The Not-So-Unexpected Journey

It's all well and good saying we're going to New Zealand, but I thought we should maybe share where we're actually going. We have totally not created a custom Google Map of all our planned destinations. Google won't let me embed the tagged map, so...

BEHOLD! Epic journey of epicness.

[Yes, there is an entire layer for Middle-earth locations. It had to be done. ~ Zoe] 

If you can't be dealing with our (read, Zoe's) overenthusiastic tagging, here's a couple of more basic maps showing our route. Ignore the bit between Christchurch and Greymouth - we're getting the train for that bit.


South Island



North Island



Three weeks of epic:

• 26th July - Board the flight to New Zealand
• 27th July - Flying
• 28th July - Arrive in Christchurch
• 29th July - Still in Christchurch
• 30th July - Catch train to Greymouth. Pick up the car then meander down to Franz Josef
• 31st July - Visit Fox Glacier
• 1st August - Drive south to Queenstown through Mount Aspiring National Park
• 2nd August - Take a trip to Milford Sound and generally admire the pretties
• 3rd August - Drive east to Dunedin and take a break for an afternoon/evening
• 4th August - Epic long drive up to Kaikoura from Dunedin in preparation for whale-watching
• 5th August - Whale-watching off the coast of Kaikoura, then another drive north to Motueka in the Abel Tasman National Park
• 6th August - Possible kayaking in Abel Tasman National Park. Then a drive to Picton and catching the evening ferry across to Wellington
• 7th August - A day of sightseeing in Wellington, then an evening drive to Whanganui. Possibly stopping in Whitby on the way
• 8th August - Walk into Mordor. Alternatively, drive to Tongariro National Park and revel in all of the Lord of the Rings references
• 9th August - Morning drive to Taupo, where Claire will throw herself out of a plane while Zoe takes pictures
• 10th August - Morning drive from Taupo to Rotorua, then a trip to Matamata so we can run around and pretend to be Hobbits. In the evening, the Maori experience of Te Puia & Te Po
• 11th August - Morning drive to Waitomo to visit the Glow Worm Caves, then to an as yet undecided place to stay the night
• 12th August - As yet undecided activities in the Auckland area, then to leave the car and get the bus up north to Paihia
• 13th August - Day trip up to the very north of North Island to Cape Reinga where the seas meet. Then another night in Paihia
• 14th August - Half day "Hole in the Rock" cruise, hoping to see dolphins. Bus back to Auckland in the evening
• 15th August - Day sightseeing in Auckland - or rather, birdwatching on the island sanctuary of Tiritiri Matangi
• 16th August - Morning in Auckland and then, finally, board the flight back to the UK.