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New Zealand 2024
  • Polly-Alida Farrington
  • Doug Whittet
Jan – Mar 2024

New Zealand 2024

From Doubtful Sound to Doubtless Bay! Read more
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  • Trip start
    January 15, 2024
    New Zealand 2024

    And we're off!

    January 15, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 19 °F

    Leaving snow and cold ❄️🥶 behind. Thanks to Gary for the ride to the airport! It's a sunny, but cold morning. I hear it's 25C in Auckland! -10C here.

  • New Zealand 2024
    South Island
    North Island

    Our itinerary

    January 15, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 55 °F

    We have a few days in Auckland after we arrive. Hoping to meet up with my friend Tracy, who is an amazing weaver and also a librarian. We’ve both taken Māori weaving workshops with Veranoa Hetet.

    After Auckland, we head to Fiordland and plan to take the Doubtful Sound cruise that we missed 4 years ago. In Feb 2020, Fiordland had a massive storm, the first Red Weather alert of their new weather warning system, 1 meter of rain over 2 days. Roads washed away, landslides blocked roads, the rivers downstream flooded and took out roads all over the southern region. We were near Queenstown and the old Bert & I phrase “you can’t there from here” was quite apt. Hoping for less severe weather this time.

    Check the photos on this post for a rough idea of the route we’re taking.    Read more

  • New Zealand 2024

    LAX

    January 16, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F

    LAX is not my favorite airport….. but despite lost luggage (it went to Chicago!), lost ice packs for my meds (replaced by amazing staff member at the hotel), we’re ready to go. Grateful for a lovely swim and soak in the hotel hot spa. The LAX Hilton is a decent place for a stopover, but get a room that doesn’t overlook the runways, the windows aren’t soundproof!Read more

  • New Zealand 2024

    Tahiti

    January 17, 2024 in French Polynesia ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    Thanks to a hoard of American Airlines partner airline miles, we flew Air Tahiti Nui from LA to Auckland in a combination of business class and premium economy. ATN doesn’t seem to have the best of record-keeping. When we tried to board, the final computer barrier to boarding in LA rejected both of us, along with another couple. Some mysterious incantation over a computer and they let us on. The flight was comfortable and service was courteous. Didn’t sleep, but didn’t expect to.

    Landed in Tahiti, and once again we didn’t exist. Waited for 20 minutes while our passports disappeared. In the meantime the line to get through another full security check was horribly backed up. Eventually, passports reappeared and we were sent to the long security line.

    Since we’d already been told we couldn’t use the lounge in Tahiti, despite the business class ticket, I’d purchased lounge passes. Again, we didn’t exist. The check in clerk couldn’t have been icier, insisting that I’d purchased access to the lounge in LA. Ironic that I’d bought those passes while in the free lounge in LA. Eventually, showing her the sequence of 6 emails from ATN confirming my purchase, she let us in and suddenly became super helpful and courteous. Lounge access was only appealing because the layover was 4 hours, the lounge has AC, and was much less crowded than the main waiting area.

    As we tried to reboard the flight to continue on to Auckland, Doug was able to pass through the gates. But once again, I wasn’t on their list. Obviously, we made it and it’s worth it to be in NZ! Not looking forward to a repeat of all this on the way home!    Read more

  • New Zealand 2024
    Flying over Waiheke Island
    Hilton Auckland pool

    Made it to Auckland

    January 18, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

    Leaving Tahiti behind, where once again I was almost left behind. My boarding pass didn’t pass muster again, while Doug’s did. Once again, someone disappeared with my passport and boarding pass. After a long wait, they let me board.

    5 more hours to New Zealand and we sighted land, flying directly over Onetangi beach on Waiheke Island. (We’ll visit Waiheke again at the end of our trip.) Having determined that Doug had not been incarcerated recently, (we both should have been wearing our glasses when we answered those questions!) New Zealand happily greeted us. Being uber-cautious, we declared our hiking shoes (sneakers), hiking poles, and protein bars at the border. Told them my hiking pole hadn’t seen anything but snow recently. Given that we had no forbidden fruit on us, and the sniffer dogs didn’t try to cosy up to us, we were in!

    Onward to the Hilton on the wharf in downtown Auckland (thanks to a ton of Hilton Honors points). A dip in the pool, a walk about town, some drinks and snacks at the lovely hotel bar watching the boats come and go. And lots of sleep. Jet lag conquered.    Read more

  • New Zealand 2024
    Sailboat in the harbor
    The flower clockSomm restaurantIn the shopping mall

    Auckland

    January 20, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F

    We spent 3 nights in Auckland at the Hilton on Princes Wharf. Popular with cruise ship passengers as a place to stay before or after their cruise. There was a new cruise ship on the wharf every day. Glad we had rooms on the other side of the hotel. When the ships are in, the view from the other side is of the giant cruise ships that tower over the hotel. It’s a comfortable modern Hilton, with a lovely waterside restaurant/bar. Had a welcome lazy dinner with good wine, beer and bar food on two of our nights.

    We did some wandering about the city, looking for record shops, a yarn store and bookstores. Doug visited a couple of record shops, scoping out the LPs. A return trip will be made to Real Groovy Records before we head home. Sadly, no yarn shops. A visit to the botanic garden in a bit of misty rain, included a stop at the flower clock. My parents visited the gardens years ago and Pop wrote of it in his journal. The clock is now missing its hands but was otherwise in good shape.

    We did eat out one night, at Somm, a wine bar on Princes wharf, overlooking the Maritime Museum and the harbor. Even though it was a bit of a rainy night, we had a great table outside under an awning, with a harbor view and away from the loud music inside. We shared 2 wine flights, a fun tasting of whites, a rosé and a red from the Otago region and an all red flight from Hawke’s Bay, a plate of olives, bread, baba ganoush and a tasty pizza.

    On our last day, I met with a librarian/weaving friend who lives in Auckland and had a lovely visit walking around the harbor area and drinking some good coffee at Andamo. It’s such a privilege and a treat to be able travel and connect with online friends. Tracy and I exchanged gifts. She gave me a book of Māori philosophy, Aroha, by Dr. Hinemoa Elder, and some lovely earrings from her jewelry clothing business - TracyManiopoto.com. My gift was a woven basket I’d made from lockdown brown paper grocery bags, not the fanciest of weaving, but nonetheless significant since one of our connections is through online weaving classes at Hetet School of Māori Art. I also included some folded fabric stars for Matariki, the Māori New Year celebration.

