BASIC TRIP OUTLINE

After a stopover in Hong Kong and a transit through Sydney, I arrived in Auckland for the first segment of my trip -  several days north and west of the city, visiting Waipu, the excellent Tawharanui and totally amazing Tiritiri Matingi island. Then I zipped south, pausing at Miranda, Pureora Forest and Lake Taupo areas, before crossing to South Island. Incorporating the legendary Kaikoura pelagic, the superb Twizel and Homer Tunnel areas and numerous coastal areas, I spent two and a half weeks on South Island, plus a few days on the unmissable Steward Island and its small neighbour Ulva Island, then returned to North Island for more good days near Auckland and the Coromandel Peninsula.