# Destinations: New Zealand



## Weatherman2020 (Sep 28, 2016)

Did a whirlwind tour of New Zealand couple of years ago.  Nothing but positives to say about going there.  Great people and scenery.  Tips: I paid drivers to take us places.  You drive on the opposite side of the road there and it gave me the opportunity to look at the scenery. Eating out you take your bill to the register and no tipping.  Fish and Chips.  Best in the world.  Had it for lunch the first day, tried it at another place the next day and again the best.  I think that was half my meals there.  I have no idea why they are so good there.  If you're taking small planes within NZ limit your luggage to 1 large and 1 carry on.  Otherwise your luggage is taking the bus.
Major stops:
Flew into Auckland.  Air New Zealand offers to sell you the middle seat at low cost and the seats fold into a bed.  Left LAX at 10PM, arrived in Auckland 8AM local 12 hours later rested.  Never felt a hint of jet lag.  Pics are from the Internet to give you an idea:



 
Went to the glow worm caves.  It's just what it says. Worms that glow.


 
Rotorua.  If you're in New Zealand, good chance you're standing in an active volcano or next to one. Town is in a huge volcano with geothermal activity all around.  Sulfur smell in town so got a room outside of town then drove around to the geothermal locations.


 
Went to the Rift Valley, youngest geothermal location on earth.  Basically a 4 mile long section of New Zealand was sent into the stratosphere in 1889.  This is Frying Pan Lake, hottest spring in the world.  And that's not water, it's acid.


 
You can't go to New Zealand and not visit the Shire.


 

Flew to Christchurch on the South Island.  Much of the city is still recovering from the earthquake.  But great city to see despite looking up at a 6 story building and realizing its windows are boarded and its in line to be torn down.  The worst is the loss of their icon, the cathedral.


 
Mount Cook, highest point in New Zealand, in the Southern Alps.  Great hotel at the base of the mountain.


 
Drove to Queenstown in the Southern Alps.  Has to be the closest place to heaven there is for scenery.  Said to have the best tasting water too.  I agree.  Did I mention fish and chips?


 

Milford Sound.  You fly in on a 4 seater.


 
Took another 4 seater over the Southern Alps to the west coast.  


 

On the west coast they say you can get all 4 seasons in 1 day and I believe it.  You're at the base of the Southern Alps in a tropical rain forest with a glacier walking distance from your hotel.  Took a helicopter up on the glacier, a rare glacier that ends in a tropical rain forest.  A few weeks after getting back Bing used this picture. Might be our team shown hiking the glacier, might not, but that's what we did.


 
Drove up the coast of the Tasman Sea to Greymouth were we caught the Alpine Express.  Takes you through the Southern Alps back to Christchurch.  


 

Great country to visit.


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