taupō (NZ’s largest lake which sits in the caldera of a volcano) and Huka Falls (220,000 litres of water per sec fall over an 11m high waterfall).

As we arrived in Rotorua, our first stop was a tree walk in the Redwood Forest, followed by a tour around Te Puia where we saw geysers, boiling mud pools and visited the Kiwi Conservation Centre.

In the evening we went to a Māori cultural evening to learn about their history, music and traditions. Jonny was nominated as chief of our bus, so had to take part in a welcoming ceremony. After performances and activities we had a traditional hangi for dinner.Meer informatie
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What a geyser! [Jenny]
03-01-2024ReagerenVertalen
Reiziger Smelly one at that
03-01-2024ReagerenVertalen
Reiziger What a lot of geological features all in one day. X
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Reiziger Had to look up hangi. Was it tasty?
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New Zealand
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- 31 dec. 2023
- 🌧 14 °C
- Hoogte: 1.184 m
- Nieuw-Zeeland Manawatu-Wanganui Ruapehu District Whakapapa Village Whakapapanui Stream -39.201809, 175.54988739°12’7” S 175°32’60” E
Dag 16–18
New Year in Tongariro National Park
31 december 2023, Nieuw-Zeeland ⋅ 🌧 14 °C
Arriving in Tongariro National Park in the pouring rain, our early night on NYE sadly wasn’t rewarded with a hike along the Tongariro Crossing. Despite sunshine the next morning, 80mph winds recorded at the top by the Dept of Conservation meant it was sadly cancelled.

Obviously disappointing, but we were determined to still enjoy the park. We were told a lower 18k walk around the Tama Lakes would still offer amazing views of waterfalls and volcanic craters dotted between Mt Ngauruhoe and Mt Ruapehu (aka Mt Doom). The walk was spectacular and the views were unbelievable. An amazing way to kick off the new year! IMeer informatie
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Wow! [Jenny]
03-01-2024Reageren
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New Zealand
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- 30 dec. 2023
- 🌬 24 °C
- Hoogte: 24 m
- Nieuw-Zeeland Wellington South Wairarapa District Martinborough -41.218633, 175.46026441°13’7” S 175°27’37” E
Dag 15
Martinborough
30 december 2023, Nieuw-Zeeland ⋅ 🌬 24 °C
Oh Martinborough, you beauty! A short yet slightly terrifying drive up the winding mountain pass from Wellington (via a pit stop to see Rivendell) to this small pocket of NZ’s wine country.

Home to small, locally run vineyards - we had a bite to eat in town before an afternoon of wine tasting. Sampling some lovely Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and learning about Martinborough’s wine making heritage.

An evening meal in our hotel was the perfect end to a lovely sunny day.Meer informatie
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New Zealand
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- 28 dec. 2023
- ☁️ 21 °C
- Hoogte: 14 m
- Nieuw-Zeeland Wellington Wellington City Te Aro Wellington Port -41.293173, 174.77535341°17’35” S 174°46’31” E
Dag 13–15
Wellington
28 december 2023, Nieuw-Zeeland ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
We dropped the car in Picton and got the ferry across to Wellington. The 4hr trip takes you through the stunning scenery of the Marlborough Sounds. The sun was shining and the Cook Strait was like a mill pond. When we arrived in Wellington we made our way to Jenny's friends (Rhiannon and Dylan) for an exceptional home cooked meal and the finest local wines. Their house overlooks the hills Wellington is built on and we met their adorable greyhound Bryn.

The next day we made our way to the Te Papa museum to see the Gallipoli exhibition. The pictures don't do justice to how large the models were.

Then we headed to the trendy Cuba Street for a late lunch and mimosas. Following lunch we made our way up Mount Victoria in search of a view over the city and a Middle-earth film location. We found a short cut to mushrooms, but promptly had to get off the road 😏

At the top of Mount Victoria you could see all of about 10m ahead of you. Magical. So we crossed the city to go to the top of the Botonical Gardens (where you could see 20m ahead of you) and got the cable car down.

We ended our eclectic day with dinner at Rosello having small plates of local produce and washed down with a bottle of Pinot Nior.Meer informatie
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New Zealand
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- 27 dec. 2023
- ☁️ 15 °C
- Hoogte: 10 m
- Nieuw-Zeeland Canterbury Kaikoura District Kaikoura Suburban Lyell Creek -42.39914, 173.68032842°23’57” S 173°40’49” E
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Dag 12
Kaikoura
27 december 2023, Nieuw-Zeeland ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
After packing up and feeding the chickens, we hit the road again to head to Kaikōura - Māori for “meal of crayfish” to spot some whales. The bay is basically the Grand Canyon but underwater, so a great place to see marine life.

