Road to Wellington

A little hard to tell but there's a nice rainbow across the mountains just to the left of center.
Rivendell

Finally made it to Rivendell! I wish I had more time to explore the park that it's in, Kaitoke. The whole area is gorgeous. The set itself is pretty small and there's also nothing left of it. ThatLeer más
Wellington Interislander Ferry

Thanks to a ridiculous traffic jam nearly all the way from my hotel to the ferry terminal, I really thought I was going to miss the ship. Not real sure if my voucher would have carried over to a laterLeer más
Wellington Interislander Ferry

Calm sea but windy and cold on deck. The south island is certainly impressive looking!
Picton

Made it to port!
"Shortcut" to Nelson

The ol' GPS has some peculiar ideas about the meaning of shortcut (gravel rather than paved, really?), but it does lend itself nicely to lovely lunch spots.
Pelorus Bridge

Nice little stop off on the way to Nelson. Also a good picture of a silver fern which is the national symbol of NZ. It plays heavily in Maori traditions and is used in a number of ways across theLeer más
The Vic Mac's Brewbar

Had an early night with no plans so thought I'd try eating out for the first time. In case there's any question as to whether I'm in the US or not I can just listen to the crowd of guys yelling at theLeer más
Abel Tasman

Wasn't quite sure what a "Cruise and Walk" was going to involve. Turns out it's a boat trip up the coast and, in my case, a drop off on the beach and 9.6 km up and down mountains back to another beachLeer más
Franz Josef Glacier

There's a man in the first picture for scale, although the rock pile he's on cuts half the view off. The glacier used to fill the entire valley. The rocks as far out as where I'm standing in theLeer más
Fox Glacier

Unfortunately there was no spot in the valley where we could see the top and bottom at the same time, although the bottom was mostly covered by dirt and rocks anyway. Also the same valley that doomedLeer más
Knights Point

Lovely lookout...and the last photo in the life of my ill-fated camera.
Gates of Haast

Tourists for scale.
Lake Wanaka

We raced down the coastline ahead of a storm hoping for a good photo op, but still ended up with only a half-clear view.
Fun fact: If you Google New Zealand, that "lone tree on the lake" pictureLeer más
Lake Hawea

Lake Wanaka's next-door neighbor. I had heard of Wanaka long before coming to New Zealand but never of Hawea. A sad failing on the part of the tourism industry in my opinion.
Queenstown

A fun Lord of the Rings-themed trek around the Queenstown area with some bonus knowledge gained about the area's gold rush in the 1800s. The 4th photo is of Skipper's Canyon, which the miners had toLeer más
Glenorchy & the Road to Paradise

The Queenstown area seems to have won the lottery on number of impressive mountains.
Paradise

The filming location for all kinds of stuff, but most famously Lothlorien in LOTR and most of the landscape scenes in Prince Caspian.
Fiordland National Park

Including Mirror Lakes, Mt. Christina, and the Homer Tunnel.
The Chasm

The photos don't do it justice. I can also finally attest to all the stories about wild keas being rambunctious little troublemakers. I returned to the parking lot to find this guy tearing up rubberLeer más
Milford Sound

Probably the most recognized site in New Zealand. And penguins! (lower right; three of them standing on the rocks)
Milford Sound pt. 2

Curio Bay

A bit hard to tell at first but the lumpy beach is actually the remains of a petrified forest.
Niagara Falls

Apparently the surveyor had a sense of humor... (it's that little lump above the sign)
Purakaunui Falls

Supposedly the most photographed waterfall in the whole country.