New Zealand - Bungee Jumping, Hobbit Houses & Breathtaking Beauty That Keeps This Family Coming Back

Heather joins Trip Tales from Westchester, New York, to share her family’s love for New Zealand - a place they’ve visited several times and love so much that they now have residency, with dreams of someday making it home. Most recently, Heather traveled to New Zealand in March 2026 with her husband and their two kids for an adventure-packed family trip through both the South and North Islands. We talk about breathtaking Queenstown and Wanaka, bungee jumping and canyon swings, Mount Cook, geothermal adventures, Hobbiton and those iconic Hobbit houses, beautiful beaches, playgrounds, hikes and so much more. This episode is available to watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kelseygraves If you’d like to share about your trip on the podcast, email me at: [email protected] Buy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/kelseygraves Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelsey_graves Follow me on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mskelseygraves Join us in the Trip Tales Podcast Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1323687329158879 Mentioned in this episode: New Zealand Residency Sky Couch on Air New Zealand North Island vs South Island Auckland Airport - VIP Assistance through airport Queenstown: Waterfront & Shopping District, Patagonia Chocolates & Ice Cream, TSS Earnslaw boat to Walter Peak Farm Tour (sheep, highland cows, etc), Shotover Jet, AJ Hackett Company (Kawarau Bridge Bungy: the original bungee jump), Kawarau Bungy Swing, Bathhouse Playground, Skyline Gondola and Luge, Fergburger, Cookie Time, Remarkables Park - Joe’s Garage restaurant Wanaka: Dinosaur Playground, Wild Wire Wanaka Via Feratta, the cinema, Rippon Winery, Roy’s Peak hike, Scroggin for coffee or brunch, Big Fig for lunch, Lake Bar, Black Peak gelato, Omarama Clay Cliffs Open Hotel Alert: https://openhotelalert.com/ Mount Cook: Mount Cook Lodge, Hermitage Hotel (brunch buffet), hiking (Hooker Valley Track), stargazing Lake Tekapo: Mount John Homestead, playground, feed the animals, farm tour Sumner Beach: Beach town outside of Christchurch, Cave Rock, Fire & Slice pizza restaurant Rotorua: Hell’s Gate, Geo-thermal area, mineral pools, hot springs, Redwood Forest Tree Walk Hobbiton: Hobbiton Movie Set Tour, Green Dragon Pub The Coromandel Peninsula: Hahei, Cathedral Cove, Hot Water Beach, Walnut Cottage Airbnb Matakana: Farmer’s Market, Action Ninja World Milford Sound Trip Tales is a travel podcast sharing real vacation stories and trip itineraries for family travel, couples getaways, cruises, and all-inclusive resorts. Popular episodes feature destinations like Marco Island Florida, Costa Rica with kids, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Aulani in Hawaii, Beaches Turks & Caicos, Park City ski trips, Aruba, Italy, Ireland, Portugal’s Azores, New York City, Alaska cruises, and U.S. National Parks. Listeners get real travel tips, itinerary recommendations, hotel reviews, restaurant recommendations, and inspiration for planning their next vacation, especially when traveling with kids.