Christchurch was our entry and departure point for the South Island, so we spent one night on each end in the city. First night: Sudima Hotel Christchurch Airport We arrived near midnight and after...
Blog posts from South Island
New Zealand – Clay Cliffs and return to Christchurch
On our drive from Christchurch to Wanaka we passed a sign pointing toward the Clay Cliffs near the town of Omarama. We wrote a note to ourselves to remember them as a possible stopping point on our...
Central Otago wineries
Our first stop in central Otago was Chard Farm, a charming tasting room on a hill above the highway. Just across the road is a old suspension bridge with bungee jumpers over the Kawarau Gorge....
New Zealand – Te Anau lodging and food
After quite a lot of driving and many, many sheep, we arrived at the Te Anau Lodge around 6pm, just beating a rain storm. We stayed in the Bishop's Retreat which was a stand alone building next to...
Drive to Milford Sound
Since we were starting in the afternoon due to the Doubtful Sound cruise, we needed to prioritize which sights we would visit before it became too dark to hike. Along the drive we decided our first...
New Zealand – Doubtful Sound Cruise with Real Journeys
Hoping for good weather, we booked the 8am cruise with Real Journeys online 13 hours prior to departure. It was a bit pricey but it's the only way to see Doubtful Sound so we decided to splurge....
New Zealand – Crown Range Pass
The sunrise in Wanaka was absolutely STUNNING on Saturday morning. Eric snuck out to take these photos behind the B&B before we filled up on a delicious breakfast. After packing up we headed...
New Zealand – Wanaka
We positioned ourselves in Wanaka both coming from and heading back to Christchurch. For simplicity's sake we decided to stay at the same B&B both times and we're glad we did. Suzy and Caroline...
New Zealand – Route 6 drive to Haast Beach
For our first day in Wanaka we decided to head north for views of Lake Hawea and Lake Wanaka, then on through the lush Haast Pass. Thankfully there were numerous pull-outs which let us enjoy some...
New Zealand – drive to Wanaka
On our first morning we woke up early, feeling mostly refreshed after two previous evenings on planes. We decided to skip the pricey buffet breakfast at the hotel and just head back to the airport...
Our Itinerary
2023 Trips
San Diego (Jan)
Orlando (Feb)
Richmond, VA (Apr)
Northern Italy (Apr)
NC Mountains (May)
Long Island (Jul)
Wisconsin (Aug)
Chicago (Aug)
Bordeaux (Sep)
Rugby World Cup (Sep)
Castile and León (Sep)
Seychelles (Nov)
Willamette Valley (Dec)
2022 Trips
Florida (Feb)
NC Mountains (Apr)
Washington DC (Apr)
Valencia, Spain (May)
Hilton Head, SC (May)
Pacific NW (Jun)
Long Island (Jul)
Florida (Sept)
Chicago (Sept)
Poland (Sept)
NC Mountains (Nov)
Euro Xmas Markets (Dec)