New Zealand

We love New Zealand! If there was another place we could call home, New Zealand would be it. (Un)fortunately there are some very strict citizenship requirements, so you’re stuck with us here in the US for now.

Jeffrey visited New Zealand two years ago and this was the one spot that had to be a “repeat” destination for us on our journey. We based ourselves on the South Island, in centrally located Queenstown, and rented a fantastic apartment with gorgeous views of the lake and mountains. Though most of our time here was spent relaxing, we were able to squeeze in a few sights and activities. Of those, our favorites would be hiking the Milford Trek (marketed as the “Greatest Walk in the World“), bungy jumping for the first time, seeing the rare yellow-eyed penguins in the wild, watching a glacier break off the side of a mountain, and kayaking down the Dart River (where many scenes from Lord of the Rings was filmed). Here are a few pictures from each of the spots.

Now, some commentary on our bungy jumps... Since Queenstown is the birth place of bungy (and other extreme sports), we decided to jump at the spot where it all started -- the Kawarau bridge. Jeffrey showed great tunnel vision focus and jumped off the bridge in great form and even got dunked in the river. There was some frantic flapping of the arms and a small yelp, but nothing too un-manly. Iris, however, spent 10 minutes on the platform trying to pump herself up for the leap with intermittent screams at Jeffrey about “Why?!” She truly tested the patience of the bungy operators before finally jumping, and yes, she screamed loudly…. on every bounce.

When you have the chance go to New Zealand, it really is as good as everyone says.