    Onward to Manapouri and Doubtful Sound!    Read more

  • New Zealand 2024
    Te Anau dock
    Garston Hunny StoreThe Church pubWee BookshopWee BookshopStart of Kepler Track was full of fernsAlpaca farmTe Anau Bird Sanctuary

    Manapouri

    Jan 21–26, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    We spent 5 nights in Manapouri, a quiet little town with just 2 country roads in and no other way out, except by boat. It’s definitely out of the way and quiet, unlike the comparatively bustling Te Anau about 20 minutes down the road. Our primary purpose was to chill out for a few days after the long trip to NZ and to finally take the Doubtful Sound cruise.

    We arrived via Queenstown after a short flight from Auckland, picked up our rental car and did a big shop at the local Countdown grocery store. Enjoyed the ride down the lake towards Te Anau, stopping for some yummy ice cream along the way and a stop at the Garston “Hunny Store” for some wonderful Manuka honey. The cottage in Manapouri didn’t disappoint, a small but very comfy cottage with a wonderful view of the Waiau River and a lovely garden.

    Other than the Doubtful Sound cruise we spent some time exploring Te Anau, visited the Fiordland National Park visitors center and had a nice walk along the beach of Lake Te Anau. Another day we took a short walk along the fern lined path through a riverside beech forest at the start of the Kepler Track, one of NZ’s Great Walks. The Great Walks are multi-day, hut to hut hikes into the wilderness. So popular that you have to reserve the huts months ahead of time. These huts sleep dozens of people in bunk rooms. (Not my style!). There are some guided hikes that do these routes with posher accommodations, but they’re still very long days of hiking.

    We also visited the other end of the Kepler walk which is at a dam at end of Lake Te Anau. It controls the levels of the Lake Te Anau, Lake Manapouri and the river in between, all part of the hydroelectric system that is based on the far shore of Lake Manapouri. Te Anau also has a bird sanctuary, interesting to see some of the native birds you’d have a hard time seeing in the wild.

    Food wise, we had a nice dinner one night at “The Church” in Manapouri, an old church being put to good use as the local pub, very friendly local staff and good food and beer (not so great wine though. Oh well, it was called Squealing Pig, what did I expect?!). Also had some good takeout pizza from The Church another night. In Te Anau we found some gelato cones one very hot day, and also yummy pies from Miles Better Pies.

    Manapouri is also home to the “3 Wee Bookshops”, a funky little bookshop in 2 small sheds and a caravan. Ruth Shaw, who runs the bookshop, has had quite a life! “The Bookseller at the End of the World” is her memoir.

    And just down the road before you reach Manapouri is an alpaca farm where we spoke with the owner about the alpaca business. Who knew that NZ ships their alpacas all over the world, and they are in great demand because they tend to be disease free? Their shop has beautiful clothes and some of the softest alpaca yarn, of course I bought some.    Read more

  • New Zealand 2024
    Doubtful SoundRoad to Milford February 2000Route across Manapouri, Wilmot Pass & Doubtful SoundThe visible part of the hydro stationPearl Harbor from the Waiau RiverTasman SeaTasman Sea

    Doubtful Sound / Patea

    January 23, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 46 °F

    4 years ago, we had booked a day trip on Doubtful Sound. We were planning to stay in an Airbnb in Manapouri, about 5 minutes walk from Pearl Harbor, the docks where the excursions depart from.

    But Mother Nature had other ideas. This region normally gets up to 10 meters of rain in a year. Over a 3 day period, the area received a tenth of the annual rainfall, which caused landslides and washed out roads everywhere in the Southland of New Zealand. Hikers were rescued from mountain huts, one of which had been destroyed by a large tree. Tourists were trapped for days until helicopters could ferry them out. There was no practical way for us to get to Manapouri. So we headed to Dunedin a few days early, over roads that were being repaired just before we drove over them and followed the flood waters as they flowed down to the coast.

    Fast forward, 2024 and we made it to Manapouri! The day of the boat trip started with howling winds and lots of rain overnight. We had planned to walk the half mile to the harbor, but it was truly miserable out. Not an auspicious start. In the end it was an amazing trip with all sorts of weather. I was very glad I’d brought my winter hat and gloves!

    The trip starts with a boat ride across the width of Lake Manapouri to the start of a 12 mile unsealed road that goes up and over 2000 ft high Wilmot Pass. The road was constructed in the 1960s to transport heavy equipment to the site of hydro station being built under the mountain on the shore of Lake Manapouri. (Construction generated great controversy - Google “save Manapouri”) The hydro station takes advantage of a 750 foot drop from the level of Lake Manapouri to the Deep Cove end of Doubtful Sound to generate power.

    The road gave tourist access to the 25 mile long and over 1000 foot deep Doubtful Sound. Busses take you up and over the pass, with a few stops to view the Sound from above. At the end of the very steep road down, you’re at Deep Cove (the sand flies are waiting for you there!) Here you board another boat for the trip through the fiord, some of its arms and out to the mouth of the sound where it joins the Tasman Sea.

    Surrounded by beautiful mountains rising steeply out of the water and waterfalls that turn on and off with the rain, it was an overwhelming experience. Some of the waterfalls are permanent, fed by lakes and streams hidden high up in the mountains. The boat takes you close to those falls. At one of the waterfalls, the crew turned off all the motors and asked everyone to be stay still and listen to the quiet.

    For most of the trip the water was quite calm, but things did get bouncy at the start of the Tasman Sea. At that point I’d gone up to the top deck at the back of the boat and found myself hanging on to the railings, I couldn’t have navigated the stairs at that point.

    I took a zillion photos, while Doug took in the scene without taking any. I would happily go back and skip taking photos.

    A few hours later, the cruise ends back at Deep Harbor and you repeat the bus ride and the Lake Manapouri boat ride.    Read more

  • New Zealand 2024
    Devil's Staircase Lake Wakitipu
    Sheep, sheep, sheepGarston Coffee Bomb1Our Airbnb in FranktonSteep slope w houses in Frankton. Ours was higher up.Lake HayesArrow River walk2Nice tipple!

