New Zealand Adventure 2024

We were up early this morning for our hour long drive to Glenorchy where we were meeting guides for a jet boat and kayaking adventure on the Dart River. This was slated to be an all day outing. Rich and I opted for just the jet boat ride so we could explore Queenstown in the afternoon. Ashley and family wanted to do the full day excursion. We were able to catch the free shuttle bus back to Queenstown in time for a late lunch and a walk along the Queenstown Trail, which follows the Lake Wakatipu shoreline. We were also able to do a bit of shopping at a Saturday craft market. Every time I exclaim how beautiful New Zealand’s South Island is, the next day I see something even more remarkable, todays excursion being no exception. The Dart River flows through the Te Wai Pounamu World Heritage area and rugged Mount Aspiring National Park and  was truly one of the most spectacular areas we’ve seen so far. The pictures below reflect only a fraction of the beauty! Dart River Views Looking to...

What a difference a day makes! When we woke this morning the sky was clear and most of the smaller waterfalls had already dried up! After an early breakfast we sailed through the fiord to the Tasman Sea. Along the way we saw not only more penguins (from quite a bit further away), but also fur seals and dolphins. Felt like we had won the trifecta! Rich captured this photo right before dawn Approaching the Tasman Sea Another photo of this spectacularly scenic area  (note the absence of waterfalls) We got back to port a little after 9:00 am and soon thereafter started the long drive to Queenstown. Our route took us south back to Te Anau and then northeast to Queenstown. It was a very roundabout, but only, way to get to our destination. What was a 3.5 hour drive for us is a mere 15 minute plane flight! Queenstown is a beautiful city, sitting on the shores of Lake Wakatipu with stunning views of the sawtooth peaks of the Remarkables mountain range. Its  busy waterfront seems to be ...

Today was an exceptionally scenic drive from Te Anau to Milford Sound in the heart of Fiordland National Park. We stopped at a few smaller lakes along the way for some short hikes to stretch our legs and take in the views. As we got closer to Milford Sound, the scenery changed drastically with high granite cliffs on either side of the highway. The weather also changed drastically and was soon raining “cats and dogs” as the kids like to say. We were initially dismayed with all the rain. We had booked an overnight cruise on the sound and were looking forward to late afternoon kayaking, perhaps spotting dolphins, penguins and seals along the way. We also thought our photos of the rain-drenched fiord and mountains wouldn’t capture the spectacular beauty of the area. What we didn’t realize is that it’s the rain that feeds all the waterfalls running down the mountains. When the weather is dry (which I’m told it very rarely is) there are very few waterfalls. So…we donned our rain jackets and ...

When we left the Otago Peninsula yesterday we traveled back to Dunedin and then southwest along the southern coast of New Zealand before stopping for the night at the small town of Kaka Point. Our destination today was the town of Te Anau, which not only lies along the shores of New Zealand’s second largest lake, but is also the gateway to Fiordland National Park. Te Anau is also famous for its glowworm caves which we visited this afternoon. Before leaving Kaka Point, however, we first hiked to the lighthouse at Nugget Point. The morning was a little foggy and drizzly, but the kids were troupers with only a minimal amount of complaining. This short hike was a great chance to stretch our legs before the 3+ hour car ride to Te Anau. The Māori name for Nugget Point is Tokata, which means “rocks standing up out of water” Nugget Point lighthouse in the background Our tour of the glowworm caves started with a boat ride on Lake Te Anau to the site of the caves. We then took a walkway through ...

We encountered more penguins today, this time outside Dunedin at the Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance (the OPERA). Our goal was to see the rare yellow-eyed penguin in its natural habitat, as it was heading out to sea to fish or returning back to its burrow. Unlike the blue penguin, the yellow-eyed penguin is more unpredictable in its fishing expeditions. We were warned that sightings of this bird in the wild (there are less than 800 of these penguins worldwide) are rare. We took a short bus ride and then walked out to a headland where we hoped to catch sight of the elusive bird. Although we searched the coastline below for a good 15-20 minutes no one in our group spotted this rare penguin. On our way back to the bus we did pass some blue penguin burrows where we were able to see a few nesting birds. The OPERA has a rehabilitation and recovery center for injured birds and we saw a few of the yellow-eyed penguins here. As we were in our car and getting ready to leave the facility...

Lake Tekapo is magical! These pictures don’t do it justice. We took a short walk partially around the lake this morning before spending time at the hot springs here. After relaxing for an hour or so in the various pools (the adults only pool was the hottest; the children’s play pool the coolest), we had a quick lunch and were on the road to Oamaru, home of the world’s smallest penguin, the Blue Penguin.  We booked an evening viewing of these birds as they returned to their nests after spending the day at sea fishing. We were able to watch 3 “rafts” of penguins make their way up from the beach, gather on the rocks at the headland, and then waddle quickly across a grassy area to their burrows. Each “raft” (10-15 penguins) gathered separately and then made their way together across the grass as fast as they could. It was the most amazing thing to watch! No photos were allowed so as not to disturb the penguins, but I’ll carry this picture in my mind forever. I’m only sorry I can’t shar...