Geo: -43.4643, 170.018The only reason people go to Fox Glacier is the overpowerig presence of Mount Cook, Mount Tasman, Fox Glacier, Franz Josef Glacier and all the accompanying stuff of mountains and snow.And the best way to see all this is by helicopter - given their ability to fly high and slow and land on the snowfields high in the mountains.So we squeezed into this little helicoper together who two other passengers and the pilot and up we went. The photos speak for themselves really. Mountain peaks clad in snow, glaciers, mountain huts high on the peaks, getting out onto the snow. All brilliant stuff - you can tell from Peter's smile he thought this was much the best way to get up a ountain, not all that walking stuff.On our return we found our rather ... read more

Geo: -42.4023, 173.681Our journey to Kaikoura for the whale-watch 'experience' was somewhat extended by the necessity to return to the hotel at Te Mahia to collect a nighdress that someone had forgotten to pack - so that was an extra hour of tight twisty roads.When we arrived we discovered Kaikoura is a town is entirely devoted to getting tourists to see whales - by boat, by plane, by helicopter. There were also seals and albatrosses to be 'experienced'. So masses of motels and cafes catering to these passing tourists. Our motel had a large contingent of chinese tourists who spent much of their time yelling across the courtyard to each other.Next morning we assembled at the Whale Watch centre for our informative video and safety briefing and then were bussed 10 minutes to the boats - ... read more

Geo: -41.2159, 173.969Early Monday morning we were on the car ferry across the Cook Strait to Picton. There was only a short passage across the open sea because the first hour was acoss Wellington Harbour and the last hour up through the Malborough straits betwetractiven islands. This was a very scenic trip pasing rolling hills, deep blue inlets with small boats and leisure craft going in all directions. From Picton we drove for an hour along a windy single track road to a perfect location Te Mahia - on the water bathed in perfect sun for the next 2 days.Here we chilled, sat, swam in cool water, tramped a bit along paths and explored other bays, drank wine, eat picnics, pizza and home cooked mussels and watched the passage of the sun as the day developed, ... read more

Geo: -39.4917, 176.916In February 1931 Napier was flattened by a huge earthquake that went on for over 2 minutes, a loing time for an earthquake it seems. Buildings not destroyed by that stood a good chance of being consumed by the fire that followed, firemen got the engines out of the damaged fire station but the water pipes had been fractured.The rebuilding process was highly organised and the decision only to allow reinforced concrete suited the in-mode buiklding style of the day, Art DEco. So trhe who town is a riot of Art DEco style, with some Spanish Mission, and the preservation society does a great job helping to ensure it stays looking right and organising tours and a huge Art Deco weekend once a year on the anniversary of the quake.We stayed in one of ... read more

Geo: -38.1398, 176.247Rotorua seems to exist almost exclusively to provide food and accommodation for the tourists who come to see the geothermal areas - and it does it in a pretty unattractive way. The road on which our motel was located was lined its full length both sides with bed and breakfasts, motels and hotels. Fortunately TripAdvisor had pointed us at a good one and the helpful staff told us of a spa about twenty minutes away where we could partake of the waters, fed by a hot spring that pours out hundreds of litres of boiling water a minute which is then cooled to temperatures of 35-40 degrees by waterfalls and holding ponds and flows into swimming pool and lounging pools. All very pleasant, and the sight of the clouds of steam drifting into the ... read more