    Queenstown

    Jan 26–30, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 72 °F

    Catching up! We left Manapouri on a bit of a grey day and had a good drive up to the Queenstown area. Bought some pies for lunch at Miles Better Pies in Te Anau and made a stop at The Coffee Bomb in Garston, recommended! Nice little photography gallery next to the coffee truck, where I bought a small print.

    After a few wind-blown scenic stops along the lake and we managed to find the hidden driveway to our airbnb, which was in a quiet residential area of Frankton on a steep mountainside across the lake from Queenstown. We had a spacious home with a nice deck and sunny views of Lake Wakatipu. The driveway was a nightmare to get out of, 5 point turn in the narrow driveway with a rock wall and shrubs lining the drive. Mastered it by the time we left!

    Our first day was a lazy day, Doug was tired and I had vertigo, we stayed put and relaxed. The next day was a bit grey and threatened rain. Doug surprised me by wanting to go back to Lake Hayes, where we stayed 4 years ago during the epic “1 meter of rain in 3 days” event. He went bike riding on one of the days before the rains arrived, but was far away when the rains hit. Came back soaked, but laughing. So, we tried to walk around the lake this time, no bikes. But not surprising, it started to rain. Doug may not have been through with Lake Hayes, but it wasn’t through with him either! 😀 Headed to Arrowtown and had a long walk along the river there before the rain caught up with us again.

    On our last day, the sun finally came out and we had a gorgeous day out. See next post!    Read more

  • New Zealand 2024
    212

    Glenorchy Drive

    January 29, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    A beautiful sunny day, not too hot, perfect for a drive up the lakeside to Glenorchy at the head of Lake Wakatipu and beyond. But first we had to get through Queenstown. Yikes, we still hadn’t been into Queenstown proper, what a busy place. Glad we didn’t need to stop there for anything, though we did need to fill up the gas tank. Whoops! No gas stations between Queenstown and Glenorchy. Fortunately, we made it to Glenorchy and my credit card actually worked at the little petrol station there. Didn’t have any cash at that point.

    On the way up the lovely, winding road, we stopped at Bob’s Cove. There are multiple walks there, from a short 20 minute walk to several hours. We walked a short distance on a shady path lined with ferns and trees. We stopped at a great little stony beach where others were enjoying the sun, kayaking, and swimming. The water was crystal clear. I waded in up to my knees and was wishing I’d brought my swimsuit.

    We continued to Glenorchy and coming around a bend we suddenly saw some snow covered, knife edged mountains and a glacier far off in the distance. Amazingly beautiful!

    We took the requisite photos of the red Glenorchy shed. Inside the shed, we learned that it was officially a railroad station! Back in the day, when the steamboats were the only way in and out of that region, there was a short track from the end of the wharf to the shed. Steamships carried people and goods until the road opened in 1962.

    A stop at Mrs. Wooly’s yielded no pies. All sold out. Instead we had a delicious, and likely far healthier, roasted veggie salad.

    Car and bodies fueled up, we continued beyond Glenorchy to see the braided, glistening, glacial rivers that flow into the head of Lake Wakatipu. And also in search of the bridge from the NZ mystery series “One Lane Bridge.” We found it at the Isengard Lookout over the Dart River. But it wasn’t as scary high as the bridge in the show, film magic with scenes filmed elsewhere and cut in. Still, it was a beautiful spot. Lord of the Ring fans would recognize this location as well.

    On the drive back we stopped at multiple “scenic view of glacier” points people had left on Google maps. Yep, they all great views of the glacier and lake. A great day out. Followed by packing up for the drive to Moeraki the next day.    Read more

  • New Zealand 2024
    Cromwell's goofy fruit sculpture
    With a chocolate twistHeaded off into Central Otago regionCentral OtagoCentral OtagoThe Hub - oddly, a great little cafe in the middle of nowhereField after field of sunflowersArrived in MoerakiView to Moeraki Boulders BeachEnd of a long day of driving at the Moeraki Tavern

    Queenstown to Moeraki

    January 30, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    Started the day checking out of our Queenstown Airbnb. Then on to Cromwell for our first real fruit ice cream of the trip at the Freeway fruit farm just outside Cromwell. Yum! Continued on a ziggzaggy route through the central Otago region, known for its vineyards, though anything but the lush countryside you might expect. Very dry pasture lands, cows, sheep, farming, and lots of low mountain vistas.

    We took a few detours, one found us at the very intriguingly named Poolburn Adventure Hub, a run down looking building from the road, but with great reviews. Inside it was very welcoming and had great coffee. Had we been hungry, the cheese toasties sounded tempting. It had a small garden to sit in and a greenhouse growing veg for the cafe. It also had rooms and really did seem to be a center for biking and other adventures. Very nice guy behind the counter.

    Took another detour suggested by a someone in the New Zealand Travel Tips Facebook group - to Waipiata for pies. Got frozen ones could eat later. Unfortunately, they gave us a steak pie instead of vegetarian. Pretty disappointed!

    Towards the end of the drive we came across field after field of sunflowers. I took a “few” pictures….

    Made it to Moeraki and found that our Airbnb was kind of a crazy resort unto itself, in the tiny, quiet village of Moeraki Harbor. It deserves its own post! Ended the day with a walk to the local Moeraki Tavern for a delicious dinner on the outside deck overlooking the harbor. Fresh pan-fried blue cod and chips for me and nachos for Doug.    Read more

  • New Zealand 2024
    2

    Moeraki - Seahaven Lodge

    Jan 31–Feb 3, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 68 °F

    At the end of the long drive through central Otago we landed in Moeraki. Moeraki is on the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island. We had visited there 4 years ago to have a meal at the world-renowned Fleur’s Restaurant. Sadly, now closed. NZ covid regulations required restaurant staff to be vaccinated. Somehow, half the staff were anti-vaxxers. At least that’s the story we've heard. Fleur hasn’t yet reopened the restaurant.

    When our original plan to fly from Queenstown to Sydney to visit friends was postponed till later in the trip, we had 6 days to fill in. Moeraki seemed like a good place to stop along the way to Christchurch, where we would fly to the North Island and pick up most of the original itinerary.

    Moeraki is a small village, with a few seaside motels and campgrounds. Not much in the way of airbnbs. But we found a newish listing called Seahaven Lodge and it had a sauna. Say no more, I booked it. Weirdly, it wasn’t expensive. But it was so quirky, it gets its own post. Check out the photos!

