My top 10... err... 11 list of reasons to visit New Zealand!

In light of Blog4NZ I decided to come up with a list of my top 10 reasons to visit New Zealand. I wanted to show off the best of this country I have totally fallen in love with and I had a little trouble limiting it to 10! Forgive the additional one, I didn't want to eliminate anything else. Cheers!


#10: Stunning beaches

Beach near Anchorage, Abel Tasman National Park, South Island

Being a rather small country, there are beaches everywhere! You can't travel far without running into the coastline and it’s fun to explore the various types of beaches. Some are rocky, some are sandy smooth, some are perfect for surfing, and others make you just want to sit back and take it all in!

#9: Gorgeous mountains

Castle Hill, South Island

The Holidays - A Webster Family Vacation

WARNING: MASSIVE UPDATE WITH HEAPS OF PICTURES!

Picking up where I left off back in December, my next topic is the Webster family vacation (less two or five). As I mentioned in my previous post, my sister and parents were on their way to meet me in Christchurch. They came for two weeks in total, and we got to see some key New Zealand sights while they were here. My brother, sister-in-law, and all three family dogs missed out on the trip, but it was nice to have at least part of my family here for the holidays! I know it's a lot of pictures but I divided it into a few sections, so you can always just look at part of it and come back later!

A NEW WAY TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS 

Our first day was spent in Christchurch where we walked around a bit, got some food, and saw some earthquake damage. 

A Picture Story... Takaka and Abel Tasman!

Since I arrived in Takaka a day early, I spent the extra day exploring all of the little shops and galleries in this tiny hippie town. In the evening I cycled down to the Hangdog campground (a climber's Mecca), where Dave and his students are staying for their 10 day south island trip. Hangdog lies right next to a river with some excellent swimming holes and a short walk from what is said to be one of NZ's best outdoor climbing areas.

As I am writing this (and talking about it) someone at the cafe where I'm sitting just asked if Hangdog is opened again or not. Apparently they had some problems with the city council and the Department of Conservation regarding the quantity of facilities for the number of climbers that flock there during the summer months. They are not open for camping, but have fortunately allowed Dave and his students to use the bunkhouse for their annual trip. This is a hot topic around town, as the managers of the backpackers (and several other randoms) have asked about it - trying to anticipate the increase of climbers patronizing thier own establishments if the Hangdog fails to reopen for the summer.