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After three fabulous weeks in New Zealand, two on the South Island with our kids, and one on the North Island by ourselves, Mary and I bid adieu at Auckland Internation Airport. She caught her flight to LA and I caught mine to San Francisco. Flying Auckland to Gunnison I left Auckland at 3pm on Monday and, 13 hours later, arrived in San Francisco as the sun rose at 7am the same day. All my connections were tight with no time to waste. Luckily all my flights were on time! I qu

Our fantastic vacation in New Zealand was nearing an end and Mary Kay and I had to start making our way back to Auckland. We booked our last night at a vacation rental near Auckland Airport. But, rather than driving straight there from Taupo, we stopped for one more look at Huka Falls then detoured through Waimoto Village to explore Ruakuri Cave and Waitomo Glowworm Caves. Driving from Taupo to Auckland During our drive from Taupo to Auckland, we saw beautiful landscapes in e

After settling into our vacation rental the previous evening, Mary Kay and I were ready to explore Taupo, our home for the rest of the week. In addition to exploring the town of Taupo, we visited nearby Otumuheke Stream and Huka Falls and we visited the town of Rotorua where we rafted down the Kaituna River, soaked at Polynesian Spa, and Experienced the Redwood Treewalk. Exploring Taupo We enjoyed breakfast at our vacation rental, which always included fresh fruit that my fri

After three days in Auckland, Mary Kay and I were ready to move on to our next destination, Taupo. We weren't in a hurry to get to Taupo because we couldn't check into our vacation rental until after 3pm. Plus my old friend from Colorado, Rose, now lives in the beach town of Tauranga. So , we took the "scenic route" from Auckland to Taupo with a detour to Tauranga. Driving from Taupo to Auckland via Tauranga This was only my second time driving since we picked up our rental

Mary Kay and I could have stayed in Auckland's City Center, but we didn't want to push our luck driving any more than necessary in city traffic. The reason we chose to stay at a vacation rental in Bucklands Beach, a suburb of Auckland, was because it is walking distance to the Half Moon Bay Ferry Terminal which offers ferries to the Auckland City Center as well as Waiheke Island. It was a perfect choice! Visiting Auckland City Center We started our first full day in Auckland

After two amazing weeks exploring New Zealand's South Island with our personal tour guides, Sierra and Kyle, our time with them came to an end. They dropped Mary Kay and I off at the Christchurch Airport and drove the rental car back to Nelson. While Sierra and Kyle returned to work and resumed their lives in Nelson, Mary Kay and I flew to Auckland to spend our last week of vacation exploring New Zealand's North Island. Traveling from Christchurch to Auckland Our flight from

During our visit to New Zealand's South Island, we visited Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. We didn't have a lot of time there but the weather was great and we enjoyed a beautiful hike along the Hooker Valley Track. Hiking the Hooker Valley Track We parked our car near the Hooker Valley Track trailhead and ate a quick snack before starting up the trail. The peaks of Mount Cook and Mount Tasman were hidden by clouds. Otherwise, we had mostly blue skies. We walked across Hooker

After one night at a vacation rental in Cromwell, we headed to Christchurch to complete the final leg of our roadtrip across New Zealand's South Island. Along the way we stopped to visit the Clay Cliffs near Omarama as well as Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. It was late by the time we arrived at our vacaton rental in Christchurch and we were hungry! We walked to Basmati's Indian Eatery for a delicious dinner. During the walk back to our vacation rental, we ate ice cream fro

Fiordland National Park was our farthest destination on New Zealand's South Island before making our way back north. We had a long drive to Cromwell, where we had one night reserved at a vacation rental, after our night camping in the Park. But for now, we were here to explore Fiordland National Park! Exploring Fiordland National Park After packing up our soggy tents at Cascade Creek Campsite, we enjoyed most of the day exploring Fiordland National Park. Driving from Fiordlan

We enjoyed a full day exploring Fiordland National Park on the South Island of New Zealand starting with Cascade Creek Campsite. Camping at Cascade Creek Campsite It was a chilly evening when we arrived at Cascade Creek Campsite, within the boundary of Fiordland National Park. We quickly set up our tents and enjoyed hot cups of cocoa as the sunset over the mountains. We had no wood, or fire pit, to make a campfire so we all retired into our tents early to keep warm. It was wi

After spending two nights at a vacation rental in Albert Town, near Wanaka, we continued our journey south toward Fiordland National Park. Our drive took us through Queenstown, where we spent most of the day, before stopping in Kingston for gas and Te Anau for groceries. Visiting Queenstown Queenstown was already a flurry of activity by the time we arrived at 10am. We watched several paragliders fly over our heads and land in the nearby park as we walked from our car to the

