Good on ya New Zealand. For Cathy and me, our two weeks touring the South and North Islands have been choice. This is a continuation of our Overseas Adventure Travel small group tour. Check out what we did for our first two weeks in Australia at Good Day Mate. It’s been a ripper! .
In New Zealand, we based out of Christchurch, Hokitika, Queenstown, Rotorua, and Auckland with a few days at each place. Here is our deep dive.
Christchurch
In Christchurch, we start experiencing the uniqueness of New Zealand.
At the airport, we clear the bio-hazard checkpoint meant to prevent introducing any non-indigenous hazards. For the next two weeks, we are told about a bold plan called Predator Free 2050 to irradicate non indigenous animals like rats and possums. And we are continually reminded about efforts to clear out non-native flora and fauna, to return New Zealand to its pre-colonial environment.
Cathy and I are in the Pacific Ring of Fire, and we witness this first hand as we walk through the central part of Christchurch and see the continuing rebuild project from the 2016 7+ earthquake that caused hundreds of deaths and thousands of collapsed buildings.
As we paddle a Maori war canoe, we get some history and learn how integrated the Maori are into the daily life and culture of New Zealand (compared to Canada).
And we take in a Super League rugby match between the Christchurch Crusaders and the Brisbane Reds. More about that at Learning about Rugby and the All Blacks .
Hokitika
We drive to Hokitika, a small beach town on the west coast of the South Island. On our way there we visit a sheep farm and learn how to shear sheep . In Hokitika we see how jade jewelry is made starting from the rough stone through multiple cutting and polishing stages. After some excellent fish and chips, Cathy and I wonder down to the beach to see the sunset over the Tasman Sea, which is choice.
Queenstown / Milford Sound
For us Queenstown is the staging site to cruise through the Milford Sound, part of the South Island’s famous fiords. More about that at Milford Sound and Fiordland . The city itself impresses. It is very walkable with pedestrian malls, art and craft shows, and the essential ice cream stands. We break from our group who take a jet boat ride which they all enjoyed. Instead we take the gondola up to a city lookout / restaurant.
Rotorua
We fly to Rotorua on the North Island. This is a smallish city renowned for geothermal hot springs, it’s volcano caldera, lakes and forests. We visit the Kiwi Hatchery and are lucky to see one of these endangered birds chase a cricket through the shadows of its cage. We take a boat ride out to see the geysers and fumerols of Echo Crater, and I do a canopy tour with ziplines and hanging bridges amongst 1000 year old trees. Cathy takes in the geothermal baths. And we visit a Maori village.
Instead of clapping, Maoris sing. Our group practised ‘Home on the Range’ (which happens to be the state song of Kansas, however none of us are from Kansas), and do well enough to be invited into the Maori village. Our host set a very low bar but very much appreciated the effort and the respect being shown.
Auckland
Auckland is our final destination. As we drive north from Rotorua, we visit a unique place called Sanctuary Mountain . A 47 kilometre long pest proof fence surrounds a protected forest. Without the pests and non-indigenous plants, this old lush forest is like a scene out of Jurrasic Park. You expect a dinosaur to pop out any time. Instead, it is one of the places that the kiwis from the Kiwi Hatchery are released.
Auckland is situated on a narrow piece of land with the Tasman Sea to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. It has a large protected harbor that houses the world’s most boats per capita. The city is nicknamed ‘the City of Sails’. Gotta luv it. We take the Devonport Ferry for dinner at Devon on the Beach, and see a spectacular sunset. And one afternoon, we do the All Blacks Experience. This is an immersive experience that we really enjoyed. More about it here .
Its a Wrap!
Our month long tour ends here, and from Auckland we fly back to Toronto through Los Angelos. Weeks earlier, we put in a low ball bid for upgrades to business class on Air New Zealand. Much to our surprise, at checkin we are told we won and so Cathy and I are happy campers on our flight home. (Hint: Air Canada and Icelandic Air also auction off seat upgrades)
So its a wrap! Saw a lot. Much still to see.
Catch ya later, Australia. Haere ra, New Zealand.