New Zealand summary

G'day,

As Australia kept his promise we can definitely say the same from New Zealand. Travelling for 6 weeks in a van was for sure an experience on its own which we can only recommend.

We started our NZ Trip on the south island in Christchurch where we picked up our Jucy Cruiza van. Most people start there NZ trip in Auckland and end up on the south island but we decided to do it our own way. (It really turned out well) Right away we drove direction Mount Cook. Mount Cook is the highest mountain in NZ with 3755m. On the way we passed beautiful places like lake Tekapo and lake Putaki where the mountains are reflected in the water on a sunny day. Being almost at the bottom of Mount Cook is a spectacular view and worth the 3 hour walk. Now you want to say that we've got all of that back home in Switzerland but if you haven't seen with our own eyes you cannot tell...:)

Milford Sound in Fiordland is judged to be one of the world's top travel destination. Luckily we didn't travel during high season and could avoid big lines and crowds. However we paid for it with very cold temperatures during the nights. Fiordland is the least populated area in NZ with no cities. Most areas are only accessible by boat or airplane. The stunning rock faces rising 1200m or more on either side make this place unique.
Along the way we also made stops in Queenstown , Haastpass, Fox Glacier, Franz Josef Glacier and Westport. Arrived in Westport we could finally enjoy warmer temperatures and the lookout of the ocean.
To wrap up the south island we headed to the Abel Tasman National Parc to do some walks and kayak with clouds and showers...
The Wellington museum presented the Maori culture and history of NZ which was well animated by local volunteers.

Hearing about the exceptional ski conditions at Mount Ruapehu it was too tempting not to ski in NZ. What was special about skiing in this region was the fact that Mount Ruapehu is actually a volcano which last erupted in 1995.

It was time to go to the beach and to enjoy the sun on the east coast starting in Gisborne for a few days. From there we moved on to drive along the east coast up to the windy east cape lighthouse. The next morning we continued along the Bay of Plenty. Bay of Plenty has a dense Maori population and is one of the fastest growing region in NZ. Rotorua is home of thermal activities. The sulphur gives off an odour unique to Rotorua that adds to any visitor experience. We enjoyed the bubbling mud-pools and natural hot waters.

The Coromandel Peninsula is quite wild and largely covered with rainforest. The peninsula is a popular place to live for people who want to escape the big city Auckland. A funny experience was the Hot Water Beach where you try to dig a big hole into the sand. You are supposed to find the hot water source during the low tide but still each time the waves wipe out your hot water hole...kinda frustrating but funny.

Before going up to the Northland we visited Piha and Muriwai Beach west of Auckland. Piha has dangerous rips and currents and we were stunned to watch few surfers in this conditions. In the Northland we only booked a boat trip to see the famous hole in the rock but returned back to Auckland after a short visit. Auckland is definitely the sailing city. Amazing if you think that Alinghi won the America's cup against NZ...
The last few days in NZ we spent in Raglan to relax at the beach and to catch some waves. The weather and water conditions were up and down but for sure we didn't get bored.

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Cheers,
Nath & Claude