Scroll left
  • We were unprepared for the damage Christchurch sustained. Almost every old building in the city was damaged. It's so bad, there's talk of moving the city elsewhere. width:359;;height:640
  • Christchurch's Botanical Garden is well worth the visit. If you like gardens, an hour would be the minimum. width:640;;height:359
  • This section of the Botanical garden runs near Hagley Ave, another old neighborhood that sustained heavy damage. width:640;;height:359
  • Cook Mountain area houses an upscale governmental resort and glacier well worth the trip. width:640;;height:423
  • The resort has several trails and houses an amazing gift shop and nice small museum. width:423;;height:640
  • Oamaru was a wealthy industrial town that shrunk to a fraction of it's size. Their stately old buildings have now become esoteric art galleries. width:640;;height:423
  • One of the 'ladies' of Oamaru. width:640;;height:423
  • Larnach Castle east of Dunedin is full of elegant creaky old rooms and fun to tour. Unfortunately no pictures of the inside are allowed but the grounds are well kept and worth a walk around. width:640;;height:423
  • Expansive views clear to Portobello Bay can be seen on a clear day from the top of Larnach Castle. width:640;;height:423
  • The short "Chasm' walk on the way to Milford shouldn't be missed. width:640;;height:423
  • Milford Sound is the destination of a lot of tours. The cruise is very nice, but be prepared to fight the crowds. width:640;;height:423
  • Queenstown is a charming alpine tourist ski town. For crowd relief, visit the 'Queenstown Gardens' width:640;;height:423
  • For those seeking even more repose, visit the old cemetery close to the Queenstown gondola. width:640;;height:359
  • One of our trip highlights at Queenstown was a cruise aboard the 100 year old steamer Earnslaw to an elegant evening meal at an old sheep station on the other side of the lake. width:640;;height:423
  • Fox glacier is mostly a dirty snowbank. But the walk out to it intriguingly austere and the surrounding country incredible, going from lust jungle to alpine glacial within a mile. width:640;;height:423
  • The ferry from the south to north island can be a mini cruise in itself. Have fun exploring the ship or watching the fjord like coast line from outside decks. width:640;;height:423
  • While Auckland is the biggest, Wellington is the capital and it has a number of wonderful sights including a superb botanical garden. width:640;;height:359
  • Wellington's Te Papa museum is world class and worth several hours. This is a lighted glass floor map of the country. width:423;;height:640
  • Wellington's cable car tops out at a nice little museum, great views and an expansive botanical garden. width:640;;height:423
  • We found the cable car ride exciting and worth the few dollars it costs. Some locals may disagree. width:640;;height:423
  • Public toilets were everywhere, all clean, all practical, some outrageous. width:640;;height:423
  • Huka Falls is interesting, but I wouldn't go too far out of my way to see it as this is it. width:423;;height:640
  • I was in the mood for a small pizza, until I looked closer. A fellow traveler confirmed that Spaghetti O's pizza was as bad as it looked. width:640;;height:359
  • Sheep shearing exhibitions were entertaining. The New Zealanders have a great sense of humor about their life style. width:640;;height:423
  • Paradise Valley Wildlife Park near Rotorua is well worth an hour or three with a nice flora and fauna tour. Lucky visitors will get to pet some lions and still keep their fingers. width:423;;height:640
  • Rotorua is a pleasant small vacation town with a beautiful Art and History Museum. Worth a visit if anywhere close. width:359;;height:640
  • A shot looking out from the portals of this museum. width:640;;height:251
  • The Te Puia Maui is a non profit school for Maori wood carvers and had an interesting geothermal area nearby. Tours are available for both. width:359;;height:640
  • Piahia is a charming little town located on the Bay of Islands. From here you can take interesting boat tours of the area including the even more charming town of Russell. width:640;;height:359
  • Beautiful stone church in Piahia. Few see this as it's two blocks away from the main street. width:420;;height:640
  • From Auckland, we took the ferry to Rangitoto where had 10 minutes. Had we known (and had time), we would have spent two hours there... that is if you're into unique geology and flora. width:640;;height:423
  • If in Auckland, don't miss the Auckland Memorial Museum and Winter Garden (arboretum). Well worth a half day or more. width:423;;height:640
Scroll right