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5 Countries, 266 Days, 31,000+ km driven

All good things must come to an end, and so has our Big Trip. New Zealand has been great, mostly when it wasn’t raining. In my opinion it was a great last chapter of our 9 month long journey. We completed 7500km here with the RV, which means on average more than 200km per day.

Here are some stats and facts spanning the entire trip: (more…)

Amber Holiday Park, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand 7472 km

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We left Franz Josef yesterday morning and drove most of the day. The weather was good most of the time, with the sun shining intensely upon us as we climbed from the coast to Arthur’s Pass. The views in the mountains around the pass were quite impressive, with a giant gorge just a few km shy of the mountain divide. (more…)

Top 10 Holiday Park, Franz Josef Glacier, South Island, New Zealand 7072km

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Yesterday started late and lazy for us, after all of us went to sleep well past our bedtime. The sun was shining brightly and we took the kids out to run around the playground for a while. Around noonish we drove a few km to Lake Matheson, and were deeply disappointed. The forest hike to the lake was pleasant, but the supposedly blue water was brownish, there was no reflection of Mt Cook because the wind was rippling the water, and some dead animal created a terrible stench. We couldn’t even see Mt cook because the mountains were covered in clouds. (more…)

Fox Glacier Holiday Park, Fox Glacier, South Island, New Zealand 7026km

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We had a long rainy drive today. It started raining last night and didn’t stop all day log. We left Wanaka in the morning and drove north to Haast Pass and then along the west coast. Although the weather was crappy, the views were stunning. Everywhere you looked waterfalls were gushing onto the road. We never saw so much water. (more…)

Glendhu Bay Motor Camp, Glendhu Bay, South Island, New Zealand 6740km

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Today we parted with my parents after two weeks of traveling together in the South Island. We had a great time, and are sad to see them off, but the North Island has a few attractions as well. Ron especially was sensitive, but he got over it quickly. (more…)

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Dad and I took an early morning scenic flight from Wanaka airport today. It was one of the most memorable part of this trip. We took off at 7:30am for a 90 minute loop that included Mt Alta, Mt Aspiring (3200m), several glaciers including Rob Roy, Haast River valley, Milford Sound, Milford track including Sutherland Falls, Rees Dart Vallies, Glenorchy, and back through Lake Wanaka. It was great. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Cheers!

-Hemi

Lakeview Holiday Park, Queenstown, South Island, New Zealand 6628km

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After our amazing sunny day on the way to Milford, the weather changed and our return to Te Anau was markedly different. It rained most of the way, at times quite heavily. We did stop at Lake Marian for a short visit to the rapids, which were bustling with white water. By the time we reached Mirror Lakes the weather improved somewhat but it was still cloudy enough to block off the mirror. (more…)

Milford Sound Lodge, Milford, South Island, New Zealand 6333km

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Shabbat Shalom!

We got lucky today, and saw the world famous Milford Sound in good weather. We even joined a two hour cruise that was spectacular. In fact the whole day was one big photographic orgasm. (more…)

Lakeview Holiday Park, Te Anau, South Island, New Zealand 6170km

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Today was a long day on the road. We covered 350km driving along the Scenic Southern Coastal Road. For most of the morning the weather was cloudy and very windy. It required a lot of work just to keep the RV straight on the road. (more…)