Wanderlust New Zealand & Link Party

Yesterday I shared some of the adventures that we had when we travelled to New Zealand, but that was almost 7 years ago and I am so keen to go again. So after reminiscing on my time in New Zealand I started daydreaming about where I’d like to go next, hence this weeks Wanderlust for New Zealand.

Like last weeks Tasmania Wanderlust I picture doing some of NZ in a campervan, though having driven on the roads before and knowing how steep and winding they can be I am hesitant to do it in a large campervan. I think that it would also be just as expensive, if not more expensive than hiring a car and staying in accommodation once you take into consideration the added costs of fuel, insurance and nightly site fees. Has anyone had any experience with this?

I’d love to visit Auckland when the fog isn’t so thick, we missed out on seeing anything in the couple of days we were there.

The Coromandel would be next where Cathedral Cove is on my list and five minutes down the road from this is also Hot Water Beach.

The best time to visit is within 2 hours either side of low tide when hot water bubbles up out of the sand and you can dig your own thermal spa in the beach.

Then, being Lord of the Rings fans, we could stop in and see Hobbiton. As I mentioned previously, these movies really do trigger your wanderlust.

Of course there is Whale Watching in Kaikoura, where you not only get to see the whales but also the dolphins and fur seals.

I think the Waitomo caves are so magical and I would love to take my girls back here to see the Glowworm Caves, though I wouldn’t take them spelunking like we did just yet.

The Abel Tasman National Park is New Zealand’s only coastal national park and is popular for cruising its clear turquoise water on a sea kayak and lazing on the golden sandy beaches after hiking over limestone cliffs and through the lush green bush. It takes 3 to 5 days to hike the entire 53kms of the track or you can do shorter sections and be collected by a water taxi.

I would love to travel the wine regions of New Zealand. You can see by this map that there are 8 regions and I think I’d like to travel the Marlborough Wine Region, sampling Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir.

I also spied these Moeraki Boulders on the Otago Coast about 4 hours south of Christchurch. There are a group of these very large spherical stones on the beach that originally formed 60 million years ago in ancient sea floor sediments.

Have you been to New Zealand?
I know I missed a lot, what else should I see?
Where is your #wednesdaywanderlust to this week?

Images: Auckland / Campervan / Wine Regions / Vineyard / Abel Tasman / Moeraki Boulders / Cathedral Cove / Hot Water Beach / Whale Watching / Glowworms / Hobbiton
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