The Other Down Under
For years dad had been asking me to take a trip with him, and for years I blew him off. I was self-absorbed and lost in an aimless relationship. Not to mention the fact that I allowed myself to get worked up about all sorts of bullshit back then. I don’t think my father and I would have survived a trip together during that time.
When I finally emerged from those dark times I had a revelation that there was no time like the present, and I told dad that we should book a trip. He had always wanted to visit Machu Picchu, and so I planned our first epic adventure together. That voyage would take us to the coastal capital, Lima, where we’d dine at Central, one of the best restaurants in the world. We traversed the Sacred Valley from Cusco to Machu Picchu and back. Eventually we made our way up to the Peruvian Amazon where we lived in a treehouse in the jungle.
Alas, those are stories for another time. It’s been a year and a half since our Peruvian jaunt, and dad and I have just returned from our second adventure. This time around dad wanted to head to the land down under. No not Australia, the other land down under, New Zealand.
Admittedly, I knew very little about New Zealand. Thankfully I had one Kiwi friend I could ask for some advice. Michelle messaged her mum back home and she was ever so kind to provide some recommendations.
After some healthy debate we opted to spend most of our two and a half week journey down on the southern island. It’s not that there aren’t abundant options on the northern island, it’s just that the southern island had captured our imagination and was calling us.
Here is our final itinerary:
Day 1: Auckland
Day 2: Glenorchy
Day 3: Manapouri
Day 4: Doubtless Sound
Day 5: Queenstown
Days 6–7: Mount Cook
Days 8–10: Renwick / Marlborough Wine Country
Days 11–12: Marahau / Abel Tasman National Park
Days 13–16: Opito Bay / Bay of Islands
Days 16–17: Auckland