As we arrived, the place lived up to its name as we immediately saw a pod of dolphins playing in the shallows.

Heading out to sea, we followed a pesky whale that didn’t want to be found (don’t blame him). The captain informed us that he wasn’t using his echolocation, so would be very hard to find. After a good hour or so, he finally made not one, but two appearances, so we got very lucky!

Chilly from a couple of hours at sea, we tucked into a fish supper to end the day!Meer informatie
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Reiziger Very cute. The dolphins aren't bad either. Xx
27-12-2023ReagerenVertalen
Fush n chups! [Jenny c]
28-12-2023ReagerenVertalen
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New Zealand
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- 26 dec. 2023
- ☁️ 20 °C
- Hoogte: 20 m
- Nieuw-Zeeland Canterbury Christchurch Cathedral Square -43.526581, 172.63563543°31’36” S 172°38’8” E
3
Dag 11
Boxing Day in Christchurch
26 december 2023, Nieuw-Zeeland ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
On Boxing Day, we headed to Christchurch, checking out Quake City (a museum dedicated to the 2011 earthquake) and the Botanical Gardens. The city has developed so much since I last visited in 2016, when the aftermath of the earthquake was still very obvious.

After a day in town, we returned to our cabin to make the most of our last night there, enjoying a pizza and wine night 🥰Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
Reiziger You have my bow....
27-12-2023ReagerenVertalen
Reiziger AND MY AXE!!!!
27-12-2023ReagerenVertalen
Reiziger Dad - I see Jonny has crossed the red line.
28-12-2023ReagerenVertalen
And no toes!? [Jenny c]
28-12-2023ReagerenVertalen
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New Zealand
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- 25 dec. 2023
- ☁️ 23 °C
- Hoogte: 141 m
- Nieuw-Zeeland Canterbury Waimakariri District North Loburn Grey River -43.213598, 172.45478943°12’49” S 172°27’17” E
Dag 10
Christmas in Canterbury
25 december 2023, Nieuw-Zeeland ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
Christmas looked a little different this year 🎄

We started the day speaking with our families and tucking into bacon butties. Then we headed out for a walk in the nearby town, which took us along the estuary and to the beach. Long story short, we took a massive detour and ended up in some mud flats surrounded by birds - Immy was loving life!

Eventually we made it to the beach for our picnic and Jonny had a refreshing dip in the Pacific.

Arriving back home, we tucked into some New Zealand lamb, new season asparagus, roasties and a lovely bottle of Syrah. We had hoped the wood fired hot tub would then be ready for us, but after six hours of heating up it was very much tepid! But we got in regardless and enjoyed some star gazing to end another lovely day!Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
Reiziger Dinner looks awesome. Xx
26-12-2023ReagerenVertalen
Reiziger Far from ideal being in the mudflats with the birds 😅 but looks like you had a lovely Christmas and the lodge looks amazing! Merry Christmas 🎄
26-12-2023ReagerenVertalen
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New Zealand
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- 24 dec. 2023
- ☁️ 26 °C
- Hoogte: 141 m
- Nieuw-Zeeland Canterbury Waimakariri District North Loburn Karetu River -43.213562, 172.45475843°12’49” S 172°27’17” E
Dag 9
Tekapo to Canterbury
24 december 2023, Nieuw-Zeeland ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C
Christmas Eve started with a walk up Mt John - a walk that starts from the shores of Lake Tekapo to the observatory-topped summit. Once again, fantastic views of icy blue lakes and the snow capped southern alps, which we stopped to admire, drinking hot chocolate as Christmas tunes played in the summit cafe.

Next, we headed to Fairlie a small town which deserved a pit stop for its amazing bakery - the best pies we’ve had so far on the trip. Then it was on to Geraldine, another quaint town. This time we stopped at the town’s Cheese shop to pick up some Christmas supplies - the blue was 👌🏻

As we continued our route, we stopped at Rakaia Gorge to admire the views before reaching our home for Christmas! The most amazing wood cabin in the Canterbury countryside - equipped with everything we could possibly need including a pizza oven and wood-fired hot tub!Meer informatie
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