Hobbits, Sheep, and some fuzzy green fruit...
In and around New Zealand
...would be the extent of our knowledge of New Zealand. We both love to travel but our adventures have been close to home since moving to Golden (in the Canadian Rockies) a couple years ago. This part of the world is gorgeous and we absolutely love living here - which may explain why we chose, for our first Big Trip, to visit a country most similar to our home??!? We are definitely excited and looking forward to sampling some of NZ's endless outdoor activities. The one drawback is that we'll be missing one month of unbelievable skiing (Kicking Horse our local ski resort is experiencing record snowfalls this season). Oddly enough, no one we express this to has any sympathy whatsoever for us :)
Route taken and entries by Real Traveler Ryan & Sara
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1
3 weeks to go....
In 3 short weeks we will be on our way to a month-long vacation down under. Sara needs to get through one more work trip to her client in... Continue reading »
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2
Day 1
We HAVE left home, so technically we are on the first leg of our journey. Today we drove 4 ½ hours from Golden to Kamloops, where our kitty Luna wi... Continue reading »
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Route marker
This entry is just to force the blogsite to show our actual route taken (flying west from Canada to NZ and not east) Continue reading » -
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We finally made it
Now that we are finally in New Zealand, the journey to get here is probably something we should put behind us. After the usual tension and near-pan... Continue reading »
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9 hour drive along the east coast
Similarities between NZ and BC abound. We drove by endless hills reminiscent of Kamloops’ semi-arid landscape. The roads are also gnarly and induce... Continue reading »
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Abel Tasman: NZ's most popular national park
Having completed our 3-day trek, it’s obvious why the Abel Tasman Coastal Track is the most tramped in the country:
1) The scenery is unbelie... Continue reading »
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West Coast and Arthur's Pass
We arrived in Westport last night to find all hostels, motels, hotels and B&B’s completely full. We forgot it was Saturday night at the height... Continue reading »
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Accommodation (or lack thereof) woes
After the experience in Westport, we decided to lock in our accommodation in Wanaka for Ollie’s wedding (summer + tourist town + Saturday night jus... Continue reading »
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Hiking and Shopping
As soon as the sun was up we packed up camp and escaped the sandflies. We went on a pleasant walk to view Bridal Veil Falls, then bid farewell to A... Continue reading »
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Big chunks of ice ARE impressive
Today was filled with road-side stops, some longer (and more interesting) than others. We are finding that NZ highways are filled with scenic looko... Continue reading »
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Fiordland
Yesterday we left Haast, crossing over Haast Pass and entering Otago. Goodbye rainy West Coast! (Actually, we’ve been incredibly lucky with the wea... Continue reading »
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Coasting Through the Catlins
After Fiordland, we had our sights set on the Catlins, a conservation area located along the southeast coast of the South Island. On our way we cou... Continue reading »
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Retail Therapy
Based on our experience in the Catlins, we clearly needed some non-nature-focused stimuli. Driving north along the east coast, we found our answer... Continue reading »
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14
Queenstown: Banff on Steroids
To say Queenstown is dizzying is an understatement. In fact, nothing about Queenstown can be understated. It is the “adrenaline capital of the worl... Continue reading »
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15
A Wanaka Wedding
The big day has come and gone and we don’t think Ollie and Sophia could have asked for anything more. They were married at a sheep station in Glend... Continue reading »
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Farewell New Zealand
We started off our last full day in NZ with a visit to “Puzzling World” just outside Wanaka. This super-fun tourist attraction includes a large two... Continue reading »
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Harbour Hopping
A lesson learned (but forgotten) when we arrived in NZ last month: When crossing borders with hiking and/or camping equipment, make sure you pack y... Continue reading »
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Road trip to the wilds of Sydney
Today we took a bus tour to the Blue Mountains, a national park just an hour or so west of Sydney. (Australia in general is pretty flat, except for... Continue reading »
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Another route marker
What is the point of parking a plane at a gate and making everyone disembark, walk all the way around the airport, go through U.S. entry customs,... Continue reading » -
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Almost home
We’re sitting in the Vancouver airport right now waiting for our final flight to Kamloops. Glad to report that the journey home was MUCH more enjoy... Continue reading »
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