Leaving Scotland
February 5, 2025 in Scotland ⋅ ☀️ 6 °C
Up, up and away. This first flight with Qatar was just short of 7 hours. Went in quickly and was a pleasant trip.
Edinburgh to Doha with Qatar
February 5, 2025 in Qatar ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
Doha to Auckland with Qatar
Feb 6–7, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
The longest ✈️ , being 15 hours 58 mins in the air before our arrival in Auckland. David managed a few hours sleep. As usual, I thought I'd fall over as I was tired but couldn't. The plane was inRead more
Final stretch Auckland to Wellington
February 7, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C
Nice quick flight down from Auckland to Wellington with New Zealand Air. The sun was out and actually arrived slightly ahead of schedule. We could see John and Irene waiting for us when we leftRead more
WAIMANU Lagoons
February 8, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
Enjoyed a lovely evening walk at the Waimanu Lagoons. There are lots of black swans there. Walked along the river, returning as the sun went down. Quick stop at Waikani Beach on the way back.
Wellington
February 10, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
David and I headed off to catch the train to Wellington. They were working on the lines, so it was bus transfers. This took an hour and a half. Wellington was cooler and more overcast than Waikani.Read more
Pitstop at Foxton enroute to Kuratau
February 11, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
When driving to Kuratsu, Irene suggested stopping at Foxton to see their windmill. Here we discovered a colourful town with an excellent museum and art centre. I had also mentioned I would like an NZRead more
Kuratau
February 11, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
Arrived at Kuratau on the far side of Lake Taupo for a couple of days. Had a nice walk exploring, followed by John BBQ' steaks for dinner.
More exploring at 8 am the next morning before breakfast.Read more
Hucka Falls, Craters of the Moon
February 12, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
Irene and John's Tours gave us a full day today. 😀 Starting off at Huka Falls, despite visiting before, it's always enjoyable, and we had a lovely walk. Then, onto Aratiatia Dam and rapids. LunchRead more
Crafty town 'Tirau'
February 13, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
A lovely stop on the drive north to Mount Maunganui to view the corrugated buildings and sculptures in this cute town in the Waikato region. Right up my street. Famous for the large dog and sheepRead more
Mount Maunganui
February 14, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Enjoying our revisit to the Mount. A popular holiday resort in the North in the Bay of Plenty. Lots to see and do. Beautiful beaches, an abundance of restaurants. The promenade in the evening, familyRead more
Few more from Mount Maunganui
February 14, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Our hotel was in a perfect location. Right by the beach and opposite the hot pools which we loved. Lovely promenade walks and garden centres to visit. Beautiful sunsets. Cutest thing ever a couple setRead more
Stop off at Taihape
February 16, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
It was a long drive today after enjoying breakfast with Sarah, Steve & the girls we left Mount Maunganui and stopped by Kuratau, Lake Taupo for a quick cuppa and collect our things. Then, we headedRead more
Waikanae Beach
February 17, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
After our days away, it was time to catch up with our laundry. John had to go to work. David enjoyed helping Irene empty the compost bin into her recently planted tatties and covered them up. I caughtRead more
Arrived in Christchurch
February 18, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
An early start for ✈️ no.4. Arrived, early check-in & time for lunch. Our hotel is lovely, not showing on the map as it only opened in July last year. It is such a beautiful city and dramaticallyRead more
Tram ride around Christchurch
February 19, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
We took one of the 6 vintage hop on/off Tram tours around Christchurch with excellent guides. Our tram, Queen Mary, was 120 years old. Visited City Art Centre, lots of interesting stuff there. We satRead more
Mr Brightside Rooftop Bar
February 19, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C
More wandering around Christchurch this afternoon. We came across a lovely rooftop bar. Enjoyed a refreshment and watched the world go past with great views. When we met John & Irene later, we decidedRead more
Riverside Market
February 20, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Someone recommended Riverside Market yesterday as a place to visit. As advised, we went before 12 noon as it gets extremely busy. What an amazing selection of street foods, an extremely popular place.Read more
Punt on the River Avon, Christchurch
February 20, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
What a way to spend an afternoon! Very relaxing being punted along the Avon through Hagley Park. Very informative guide with lots of interesting titbits of information 😀 we could have stayed on longer
Christchurch City Artscene
February 20, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
A walk around the streets in Christchurch is an artlovers dream. The city art culture is everywhere you turn. The wide variety of murals by talented world-renowned artists is amazing. It's no wonderRead more
Christchurch by night
February 20, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 21 °C
The city by night has a lovely vibe. There are lots of stunning restaurants along the river Avon and around the city. Beautifully lit parks and public areas. It is a very safe city to wander.
Christchurch
February 21, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C
We still had Friday morning to explore. The intention was to visit Botanic Gardens. It was blustery, so we decided to visit the Quake Centre. It's such an interesting museum. The 1st picture shows theRead more
Paddle at Waikanae Beach
February 22, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
Another laundry day today after our Christchurch trip. A quick walk around the Saturday market and groceries topped up again at the supermarket. A late afternoon walk on the beach to cool down beforeRead more
Nikau Nature Reserve
February 23, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
John and Irene said we were going a walk to a local nature reserve. There were some steep climbs around 400 stairs, plenty stops to allow others to pass and catch our breath. Great experience of aRead more
Sunset at the beach
February 24, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
John was working today. We enjoyed a cycle path walk of about 50 mins and had lunch at the garden centre. Enjoyed a chilled afternoon on the loungers reading. David hoped to take some photos of theRead more
Margaret MorrisHave a great trip. X