Stories From New Zealand

Map of Auckland, New Zealand

Day 65: Hello Auckland!

Auckland, New Zealand

Our flight from Samoa to New Zealand was only four hours, but in crossing the international date line, we lost a whole day. It's like the 8th of August never existed. It is strange to be in a winter c

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Day 66: Darts

Rotorua, New Zealand

Rotorua is the most heavly touristed city in the north island of New Zealand. No doubt, it also the smelliest. The smell is caused by the incredible thermal activity in the area. You notice

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Map of Christchurch, New Zealand

Day 68: Christchurch Winter Festival

Christchurch, New Zealand

We flew in from Christchurch yesterday on a twin engine prop plane from Rotorua. As it happened, we arrived at t

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Day 71: Southern Alps

Mount Cook, New Zealand

Yesterday morning, we picked up the campervan we will be using for the next two weeks. It has heat, a bathroom, hot water, a fridge and microwave,

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Map of Queenstown, New Zealand

Day 71: Gondola Ride

Queenstown, New Zealand

A beautiful view of Queenstown from above.

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Day 72: Life in Our Campervan

Milford Sound, New Zealand

For those of you who were wondering what it's like to rent a campervan and drive all over New Zealand, I thought I'd write a description of a typical day in "Life in Our Campervan."

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Day 74: Snowboarding

Wanaka, New Zealand

When I was 14 my church youth group went skiing. I had never been and didn't quite know what to expect. It turns out skiing wasn't my forte. In fact, I still consider that day one of my most embarrasi

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Day 76: Photos

Neils Beach, New Zealand

Photo check-in.

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Map of Jackson Bay, New Zealand

Day 76: Photos

Jackson Bay, New Zealand

Photo check-in.

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Day 78: Glacier Walk

Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand

"Around the corner and up the stairs." We followed a few stragglers into the small equipment room at The Guiding Company, blurted out our shoe sizes, and received mean pairs of clunky boots soled with

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Day 81: Sheep

Paekakariki, New Zealand

Sheep, sheep, everywhere! New Zealand has only 3.8 million people but has 48 million sheep. As Tim and I drive along the rolling hills, steep mountain terrain, and beautiful lake shores, sheep dot the

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Map of Waitomo, New Zealand

Day 83: Black water rafting

Waitomo, New Zealand

We looked like clowns and Michelle couldn't stop laughing. On top of the full-body wet suit, gloves, and caving helmet, we wore

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