Pete, Kath, Ange and her best friend Carrie spent a lovely month in New Zealand, revisiting (for some of us) some much-loved places, and seeing many beautiful new ones.Highlights of the trip included the Tongariro Crossing in Tongariro National Park, a spectacular day walk up past volcanoes, still fuming volcanic craters and crater lakes and back down down down through grassland and forest.. It started snowing at the halfway point — glad we brought all our gear!

We visited cousins Uta, Michael and Barbara in Wellington before crossing to the South Island where two beautiful hikes awaited us; the Queen Charlotte Track north of Picton, 71 km over four days along the ridgeline between two sounds, and further south, a week later, the Routeburn and Greenstone Tracks, through the beautiful unspoiled alpine scenery between Lake Wakatipu and the Milford Sound Road.

Another highlight was a helicopter flight from Twizel over the Mt Cook region — NZ’s highest mountain, glaciers, hanging valleys, lakes, mountain ranges, all from above and up close — unforgettable! We finished that day with a walk up to the mouth of the Hooker Glacier in lovely sunshine. Return to Christchurch via the southern end of the South Island, and home just in time for Christmas!