T & E’s Best of New Zealand

As we enjoy the last few days of our NZED adventure we can’t help but reflect on the things we have enjoyed during our time here. We have compiled a list of our favorites below…

Favorite Places….

Early morning departure
Golden Bay

Town » Wanaka
Suburb » Port Chalmers, Dunedin
National Park » Mt. Aspiring
Body of Water » Golden Bay
Surf Spot » Raglan
Neighborhood » Ponsonby, Auckland
Accommodation » Billy Browns, Port Chalmers

Favorite Food and Drink…

Kaikoura Seafood BBQ
Kaikoura Seafood BBQ

Restaurant Dining »The White House, Wanaka
Fine Dining Experience » Herzog Winery Restaurant
Roadside Dining » Kaikoura Seafood BBQ
Fish and Chips » Fresh Fish Market in Tauranga
Favorite NZED dish » Evan, Green Lipped Mussels »Tina, Pumpkin Soup
Wine » (the list is long, refer to our favorite NZED Wine Post…coming soon)
Brewer » Mac’s
Beer » Renaissance American Pale Ale
Bar » Smash Palace, Gisbone
Coffee shop » Agnes Curran, Ponsonby, Auckland
Juice » Charlie’s Honest Fejoia Smoothie
Gelato » Patagonia, Queenstown
Cheese » Whitestone, Tina, Monte Cristo Evan, Winsor Blue
Trailside snack » RJ’s Licorice and Cantebury Biltong Beef Jerky
Farmer’s Market » Matakana

Favorite Outdoor Adventures

Tapotupotu Bay Beach
Tapotupotu Bay, Northland

Drive » Milford Road
One Day Hike » Rob Roy Glacier, outside Wanaka
Muli-Day Trek » Kepler
View » Summit of Alex Knob Trek, Franz Josef Glaicer area
Camping Spot » Tapotupotu Bay, Northland
Place to Swim » “The Cove” at Red Beach
Beach for Walking/Running » Mt. Maunganui
Botanical Gardens » Christchurch
Golf Course » Wairakei Golf Course

Favorite Kiwi-ana Culture

Close up
Brick Bay Sculpture Trail

Tour » Footprints Waipoua (Night tour of the Kauri Forest)
Museum » Te Papa, Wellington
Movie » Topp Twins Documentary
Artists » Evan, Craig Potton Tina, Ingrid Anderson
Art Exhibit » Brick Bay Sculpture Trail
Sayings » “Sweet As…”

Favorite “Mike-isms” (because we can’t resist…)

* A term that we coined while spending a few weeks with Mike McBride to describe the funny things he would say.

Tasting the grapes
The man, the myth, the legend

Commenting on gal who appeared to have had plastic sugury on her face, my dad said “she looked as though she had kissed the side of a freight-train.”