We took a 2-week trip to New Zealand planned ...

New Zealand | Jan 23 - Feb 5, 2024

Not my favorite, old & dated. There is a Novotel next door that looked much nicer. Great location though, 5 minute walk to bars & restaurants.

Historic hotel. My room had a breathtaking view of Mt. Cook. Staff is great- the chef was circulating the buffet & showed me how to eat a green-lipped mussel & explained the bigger mussels are female & sweeter, smaller ones are male & not as sweet (I couldn't tell a difference in taste).

Darling beachy hotel.

One of, if not the, most fabulous hotels I've ever stayed in! Absolutely beautiful. The bath & body products in the room are soooo nice I bought some to take home. I took pix of the shower so I can remodel mine like theirs- I loved the rough hewn herringbone tile, the shelf instead of a niche, and the horizontal drain, just in case you're curious what I found so special in a hotel shower! I hated to leave. I'll def stay here the next time I'm in Auckland.

It was by sailboat not motorboat, which was extra special. The commentary was really interesting- we sailed right by the entire New Zealand navy, 8 boats, one with a gun! The crew was great. Meal was a bit strange, served in bowls, but the guys were so enthusiastic it was a fun excursion.

The Māori are a proud people, eager to share their heritage with outsiders. I was afraid the show would be touristy and cheesy, but it definitely was not!

Don't miss a dip in the mud baths. The mud is luxuriously silky smooth. Listen to their instructions- they said don't wear jewelry for 48 hrs afterward, it will tarnish. I scoffed. I was wrong- see photo of the sterling silver earrings I put on that evening! They polished up nicely once I got home, however.

Where else can you swim with hundreds of dolphins in the OPEN OCEAN??

Interesting coal-fired tramp steamer ride. Best buffet of the trip! Sheep shearing with Quinn and his dog Mist was fun.

Unfortunately we had to drive back instead of fly back because of weather. Our flight was promptly refunded. I'm sure it's spectacular from the air...

Don't miss this! It would NEVER be allowed in the USA. A very hairaising ride- at times I thought we'd for sure crash into the canyon walls or flip on rocks in the river but the boat driver was very good.

I'm not into birds at all but the hatchery was very interesting, it was thrilling to see newly hatched kiwi chicks and learn how this unique bird is being brought back from near extinction.

It was tons of fun walking across narrow suspension bridges high in the treetops in the dark by the glow of beautiful lanterns.

Fabulous museum! Don't miss the preserved giant squid. The Gallipoli exhibit (think of it as New Zealand's Dunkirk) is absolutely incredible.

Pretty amazing! One of the few places in the world where a glacier feeds into a lake - and the lake is accessible!

Loved it! Not as scary as bungee jumping with a rope.