Made it to New Zealand!
April 16, 2024 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ 🌧 73 °F
40+ hours of travel. Thank God for Emerites business class.
Queenstown, NZ
April 18, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 46 °F
Our home for the next four days, then we head north to Mount Cook and then the west coast.
Queenstown, Shotover River Rafting
April 19, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F
Rafted 16k of this river with multiple class 4/5 rapids. Narrow slot canyon with some crazy drops. The finale was rafting 170m through an old mining tunnel and then dropping down the 5m Cascade RapidRead more
Milford Sound Flight and Boat Tour
April 20, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 45 °F
The plane allowed us to see the mountains from above and areas that have no access by roads or trails. It was breathtaking and a smooth ride too!
Two nights at Mount Cook
April 22, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 43 °F
Made the iconic hike up the hooker valley over three suspension bridges. Kiwis really know how to build trails and all their national parks are free to everyone all the time.
Wanaka, New Zealand
Apr 23–25, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F
We arrived Wanaka last night and this morning drove up the Matukituki Valley, the eastern gateway to Mount Aspiring National Park. The Aspinall family is the 4th generation to farm Mt. AspiringRead more
Franze Josef to Punakaiki, NZ
April 26, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 37 °F
We spent last night at a funky Rainforest Retreat and got up early to walk up to the Franz Josef glacier. Then drove to Punakaiki and enjoyed a night at the beach to explore Paparoa National Park'sRead more
Arthur's Pass
April 27, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 37 °F
To get to Christchurch we drove one of the most scenic roads in New Zealand, through the heart of the Southern Alps. It's also one of the best places to see the endangered Kea up close and personal.
Akaroa
April 27, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F
Checked into the hotel in Christchurch and made the drive out to the little town of Akaroa for sunset and a little dinner.
Christchurch
Apr 28–29, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 50 °F
Our hotel happened to be next door to the International Antarctic Center. So for our last day in New Zealand we had a nice brunch and visited the center. With admission you get a ride in a Hagglund,Read more
Home
May 2, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 43 °F
Yes, we are home, back to reality, and the cats are happy. We arrived April 29th and have been keeping a low profile. I expected a sense of loss or a big letdown after returning (and there is some ofRead more
Traveler
40 hours??
TravelerFrom the time we left the game reserve until we landed in NZ it was a little over 40. Only about 24 in the air. We actually had a couple of relatively good night's sleep on the planes.
TravelerI forgot about the layover in Sydney, make it 46 hours total.