Day 182 Saying Goodbye

Well, it’s over.  We are sitting at the airport having a hard time believing that six months have gone by. I guess the old saying that “time fly’s when you are having fun” really is true. 

This has been an amazing trip, one that we will remember for the rest of our lives.  We are astonished that there is so much to do and see in a small country.   From Cape Reinga in the north to Stewart Island in the south, it was all amazing. We had fun and loved everything about this great country but we especially enjoyed:

The quiet beauty of Doubtful and Milford Sounds.

The majestic mountain regions of Queenstown, Wanaka, Mt.Cook and Tongariro National Park.

The amount of hiking that is available here and how well groomed the trails are. 

The natural ruggedness of the west coast and the Tasman Sea. 

The continuous black sand beaches of the west coast, especially Whiriraki near Cape Farewell.  

The mighty trees of the Kauri Forest especially during our night time vigil. 

The enormous amount of stars that could be seen from Mt. John, stars we can’t see from the Northern Hemisphere. 

The natural and powerful beauty of the geothermal activity on White Island and the Rotorua area.

The number of places that served fish and chips.  The best was at The Drunken Sailor in Bluff (our opinion).
 
The lush green hills we found all over the islands. 

The number of birds we had never seen before, our favorite was the Kaka. 

We, okay,  I was amazed at the meat pies, and the best was from Jackson’s Bakery in Havelock North.

The color changing view of the mountains from our holiday camp in Wanaka. 

The gorgeous scenic drives all over the islands,  Glenorchy and The Forgotten Highway being two of the many.

The incredible beauty of the Bay of Islands. 

The stunning view of The Bay of Plenty from Mount Maunganui. 

The scenic beauty of Golden Bay and the Abel Tasman National Park.

The list is endless as it is an astonishing country.  Everything I mentioned and more is pretty special but the true strength of New Zealand is the people.   We have enjoyed meeting so many people who greeted us with a smile. Who are always in a good mood and always have a friendly greeting.  Who wave to us because we are in a tourist campervan.  Who have stopped us on the street to see if they could be of help.  

We will miss New Zealand and the people of New Zealand.  They are special people in a special place.

Ta Kite Aotearoa

A final word to all who followed the blog and sent along their comments. Thank you, It was greatly appreciated.  We are not sure what our next adventure will be but you are invited to join us.  We will be ressurecting http://retiredonwheels.blogspot.com/ and we will be updating it weekly as we plan our next move.