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[RJ749]

Well it was a great trip and I would love to do New Zealand on two wheels some time.

This trip was however for a hunting adventure of a lifetime and it turned out well as you may have seen with a couple of pics I posted while down there.

It all started with a transfer from Seattle to LA and then off on New Zealand Air to Auckland.  I left LAX at sunset.

[RJ749]

After a 13 and a half hour flight I landed in Auckland early in the morning.

[RJ749]

We headed off for the 3 hour drive to the lodge and the first stop we made for gas in Bombay I saw this across the street.

Made you feel like home.

[RJ749]

The lush countryside of the lower portion of the north island was amazing.

[RJ749]

We came to the cliffs of Horohoro, the lodge would be just beyond them in the hills.

[RJ749]

Treetops Lodge was the destination for the first four days of the trip, near Rotorua on the North Island.

www.treetops.co.nz

[RJ749]

On the property are lush forests of native growth as well as planted areas of pine.

The pine forests are not indigenous, in fact the only indigenous animal to New Zealand is a bat.  All other species of mammals are introduced.  With no predators, many are out of control...rabbits, possum, goats, deer and others.

[RJ749]

The lodge main room was huge and very inviting.

[RJ749]

The vistas from my villa room were awesome.

[RJ749]

The trip was a hunting trip and the site seeing a bonus along the way.  Here is a huge stag sunning himself in the morning.

[RJ749]

I got my stag on the third day in the afternoon, with the fourth day coming up quickly.

[RJ749]

On the morning of the fourth day we went out to see what we could scare up and were surprised to find a great 8 point Sika deer late in the morning.

The opportunity had presented itself and I decided to get the sika if we could make a long stalk on him.  We were able to cross a valley from about 1500 yards out and make a good stalk.  Here is the sika...

[RJ749]

Morning of the 5th day it was off to the south island for some mountain hunting.  The south island is much more mountainous and has several ski areas.

The FAA hasn't made it to New Zealand, this was a mountain on our approach to Queenstown.

[RJ749]

On our drive to the Cardrona Terrace Lodge, we traversed the highest state highway in New Zealand and stopped for this shot.  www.cardronaterrace.com

[RJ749]

With few roads and no way to get into the backcountry in the time most out of country hunters have the best way to get 'er done is the kerosene taxi.