It had been months of planning, researching, reading blogs, studying Google Maps, and doing a fair bit of dreaming before we finally headed out from our home in the south of Norway to Oslo to board the first flight to Melbourne. We flew with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul and Kuala Lumpur to Melbourne.

Melbourne was the perfect city to spend a few days recovering from massive jet lag and sampling the city’s sights, coffee houses, and culinary delights. It was an awesome stop—fully described in our Melbourne post here.

Tasmania

From Melbourne, we flew across the Bass Strait to Hobart, picked up our rental car, and set off on what can only be described as an incredible adventure. Crisscrossing this magical island, we were smitten with Tasmania from day one. We had chosen Tassie for its remoteness, and the feeling of being almost at the edge of the world was palpable.

Tassie delivered adventure in spades: fresh air, crystal-clear water, and remarkable sights, wildlife, and nature. Read our full account of our 15-day itinerary in Tasmania, and don’t forget to check out our tips, tricks, and budget post as well.

From Tasmania, we boarded flights back to Melbourne and onward to Christchurch in New Zealand.

New Zealand, South Island

This was our third time visiting New Zealand. We started in Christchurch, rented a car for the full five weeks of our stay, and headed off on what can only be described as an epic journey there and back again.

On the South Island, we spent 12 wondrous days driving, hiking, and coffee-drinking our way from place to place. Read more detailed accounts of our 12 days on the South Island here.

New Zealand, North Island

Just as epic as the South Island, we explored, drove, hiked, and enjoyed plenty of “elevensies” from Wellington all the way north to Cape Reinga. The North Island was filled with beautiful scenery and epic vistas.

We spent 25 days crisscrossing the North Island—read detailed accounts here, and don’t forget to check out our tips and tricks for New Zealand travel here. There’s also some additional weirdness to read about here, along with a Top 10 Experiences list.

We spent 5 glorious weeks in New Zealand.

We ended our adventure with a weekend in Auckland before flying home via Hong Kong, Istanbul, Oslo and in 42 hours from boarding a taxi in Auckland we stood at our own front door again.

Summary

Two months off work, away from it all—just the two of us rambling around, doing what we love, spending time together, and enjoying the freedom of having no plans set in stone—was so good it’s hard to describe.

We are, of course, incredibly lucky: lucky to have had the opportunity, to have been able to save the money (travel isn’t cheap anymore), and to enjoy each other’s company so much that we can spend two months with just the two of us. That, in itself, is something special.

We would do it again in a heartbeat if given the chance. Memories for a lifetime are made on the road, and we loved every second of every day—just rambling, not necessarily doing anything in particular, but always having a great time.