Well, we are heading back to the S. Island tomorrow and will finish up with a couple of hikes in areas we didn't see before leaving from Christchurch. Here are a few pics of the North Island from Bay of Islands on south to the East Cape. This includes a day in Auckland where we sailed on an America's Cup boat for an afternoon. That was REALLY cool. It was a match race against another AC boat set up for this sail where we were part of the crew. We had incredible w...

HI all, The North Island has been days filled with white sand, turquoise water, swimming and sun. (The water has been warm enough for even John to go swimming daily.) We also visited huge, beautiful Kauri trees--only a few left after the Europeans cut and burned down all the the forests. We are now in the Bay of Islands. It is a touristy place, but since it is now shoulder-season, it is delightful. We went on a sail through the bay yesterday and had a wonderful...

We just finished the Abel Tasman tramp (2 days kayaking, 3 days backpacking to nearly empty campsites for the most part) ...beaches and water beyond beautiful.. heading for Nelson/Picton for the Ferry north. The pics show a few views from Milford Sound in southwest to Dunedin on the southeast side, back up the west coast past the glaciers seen from the Tasman Sea..incredible. Then to the sunny Abel Tasman area. We'll start in Wellington in the North Island see...

We have seen a lot since the first blog. Here are some pics from the second leg, including the long hike between huts to Milford Sound. Yet to come: Milford Sound, Stewart Island, Dunedin penguins, albatross and possums, oh my! Now going from the ocean back to the snowy mts, then to the West Coast. J and K

Hi all, Hope all is going well for all of you "back home". We are having a fantastic time already! John has learned to drive on the left side of the road-with me "back seat driving". He is going to get it all figured out before I try it! The camping has been great--very easy. We have mostly been staying in DOC (Dept of Conservation, like our Forest Service) campgrounds. They are all very nice. We visited Aoraki/Mt. Cook and it was beautiful. Glacier-capped...