"Impressions" New Zealand by wrldtravler

Having spent a fair amount of time in the US and traveled (fly/drive/ride) around the country I was always amazed at the sheer natural beauty of the continental US.
But, then i went to New Zealand!

Roberton Beach

They produce the best lamb in the world and some would argue the best people.
Overly outdoorsy and seriously fun loving, you'd be hard pressed to find a kiwi complaining.
There's a natural vibe about the people here and it is contagious.

Bay of Islands

If only i could record all that i have seen with my eyes.

NZ is one of those countries that keeps you on your toes. Sure you can have a fun week-long relaxed holiday on the beaches but you'll miss so much more.
The country is so diverse and gorgeous it would be a waste to only see part of it. So get out there and Explore New Zealand.

Here's what we did on our trip.

Bay of Islands - We headed out to Opua and joined Great Escape Charters for a 5 day sailing course. I will write more about the sailing and costs in the Things to do section.

Motorcycling around NZ - We rented bikes in Christchurch and drove the entire length of New Zealand's South Island, On both sides..
The itinerary:
Day 1. Christchurch -Walau Valley - Kaikoura (attended the annual Sea Fest)
Day 2. Kaikoura - Blenheim - St. Arnaud - Westport - Punakaiki
Day 3. Punakaiki - Grey Mouth - Hokitika - Whataroa - Franz Josef Glacier
Day 4. Franz Josef Glacier - Fox Glacier- Haast - Wanaka
Day 5. Wanaka - Cardonas - Queenstown - Te Anau - Milford Sound
Day 6. Milford Sound - Te Anau - Gore - Dunedin
Day 7. Dunedin - Oamaru - Timaru - Christchurch

Tramping/ Hiking - By this point we had done most of the South Island and even managed a few passes by bike. The weather was uncertain for the higher passes including the Roteburn Trek which we badly wanted to do. But as the weather would have none of it we decided to do Abel Tasman instead.
The Itinerary:
Day 1. Marahau - Anchorage - Torrent Bay - Bark Bay Hut
Day 2. Bark Bay - Mosquito Bay - Onetahuti Beach - Awaroa
Day 3. Awaroa - Goat bay - Totaranui - Anapai and then back to Awaroa.

We took the last water taxi back to marahau and picked up the rental car (Jucy Rentals) from the parking lot and headed towards Arthur's Pass.
We didn't make it the same night and the next day it was snowing. So sadly didn't get to do the Arthur's Pass Trek.

I will enter all the info on hotels/ restaurants/ places to visit etc. into the NZ page itself. It just gets too complicated when you break 'em into cities.

• Pros:Natural beauty, Amazing biking roads, Great food
• Cons:Fresh Air, Waterfalls, Mountains
• In a nutshell:WOW!