There are more than a few things that make Wellington stand out from New Zealand’s other urban areas. It’s a beautiful harbor city perched at the southern tip of the North Island, known for good food and beer, a thriving café culture, hip residents, and above all, its oft-inclement weather.

I think many travelers can relate to the experience of seeing images of a particular place, view, landmark, or monument, and upon arrival it’s just not quite the same. From what I had heard, Taranaki could be one of those places.

Carlindsay is back in action and better than ever; we’ve covered just over 500 kilometers, hit both the east and west sides of the North Island, and checked off more than a few of the New Zealand "must-dos" plus found a couple of our own hidden treasures.

When I landed in Auckland last December, it’s safe to say Nelson wasn’t even on my radar. I certainly would not have been able to place it on a map of New Zealand.

It was never part of the original plan to buy a car and drive down here in New Zealand. Although, when I think about it, I guess there really wasn’t much of a plan at all.

Like so many of these NZ adventures, my recent overnight camping trip to the Marlborough Sounds started out without a great deal of organization or preparation, a real fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants operation.

I write this from the patio of an adorable AirBnb in Kaiteriteri on the South Island, with birds chirping in the surrounding trees and the faint crash of waves bringing in the evening tide in the distance. Mary and I have been keeping a mental list of good decisions we’ve made on this trip, and booking an AirBnb a week into our bus tour has jumped quickly to the #1 spot.