We enjoyed a chilly but beautiful afternoon in Westland Tai Poutini National Park where we visited Lake Matheson and Te Kopikopiko o te waka Peak View. Visiting Lake Matheson The trail around Lake Matheson is an easy 2.6 miles with several bridges and many locations to view the beautiful lake and mountains. On a clear day, Mount Tasman and Mount Cook can be seen far in the distance and, if the water is still, their reflections can be seen in the lake. Unfortunately, the day w

After a relaxing night at the beach in Hokitika, we were ready for another day of adventure. As we continued our journey south toward our next destination, we visited Hokitika Gorge, enjoyed a picnic lunch at Lake Ianthe/Matahi, explored Westland Tai Poutini National Park , and ate dinner at the Hard Antler in Haast. After dinner, continuing south along the Haast Highway, the setting sun lit up the perfectly clear peaks of Mt. Tasman and Mt. Cook, which had been completely ob

We enjoyed great weather and beautiful scenery when we visited Paparoa National Park on New Zealand’s South Island. We only had a few hours but it was plenty of time to explore Truman Track, Pancake Rocks Blowholes, and Punakaiki Cavern. Visiting Truman Track Truman Track is a scenic trail that passes through a lush rainforest to a beautiful beach. Walking the trail itself only takes about 30 minutes out and back. However we enjoyed another 30 minutes wandering on the gravel

During our time on New Zealand’s South Island, we briefly visited Nelson Lakes National Park. The views of the lake surrounded by tree-covered mountains ascending from the water to the sky were breathtaking. Unfortunately, the morning we visited, the wind and cold air also took our breath away! We stayed just long enough to take a few photos before jumping back in the car to continue our journey south. You can view the Wheels Up for New Zealand 2026  trip page to see all my b

After an adventurous week in Nelson and surrounding areas, we headed south to explore other parts of New Zealand’s South Island. We rented a car, rather than taking the Bongo, to ensure plenty of space for our luggage and a significantly more comfortable ride. Driving from Nelson to Hokitika Sierra and Kyle took turns driving as Mary Kay and I enjoyed the beautiful views. Our first night was at an AirBnB in Hokitika but we took the full day to get there with many stops along

After three beautiful days backpacking in Abel Tasman National Park, we returned to Sierra and Kyle's home in Nelson for two more days before before moving on to our next adventure. That's not to say that our two days in Nelson were not adventurous! With Nelson as our hub, during those two days we enjoyed local activities, visited Cable Bay and Kateriteri, went skydiving and sailing. It was a busy few days! Enjoying Nelson We took it easy our first night back from Abel Tasman

Skydiving has been on my bucket list since before I had kids. But, when I became responsible for raising those little humans, jumping out of a perfectly good airplane no longer sounded like a good idea. Well... now my kids are grown and I have no more excuses. Especially when one of them wants to jump out of a plane with me! This was Sierra's second time skydiving and she looked like a pro flying through the air like Superwoman. I wasn't nearly as graceful, especially with my

After two days in Nelson, while Sierra and Kyle finished up work, we headed to Abel Tasman National Park for three days (two nights) of backpacking. Traveling from Nelson to Awaroa Beach We all piled in the Bongo and drove to Marahau at the edge of Abel Tasman National Park. From there we took a water taxi to Awaroa Beach where we began our trek back to Marahau. The coast in this part of New Zealand is extremely shallow so the water recedes significantly at low tide. Due to t

After arriving at the Nelson Airport, my travel partner, Mary Kay, and I were greeted by her son Kyle while my daughter, Sierra, was still at work. Kyle loaded us and our baggage into “the Bongo”- a charming little van that served as Sierra and Kyle's transportation as well as their “home” during their first few weeks in New Zealand. Fortunately, by the time Mary Kay and I arrived for our visit, Sierra and Kyle had moved into a relatively spacious one bedroom flat which they

I started my trip to New Zealand on Saturday, February 21, flying out of the Gunnison-Crested Butte Airport, which is the closest airport to my new home in Lake City. This was my first time inside the Gunnison airport and I was pleasantly surprised by how nice it is for such a small airport. Unfortunately, the incoming plane for my flight from Gunnison to Denver was significantly delayed. I eventually made it to Denver but missed my connection to San Francisco. I was able to

I'm taking a 3 week trip to New Zealand to visit my daughter, Sierra, and her boyfriend, Kyle. They are living and working in Nelson on temporary work visas. I'll meet Kyle's mom, Mary Kay, when we each land in Auckland on the North Island. From there we’ll fly to Nelson on the South Island to visit our kids. After exploring the South Island with Sierra and Kyle, Mary Kay and I will fly back to Auckland where Linda, a friend of mine, will join us to explore the North Island.

After saying goodbye to our many friends at the Tucson KOA, Tom and I hit the road for home... Pikes Peak or Bust! Arizona to New Mexico...

Tom and I were down with the flu when we started our 4th week in Tucson. We still had many things we wanted to do before leaving town......