Honey, have you checked the sh*tter?

New Zealand's South Island, a fantastically gorgeous place like nowhere else on earth. Where you can gaze at crystal clear, tropical blue water set against snow capped mountains, and enjoy it at comfortable 65 degrees. Where you can drive from a rain forest to a semi-arid clime in a few hours. And where you can eat the best apples I've ever tasted.

the view from the road

A city park in Wanaka, and an unexpected delight when baby + mountain roads + campervan prevented us from making it to our intended destination.

Hanging with an airplane

The view from the road

 Simply stunning Milford Sound (which is not a sound, but a fjord).

Blue mist, and the view from Milford Sound Lodge/Holiday Park.

Wow.

Fiordland National Park

Still in Fiordland National Park

 Mt. Cook/Aoraki

Campervanning the South Island with a 7 mo old: where you can hit your knee on the same protrusion about a 1000 times, pull over about 2000 times to let everyone else pass (except the other 1000 campervans), and go on a search for a waste dump, because not all holiday parks provide them.

http://youtu.be/4fyS5CLBgyM

We had a great time, ate delicious, fresh food (although I'm back to not eating red meat again--I'm afraid I might have met my meal), witnessed the sedative effect of pure, fresh air on a baby, hiked a little, drove a lot, and rested our Manila-fatigued eyes on the beauty of the South Island.

Other than staying a week longer and not being harassed by officious Quantas flight attendants to use the incomprehensible baby seat belt, I wouldn't have changed our trip at all. And any R & R with a baby, sans yaya, is likely to be more Running than Resting.