Thar she blows!

Kaikoura had some of the most beautiful scenery yet!  The snowy mountain-peaked background and an almost impossibly aquamarine sea sparkling in the foreground was truly magnificent.  We had some lovely walks around town and down to a sea colony to watch them play before heading uphill to the lookout from which you can see both [...]

On down the Coast

Between Timaru and Oamaru we entertained each other with observations like “That sheep had a lot of grass in it’s wool.” and “Did you see how high that lamb jumped?” and “Do lamb tails fall off, or do they clip them?”  We passed paddock upon paddock of sheep, with occasional cows, horses or alpacas and [...]

Kauri Forests

In the Maori tradition, Northland is said to be the tail of the fish Maui caught when he went to sea to prove to his brothers he was a great fisherman. The whole north island is this fish, and the South Island is the canoe he was fishing from. The whole area is [...]

Auckland

It seemed almost strange to have to take out our passports again, but yes, we have crossed another border.  Our flight into New Zealand provided spectacular views of rolling hills, turquoise water and a first glimpse at New Zealand’s biggest city.
We spent our first days orienting ourselves, catching the blog up after our whirlwind Sydney [...]