After 25 amazing days in New Zealand we said “Hei konā rā” (Māori informal good-bye). After three months back home, reflecting on the places we stayed, the roads we traveled and the adventures we experienced, we’ve compiled a list of “stuff” we noticed over the course of our travels: things we noticed because they’re different…
It seems no matter where we travel, we see a similar mix of geocache hides – usually lots of micros, mainly in urban areas. The majority are well-placed and well-maintained, but inevitably some have damp log sheets, are hanging in the middle of a prickly bush or are hidden in a very busy area where an extensive…
After more than three weeks in New Zealand, Mr. GeoK was fairly comfortable driving on the “wrong” side of the road – or so he thought! As we approached the outskirts of Auckland via State Highway 1 (SH1) mid-afternoon on a Wednesday, traffic volumes picked up significantly. Tackling one lane bridges and roundabouts in New…
Our last Lord of the Rings experience in New Zealand was a visit to the privately owned and operated Hobbiton. The ongoing opportunity for LOTR fans to visit Hobbiton came about when bad weather delayed the dismantling of the Hobbiton film set long enough that locals kept asking to come by for a quick look…
With just a handful of days remaining before our extended New Zealand vacation ended, we headed off to White Island via Eurocopter AS355 Twin Squirrel. As with our helicopter excursion to Milford Sound and our heli-hiking experience at Franz Josef Glacier, we expected to drive to the heliport to begin our day’s adventure. But our…
