Day 1 Itinerary
Places visited: Whakarewarewa Forest Park - Millennium Hotel Rotorua - Millennium Hotel Rotorua
Whakarewarewa Forest Park
Millennium Hotel Rotorua
Day 43: 🇳🇿Rotorua, New Zealand 🇳🇿
After a day of driving, we decided to chill in our hotel and relax. The kids begged for Pizza Hut 😂! We are always happy to support American companies overseas. 🇺🇸Go USA! Mark and I decided to try some cheese and crackers while we’re in New Zealand since we don’t get a lot of real dairy in the Philippines🇵🇭.
Millennium Hotel Rotorua
Day 43: 🇳🇿 Rotorua, New Zealand 🇳🇿. Sometimes, you have to do what you have to do. The kids used their gloves in the playground, and being the germaphobe that I am, I had to wash them and dry them. Mark has caught up with our laundry 😂, so there’s no sense in using the washer and dryer for these small items.
Day 2 Itinerary
Places visited: Christchurch - The Little Fiddle - Christchurch
Christchurch
Day 44: 🇳🇿Christchurch, New Zealand 🇳🇿
Goodbye, North Island of New Zealand! You’re beautiful, but it’s time to explore the South Island. New Zealand boasts 600 islands, but the two major islands are the South and the North. We decided to take a 1 1/2 hr flight to Christchurch instead of driving because of the distance. We stayed in the middle of this garden city in a hotel with Renaissance architecture that opened its doors in 1913. We are happy to have some more space 😅.
The Little Fiddle
Day 44: 🇳🇿Christchurch, New Zealand 🇳🇿
Goodbye, North Island of New Zealand! You’re beautiful, but it’s time to explore the South Island. New Zealand boasts 600 islands, but the two major islands are the South and the North. We decided to take a 1 1/2 hr flight to Christchurch instead of driving because of the distance. We stayed in the middle of this garden city in a hotel with Renaissance architecture that opened its doors in 1913. We are happy to have some more space 😅.
Christchurch
Currency: 🇺🇸$1=🇳🇿$1.67. We’re happy to have a little more favorable exchange rate. 😅
Day 3 Itinerary
Places visited: Christchurch - Devils Punchbowl Waterfall - The National Kiwi Centre - Hokitika
Christchurch
Day 45: 🇳🇿Christchurch to Arthur’s Pass, New Zealand 🇳🇿
Temperature: 0C/32F
Latitude: 42.9S/ 171.5E
Road trip! Mark loves to drive, even on the left side of the road. Beautiful sceneries of the South Island of New Zealand. Believe it or not, our kids are happy to be in winter weather. When we’re on a road trip, sometimes, we ear on the go. We tried the steak and cheese meat pie and butter chicken meat pie!
Devils Punchbowl Waterfall
Day 45: 🇳🇿Arthur’s Pass National Park, New Zealand 🇳🇿
Devil’s Punchbowl Falls. We were happy to go hiking once more. We were reminiscing about our hike down to the Grand Canyon about seven months ago. Although this just a fraction of the hike, we were excited to see a beautiful waterfall. 150 vertical meters to the waterfalls, some with steep steps. The kids were happy to see snow again. We love national parks!
The National Kiwi Centre
Day 45: 🇳🇿Hokitika, New Zealand🇳🇿
Our visit to New Zealand would not be complete without a peek at their precious kiwi. A bonus was feeding their Longfin Eel, as long as 6 ft and up to 150 years old! We also got to fish for some crawfish, and won a few prizes. Photos were not allowed at the kiwi quarters, however. They are the size of a rugby football, flight less, and as cute as ever. What a fun visit.
Hokitika
Day 45: 🇳🇿Hokitika, South Island, New Zealand 🇳🇿
Our home for the night. After a day’s drive, we have settled in Hokitika, a quaint and quiet beach town.
Day 4 Itinerary
Places visited: Lake Ianthe - Franz Josef Glacier - Knights Point Lookout
Lake Ianthe
Serenity ❤️
Franz Josef Glacier
Day 46: 🇳🇿Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand🇳🇿
Westland Tai Poutini National Park. We love national parks. We have come to a conclusion that the South Island is basically one big national park!
We are here to see Franz Josef Glacier. Not as big as the glaciers in Alaska and Iceland, but just as gorgeous!
