From November 3-20 Mac and I had the pleasure of hosting my Mom and Aunt Pam here. My joblessness at that time put me in the perfect position to take them both on a road trip through the lower and eastern North Island. They were up for almost anything, which made them awesome travel companions. There is far too much material from our 17 days together to post a play-by-play here, so I'm going to give you my TOP 5...but of course, this might be very different from their favorites, so if you see them you'll have to ask for their "Top 5". |
| 1. LAKE WAIKAREMOANA. Just learning how to pronounce the name of this lake took days. It is one of NZ's "Great Walks", and being a bit of a Type A personality, I've put all nine Great Walks on my bucket list. Mac and I have already done the Wanganui River, so this was my second Great Walk. It did not disappoint! Another reason why this hike was special is because it was the first time that either my mom or aunt went on an overnight backpacking trip. After learning that they were interested in doing a hike-in camping trip, I was determined to be their trail guide and make sure that they had a pleasant first experience. So I spoiled them a bit and carried a lot of weight for them, but that's okay, because it's good training for me and because now they're hooked and Mom is going to train up and come back and do the Milford Track with me next time. :) |