Author: Lauren

From Dunedin we headed to our next base in Twizel (what a name!). Our voyage included a rainy stop in the small city of Oamaru, the self-described steampunk capital of NZ. It’s on the coast and most famous for its well preserved Victorian-era street. This is now filled with shops, some steampunk themed (including their […]

From Invercargill we took the slow route (Once again the Southern Scenic) to Dunedin through a region known as the Catlins. Despite driving through the heart of the Catlins I couldn’t quite relay what it is succinctly. There are ragged coast lines, farms, waterfalls and untouched temperate rainforests. It was scenic, but scenery changed quickly. […]

From Te Anau we headed down the Southern Scenic Route, towards Invercargill. The scenery changed to greener, lower hills and farmland. Most “towns” were a couple of buildings. Along the way we stopped at a historic suspension bridge, built in 1890s and used until the 1970s. Now it’s just for curious tourists. We also lingered […]

Milford Sound (actually a fjord) is near the top of any published list of “must-dos” in NZ. Somewhere from 900,000-1 million tourists visited in recent years. I heard from someone almost 5,000 people cruise the sound each day in peak season. Needless to say it is a busy place. This is true even though it’s […]