RV Trip Around New Zealand's South Island

We are now in Wellington, NZ staying with our friends the Pecklers.  We finished an amazing 17 day trip around the South Island in a 4+1 Berth RV.

It was perfect for the five of us and easier to maneuver than some of the larger RVs.  We flew into Christchurch, picked up the RV and headed across the New Zealand Alps to the west coast.  Along the way we crossed Arthur's Pass and encountered a large alpine parrot called a Kea.  This one stole Mac's lunch.

Our first stop was Hokitika.  We checked out the local jade and caught an amazing sunset.  The next day we hit the Hokitika Gorge and Mac did some rock jumping into the teal-blue glacial river.

Next was Franz Josef, known for its glaciers and rainforest. We did a great hike and marveled at the prehistoric looking fern trees.

Our next stop was Queenstown, the adrenalin Mecca of the world. Please see the previous adrenalin blogs by the kids.  Queenstown is also amazingly beautiful perched between the mountains and a lake.  On the way we passed the most beautiful field of wild flowers along the Crown Range Road.

Next stop Dunedin via Naseby.  Check out Beth's curling blog.  Dunedin is a large city on the east coast.  We checked out the albatross nesting grounds and the Cadbury chocolate factory.

Next..Oamaru, home of the Steampunk art movement and Blue Penguins.

Then we had a beautiful clear day so we headed to the tallest mountain in New Zealand…Mt. Cook!

Akaroa, Kaikoura, and then north to Kaiteriteri, an awesome beach town at the entrance to Abel Tasman National Park.  We went mountain biking and followed it up with hiking and beach combing.

Can't wait for the North Island!