The Catlins are a rugged, sparsely populated area in the southeastern corner of the South Island. We spent five days exploring the area and were amazed how few people we…

Stewart Island is south of the South Island and is comprised of more than 80% National Park. Only 380 people live on the island permanently and it has 17 miles…

There were two major reservations we wanted to book before we committed to our New Zealand trip: The Milford Track hike (see previous post) and a Doubtful Sound cruise. Both…

We took the Ultimate Hikes Milford Track guided hike. It was the most luxurious multiday hike we have ever taken. We stayed in lodges with private bedrooms (queen bed), hot…

Franz Josef To explore the New Zealand glaciers we stayed in Franz Josef. We took the Helliservices three glacier (Franz Josef, Tasman, and Fox) tour with a glacier landing. It…

A common question we are getting asked is about the weather. The North Island has seen terrible rain storms and cyclone Gabrielle. The opposite is happening here on the South…

We left Christchurch and took a leisurely drive north up the east coast to Kaikoura, stopping at a couple beaches along the way. We immediately appreciated how few people there…

Our New Zealand journey began in Christchurch. It was a wonderful place to get over our jetlag and begin exploring New Zealand. It has a compact Central Business District (CBD),…