New Zealand: Photo Blog

So our defense story this time for slack blog upkeep is a combo of too much fun exploring (as always) plus the condition that our last long adventure was spent voyaging around New Zealand in a camper van where we rarely connected to a power source, much less received a reasonable internet connection. That, and the sand flies of New Zealand are to blame. I’m not sure how, but they were so so intolerable, that I plan on blaming just about anything I can on their wrath for a long time.

To get us back on track, we opted to cover New Zealand with a photo blog. New Zealand truly is a country where a photo is worth a thousand words anyway.

Meet Vanilla Thunder in all her glory. The camper was our home, transport, and most importantly, sand fly refuge for 5 weeks and countless kilometers.

View driving through Te Urewa National Park on the North Island.

Exploring one of so many caves.

The less glorious daily tasks that come with the camper van...

Daily mapping and tracking our trip in the atlas. Not a bad view for a free camp ground.

Cooking up some breakfast in our not so spacious kitchen.

Enjoying the views with some Lemon & Paeroa, a classic NZ soft drink.

Z at a look out over the Putangirua Pinnacles, one of many incredible Lord of the Rings film sites around the country.

The shores along Cape Palliser Lighthouse offer incredible views as well as home to lots of ornery seals.

Playtime.

A favorite winery on our  bike tour through Blenheim.

More playtime (after some wine touring...)

Prepping for our Thanksgiving away from home. Spoiler alert: we opted for the more affordable chicken in place of a turkey...

Prepping our makeshift barbecued chicken.  Not pictured: fire extinguisher for the likely event we lit the field ablaze.

The spread: thyme bbq'd chicken, cranberries with orange zest, mashed potatoes and gravy and prosciutto stuffing ...and wine.  Not bad for a campervan kitchen meal.

Kayaking in Abel Tasman National Park.  The beach is one of many throughout the park accessible only by boat.  

At a lookout surrounded by Kowhai trees, informally known as NZ's national flower.  These breathtaking plants blanketed mountainsides and riverbeds throughout the South Island.

One of countless scenic hikes along the coast.  

Another roadside pullover to photograph the incredible river valleys.  

Up close with a Kea in the Fox Glacier parking lot. This alpine parrot is not shy and happy to beg for a meal-- or tear the rubber linings off your vehicle.  

On lunch break trekking the Copland Track. 

Z crossing one of the many footbridges on Copland Track. They were one person maximum  and swung high over raging rivers and falls as you teetered across.

The natural hot springs where we camped on Copland Track.

We could have stayed here for days had the sand flies not been total terrors.  

New Zealand's rivers are almost all crystal blue and and white, a result of the particulate suspended in the water from glaciers upstream.   

To get to this glacial lake, we hiked hours through lots of recent land slide zones due to recent heavy rainfall. This destination certainly was worth the trek.

Playing in the natural beauty of Fiordland. The fallout of a handstand gone wrong.

Another film site for Lord of the Rings. Another of NZ's natural playgrounds. 

Putting up defenses against the elements of Milford Sound. Despite our preparations, we were both drenched by the end.  Water fall mist got the best of us.  

Beautiful Milford Sound!

Waterfall responsible for drenching us head to toe.

The only penguin we saw our entire trip. This little loner was pointed out to us on our Milford Sound tour.

A church with a view like this could make anyone a believer.

Wild flowers, lakes, forests, mountains, and Lesley.  

Another feast for the eyes, complete with the Kowhai bushes I fell in love with.

Happy boy.

After a short stop over in the US, we are back to South America to (sadly) wrap up our travels. We'll be doing a few treks in Peru, then heading to Patagonia to spend most of our time camping. We'd love any recommendations from friends who have wandered those ways before.