The Interislander fery at the Wellington terminalGetting from the north island to the south island was very comfortable, and reasonably priced. We took the Interislander ferry from Wellington to Picton.  The trip takes 3 hours.  In Wellington, make sure you end up at the rig

We spent two nights at the Ibis Wellington. Although the room and location was great, there were quite a few hiccups with the reservation itself. Clean, modern room at the Ibis WellingtonThe Good: The room was very clean, and modern.…

Room at the Tennyson Hotel, NapierWe only spent one night in Napier, and stayed at the Tennyson Hotel for 90 NZD. It was a bit of a gamble – there weren’t many reviews, and it wasn’t in the guidebook (we found it on Expedia).  We were having problems finding something else though

Us outside the Treks YHA - Our daughter's first hostel! Rotorua has many, many accommodation choices, and a lot of it falls into the category of budget accommodation. We chose Rotorua Treks YHA, based on the good reviews we had read.…

 Waitomo Caves Guest Lodge Room There aren’t many choices for accommodation in Waitomo. We ended up at the Waitomo Caves Guest Lodge, which is a family run B&B right in town.…

Westin Auckland from the Quay The first hotel we stayed at certainly gave us a nice soft landing in New Zealand – The Westin Auckland Lighter Quay. We were able to use Starwood Points that we had been awarded as compensation for problems we had while staying at the Sheraton Maui.&hell

Outside The Flying Burrito Brothers - a great family-friendly Mexican restaurant in Christchurch, New Zealand We’d had a couple of places in mind when we set out to find dinner our first night in Christchurch.  Each one proved to be either too expensive, too crowded, or too zen f

Mahi Winery, Marlborough, New Zealand Mahi Winery’s bright, modern tasting room/cellar door is open for tasting from 10.00am to 4.30pm, seven days a week. We tasted: 2008 Sauvignon Blanc – Made with a blend of wine from seven different vineyards, all in the Marlborough region. 

Slick modern tasting room/cellar door at Grove Mill, a Marlborough winery. Grove Mill has a bright and airy tasting room/cellar door.  It offers complimentary tastings and an aroma demonstration.  It allows visitors learn about the typical aromas associated with a Marlboroug

The tasting room/cellar door at Te Whare Ra - a family owned winery in Marlborough. Te Whare Ra is exactly the kind of winery we really love to visit.  It’s family owned and run.  The driveway is gravel and the setting simple.  Their tasting room is cozy and cute but de