Yesterday, we booked tickets to New Zealand and I’ve started researching other parts of the trip too. At this point, our plan is to fly into Auckland where we will stay for a couple of days to explore and adjust to the time change (currently +17 hours but the end of daylight savings time this weekend may change that). We will then get an overview of the country by taking the train south to Wellington, overnight there and then the ferry and another train to Christchurch. In Christchurch, we will rent a campervan and explore the South Island for a couple weeks before returning home. We like to take our time to explore so group tours are a challenge for us (i.e., we are always bringing up the rear and the group has to wait for us). As a result, we do most things on our own. Two New Zealanders we met on a beach in Tofino, Vancouver Island, said to be sure to see Mount Cook so we’ll do that and I’d also like to see a sheep farm. Bungee jumping is out of the question but perhaps a zip line is in order somewhere. We will likely figure out a somewhat circuitous route and then explore whatever catches our eye.