I have several photo galleries of our travels through the country. Sadly, even in 18 months we couldn't see everything this country has to offer. From a Helicopter ride to walking on a Glacier; from Hobbiton to to the cities of Dunedin and Christchurch. Everywhere one turns NZ has something new to offer, literally 1,000's of Glaciers, huge Sounds, and mirror lakes reflecting the Southern Alps. And all this time one tid bit stood out: A saying that the locals have; especially in Whangarei (pronounced Foung-a-ray)," There are four seasons in a day"!
As in the majority of the places we visit we do our best to learn both how the locals live and to share our lives with them. Joining two tennis clubs helped. House sitting during the winter months gave us a birds eye view of life in this wonderful country. House sits came with pets, mostly dogs and cats. We never had to sit for birds, a few llamas were almost in the mix but that was to far away. We based at Riverside Drive Marina, a lovely walk along the riverfront to town. If bureaucracy wasn't such a PITA traveling, we might still be meandering through the Bay of Island. But, moving is the life of a cruiser, there is a big world out there to see.