Author: Susan

The urban population of Queenstown is just over 16,000 and it is a major center for sports, notably skiing, snowboarding, bungy jumping, mountain biking, tramping, Read more →

Leaving Appleby one week ago we have endured torrential rains, thunderstorms, flooding and road closures during our travels down the west coast.  Leaving the farm cottage Read more →

Leaving Wellington we boarded the Interislander Ferry at 8:45am for a 3.5 hour journey across Cook Strait, destined for Picton, South Island. The crossing was windy, no surprise there,  Read more →

The windiest city in the world is Wellington, New Zealand, which also happens to be the capital of the country. Nicknamed “Windy Welly” the city is deserving of this nickname Read more →

Our journey from Turangi to New Plymouth started out well but deteriorated quickly as we were detoured off the main highway, somehow ending up on a gravel logging road for almost 30 km!! Adding to the stress Read more →

Over these past couple of weeks I can safely say we have embraced the Kiwi lifestyle, we have become avid “trampers” the Kiwi word for hikers/walkers.  Our home this week was the small town of Turangi, chosen because Read more →

Completing the Tongariro Alpine Crossing was a significant achievement for us and I thought deserving of it’s own blog post.  We first heard about this hike Read more →

Around Rotorua the earth’s crust is thin and the area is well known for it’s geothermal activity, featuring geysers and pools of  bubbling hot mud and steaming water.  Read more →