Silver Fern, a national emblem
Sheep near Milford Sound
New Zealand has a well earned reputation as one
of the world’s best hiking destinations. It is true. Being
outdoor people, we managed to “tramp”, as they say in
New Zealand, for more half of the days we spent in the country.
We loaded our backpacks and set off on Halloween, 2001. After
three weeks in the South Pacific, visiting the Cook Island and
Fiji, we arrived in Auckland on November 23, 2001. We had a
little over three months in New Zealand during which we drove
over 7,600 Km from the tip of the North Island to the most
southerly point on the South Island. We stayed in backpacker
hostels and tramped many of the great hiking trails. We managed
to fit a lot of activities into our months in New Zealand, but
there wasn’t time for everything on our list. We will have to
return another year to explore more of this friendly and
fascinating country.
The emails Jeanne sent home from the various
Internet cafes describing their experiences in New Zealand have
been included on this website. There are seven Episodes for the
trip and a selection of photos for each.
If you are thinking of visiting New Zealand in
the near future, we have a few suggestions:
Click Tips for
Travellers to see our hints!