What I'm thinking is a general picking of each others brains. Obviously I know New Zealand pretty well, so I'm quite happy to pass on anything that anyone wants to know about visiting this neck of the woods. For example, most travel agents will tell you New Zealand is fine to visit anytime of year. What I'd suggest is February-March are the best times (unless you like skiing), because the weather is more settled and the kids are back at school.
Mrs Bemused knows San Francisco well as she lived there. But we are thinking as its a long way from NZ to the U.S. might as well make a decent trip of it and there is the possibility of a conference next April. Obviously the easiest way to get from San Fransico to Chicago is to fly, but we figured we might as well see the country while there. Now there are several options we've come up with. a) Rent a car. b) Buy and then sell a car. c) Buy a Greyhound bus pass d) take the train. We've worked out that option "c" is the cheapest at a quick glance, but it does have limitations in that accomodation is limited to within relative distances to the bus depo, whereas if we had a car, we'd probably stay in national parks in a tent or cabins. At this point you are probably thinking, "oh boy these two don't have a clue", which is of course where local experts are the best source of info.
This is of course a year away and we will work out more a more specific itinerary closer to the time, but thought why not put a few feelers out and see what more qualified MKs would suggest.
Now if you are coming to New Zealand, you'll probably land in Auckland, which is the North Island. Give it a miss if you want to see the real beauty of the country. Jump on the next plane and head to the South Island. It's got more mountains, less population and of course the lovely Mrs Bemused. But if you come in your summer break, it is cold, because it's the middle of winter here.
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once here, rent a car and head to the nearest relative! If it is all planned out you can treat it like deputation and have free food and lodging.