    One Airbnb reviewer said it was like having a resort all to yourself, I would agree. The house itself was lovely and comfortable. A chef’s kitchen and huge entertaining spaces. Clearly, this was someone’s custom built vacation home. The rest of the property was a rich person’s playground. Spacious decks with gorgeous ocean views for entertaining. A sauna and hot tub area. A trampoline, a helicopter landing pad and a pickleball court! With a food truck and bar area tucked on one of the decks overlooking the court. And for some reason, an old tractor, an old tuk-tuk, and various Polynesian sculptures all around the property. And lots and lots of fish things throughout the house. Quirky, but also ridiculously comfortable and spacious, and within walking distance of a great pub.

    A perfect spot to chill out for three days. We didn’t drive anywhere. We walked the trails to the Moeraki Boulders Beach, though didn’t get as far as the boulders. It’s a very long beach and we’d seen the cool boulders before. Relaxed, enjoyed the sauna and hot tub, and ate at the local pub - delicious fresh blue cod and chips.

    As we were leaving, we chatted with one of the folks doing some gardening and found out that the house is indeed owned by a wealthy person, an American with a hair care business in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand. Which explained all the complimentary hair care products in the bathrooms.

    A bit about Moeraki: “Once the location of a Māori Pa, Moeraki has been a popular site for its abundant seafood. With the arrival of Europeans it became a whaling village and was initially believed it could become the main port for North Otago. A railway line was put in but due to the instability of the land was quickly abandoned. The millennium track follows the route of the railway with informative plaques along the way to read. These days Moeraki is a sleepy fishing village. There are a couple of commercial fishermen still operating who primarily catch Blue Cod and Crayfish. With a population of approximately 100 people the majority of the homes are holiday homes.” (from the Airbnb description)    Read more

  • New Zealand 2024
    Akaroa PeninsulaAkaroa Peninsula

    Christchurch

    Feb 2–5, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 72 °F

    We left the quiet of Moeraki behind and headed up the coast for Christchurch. The drive is about 1/3 of the length of the South Island, but this part of the east coast is pretty flat driving, a relief. After several stops for gas and finding our credit cards wouldn’t work, we were directed to a Z petrol station, which was a surprisingly pleasant stop! Super friendly clerk helped us sort out a discount card for gas and made some excellent flat white coffees. And pies, gas station vegetarian pies. I don’t know about anyone else, but I wouldn’t drink coffee or eat any heated foods from a US gas station! There are no photos of any pies, they seem to get eaten before I can photograph them. Further along the way we stopped for groceries, a new shaver, and I found a yarn shop.

    Our Airbnb in Christchurch was a small townhouse, at the end of a little drive and surprisingly quiet for a city apartment. Weather was cool and quite blustery, so we didn’t make it to the botanic gardens. Took a drive to nearby Rangiora in search of a yarn shop, a cup of coffee and some apple pie.

    Yarn and vinyl shops were also visited in Christchurch. (Do we detect some themes?) Found some lovely merino wool from a farm quite near Christchurch and only available at that one shop or by mail order.

    We attempted to explore the Banks Peninsula and drive to Akaroa, a lovely harbor far out in this rugged volcanic peninsula. But the road was so narrow and winding that we only drove until we had a beautiful view of the harbors and turned around! Friends have said the road gets better after that point, but repeating that 90 minutes going back seemed too painful. Beautiful views though.

    And then our South Island trip was over. The flight to Napier on the North Island went smoothly on a small propeller plane with great views of the coast. A delightful experience in many NZ airports is the lack of security screening for domestic flights. Just check your bags and walk to the gate. Landing in Napier, an even smaller airport, was just as simple.    Read more

  • New Zealand 2024
    Te MataHaumoana Beach

    Clive, Napier and Hawkes Bay

    Feb 5–8, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    Ivan from Apex car rental picked us at the airport. Friendly driver who was also the manager. At Napier airport, Apex is relegated to a tiny building, no bigger than a garden shed, far at the end of all the rental cars. They’re a good rental company, nice cars, good prices, friendly service, and a good reputation. Ivan was a nice, chatty, guy, but a bit overconfident! Took a bit of convincing that I had to charge the car to a particular credit card or we wouldn’t be covered for damage. He didn’t know how the highway tolls would be handled either. He promised he’d pay them for us. Not likely. 😂 Anyhow, friendly guy. All good.

    On to our 100 year old cottage. Used as lodging for the sheep shearers in days gone by. “Lightly renovated” was the description in the Airbnb listing. It was a sweet old cottage on a lovely property, think the owners had sheep and cattle, though we only saw a few cattle in a distant field. Shared a pool with the owners, who I only met briefly. Lovely spot, except it turned out to be on a quite a busy 2 lane road. Looked like it should be a quiet road, but it was a constant roar during the day. Quieted down at night, thank goodness.

    Still, I enjoyed sitting at the picnic table in the garden for breakfast and evening drinks, surrounded by the scent of the flowers. I was surprised at how much scent was put out by the four-o-clocks, just lovely.

    We made the crazy drive up to the top of Te Mata peak. Basically a one way road with cliff drop offs and supposedly 2 way. Thank goodness we didn’t have to back up at all. Doug did valiantly, but we were both scared. Lovely view from the top, but I could have lived without it, had we known! Thank goodness NZ has lots of great beer and wine, we needed some after that.

    Took a drive to nearby Haumoana Beach. A steep, rocky beach, not for swimming. Though some little ones were having fun splashing at the waves edge. Walked as far as we could until we came upon houses with damaged decking and likely missing docks. This area was hammered by Cyclone Gabrielle just a year ago. Lots of road works in the area.

    On Waitangi Day we visited the Waitangi Regional Park, which is a wildlife and wetland conservation area at the meeting of several rivers. There’s a lovely sculpture area representing a Māori navigational compass. Each post (pou in Te Reo Māori) had a different figure carved at the top. Beautiful carvings, some with glittering paua shell (abalone) eyes that felt like they were looking right through you! And a carved gate to welcome you to the area, as you would see on a Māori marae (meeting place.)

    Info from the park website:

    “The Ātea a Rangi Star Compass stands right on the edge of the coast. This dramatic circle of pou (posts), stones and a whaharoa (gateway) has been developed by the Ātea a Rangi Educational Trust and installed through 2017. Local carvers have created the pou, representing the points of the compass. They worked with the Regional Council's open spaces team to enhance this important historical part of the coast. Information signs at the star compass display information on the navigation skills and tools of ancient Māori who navigated the oceans to arrive here and settle.”

