NZ Reflections

Reflections. NZ was about:

- Campervan/motorhome drives, coach tours, cruises down fjords, catamarans and jetboats coastal and bay tours, hell-jets along river rapids and evenings at campervan sites
- hilly terrain and windy roads, occasionally other cars and campervans
- sheeps, sheeps, cattle, some horses, giant Angora rabbits, more sheeps, kiwi birds, kea birds, dead possums ran over
- sunny skies, clear and cloudy blues skies, white-tip mountains for good shots
- coast and cliffs, Capes and Bays, long beaches and hugh surfs, great sunrise and sunsets,
- lakes and fjords called sounds,
- Queenstown which is not that pretty except for the lakes and surrounding mountains
- pricey houses and numerous redevelopment, high-rised on the rise
- Wanaka - our motorhome broke down, lucky we were at passing lane after steep cliffs and mountain sides. Still, the boys got to push the campervan away from windy road. Gear pads shaved clean and two days to repair as spare is flown from Auckland and driven from Christchurch!
- glaciers, not snows but thick ices that we have to climb up and down and through
- green jungles and damped weather at west coast
- vineyards
- beaches and treks at northern beaches in Abel Tasman Reserve
- best ferry crossing but we crossed at night to save a day!
- volcano land with thermal baths and spas,
- more lakes, rivers and waterfalls
- caves with underwater streams and adventure tubing through
- Auckland and friends
- Bay of Island - Hole in Rock
- 90 miles beach and coach drive along the beachline, though quick-sand stream
- sand surfing, suffering and sand in hairs
- Cape Brett, Cape Reinga, Cape This and Cape That
- Merino wool - possum fur - angora fibre clothings
- Venison steak, fresh thick-cut salmon, steak pies, brownies, avocados, strawberries
- Dinners at Last Outpost in Oamaru, Malaysian KK and Persian Pandoro in Auckland
- nice houses, cottages by the sea, villas and mansions, lots of B&B and motels
- puntured tyre on the before the last day, and changing giant tyre without proper jacks, and the boys lifting the giant spare at rear under-carriage
- 12-day 2200km in the south, 8-day 1400 km in the north, a total of 3600km in 20 days
- we have not seen Christchurch, Wellington or Auckland cities
- we have not hang-glide, para-glide, tandem freefall jump, bungy jump, fly in plane, helicoptor or balloon, river rafting or kayaking, catamaran or yacht sailing, scuba the rainbow warrior or golf yet! looks like we will return. Maybe 2011.