TRAVEL TALK: New Zealand a different type of "Down Under" adventure

As summer nears its half-way point, New Zealand looks forward to welcoming its spring and summer, so if you would like to extend your summer in a wonderful destination, consider a trip to the Southern Hemisphere.
My journey to New Zealand began with a stopover in Hawaii for a few days to enjoy the sights and sounds of Waikiki Beach.  Then we boarded a flight at midnight and traveled to Auckland, New Zealand, the “City of Sails.” Auckland is a cosmopolitan city on the North Island of New Zealand.
We stayed at the Sheraton Hotel in the downtown area so we could walk around and enjoy the sights of the city on the waterfront. We had an opportunity to take a trip to the top of the Sky Tower, enjoying the beautiful views in every direction.
If you are adventurous, you can do the Sky-Walk — walking the circumference of the Sky Tower on a ledge that is only 1.2 meters wide and 192 meters high. There are no rails, just a safety harness to keep the walkers from plummeting to the ground below.
I opted not to try that.
We also enjoyed a city tour and a short trip to Mount Eden, one of Auckland’s extinct volcanoes, to enjoy another view of the city and its picturesque harbors.
We left Auckland by bus and traveled south through the rich dairy land to Waitomo Glow Worm Caves. We joined a guided tour of the underground limestone caverns, where you take a silent boat ride through a mystical grotto carved by an underground river over thousands of years and lit by thousands of tiny glow worms. It was amazing.
We continued by motorcoach to Rotorua for an overnight stay and enjoyed a traditional Hangi Dinner, followed by an authentic Maori Concert.
It was a great time with good food and a chance to experience the tribal songs, dances, legends, spiritual stories and culture of the Maori.
From Rotorua, we flew to Christchurch to begin our tour of the South Island of New Zealand.
We enjoyed the day touring the city visiting Cathedral Square, Victoria Square, Thomas Edmonds’ former band rotunda and the Avon River, Town Hall, the floral clock and botanical gardens. We relaxed the remainder of the day doing some window shopping and wandering through the city.
We were scheduled to fly to Mount Cook the next morning, but because of weather were unable to go and see the Tasman Glacier. Instead, we continued on to Queenstown, one of my favorite areas.
Nestled in the valley with the Remarkable Mountain Range next to Lake Wahatipu it is a beautiful area.
Queenstown, known as New Zealand’s adventure center, has activities for everyone.
I enjoyed taking the tram for a full view of the city, traveled to Coronet Peak Ski Area and took the chair lift to the top and did the wild ride on the Shotover jet boat. We had a great time there.
Our last stop was Milford Sound and TeAnau. As we entered Fjordland National Park and traveled through the Homer Tunnel to Milford Sound we were stunned by the beauty at each turn of the road.
It is an area that is said to boast some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world, and I agree. I was in awe and wished we could have made more stops along the way.