NZ wrap

Auckland, NZ

Dang, we loved New Zealand. Driving on the left side of the road felt easier and easier and the eventual near-mastery was deeply rewarding. From November 14th to December 15th we covered over 2000 miles in the little Toyota Aqua hybrid hatchback we rented, covering both north and south islands.

First things first, Josh’s eye surgery. Originally, we planned to go to Australia from Indonesia, then spend the month of December in New Zealand, but we did New Zealand first. The Seattle retina specialist gave Josh the okay to get the follow-up surgery months earlier than we thought we could. And, a quick Australia-to-New Zealand cost comparison on retinal surgery and cost of accommodation around the holidays pushed us to do New Zealand first. Plus, a few trusted friends said they’d have surgery in New Zealand, given the situation, so, decision made.

After wonderful care from the Eye Institute and nine rainy days in Auckland, we carried on south. Down the west coast to Wellington we drove, then crossed the Cook Strait on the ferry to the south island. Mostly around the town of Wanaka, we spent 13 days on the south island, then returned via ferry to Wellington and back up north to Auckland.

The fresh air, the fresh water, the ease in communication. The hikes, the chill island vibe, the sauvignon blanc. We loved New Zealand. The four of us compiled a list of cool things we got to do while we were there:

• Hiked

  • One Tree Hill lookout

  • Dawson Falls, Wilkies pools, goblin forest in Egmont National Park

  • Ngarunui Beach (short)

  • Three Sisters beach walk (short)

  • Routeburn track near Queenstown

  • Mount Iron

  • Upper Clutha River trail (biking and hiking)

  • Lake Mahinapua (short)

  • Smith’s Farm night glowworm waterfall

• Drove on the left side of the road without incident

• Ate fish n chips in Auckland

• Got 2 new pairs of excellent, affordable, eye glasses

• Josh had eye surgery

• Toured Hobbiton

• Visited the Waitomo Glowworm caves

• Played an epic Yahtzee game at Whatawhata Airbnb

• Collected hen eggs at Fiona’s Airbnb

• Mountain biked at Wanaka on Upper Clutha River

• Learned new card game (German wist, + Ari’s version, “war wist”)

• Saw a crab in the Ngaurari Beach tidepools

• Josh fished on the Ngaurari Beach with 2 Maori women

• Collected shell rings

• Viewed stunning Mount Taranaki

• Walked the shores of Lake Tekapo

• Studied the planet exhibit Lake Tekapo park

• Ziplined at Lake Tekapo park

• Ari got an outdoor haircut

• Saw possum road kill

• Rode funky pedal bikes at Top 10 Holiday Park

• Visited Puzzling World

• Read the Wanaka history timeline

• Ate Black Peak ice cream

• Watched kids jumping off a bridge into the river

• Watched all LOTR and the Hobbit movies

• Visited some LOTR and Hobbit movie sites

  • Hobbiton

  • Isengard

  • Gollum’s pool

  • Mount Doom

• Fished for salmon and ate it fresh

• Ate the best cardamom bun and fruit mince pie EVER

• Took the Weta Workshop tour in Wellington

• Visited Te Papa museum in Wellington

• Bathed in Turangi thermal pool

• Skipped 100s of rocks

• Watched Timberwolves games live online

• Drove our car onto the ferry (twice!)

• Gazed at southern hemisphere night stars and 2 galaxies at Lake Taupo

• The boys discovered ginger beer

• Leo got new shoes