Enjoy this 3-hr return hike along the famous Routeburn track to Key Summit with its mossy trees and silver ferns in a temperate rain forest. After about an hour from the start of the hike at the car park off Milford Road, the path branches off on a 20-25 min (rather steep) climb to...
Milford Sound Encounter Nature Cruise
After spending the morning driving on the scenic Road to Milford Sound, we went on a nature cruise on Milford Sound for a chance to spot penguins, whales, dolphins, seals, and more. Although it’s called Milford Sound, technically it’s not a sound but rather a fjord–an inlet of the Tasman sea and is...
Lord of the Rings Horseback Riding & 4×4 Tour with Dart Stables
This was one of my favorite adventures on the South Island. If you like horseback riding, enjoy beautiful scenery, are a movie buff (or all of the above), you should definitely make the 45-min drive from Queenstown out to the small town of Glenorchy. Dart Stables offers several tours to suit all riding abilities....
2 Weeks in New Zealand: My Itinerary
New Zealand: a country I’ve wanted to visit for a long time! I only had two weeks at the end of December to work with, which is the time usually recommended to visit just one of the two main islands. I was determined to visit both the North and South Islands, since they offer different...
20 Hours in Papeete, Tahiti: A Layover Story
My friend Teri and I had a 20-hour layover in Papeete, Tahiti on our way to New Zealand. Usually, any layover longer than 5 hours is undesirable, which is why many of the cheapest flights have overnight connections. We could have paid a bit more for a direct flight to Auckland from Los Angeles, but why not...