Queenstown
From Wanaka, it’s a magnificently scenic drive over the Crown Range road to reach Queenstown. We were headed straight to the Kawarau Bridge Bungy Jump. We turned up the tunes […]
Author Archives: joannstarknelson
Wanaka
The morning we left Mt Cook National Park, instead of eating breakfast at the campsite, we decided to do breakfast at Lake Pukaki. It was an excellent decision… After breakfast, […]
Mt Cook National Park
Mt Cook National Park is home to New Zealand’s highest mountains and largest glaciers. It’s signature mountain, Mt Cook, is the highest mountain in New Zealand, reaching 12,218 feet. The […]
Nelson Lakes National Park
We arrived at Nelson Lakes National Park in the early evening and made our way to the Kerr Bay campsite. The location of the campsite was perfect – inside the […]
Abel Tasman National Park and Motueka
Located on the South Island’s northern shore is the Abel Tasman National Park. Following the park’s coastline is the Abel Tasman Coast Track, one of New Zealand’s “Great Walks”. It’s […]
Queen Charlotte Sound and Nelson
We arrived in Picton in the early morning via the Cook Straight Ferry. From Picton, we drove along the scenic Queen Charlotte Drive to Anakiwa to hike a section of […]
Wellington
We spent our last two days on the North Island in Wellington, New Zealand’s capital. (Also the birthplace of Peter Jackson, Director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.) Wellington […]
Martinborough
After spending a cold and rainy two days hiking the Tongariro Northern Circuit, we immediately headed to warm and sunny Martinborough. It was a scenic drive there (quite honestly, pretty […]
Tongariro National Park
After Rotorua, we headed south toward Tongariro National Park. On our way there, we spent one night camping in the Kaimanawa Forest. As we neared the campsite, we saw a […]
Rotorua, cont.
Our last day in Rotorua, we started with an easy hike at the Redwoods Whakarewarewa Forest Park. It was originally home to nearly 200 tree species, planted around the turn […]
Jay and Joann's Journey 