New Zealand! We made it! New Zealand was a must-see for our family and it should be for yours too. We hired a camper van from a family through Mighway. Our plan was to drive around most of the South Island in two weeks. The rain and wind washed out some roads, so we were limited to only half of the island.

We started our tour of New Zealand with a walk around Christchurch. We enjoyed the Christchurch Botanic Gardens, The Christchurch Arts Centre and Hokey Pokey (the classic New Zealand honeycomb and chocolate combo) gelato. While we walked around the city, we noticed ongoing reconstruction as a result of the 2011 earthquake. We went to the memorial for all those who lost their lives in the earthquake. It still significantly impacts how people live their lives.

That night we started our first of many stays in the wonderful Top 10 Holiday Parks (camp and RV grounds equipped with kitchens, etc.). We met tons of cool people from all over the world while cooking side by side in the community kitchens. The kids loved playing on the jumping pillows that most of the sites had. Here are a few shots from our favorite Top 10 sites.

Driving by the fields full of roaming cows, sheep, deer, and alpaca was breathtaking. The astonishing views in New Zealand are never-ending.

Hanmer Springs was a beautiful hot springs with a variety of hot pools, slides and sulfur pools. We avoided the crowds and spent the whole day there.

Kaikoura whale watching was beautiful! It was a little different than the whale watching we’ve experienced in New England. We saw one sperm whale. He floated and breathed after his long dive while we shot hundreds of photos of him. On the way back, we saw pod of Dusky dolphins. They playfully jumped and swam right next to the boat. It was surreal! Heed the seasickness warnings! If you are prone to seasickness, we do not recommend this tour for you.

We stayed in Kaikoura longer than we initially planned because we needed a rest day without driving. Because of that, we discovered the coffeeshops, cheese shops and giftshops in town. H, C and I also got to go on an amazing kayaking trip through Seal Kayak Kaikoura with a small group and our guides, Matt and Levi. We saw fur seals and a gorgeous sunset. We had a fantastic time. (One of my all time favorite moments from this trip).

H fulfilled his dream of bungee jumping. He loved it! The rest of us ziplined right next to the river where he jumped. It happened to be the 30th anniversary of the bungee pioneering AJ Hacket company, so it was a very festive atmosphere that day.

If you’re stopping in Queenstown, it’s definitely worth the stop at Ferg Burger. The line moves quickly and the burgers are fantastic. We were all blown away.

While we were there, we HAD to stop and see the famous Wanaka tree — apparently the most instagrammed tree.

Part of my favorite things about New Zealand is that there’s something magnificent to look at around every turn. On the way to our next campsite, we stopped for a short walk to the Blue Pools.

Dad’s absolute favorite activity of the trip was our day-long boat cruise to Doubtful Sound. The fjords were beautiful. It was relaxing watching the bottle nosed dolphins, fur seals, a crested penguin, pretty waterfalls, and sipping on the complimentary tea and coffee.

Though we spend lots of time experiencing new places, meeting new people and sightseeing, a lot of time is spent doing school, writing the blog, and researching travel (and finding free wifi to download shows on Netflix).

Our hike to Franz Josef Glacier was a mixture between a moonscape and a rainforest. The misty air and cool breeze made for a really pleasant hike up to the glacier. (H’s favorite part of New Zealand).

For our last nights in the camper van we stayed at Lake Tekapo. It’s stunning. There are ducks and wildflowers everywhere! We loved our stay here. We sadly said goodbye to our wonderful, cozy camper. Pretty incredible being in that small of a space for two weeks with four siblings and two parents and we didn’t kill each other! We definitely will look into doing it again stateside.

Coming soon…Malaysia and Singapore!