Mozzeenet

You know a nation loves their rugby when even their nappies have an All Black motif printed on them! We were lucky enough to arrive in Auckland on the final of the 2011 Rugby World Cup a few weeks ago. We were very excited when NZ was victorious, not only because we wanted them to win but also because we didn’t want to experience a nation in mourning for the rest of our holiday!

NZ never fails to deliver on gorgeous scenery and friendly people. There are so many beautiful and varied regions across the country that you really need to do several trips or make an extended visit to really appreciate it. Lots of tourists think they can see the whole country in a short time but that just doesn’t do it justice.

In the first week, we explored the top of the country above Auckland. First stop was the Bay of Islands where we took a boat trip, seeing frolicking dolphins in the sparkling blue water. The boat navigated through a hole in a rocky outcrop carved out by the pounding waves and visited an island where we relaxed on the grass by the peaceful beach.

We also visited the site where the Waitangi treaty was signed between Maori chiefs and European settlers in 1840, a significant event in NZ’s history. We watched a cultural performance there and Andrew’s attempt at the haka was very impressive (see the photos)!

We spent the next few days travelling in a loop via Cape Reinga at the tip where the Pacific ocean and Tasman Sea meet then back down the West coast of Northland to Auckland. We stayed in some gorgeous cottages, attached to private houses. A highlight for me was a serene cottage overlooking secluded Coopers Beach where we enjoyed renowned fish and chips and enormous, succulent oysters from local Mangonui though it didn’t score many points with Andrew because there was no gluten free option – he had to cook his own fish back at the accommodation!

Other highlights were seeing the huge sand dunes on the west coast of Northland and people tobogganing down them, as well as our stay at tiny Kohukohu. The cabin there was decorated in retro style and looked out onto lush greenery. The next day we caught a vehicle ferry across the river to continue on our way south.

From Auckland we flew to Wellington and had a great catch-up with family. We stayed right in the city which was very convenient.

Our second week was spent travelling through the top of the South Island. We caught the ferry across Cook Strait as we did last time but the opposite way. It was a little delayed which was the source of a bit of stress that day as we arrived at our accommodation at Blenheim late and realised we had misunderstood the description and the place didn’t have any cooking facilities. When the baby is wailing because he is tired and hungry, this isn’t the easiest travelling situation. Andrew saved the day by getting Indian take-away and single-handedly wiping out about 30 mosquitos which were buzzing around the room. Despite this rough start, we did enjoy our brief stay there. The owner had provided a baby bath (her grandson’s) and it was nice to give Leo a bath as the rest of the trip we showered him with one of us.

We could tell straight away we were in the South Island as the scenery was much more mountainous. It reinforced to me that this is the type of scenery that I’m so fond of in NZ. I particularly love the wide frosty blue rivers flanked by grey smooth stones which we just do not see in Australia.

We visited 3 Marlborough wineries, a beautiful area. The first was the well-known Cloudy Bay. It was so nice to recline on bean bag chairs on an expanse of green grass overlooking the vines with mountain peaks behind. We concluded that we’re not great fans of sauvignon blanc but did enjoy a pinot and a bubbly.

We stayed at a rather run-down holiday park at Murchison on the way to the West coast, not memorable. Our next stop was Greymouth where, in character, it was raining. We did manage to put a bet on the Melbourne Cup there though (no joy though).

We drove to Hanmer Springs via Lewis Pass, a magnificent drive and comparable to Arthurs Pass which we so enjoyed last trip. Bathing in the thermal springs at Hanmer Springs was very relaxing. We hired our own private pool for half an hour which was easier with Leo (he sat in his pram at the side) and then took turns in the communal pools. It was a great way to unwind near the end of our trip.

Our final leg was to Christchurch where we had a lot of fun catching up with family. We saw a lot of damage in the city areas from the earthquakes when we were driving through, the skeleton of an old church and empty lots where buildings once stood. It was sad to see.

We just love our neighbour “across the ditch” – it is such a beautiful country and after two extensive trips, I feel that there’s so much we can go back for.

See some of our favourite photos from our 2011 NZ trip