About a year after we moved to Germany, some of our closest friends also left the US and headed “Down Under” to New Zealand, which happens to be literally on the other side of the world from Germany. So getting together over the past several years has been difficult. Our family had planned on spending a few months traveling through New Zealand in the second half of 2020, but Covid-19 had different plans for us. We were trying to figure out a time when the 6 of us could go but never could quite figure out how to make it work with economically and timing-wise. So at some point, my friend and I decided I should come on my own. And that I did! On a cold day in late February, I started making my way to the southern hemisphere. I took a 1+ hour train ride, then an 11+ hour flight, then had a 14+ hour layover in Hong Kong, then another 11 hour flight, a short layover in Auckland and a final 1 hour flight to Whanganui where I was greeted with sunshine and smiles.

While I was exhausted, I am so glad I had the long layover in Hong Kong. It was my first time visiting there, and I was so impressed with how easy it was to get around and how many interesting places there were so close together. I took the subway/train from the airport to the ferry building on Hong Kong Island. I took the Star Ferry across Victoria Harbour to the Avenue of the Stars where I wandered around, taking in the sights. I came across the Hong Kong Museum of Art which turned out to have a few very interesting exhibits and a gorgeous view of the harbour. I then took the ferry back, had a delicious meal at the ifc mall and headed back to the airport to try and rest. The layover left me wanting to come back to explore more!

I spent the first week in Whanganui on the North Island, staying with my dear friends and getting a chance to experience a bit of their life there. I’m so glad to have had a chance to see their house, the kids’ school, meet some of their friends and have a look around the town they call home. We went up to Durie Hill where you can get a great 360* view of the town and surrounding are. We also took a walk through the Bushy Park Sanctuary, stopped by nearby Kai Iwi Beach and checked on the fisherman at North Mole. We got to experience a gorgeous sunset at South Beach on my last night and a charming Farmer’s Market along the waterfront in town Saturday morning before my friend and I headed to Wellington for a night on the town with friends.

After a fun night weekend in Wellington where we ate a delicious meal at Havana Bar and danced as long as our old bodies would allow, my friend and I fly to Christchurch where we hopped in our camper-van and took off to explore the South Island. We only had five days but we made the most of it! We headed southwest to Lake Tekapo where we spent our first night, and I was blown away by the beauty.

The next day we spent some time soaking at the beautiful Tekapo Springs, then took in the stunning views at the Mt John Observatory before driving to Aoraki Mount Cook National Park where we arrived in time for a gorgeous walk along the Hooker Valley Track, catching the breathtaking alpenglow.

After a comfy night in the camper van and breakfast with a beautiful view, we headed out on a walk to the Blue Lakes and Tasman Glacier viewpoint. It was quite eye-opening to see the glacier up close and to realise how quickly it is melting. It was a beautiful hike, and I’m so glad I got a different view of the breathtaking Aoraki Mount Cook National Park. Afterwards we hopped in the van and drove east to the coastal town of Oamaru, arriving in time to catch the penguins making their nightly walk from the water to their nest. It was amazing to see them up close! Adorable little guys. 🙂

The following day we headed north along the coast to Kaikoura, a small town famous for marine life encounters. We arrived in town in time for a stop at the Kaikoura Seal Colony, a look around town and a view of the sunset from the beach at our campground. Another wonderful day full of natural beauty.

Our final full day turned out to be not only the best day of the trip, but one of my life highlights: we went swimming with dolphins with Dolphin Encounter! We were very happy with the tour and would recommend the company. It was very well organised, the guides were very knowledgeable and we got plenty of time in the water with the dolphins, playing and watching and being amazed! We couldn’t take photos while in the water and most of my footage from the boat is video, here are a few photos we took. The very good ones were taken by my friend who is a talented photographer (clearly).

Then it was time to head home, again making the multi-stop trek across many continents back to my babies. I had a wonderful time, not only discovering the beauty of a new country but, more importantly, getting quality time with my best friend and her family. It is hard to believe it’s been over 20 years since we spent 2 weeks together! And once I got home, our whole family added New Zealand to their bucket list and we are currently in the process of planning a longer visit there in the not so distant future….