Links: A few places on the web where you can learn more.

USA:
California
This is the best site that I've seen on the bristlecone pines.

New Zealand:

General
I met Nicolas last time I was in NZ.  He has a travelogue of his trip as well as a travel photography web site called Wild Lights.

Burkhard has some Dusky Track photos that are worth looking at.  The Dusky Track and George Sound Track have many similarities.

General Travel:
Marc and Karin have an excellent  Round-The-World Travel Guide .  It contains a great deal of information about how to plan, what issues to consider, etc.  It's geared towards the RTW traveler, but the information in there is appropriate for all travelers.  I've known these two for many years.

John Gregory has a site How to See the World: The Art of Backpacking with lots of good information about traveling.