    Before we left town, we drove to Napier to check out the yarn and vinyl shops, of course. And to see some of the Art Deco buildings dating from when the town was rebuilt after the devastating 1931 earthquake. I’d hoped to see the movie about the earthquake at the Art Deco center, but I was both too late and too early. Missed it. We found a comfy pillow to soften the uncomfortable driver’s car seat at a local op shop.

    Onwards to Rotarua!    Read more

  • New Zealand 2024
    Waipunga Falls
    Lake Taupō2121Even the trash cans are pretty!2Huka FallsHuka Falls

    Rotarua and Taupō

    Feb 9–13, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    A long day of driving, first from Clive to Lake Taupō. Route 5 is hilly and curvy, with quite a bit of roadwork still going on repairing damage from Cyclone Gabrielle a year ago. Lovely views of fields and forest. Well, where aren’t the views lovely in New Zealand? We stopped high up along route 5 for a view of Waipunga Falls. Then met Maz & Brian at The Ploughman’s pub for a lovely outdoor lunch in Taupō. Doug knew Maz and Brian from time spent at an observatory near Cape Town, South Africa, many years ago. They’re good friends of our friends Dave and Muriel, who reconnected us with Brian and Maz. So nice for me to meet them for the first time and for Doug to reconnect.

    From there we headed the rest of the way to Rotarua. Stopping at the amazing Huka Falls along the way. Very busy and touristy, but stunning, blue, rushing river rapids forcing their way through a narrow forge along the Waikato River. Well worth the stop. The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand (264 miles) and the only outlet from Lake Taupō. It runs through Huka Falls and then north and west, through Hamilton and eventually out to sea at Port Waikato. I heard there was a great soaking spot just out of Taupō where the cold river water mixes with a geothermal stream, wish we’d had time to find it!

    By the time we got to Rotarua, it was rush hour. Took forever to get across town to our next Airbnb, right on the lake. As soon as we pulled in the little lake flies started gathering around the car, uh oh…. The house was big and had comfortable beds and was indeed right on the lake, but it was also full of those teeny gnat-sized flies, both dead and alive. And worst of all, the owners had done some painting recently and you could still smell the oily paint odors.

    After a pizza from Pizza Hut (yes, really, Pizza Hut. I was a Pizza Hut waitress over 45 years ago! 😱) we started debating if we could stay or not. Airbnb would give us the refund of 1 night’s stay, so we decided to checkout in the morning. Found another Airbnb back in Taupō and moved on. Rotarua host was very kind and refunded the other nights. Still don’t understand why no one else was bothered by the fumes.

    On the way back to Taupō, we stopped in the public park in Rotarua to see what geothermal features were there. The best thing was seeing a concrete ring with steam rising out of it someone’s back yard! The other thermal features were honestly a bit meh.

    Back in Taupō we had a beautiful airbnb, with a gorgeous view of the lake. Much better! Had hoped to swim in the lake, but just never got around to it. Took a great walk along the lake on the Rangatira Point track. Steep here and there, but a comfortably cool walk through a shaded path with frequent views of the lake and some really great swimming spots along the way. Good forest bathing. Found a modern, carved Māori statue along the shore.

    Another day we took the little Ernest Kemp boat to see the modern era Ngatoroirangi Mine Bay Māori Rock Carvings on a cliff face. The Ernest Kemp is a replica of a steamship, but very tiny. The tour went past the trail we’d walked the day before. The carvings, which can only be seen from the water, were quite impressive. They were created in the 1970s.

    Info about the carvings from NewZealand.com: Matahi Whakataka-Brightwell, a master carver, “decided to carve a likeness of Ngatoroirangi, a visionary Māori navigator who guided the Tūwharetoa and Te Arawa tribes to the Taupō area over a thousand years ago. In recognition of the cross-cultural nature of New Zealand, Matahi carved two smaller figures of Celtic design, which depict the south wind and Ngatoroirangi stopping the south wind from freezing him. The main carving is over 10 metres high and took four summers to complete. The artwork is Matahi's gift to Taupō. He and four assistants, Te Miringa Hohaia, Steve Myhre, Dave Hegglun and cousin Jono Randell, took no payment other than small change donations from local bar patrons to cover the cost of the scaffolding. The carvings have become an iconic cultural attraction for the region and a clear demonstration that traditional Māori knowledge and skills continue to be passed from generation to generation.”

    We ended our stay with another visit with Maz and Brian, this time at their home, which wasn’t far from our Airbnb. A really nice, relaxing visit. So glad Rotarua didn’t work out. Much nicer to have had more time to get to know Maz and Brian!    Read more

  • New Zealand 2024
    Indian GardenTraditional gate in the Māori gardenEgyptian gardenLots of wine, still no food

    Hamilton

    Feb 12–15, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    Cricket, Gardens, New Friends

    We left Taupō on another sunny day and drove to Hamilton, stopping in Tirana for ice cream and picked up some pies for supper. Found our airbnb, in a recently built townhouse complex right near Seddon Park, where Doug would be watching cricket for two days. We could see the park from the balcony, which was the primary reason for selecting this Airbnb. Right in the city meant a lot of traffic noise though, not ideal, but convenient. Once we managed to maneuver the too big SUV into the teeny garage, phew, we took a walk around the pretty park to find the entrance to the cricket ground that Doug would need.

    Game day 1! (You knew the cricket can last up to 5 days, right?) New Zealand vs South Africa. The South Africa team was not their A-list players. Those players stayed home for another round of matches. Hard to know who to root for, the locals or the underdogs.

    Meanwhile, I took an Uber to Hamilton Gardens and spent the day wandering through all the different gardens. The central area of the garden is divided into nearly 20 different garden “rooms”, each focused on a different culture, era in history or other gardening topic. Quite beautifully done. I managed to visit all of the different gardens and revisited my favorites: the Indian garden - so full of color and scent, and the Māori garden, a very relaxing area with interesting details about Māori agriculture and culture. I didn’t know that the distinctly NZ kumara sweet potato actually originated in South America and was brought to NZ by early Polynesian explorers, amazing. A nice lunch in the cafe and an ice cream break kept me going! Was hoping to return the next day.

