Prelude

On Thursday 22nd March 2018, we set off for our vacation in New Zealand. First from New York to Houston and then the long trans-Pacific flight to Auckland. From there to Queenstown in the South Island where we pick up our car for our adventure north up the South Island to Nelson and a ferry across the Cook Strait to Wellington and more adventures on the North Island.

We arrive at Auckland in the North Island and fly south to Queenstown which you can see on the map is right in the south of the South Island near the famous Milford Sound. From there we follow the west coast taking a glacier walk at Franz Josef Township. Then it is on to Punakaiki (so many places in New Zealand have these wonderful Maori names), and make our way to Nelson which is at the north end of the South Island. From there we take the ferry across the Cook Strait to the capital city of Wellington and wend our way up the North Island seeing Tongariro, the famous  Waitomo Glow-worm Caves and of course, Rotorua and the amazing hot springs. We end our trip in Auckland where we have a few days and then on to  Fiji for a couple of days of R & R before the long flight back, via Los Angeles to New York where we arrive on 10th April.

 It is not long to see such a wonderful country but we hope to make the very most of it and see as much as we can

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