I spent the first three days of my stay in Auckland, curing my jet lag, and my cold (which I brought along from home).

My first week of "true" holiday, I spent in the North of the South Island: First around Farewell Spit, ...

... then in Abel Tasman National Park (both by land and by sea).

After that, I had my first exposure to the Southern Alps (on this trip) with three days in Nelson Lakes National Park.

Next, I returned to the coast. This time, it was the West Coast around Karamea with the Oparara Basin ...

... and the southernmost part of the Heaphy Track.

Of course, I spent again quite some time in the Southern Alps. No matter whether it was the Siberia Experience, ...

... a hike up Mt. Roy near Wanaka, ...

...  a four-day tramp on the Kepler Track near Te Anau, ...

... or the area of Mount Cook – I simply enjoyed this part of New Zealand!

However, there are also some other beautiful regions, even if they do not have any mountains: The Catlins, for example, boast a quite diverse coastal/hilly landscape.

I also visited the Banks Peninsula again.

On the North Island, I started with an exploration of the Whanganui River, both by post van, and by canoe.

Apart from that, I visited some new destinations in the Central North Island, like the Old Coach Road, ...

... or Hobbiton, ...

... but also some spots that I have already visited before, like Rotorua, ...

... or Waitomo.

Finally, I spent four days on Great Barrier Island.