The Renshaw family; Robin, husband Mark and daughters Mikaela and Holly who hail from San Diego, had long been dreaming of a New Zealand holiday and finally the timing was right.
Fans of LoTR, their adventure kicked off with a visit to the new WETA Workshop Unleashed complex in Auckland. The following day they visited the movie set of Hobbiton to see the new Hobbit Hole attraction and partake of the banquet dinner.
Next on their North Island tour was a white water rafting experience with River Rats on the Grade 5 Kaituna River in Rotorua, which was a total blast.
While in the Sulphur city they soaked their feet in some thermal pools, traipsed around the Redwood Forest treewalk plus enjoyed a cultural gathering at Te Pa Tu which offers Maori dance & music shows, crafts & a feast in a re-created indigenous village.
From there, the family took a detour to Taupo to visit their guide Constance’s favourite Honey Shop and the powerful Huka Falls before heading to the Waitomo Caves to see the glow worms.
Afterwards they look a late afternoon flight to Christchurch to begin the South Island leg of their journey.
The family were thrilled to have an opportunity to swim with the small Hector Dolphins in Akaroa before driving further south to Oamaru to see more wildlife; the little blue penguins and in Dunedin the stately Albatross and rare yellow-eyed penguins.
The next days drive saw them cross from the East Coast to the West to spend Christmas in Milford Sound. The predicted rain never eventuated and the group had a wonderful time out on the water with Southern Discoveries which included a visit to an underwater observatory to view black coral.
Milford Sound Lodge had their grand re-opening of their renovated PioPio restaurant on Christmas Day by providing a festive feast, which left everyone rolling out the door.
The final few days of the family’s trip was spent in Queenstown where the family raced each other down the Luge at the top of the Skyline Gondola plus Mikaela did “The Elvis” as she underwent a death defying freefall doing the Canyon Swing!
This was followed by a more sedate trip across Lake Wakatipu on the historic steamship, the TSS Earnslaw, to Walter Peak Station for a farm tour and BBQ dinner.
Next on the itinerary was a day trip with Dart River Adventures where they travelled out to the northern arm of the Lake to Glenorchy. Here they took a Jet Boat ride and paddled Funyaks down the river through rocky chasms. It also included a sumptuous buffet lunch.
Their final activity was at the Queenstown Bird Park, to see the Kiwi, New Zealand’s national bird and the conservation talk/show about other exotic native species.
It was agreed by the Renshaw Family that their Road Trip around NZ far exceeded their expectations and they would love to return again one day.
