New Zealand
New Zealand or Aotearoa meaning "land of the long white cloud" feels like a second home to us. We have already spent a lot of time there as my host family - our Kiwi Family - lives on the other side of the planet.
New Zealand is an island country located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean consisting of two main islands: the North Island and the South Island along with numerous smaller islands. Known for its stunning landscapes which include mountains, beaches, forests and lakes, New Zealand is a paradise for nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts. The country has a population of around 5 million people with Wellington as the capital and Auckland as the largest city. New Zealand has a rich cultural heritage with a strong Māori influence alongside British colonial history. It is famous for its biodiversity home to unique species such as the kiwi bird and has a thriving tourism industry. The country is also known for its outdoor activities including hiking, skiing and water sports. With a temperate climate and diverse ecosystems New Zealand offers year-round attractions. It is also renowned for its film industry particularly due to the success of movies like "The Lord of the Rings" filmed in the country's breathtaking landscapes.
Our journey in New Zealand began with a stay at our Kiwi Familys home in Auckland. As we wanted to travel the North Island our plans for hiking in New Plymouth (Mount Taranaki) were unfortunately disrupted by weather and illness. With the help of kind people we made the best of the situation returned to Auckland and then flew to Christchurch located on the South Island.
There we picked up our rental car and started our adventure on the South Island. Our path first took us to Kaikoura followed by Akaroa then onward to Lake Tekapo and the Mount Cook National Park. We continued to Dunedin (Otago Peninsula), the Nugget Point, Catlins Forest Park with its waterfalls, Curio Bay, Slope Point, Invercargill, Riverton/Aparima and Southland to the Fiordland National Park. Highlights here included boat tours in Doubtful Sound and Milford Sound as well as kayaking on Lake Manapouri. We had an extended stay in Queenstown and from there we traveled from Arrowtown to Wanaka. Our journey continued past Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea over the Haast Pass to the West Coast and from there to the Franz Josef Glacier. After a stopover at the Hanmer Springs we completed our loop with another stay in Kaikoura attempting whale watching once more. The end of our South Island tour was marked by a visit to family friends in Nelson where we went hiking and visited the Nelson Lakes.
Finally we flew back to Auckland and spent time with our Kiwi Family taking trips on the North Island: we toured Hobbiton, Tirau, the Waihou River Springs, the Huka Falls, Lake Taupo, the Mud Pools, Rotorua, Mount Maunganui and Pukekohe. The second trip took us to Waihi Beach, Waipu, Whangarei and all the way up to the Bay of Islands. Through Warkworth we made our way back to Auckland where our New Zealand adventure came to an end.