|
The
parents of this lucky 12 year old boy and 6 year old girl took the
children to NZ over the winter break. The first day in Auckland, they
saw the America’s Cup Village and the Maori collections at the Auckland
museum. Then they flew to the South Island and drove to a mountain lodge
for 2 days of exploring the lakes, streams and forests. Then they headed
to the west coast, seeing the Pancake Rock blowholes before heading to
Hokitika, a major craft center.
The next few days were spent exploring glaciers, temperate forests, and
coastal areas, staying in lodges where nature guides led hikes. Then
over the mountains to the semi-arid area plains near Wanaka, taking time
to explore the ever-changing environments.
In Queenstown, there was time for jet boat riding, historic Arrowtown,
or bungy jumping. They enjoyed “day one” of NZ’s famous Routeburn Track
before going on an overnight cruise on Doubtful Sound, with time to
kayak and explore the shores.
They flew to Christchurch to visit the botanical gardens, then on to
Rotorura for Maori culture, staying in an old, historic hotel near the
gardens and museum. Their grand finale was 2 nights at one of NZ’s most
fabulous lodges, overlooking Lake Taupo. |
|
This couple
wanted to a driver to whisk them around New Zealand's magnificent
scenery while they stayed in some of the country's famous luxury lodges.
They started in Wellington, seeing the local sights. One day for lunch,
they took a short helicopter ride to the magnificent country lodge of
Wharekauhau. (In 2000, Andrew Harper's Hideaways called it the most
romantic hideaway in the world!) It was so wonderful, they plan to
return here for a "second honeymoon."
After a ferry ride to the South Island, they were driven down the scenic
east coast to Christchurch. They enjoyed the city's botanical gardens,
and arts and crafts before taking the Trans-Alpine train to the west
coast of New Zealand. Their lodge here was an Italian villa set on a
hillside overlooking the Tasman Sea.
The next few days they toured the west coast, where the scenery changes
every few hours -- glacier country, mountain passes, and semi-arid
deserts -- ending in Queenstown. Along the way they stay in lodges to
hike. In Queenstown, they visited a sheep station and took a daytrip to
Milford Sound.
Then they flew to the top of the North Island for 3 nights in the Bay of
Islands. Using a lodge as their base, they took the "cream trip," a
small boat which delivers packages to the residents of islands in the bay.
They also rented a car and visited an ancient kauri forest - one of the
few virgin forests remaining in NZ.
In Rotorura they toured the thermal reserve and learned about Maori
culture before arriving at their lodge - a Frank Lloyd Wright-styled
villa overlooking Lake Taupo. Their honeymoon ended with a 2-night stay
in Auckland, where they stayed in a lovely Art Deco hotel. |
