• What we did: Traversed North to South Island in a lime green campervan, checking out beaches and hot springs in search of the elusive flightless Kiwi.
• What we learned about travelling with kids: 1) Kids love campervans! 2) Hot springs can host deadly bugs - eep! 3) It is (just about) possible to go on multi-day hikes with little kids strapped on your back.
• Overall rating:
  • Adults: 4 (+) Kids under control in a contained environment!
    (+) Freedom to drive where we want, when we want
    (+) Nice people and utterly gorgeous countryside
    (+) Tonnes to see: beaches, caves, mountains, wildlife, Maoris
    (-) Culturally similar to home, so few surprises
    (-) Fear of fatal amoebic meningitis in Kerosene Creek!
  • Kids: 4 (+) Lots of lovely beaches to build sand castles in
    (+) Top notch play parks round every corner
    (+) Loved the stability of staying in the same van for over a month
    (-) Seas too chilly for comfortable playing

Our campervan home for 5 weeks stood out like a sore thumb jammed into a cool lime!

For impromptu wine tastings, tea-time at the drop of a hat and helping out hitchhikers in a storm, campervanning can't be beat!

Cosmopolitan capital city and home to 1 in 3 New Zealanders.

This makes it the only place in the whole country where people outnumber the sheep!

Full of karst rocky outcrops (as seen in the Narnia films) and ancient, giant, mythological Kauri trees.

Dig a hole and take a bath in the thermal heated waters of Hot Spring Beach.

Tongue-waggling haka, tattoos and thermal geysers in Rotorua - Maori-central.

Superfun: Furnace Creek - a cascade of hot spring water out in the middle of nowhere: how great is that?

Superbad: Later reading that the creek hosts amoebic meningitis - fatal in 97% of cases.

Cue a week of worry till the danger period passed.

Our best approximation of Thanksgiving (with a few substitutions, like pumpkin soup instead of pumpkin pie and chicken thighs instead of turkey!).

Style goes out the window for an all action inflated rubber tube adventure through the glow worm-filled caves under Waitomo.

Maxwell and Zoe's highlight of the entire trip?

Dressing up in a kids play area!

In the footsteps of Frodo and Sam we hiked to the base of Ngauruhoe, Mt. Doom in Lord of the Rings.

3 days & 2 nights hiking across beaches, over rainforest hills, fording rivers and wobbling over swing bridges.

The toughest challenge - keeping the kids strapped to our backs entertained / distracted all day.

Maxwell takes the signs encouraging you to 'Keep The Park Tidy' to an extreme.

Cheryl is delighted that her relationship with Zoe has deepened over the long trek.

Little does she know, the little minx has been quietly fashioning a lethal blade and has just located the most vulnerable spot between her shoulder-blades.

In Kaikoura we took to the seas for an exhilarating swim with a pod of dusky dolphins.

These inquisitive beasts spun, inches from our faces, for half an hour before getting bored and heading off for lunch.

Half-way round the world, the Scottish heritage of Kiwi settlers remains strong.

An overnight boat trip - paddlin', fishin' and swimmin' on the ultra-remote and inaccessible fjords of Doubtful Sound.

We finally saw a kiwi at a breeding centre.

They are nocturnal and notoriously shy, so this picture might have a little help from Mrs Photoshop!

Now it's time to visit the (human) Kiwi's main sporting rivals - off to the land of sun, surf, sand and soap operas: Australia!

If you want to see even more photos of our trip around New Zealand, check out the Full New Zealand Album on our photo album site.