Day 7 - Afternoon snorkel
February 13 in Fiji ⋅ ☁️ 84 °F
The afternoon snorkel was the BEST reef I have experienced in my life. The only issue would be the lack of any larger fish. A simply awesome reef!!
Day 7 - Night snorkel
February 13 in Fiji ⋅ ☁️ 84 °F
Went on a night snorkel to in search of different nightlife as well as a bioluminescence experience. We learned that the bioluminescence in Fiji is different than in other parts of the world due toRead more
Day 8 - En route back to Denarau
February 14, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F
Today our cruise/exploration of the Yasawa Islands comes to a close. The surrounding view is speckled with islands; and our last cruiseship sunrise was no less beautiful. We head back to Port DenarauRead more
Checked into our hotel Room
February 14 in Fiji ⋅ 🌧 82 °F
Without a guarantee of when our boat would arrive in port and allow us to disembark, we couldn't be 100% sure we could catch our 12:55p flight (and there's only one flight per day); so we stayed oneRead more
Travel day
February 15 in Fiji ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F
Travel Day from Fiji to Auckland New Zealand
Walked the boardwalk
February 16 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F
Walked the boardwalk walk. We enjoyed how the New Zealanders are proud of their boat building history. Stopped at historical landing and admired the boats. Then, we watched the 'Manu Dive-BombRead more
Movie Take 1 and 2
February 16 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 68 °F
We believe a movie was being filmed
Movie take 3 and 4
February 16 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 68 °F
Movies always make the landing. Not so much today.
Hop on hop off bus
February 17 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F
We started our day by taking the Hop On Hop Off Bus Red And Blue routes for a ~2.5 hour tour. A nice way to get an overview of Auckland.
Weta Workshop Unleashed
February 17 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F
Fun film effects workshop
Queen's Roof Top Restaurant
February 17 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F
To get an overview of Auckland, the Roof Top Resteraunt was perfect. We went without a reservation and were told there wouldn't be tables available. When we arrived we simply sat at a table at 5:45pmRead more
Mount Eden
February 18 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F
Took the Hop On Hop Off Bus to Mount Eden, a dormant volcano for an enjoyable walk. Afterward, we walked 3 miles down to the museum, where we boarded the last bus back to town.
Mount Eden hadRead more
Auckland Tuesday sailing
February 18 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F
From our deck, we watched sailboat races in the bay. Since New Zealand is winning the Americas Cup, I have to assume we're watching some of the best local racing in the world.
Waiheke Island - Ferry
February 19 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F
Today, we're going to Waiheke Island, a 40-minute ferry from Auckland.
It is the most populated island in the gulf, with 9,100 permanent residents, and the third most populous island in NewRead more
Waiheke Island - random pictures
February 19 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F
Just a few random pictures of Waiheke from the bus
Waiheke Island - 1st stop
February 19 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
Our 1st stop was at the halfway point of our Hop On Hop Off western side of the island.
It seems there are 2 separate Hop On Hop Off routes. One for the East side and a second for the West side. TheRead more
Waiheke Island - Batch Winery
February 19 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
Our 2nd stop was the Batch Winery. Instead of the customary winery tasting, we both simply sampled a single wine and enjoyed hanging out on there deck. After our wine, we went on a short 1 mile walkRead more
Hobbiton (post 1 of 2)
February 20 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F
We visited Hobiton, the site used in The Lord of the Rings film series. It includes facades for 37 hobbit holes and associated gardens and hedges, a mill and double arch bridge, and erecting a 29-tonRead more
Hobbiton (post 2 of 2)
February 20 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F
Welcome to a video of a hobbit home.
This site requires more than 20 pictures.
Due to overwhelming guest feedback, in 2023 they built this home for the tourists to give an experience of the completeRead more
Hamilton Gardens
February 21 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F
Hamilton Gardens is a public garden park in the south of Hamilton. The 130-acre park is on the banks of the Waikato River and includes enclosed gardens, open lawns, a lake, and a nursery.
TheRead more
Local Rugby Game
February 21 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 66 °F
We attended a local rugby game Hamilton (Waikato) Chiefs vs Christchurch (Canterbury) Crusaders. Janine rented a room within walking distance to the FMG Stadium Waikato which made the experienceRead more
Blackwater Rafting
February 22 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F
Our Blackwater Rafting experience is best experienced by this youtube video
https://youtu.be/E0PmnrsRp7Q?si=FKz0KSRaJjNd4f4d
Or you can view our pictures :)
Fun fact: Glowworms are not actuallyRead more
Sanctuary Mountain - Maungatautari
February 22 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F
Very interesting place. We didn't have time to go for a walk.
Because the traditional methods of pest control (ie. poisons and trapping), have limited success and seldom last long, the creators ofRead more
Blue Spring (Te Waihou Walkway)
February 22 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F
Stopped at the local watering hole where children of all ages were jumping into the moving stream. (Notice the same splash technique used in the Auckland splash contest.) Since we spent the morning inRead more
Kaituna Cascades - Grade 5 Wairoa River
February 23 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F
This morning, we are white water rafting on the Wairoa River. It's a Dam release river on Sunday mornings and only happens 26 times a year.
They say it's grade 5 (on a scale of 6), but we had aRead more













































































































































































































































































Traveler
Nice 👍
TravelerFantastic
TravelerLove it. We booked the HAL South Pacific cruise again for this fall, in case you don’t have anything planned. 😆🤞😬😊