13 Day North Island Itinerary: New Zealand

James and I have returned from another amazing trip to New Zealand’s north island. We are definitely feeling the jet leg this week, so I thought I’d put my feet up and recap our north island trip! We went the last week of February, and stayed through the first week of March, which meant it was nice and hot pretty much the whole time. This time of year, we had cooler mornings and evenings but full sunny days! It rained only on our first and last day – lucky us! Read on to see what we got up to cruising around New Zealand’s north island with family.

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How the Kiwi Proposed to the Girl: Our Proposal Story

I had planned on sharing about our DIY vinyl plank floors this week, but the trim isn’t back up yet! So, I thought I’d share a little bit more about us. You have probably read About Us, and you have also probably read about How We Met. If not, go do that first! It’s a great story, if I do say so myself. But today, I want to share our proposal story!

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Top 3 Places to Ski In New Zealand

If you know us, you know that skiing and snowboarding are a huge part of our life. We both started to ski at the young age of 2, and our families took us skiing nearly every weekend in the winter. We met at a ski resort, where I was a ski instructor and James was training for the upcoming Vancouver Olympics in 2010. James was a professional snowboarder, and for years travelled the world chasing the winters and snowboarding at the best resorts and mountains in the world. If you ask him though, where his favorite place to ski or snowboard is, he will tell you New Zealand. Specifically, one mountain in New Zealand. Read on, and we will share our top three places to ski in New Zealand. Continue reading “Top 3 Places to Ski In New Zealand”

Waiheke Island: Misadventures & Mishaps

I lived in Auckland for four years, and have never been to Waiheke Island! So during our recent visit to New Zealand, when my mother-in-law suggested we take a day trip to Waiheke, I was all in! I had heard so many great things, and seen awesome pictures! Sign me up for the 9am ferry! I said. Little did I know the mishaps that would arise following that decision….

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What to Do and See in the Great Taupo Region: for the Adventure Seeker

During our recent trip to New Zealand, James and I travelled to Taupo! I had never been to the town in Taupo, but James always talked very highly of the area. We spent a day there, and I can see why he feels that way. It was one of those places that as soon as we drove down the main street by the lake, I felt at home. I fell in love with lake, the mountains in the distance and the beachfront cafes. There’s so much to do in this area that one day was definitely not enough! Today, I want to highlight 6 things to do and see in the great Taupo region.

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15-Day North Island Itinerary: New Zealand

We just got back from an AMAZING trip to New Zealand visiting family and friends. After landing in Auckland, we hit the ground running on Sunday morning when we arrived, nice and jet-lagged. I wanted to take the time and outline our two-week trip itinerary cruising around the North Island.

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7 of New Zealand’s Hidden Gems: Off the Beaten Track

The saying “it’s about the journey, not just the destination” is so true for New Zealand. In New Zealand, there is so much diversity in the landscapes, and it doesn’t take long to get from “somewhere” to the “middle of no-where”. If you know anything about New Zealand, you’ve probably heard of the major cities and attractions like Auckland and Queenstown, or Milford Sound. New Zealand is also known for adventure activities like bungy-jumping, “zorbing”, and amazing surfing on the picturesque beaches. But today we’re sharing seven of our favorite gems in New Zealand that are a just a bit off the beaten track.

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Wine Tasting Tour on Mountain Bikes in Gibbston Valley, Queenstown

I want to start off by saying: I love Queenstown. It’s definitely one of my favorite places in New Zealand. I’ve travelled to Queenstown in the winter and in the summer, and it’s hard to say which I love more. It’s also really hard to write and discuss ALL the reasons I love Queenstown and ALL the activities I recommend in one post, so I think I’m going to have to write a short series! I’m going to start it off with my favorite – or one of my favorites, I have a hard time with favorites – wine tasting along the Gibbston River Trail.

Just a few months after James and I were married and starting my fifth year living in New Zealand, my two best friends visited us New Zealand for 10-days. We spent time on both the North and South Island, and we spent 2-3 of those days in Queenstown.

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