    That evening Sue & Neville picked us up for dinner. We hadn’t met, but they’re good friends of my cousin Suzanne and she connected us with them. We had a wonderful evening with them. The restaurant was very slow with their service, we were there for at least 3 hours, which gave us lots of time to visit. But as it was getting later and later, we were getting very hungry! The waitress finally brought us a huge serving of bread, a plate of fries/chips, and - omg - another whole bottle of wine. We were very well wined & dined by the time we left!

    Sue offered to pick me up the next day for lunch and trip to their shop, Splashy, where I’d have fun painting some ceramics. Frustratingly, the pies from Tirana came back to bite me. I wasn’t in any state to go out until late in the afternoon, when I took a short walk and found a good coffee shop. So, sadly, I missed spending some more time with Sue.

    Doug enjoyed another day at the cricket ground. We packed up and got ready to move on the next day. Last stop in Hamilton was a little yarn shop outside of the center city called Yarn On. And what a wonderful little shop it was. Yarn was acquired.    Read more

  • New Zealand 2024
    Auckland bridge
    So many logging trucks.Bryderwyns viewpointRainbow into Parua BayBIG Kauri tree!Whangarei FallsSunrise

    Whangarei

    Feb 15–19, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    On to the Whangarei area, north of Auckland. We made one slight detour near Auckland to a HUGE craft shop that had more of the yarn I’d bought at Yarn On in Hamilton. Wanted one more skein for a shawl. Some people say that buying yarn and knitting are actually two different hobbies. They might be right.

    We continued north on Route 1 stopping for fresh fruit yogurt cones at Wazza’s in Wellsford. Yum! Continued up and over the Brynderwyns. Someone had mentioned that there’s a point in the road where you suddenly get amazing sweeping vistas of the sea and rolling farmland, they were right. Beautiful green fields sweeping down to the sea. We stopped at the Brynderwyns scenic outlook, really just a narrow path up a slope next to a farm field, but with gorgeous views. And wow, a small barista-mobile, aptly named The Bayview Barista. New Zealand amazes me with the crazy places you can find fabulous coffee.

    We drove through the port area of Whangarei on our way to Parua Bay and on to our airbnb at the top of a very steep hill that required opening a cattle gate to gain access. At the top there were stunning views out over Parua Bay to Whangarei Heads and beyond. Thanks to our London-based Senior Nomad friends, Ray and Steve, for recommending this out of the way place. It was two large buildings arranged in an L shape around a crystal clear blue swimming pool, that and the views were the appeal. The Airbnb was the newish side of the L and a very old house was the other side. Seems that older home had somehow been moved there from elsewhere. Must have been done in many pieces, the steep hill would have made it impossible otherwise. The only real drawback here was a lack of privacy, the wall of glass doors from the huge living area to the pool area had no drapes and the people housesitting for the owners, though very nice, were very present almost all the time.

    We had 3 full days here. One day we drive to Paranui Falls. A nice, fairly easy walk through shaded bushland to a high, but not very robust waterfall. It’s been a very dry summer in the Northland. The walk back went through Kauri trees and over a bridge high over the stream from the waterfall. Kauri trees are native to New Zealand and endangered by a fungal infection the kills the roots of the trees. At the start of most walks, you pass through a boot scraping brush and a shoe disinfecting spray in hopes of preventing the spread. On the way out, we passed some families having great fun in a big pool of water in a bend in the stream. It was a steep climb down, we didn’t attempt It!

    From there we could have walked an hour or so to Whangārei Falls. My annoying heart meds keep me from being able to do that kind of thing these days (they do keep my heart from freaking out, so there’s that…) So we drove to Whangārei. A much busier area, because the parking lot is only 2 minutes to the falls. And a much heavier flow of water through these falls. Again, kids playing in the water, this time above the falls, though the signs warned that the water might be quite polluted with farm runoff, etc.

    We had a lazy day at the Airbnb the next day, reading, sunning, swimming.

    And on our last day we drove out to Ocean Beach, a small beach nestled between large rock formations at either end. A beach with strong surf and potentially a rip-tide at one end. 3 surf lifeguards were keeping keen eyes on a very narrow (10-15 meters?) area of swimmable beach. Most people were keeping to that narrow area. Beyond that there was a surf competition going on. A small stand was setup with umbrellas shading 2 or 3 very serious people with iPads who were scoring the kids surfing. Seemed like it was a bunch of teen boys out there first, followed by teen girls. All were having fun and some were catching some really good rides.

    Driving further north the next day.    Read more

  • New Zealand 2024
    Coastal maine botanic gardens cap!
    Iron sculpture with side of the quarry in the backgroundTropical flowerDamage from Cyclone GabrielleSanctuary in the coveThe coveAmazing old treeView of Coopers BeachSitting by the streamMatai BayMatai BayYum!

    Coopers Beach - Doubtless Bay

    Feb 19–23, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

    From Whangarei we headed further north to Coopers Beach in the Doubtless Bay, so named by James Cook on his first South Pacific voyage in 1769. He recorded it as “doubtless a bay” or so the story goes.

    On our way out of Whangarei, we stopped at the Quarry Gardens, built in an old stone quarry that had operated from the 1940s till floods in 1974 closed operations. The quarry was donated to the regional council, but it wasn’t until the 1990s that a garden was proposed. A great site for a tropical garden, protected by the sides of the quarry and warmed by the sun drenched rock walls. It’s a small garden but a wonderful reuse of the space. Damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 can be seen at the end of one of the walkways. There’s a waterfall and a small lake at the end of the garden, but with such a dry summer, the waterfall was less than impressive.

    From here we headed for Kerikeri, to hit another real-fruit ice cream stand, the Keri Berries Farm Store. Best ice cream we’ve had, great coffee, some fruit for breakfast and delicious ginger snaps. There are more places to see in Kerikeri and we’ll see them on our way south in a few days.

    Sanctuary in the Cove in Coopers Beach is the next stop. Bruce Abraham bought this property in 2002 and undertook a multi-year, massive transformation of the fields into a tropical garden, inspired by the existing old pōhutukawa trees that lined the bay. By 2008, he’d added a house for himself and 2 small cottages for guests. A short walk through the trees (and a wheelbarrow to carry your luggage) and you come upon a lovely sea view and a small, but comfortably sized cottage. The little shallow bay in front of the cottage is backed by a rock ledge and at high tide is a good place to take a dip. At low tide, you can walk out in the sand to the rock ledge, but don’t stray too far towards the mangroves on the side of the bay, it gets very muddy and squishy, sucking my flip flops off my feet.

