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New Zealand holidays are a great choice for adventure types. While traveling in New Zealand we were introduced to all sorts of new death-defying activities along with others that the Kiwis have made famous. On offer were bungee jumping (in many different forms), canyoning, heli-skiing, hang-gliding, skydiving, zorbing, sweebing and [...]
On our last morning in New Zealand we rode the Queenstown gondola up to some spectacular views of the surrounding mountains. After our visit, we stopped in at Balaton Crepes for a quick lunch before heading to the airport. This funky little outdoor crepe place was right on the way, [...]
Our last dinner in New Zealand we ate at the Fishbone Grill, right in the heart of Queenstown, New Zealand. The restaurant is decorated with a ton of brightly colored fishing themed objects and is quite loud. The ambience was perfect for family dining, or a night out with a [...]
As we traveled through New Zealand for three weeks, we learned some things we hope will help you with your travel plans. We found grocery stores everywhere. We never had to go out of our way to find one along our route. Driving between cities we always wound up passing [...]
Traveling to New Zealand with baby/toddler/kids in tow? Here are some tips to help! GENERAL TIPS: New Zealand is an incredibly child/family-friendly destination. We found changing facilities almost everywhere, frequently along with designated spaces for nursing! Wendy felt very comfortable nursing in public although she did use a nursing cover [...]
It was the end of a long day of wine tasting. (Feeling sorry for us, yet? ) We were debating whether to call it quits for the day when we figured we’d squeeze in just one more and stopped at Gibbston Valley Winery. The fact that they had a “Cheesery” [...]
Brennan Winery is located in Gibbston, in New Zealand’s stunning Central Otago wine region. Nestled in rows of wine grapes with a string of mountains as a backdrop, the cellar door/tasting room is small and unpretentious. Large windowed doors open onto a petanque area with picnic tables that invite you [...]
Peregrine Wines lived up to its slogan, “wine with attitude” right from our first sight of the cellar door/tasting room. Housed in an extremely modern building sunken into the beautiful Central Otago landscape, this is definitely a winery with personality. Leading down from the beautiful mountainous scenery of the Gibbston [...]
Waitiri Creek Winery and Restaurant sits amongst rows of wine grapes nestled in the Central Otago wine region in southern New Zealand. The cellar door/tasting room is actually housed in an old church which was relocated to the property. It also houses a tiny restaurant, with additional seating outdoors. There [...]
Cloudy Bay Vineyards cellar door/tasting room has a lovely casual feel to it. A long bar sits in front of large picture windows with a view of a cellar full of wine barrels. On the other side of the room, wall to wall windowed doors let lots of natural light [...]
We were wandering around the adorable downtown in Queenstown looking for a place to eat dinner when we stumbled on Hikari Izakaya restaurant (5 Beach Street). The windows open completely, so although there is no outside dining space, it does get you halfway there. Wendy had the Tofu Steak, $20NZD. [...]
Allan Scott Family Winemakers has an intimate cellar door tasting room next to a small cafe. The produce Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Gewürztraminer along with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Depending on conditions, Late Harvest wines are also made, often from Riesling grapes but in some years botrytised Chardonnay [...]
We stumbled on Patagonia Chocolates as we were exploring the harbor in Queenstown. It was a beautiful warm, sunny day and the sign said “ice cream” – so who were we to argue? The line-up was a promising sign and the generous servings of 30 flavors of ice cream were [...]
People flock to the little town of Franz Josef because of its proximity to the glacier by the same name. So, like everyone else, we’d spent our morning and the early afternoon hiking out to the face of the glacier and on some of the paths around it. It was [...]
After a disappointing attempt at Italian food the night before, we decided to try our luck at the centrally located Naturally Fjordland Pizzeria. Right in downtown Te Anau, the restaurant is very relaxed and casual. The menu is listed on a large chalkboard behind the counter. You place your order [...]
The downtown area in Te Anau is compact, easily explored on foot and full of restaurants. Our first night there we chose La Toscana Pizzeria for its outdoor seating and tempting menu. The restaurant also offers free delivery. Inside, the restaurant is decorated with bottles on the walls. It has [...]
We arrived in Wanaka late in the afternoon and after settling into our hotel we headed down to the lake for a lovely stroll. There is a small strip of restaurants that face out over the lake. We checked out a bunch of different menus and chose to eat at [...]
It was Valentine’s Day, so we headed out to the Blue Ice Cafe in Franz Josef. Their lower floor was packed and we had to come back at a slightly later time to get a table. They offered we could be served upstairs, so we checked it out. The upper [...]
It was Wendy’s birthday, so we treated ourselves to a great afternoon soaking and unwinding at the Glacier Hot Pools in Franz Josef. When we finally stumbled out of there we were relaxed and ravenous! Right across the street we spied Priya Indian Restaurant and our dinner plans were made! [...]
