On the way to the Glaciers we drove along the beach near Bruce Bay. A mile or more of the beach was lined with cairns. Travelers had also written messages on the white rocks; I think some of them were in honor of an ancestor. It reminded us of a beach in Maui where people had built tall cairns as a spiritual gesture. Much of NZ reminds us of Hawaii, possibly due to the fact that the early Maori ancestors were warriors that traveled here by long canoes from island...

After freedom camping near Cromwell, we were less than an hour from Wanaka. The day was FINE so we decided to enjoy Wanaka for awhile before heading to the West Coast. We stopped at an Arts and Crafts show in the park, and then we walked to Waterfall Creek along the south shore of Lake Wanaka. Then we drove past Lake Hawea and the north side of Lake Wanaka, then past the waterfalls of Haast Pass. It was a scenic drive. When we arrived on the west coast we decide...

Invercargill was hit by a big storm last night - lots of rain and wind. It was still very windy this morning so we were advised to change our plans to take the ferry to Stewart Island. We stopped at a Woolworths grocery store for some serious shopping, and then went to a local hardware store which had THE REAL BURT MONRO motorcycle on display. Apparently the owner's Dad had sponsored Burt, who had virtually no money to build his bikes and go to the US for the...

It rained last night, but it was sunny this morning when we took our walk to McLean Falls. The track was muddy but the falls were worth it. Then we started our windy and winding drive along the coastline. We stopped at Porpoise Bay to look for Hector’s dolphins but didn’t see any. We drove further and stopped at Curio Bay to see the petrified forest which is visible during low tide. The fossil forest is 160 million years old. We then detoured to Slope...

We left Portobello Village on the Otago Pennisula and drove back into Dunedin and around the city. Luckily, our motorhome came equipped with the Kruse Audio Tour Guide, a GPS system which has a narration of any area we are passing through. It is a helpful and interesting tool, because it includes entertaining stories about local people as well as information about the sights to see.We headed south on SH1 into the Clutha River district. The Clutha River isn’...