    From here we walked Coopers Beach and had wonderful fish & chips at Fresh & Tasty in Mangonui. This isn’t the “world famous” fish and chips place in Mangonui, it’s the little hole in the wall place at the side of the hotel, recommended by friends who had visited the area. Yum!

    We did 2 short walks in the immediate area. The Taumarumaru Scenic Reserve Walk is on the rocky headland at the end of the little cove where we were staying. The headland contains 3 Māori pa, or defensive sites, and archeological evidence of living sites and storage pits. It was too hot a day for me to make it to the tippy top, but we enjoyed sitting beside the shady stream that eventually emptied into a stand of mangroves at the south end of our cove. The nearby Rangikapiti Pa walk was a bit easier, we did climb to the top there for some great views over the area.

    And finally, I needed a real beach trip. Taking the long drive out to tip of the Karikari Peninsula, I had my eyes set on Matai and Waikato Bays, twin bays divided by a rocky barrier. We walked the full length of the Matai Bay checking the waves and watching how others were faring in the water. I don’t really like to swim alone, but Doug isn’t a swimmer. (Where were my brothers and my father when I needed them to test the waters for me?) After watching others enjoying the very protected waters next to rocky headland dividing the bays I finally got in the water. Warm, crystal clear, turquoise water, gentle waves, a very shallow slope to the sand, the perfect place to float and swim. I think Matai Beach is my top beach at the moment!

    Annoyingly, as we were getting ready to explore the next bay, I did some damage to my foot and we had to hightail it back to town to find a doctor to fix it up. Thankfully the local GP practice was still open and even though they said they didn’t normally take international patients, the nurse practitioner kindly took care of me. Good thing since the nearest hospital was a few hours away.

    One more trip to Fresh & Tasty and we were off to Opua. Was really sad to leave the seaside and wasn’t sure what to expect at our next Airbnb high up in the bush outside Paihia.    Read more

  • New Zealand 2024
    Jurassic Park!
    Treetops view from airbnbRainbow FallsStone StoreStone Store gardensWaitangiWaitangi Treaty GroundsWaitangi WhareMāori kete in gift shopKete on wall of airbnbRainy day in the hills of OpuaView towards Paihia

    Opua

    Feb 23–27, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    On our way from Cooper’s Beach to Opua, we made a few stops. First at the lovely Rainbow Falls. The viewing platforms at the top of the falls are just a few minutes from the car park, an easy walk. Heading down the trail to the bottom of the falls, there’s a great view of the falls and the cave behind them. And a lovely big pool that people were swimming in. Reminded me a bit of the pool at the bottom of Bash Bish Falls in NY, where my brother and older cousins were allowed to swim when we were kids, but I wasn’t! Wish I’d had my swimsuit on and had gone in the Rainbow Falls pool. Bet it was cold though!

    Our next stop was The Stone Store, built in the 1830s, is the oldest surviving stone building in New Zealand. It’s part of the Kerikeri Mission Station established in 1819. The building was originally intended as a trading location and a storehouse for goods. It’s had many uses over the years and is now a gift shop for lots and lots of tour buses. The Kemp house, right behind the Stone Store has a cafe and lovely gardens (and a great compost heap!). Had a nice chat with a volunteer there. Across the pedestrian bridge there is a shelter with a recently carved Maori waka (canoe) at the entrance to Te Ahurea, a replica Māori village. We didn’t see the village, but the canoe was impressive!

    On into Kerikeri for a repeat stop at the Keri Berries Farm stand for more real-fruit ice cream and coffee, as well as some fruit for breakfast and another packet of delicious ginger snaps. Some groceries from New World and on to Opua.

    Our Airbnb was nestled high up on a steep ridge overlooking a valley of bush land, it felt like being in a treehouse. Crazy steep driveway down to the back of the house and quite a steep dropoff on the other side of the house. The view from one bedroom was a Jurassic Park-like view of a gigantic fern. From the other bedroom, a view into the treetops and across the valley. And there was a kete (basket/bag) hanging on the wall, just like the ones I’ve learned to make in my online Maori weaving course. A very quiet, comfy Airbnb. A nice place to spend a rainy day, and we had a couple of them.

    Our first full day was sunny and warm, so we visited the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, just beyond Paihia. (Skip Paihia, unless you’re there to catch a boat ride somewhere.) Waitangi is the site of the 1840 signing of the treaty between the British government and the Māori tribes that was meant to benefit both sides. British governance to keep the foreign traders and settlers in line, and independence and sovereignty over their lands and resources for the Maori tribes. At least that was what the Māori chiefs were told was in the Te Reo Māori (Māori language) version of the treaty. The English version was different, which of has led to much conflict over the decades.

    The guided tour we had was one of my top experiences on this trip. Our guide shared so much interesting information, history, Māori stories and more. The cultural show was fun, but not as informative as I’d hoped. Though the young men and women performing were very skilled. It takes place in a traditional whare (meeting house) with beautiful traditional carvings and woven wall coverings. The two modern museums were fascinating, though I didn’t have enough time or energy to see everything in them.

    The grounds also house Ngātokimatawhaorua, the largest ceremonial waka (canoe). It is 123 feet long, can carry 88 paddlers and 40 passengers. It was carved to celebrate the centenary of the treaty in 1940. In recent decades it’s been taken out once a year on Waitangi Day, February 6. Young men train during the year to be eligible to join the crew to paddle the craft on Waitangi day.

    The name of the canoe comes from the name of the canoe used by the early Polynesian explorer Kupe. “Matawhaorua was the canoe of Kupe, the Polynesian discoverer of the islands now known as New Zealand. On Kupe's return to Hawaiki, it was re-adzed and renamed Ngātokimatawhaorua ("ngā toki" translating as "the adzes").” (Wikipedia)

    Our next two days were very rainy, we walked to a lookout point close to the house, relaxed, read, and re-learned the rules of Scrabble!    Read more

  • New Zealand 2024
    Woven harakeke sail
    Waipu cove beachMangawhai beachLittle surfersWe made it back alive

    Waipu Cove

    Feb 27–Mar 1, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    While in Opua, we cancelled what was to be a quick trip to Sydney to see friends. While we were disappointed, we were both a bit exhausted and it was a sensible decision. (Though we now have a hefty credit with JetStar that will never get used.) So, some of our rainy day time was spent canceling flights and hotels, extending our car hire, and finding an Airbnb to fill in the gaps.

