New Zealand: Surf and Turf

Cruising away from the Auckland port on a typical February summer day.

New Zealand’s capital is on the North Island and a hot spot for cruisers and urban backpackers alike.

The landscape is diverse: the ocean is just blocks away from this city street.

Bringing new meaning to the term “green building,” in Auckland. Is that a Prius?

Cows marched up the same street as cars to munch grass on Mt. Eden, a former volcano.

Just down the shoreline we saw the evil black swans happily enjoying excessive carbs.

The smell of sulfur was pervasive, but all the warning signs were used on the swans in Rotorua.

The valley reaching out from the farmhouse we stayed at in Rotorua.

NZ is home to the merino wool baselayer company Icebreaker.

The February temps while we were there: 55-75. Even rainy or overcast days were comfortable.

This garden was our host’s full-time job. After the cows, and the chickens, and the landscaping.

There’s no shortage of surfing spots in NZ. But it’s best to go with a local or a surf school.

The requisite surfboard shot. Off camera is a clothesline covered in swimsuits and wetsuits.

There was a multi-tiered path along this shoreline. And plenty of fisherman looking for big catches.

The requisite surfer car. We went the surf camp route and it didn’t disappoint.

These trees that lined the beach were reminiscent of evergreens, but looked inside out.

A sunset over the ocean from the porch of our ramshackle beach house. What could be better?