Auckland city skyline, taken from the township of Devonport.
Overlooking Wellington from Mt. Victoria.
Kayaking by Haruru Falls, in the Bay of Islands (northern tip of the North Island).
Stopping for rest while kayking by Haruru Falls.
Private spa in the geothermal city of Rotorua.
It's not just a loo, it's a Superloo.
Tasty pad Thai (lots of Thai food in New Zealand).
Overlook on New Zealand fur seals.
Lounging fur seals at Point Ohau.
Tide pool in Kaikoura.
Filming location for the Shire in "The Lord of the Rings".
An average day in the bus. Our 15 day journey encompassed 3800 km on the bus.
Hokitika, jade-carving capital of New Zealand.
Street sign in Rotorua - "wh" is pronounced as "f" in the Maori language.
Geothermal gyser in Rotorua.
Bubbling boiling pool (50 feet deep) in a Maori village; used for cooking vegetables.
Bubbling pit in the geothermal city of Rotorua.
Kea birds - New Zealand's alpine parrot.
Skydive location in Abel Tasman (northern part of South Island).
Group of sky-divers in Nelson.
Outfitted in sky-dive gear.
Taking the plunge 13,000 ft above the town of Nelson.
Coastline on the South Island.
Sleeping barn cat in Glenorchy.
Horseback riding through Glenorchy and Paradise Valleys, outside Queenstown.
Overlooking the filming location of Isengard, as seen from horseback.
Glenorchy, outside of Queenstown. True nerds will recognize this as the site in "Lord of the Rings" where Boromir was killed.
Braided rivers in Glenorchy, outside Queenstown.
Deck of the "Milford Mariner" - my home at sea for one night on Milford Sound.
Moon-gazing on our boat in Milford Sound.
Porthole window on the "Milford Mariner" - our boat for exploring Milford Sound.
On the "Milford Mariner" (the food we were fed was nearly as good as the scenery).
Helicopter ride over Fox Glacier, Mt. Tasman, and Mt. Cook.
Fox Glacier, as seen by helicopter.
See the helicopter in the foreground for scale!
Mt. Cook and Mt. Tasman region ("Lord of the Rings" nerds may recognize this as the locale of the "Lighting of the Beacons" sequence).
Views from a snow landing atop Fox Glacier.
Fruity cocktail served in an ice glass.
Frequenting the bar "Minus 5".
Bundled up at the Ice Bar in Queenstown.
A walk in Kaikoura.
The Kawarau River in Queenstown, the original site of bungy jumping. Also the filming location for the Pillars of the King in "Lord of the Rings".
Kawarau River, blue in color from glacial run-off.
Reflections in Lake Ohau, outside Queenstown.
A forest walk leading to Lake Matheson.
If I had to be reborn as a sheep, I'd want this to be my pasture (outside the city of Kaikoura).
Submerged tree in Mirror Lake, outside Te Anau.
Just another stunning mountain range.
Mountains outside Queenstown.
Mt. Cook region, as seen from the Hermitage hotel.
Mt. Ngauruhoe - aka "Mt. Doom" from "Lord of the Rings".
Enjoying a geothermally-heated hot springs.
Sterling Falls on Milford Sound (look at that water pattern).
Rock sculpture at Lake Ohau Lodge.
Bank of Lake Ohau.
Thunder Creek Falls near Haast Pass on the way to Queenstown.
Colorful pillars in a city square in Christchurch.
I wouldn't be a proper astronomer if I didn't visit at least one observatory on my vacation...
Our tour group outside the Mt. Cook National Park.
