Monthly Archives: March 2015

March 26-27 Hi All, Rotorua: A geothermal wonderland…..hmmmm, maybe, but more like a huge tourist attraction….but you can see steam vents every where as well as inhale the hydrogen sulfide!!! We couldn’t tell if the “things to do” were just not that interesting/too touristy or maybe we were just tired, a bit jaded and anxious … Read More →

March 24-25 Hi All, Tongariro: We came, we saw, we kicked butt…..the ring has been destroyed….We did Frodo and Sam of LOTR fame proud!!!! The Tongariro Crossing (19.4 km, ~12 miles, starts at 3500′ elevation, climbs to 5700′ in the first third of hike, then drops to 2000′ elevation at the end) has been described … Read More →

Hi All, Seven weeks and counting and yes, we are still married:))) Kaikoura: Not a bad drive from Arthur’s Pass…when we started we decided to go see Arthur’s Pass, we thought it would be a nice lookout over the mountains…..20 min the other direction…not…it was a Pass with no views and it had started to … Read More →

Hi All, Can’t believe it has already been 6.5 weeks…..but, we do see the end is in sight and Kathy did let me know she is definitely tired of the suitcase:)))) Christchurch: Our perfect weather for Mt Cook quickly ended the morning/afternoon we drove to Christchurch…..cold, rainy and windy…..we were getting the aftermath of TC … Read More →

Hi All, There were a few spots to check out on our way to Twizel….so we got an early start….John wanted to leave by 8:00….Kathy said no way and we left at 8:45….but it all worked out in the end!! First up was the Moeraki boulders. These are large spherical shaped boulders scattered along the … Read More →

Hi All, Wow, what a treat Dunedin and the Otago peninsula turned out to be!!! The drive up from Kaka Point was uneventful and pasture lands full of sheep/dairy, one after another….still very green!!!! But, no one way bridges….yeah….and Dunedin even had a motorway….I think we saw 110 kph or about 66 mph…..yep, flying:))) We … Read More →

March 7-10 Hi All, After the rather boisterous ferry ride from Stewart Island we said our good byes to Adam and Cindi and got some groceries in Bluff as we had heard there were no restaurants in Curio Bay, our next destination in the Catlins (which was true) and a stop for gas. We then … Read More →

March 3-6 Hi All, Our drive from Lake Wanaka to Bluff took us a little over 4 hours. We had sunny to partly cloudy to very cloudy weather so we got to see some of the scenery and but not all. The views around Queenstown are still DDG!! We stayed at a very charming B&B … Read More →

March 1-2 Hi All, Wow…..4 weeks now on the roadtrip…..it seems like a year ago for sure!!! Yes, we have stayed very busy with only 1 down day so far. I would say we are holding up rather nicely although Kathy is making noises about how she hates suitcases…only 4 more weeks so we shall … Read More →

Feb 27-28 Hi All, We were up pretty early to make our way to the Wilderness Lodge at Lake Moeraki near the Haast region. Remarkably the weather had cleared from the night before and we had some spectacular views of the southern alps and coastal range. We posted some of the pics of the Fox … Read More →