New Zealand 2007 Journal
In July 2007 to celebrate graduating from University, and on something of an impulse, a friend and I booked tickets to go to New Zealand for just under five weeks. It was a completely incredible and unforgettable experience.
We purchased a Kiwi Experience hop-on, hop-off bus ticket that allowed us to travel from the very tip of the North Island all the way down to the very bottom of the South Island and over to Stewart Island. We surfed down giant sanddunes, went black water rafting, luged down two mountains, went horse trekking, hiked a glacier, saw kiwis, seals, sea lions and penguins and ate the biggest ice creams and the best hot chocolates. We visited Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, took water taxis and ferrys, got soaked, got bitten by sandflies and generally had lots of fun.
This diary covers the whole of the trip in quite a bit of detail, but also includes pictures and links to more info.
To start off you can see an overview of the whole journey to the right - we started in Auckland, headed north, and then journeyed south getting down to Stewart Island in the far south before flying out of Christchurch. Click the map to see a bigger version.
| Date | Itinery | Journal | Photos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Sunday 8th July | Northallerton to Auckland | Read Entry | View Set |
 | Wednesday 11th July | Auckland | Read Entry | View Set |
 | Thursday 12th July | Auckland to Bay of Islands | Read Entry | View Set |
 | Friday 13th July | The Far North | Read Entry | View Set |
 | Saturday 14th July | Waitangi | Read Entry | View Set |
 | Sunday 15th July | Tiritiri Matangi Island | Read Entry | View Set |
 | Monday 16th July | Auckland to Mercury Bay | Read Entry | View Set |
 | Tuesday 17th July | Mercury Bay to Rotorua | Read Entry | View Set |
 | Wednesday 18th July | Rotorua to Waitomo Caves | Read Entry | View Set |
 | Thursday 19th July | Waitomo Caves to Lake Taupo | Read Entry | View Set |
 | Friday 20th July | Lake Taupo | Read Entry | View Set |
 | Saturday 21st July | Tongariro National Park | Read Entry | View Set |
 | Sunday 22nd July | River Valley to Wellington | Read Entry | View Set |
 | Monday 23rd July | Wellington | Read Entry | View Set |
The South Island
| Date | Itinery | Journal | Photos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Tuesday 24th July | Cook Strait Cruise, Marlborough & Nelson | Read Entry | View Set |
 | Wednesday 25th July | Abel Tasman National Park | Read Entry | View Set |
 | Thursday 26th July | Nelson to Westport | Read Entry | View Set |
 | Friday 27th July | Westport to Mananui | Read Entry | View Set |
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