    We had originally planned to leave Opua and be back at the Auckland airport before the main highway through Northland was closing down. The highway sustained damage during the cyclone in 2023 and would be closed for many weeks. But the detour along the coast seemed interesting, so we looked for airbnbs in that area, finding a perfect one in Waipu Cove. We set off from Opua and stopped at a local glowworm cave tour spot on a farm. Sadly, we had no cash and their next tour wasn’t for quite a while in any case.

    On towards Whangārei, I remembered hearing about the Māori Hihiaua Cultural Centre, a small art gallery, gift shop, gathering space, and working space. A small-scale replica of a woven sail was hanging by the entry. It’s believed that is what the early Polynesian explorers would have used as sails for their waka. Seeing the finely woven fabric, you can easily imagine what great sails these would have been.

    In the centre, one of the staff members took us into the work room and showed me muka, the fine fibers that are extracted from harakeke (flax) leaves. What a treat to see the fibers used to create beautiful woven objects.

    From there we found our way to Waipu, where we made a quick stop for lunch and found that the water supply to the village was out. We ended up getting food to go. Found our airbnb down the road in Waipu Cove and found we’d picked another winner. The house was on a hillside with beautiful views up and down the coast. The beach stretches for about 18 miles north and east around Bream Bay.

    We quickly found the WiFi wasn’t working and that the host had a call in to her IT person. But I managed to fix it. Maybe a discount on the rent? We took a walk down the steep path to the beach, jumped over a stream to get on a coastal walking trail. Good thing it was low tide, at high tide it’s a short wade through shallow water to get to the trail.

    The next day was lovely, sunny and a light breeze, perfect for a hike on Mangawhai Cliffs and beach, another location from one of my iFit workouts. Turned out the road to Mangawhai was a bit (a lot!) frightening, winding its way up and over some hills. And we had a very aggressive tailgater for the most winding, scariest bits of the road where there was no place to pull over. We made it to Mangawhai and hiked up the short, but steep, Goldschmidt track to a cliff top, great views. Also walked along the beach for a ways. On our way back to the car, we saw a surf class for what looked like 4-6 year olds! Getting started young.

    Returning on the scary road, an oversize truck driving too fast on a blind S curve came over the middle line as we came around the blind curve. Fortunately, Doug was able to slam on the brakes and swerve just enough to avoid the truck by inches. The only other option was going off a steep dropoff! Wine, beer, and takeaway pizza settled our nerves. Worst part was knowing we’d need to drive this road again, it was the detour from the closed main highway. There truly was no other way.

    On our last full day, we didn’t drive any further than the 5 miles to Waipu for some wine and groceries. Sat in the sunshine and read, Doug watched cricket, and we had a long walk along the beach. And more Scrabble!    Read more

  • New Zealand 2024
    View from Villa Pacifica
    Road to Villa PacificaFern tree trailThis Tui was not afraid of us!Rainy dayOnetangi BeachDive bombing birdsOlder Japanese car

    Waiheke Island

    Mar 1–7, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 73 °F

    We left Waipu late morning and drove the crazy road over to Mangawhai. Fortunately this time we had no tailgaters, just a pickup truck hauling a trailer, going slow around all the bends wasn’t a problem.

    We made it to the end of the detour in Wellsford and stopped for coffee and real fruit yogurt cones. Yum! Returned car to the airport car return, bus to airport, Uber to ferry terminal, ferry to Waiheke, where Gaye picked us up to drive to the Airbnb. Quick trip to Countdown for groceries, a fabulous bottle of Passage Rock Syrah, and delicious Indian takeaway.

    The airbnb, Villa Pacifica, is on the south central part of the island with a terrific westerly view across the bay to Auckland. Our unit was attached to the owners’ home. 2 smaller units were a few yards away. Other than comings and goings of the family and other guests, the location was quiet and comfortable. And they provide a car for their guests, a deciding factor when booking this place.

    The next day we looked for the trail that led off the property. Turned out to be a very steep dirt road, a bit too steep to easily walk down. Instead we went off and found a track through a lovely fern-tree forest. The path was quite narrow, winding its way down into the valley to a trickle of a stream bed at the bottom. The towering tree ferns had bare trunks showing the rings where the old fern stems had fallen off, with foliage quite high up. Lots of understory ferns too. This track ended on the road below our Airbnb, so we found the other end of the steep drive and climbed up. Felt like one of my steeper iFit workouts! Lazy rest of the day with leftovers and more Passage Rock Shiraz. Cricket update, NZ not doing well.

    Next day a cloudy, chilly walk on Onetangi beach, near where we’d stayed in 2020. Trip to Countdown for groceries. Delicious black bean burgers for dinner.

    An absolute deluge of wind and rain the next day. Reading, relaxing. Decided we’d stay one more night, rather than head to the Hilton in Auckland for our last night.

    Another mixed weather day. When the sun finally came out, we drove to the grocery store again, stopped at the “fancy foods” store and bought a pizza. ATM for cash for the extra night. Then on a whim, we tried to find the parking lot for beach far below our Airbnb. But I asked Google for the wrong location. We ended up high above the beach and driving through narrow, winding roads. Flashback to other stressful NZ roads!

    And one final day, very sunny and windy. We finally got to the main town of Oneroa. A typical tourist town with lots of little shops. Stopped at the post office in Papers Plus to mail postcards to Rocky’s professor and packages of fabric stars to Kim and Kat. Visited the library, the art gallery, and stopped to have a crepe. The library was a lovely, modern building, wide open and spacious. Nice size for the island and tourist population. Another walk on Onetangi Beach, sat and enjoyed the sun and the waves, waded in the cold water. And watched a bunch of birds dive bombing into the water for fish. Quite a show! Filled up the gas in our funny little car, took two trips to get the tank full. Packed up to leave in the 10 am ferry.    Read more

  • New Zealand 2024
    Mr. Bunny and Duckie
    Auckland Ferry TerminalPlane in TahitiChicagoAlbany

    Homeward Bound

    March 7, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    Gaye took us to the 10AM ferry, a smooth trip, chatting with a couple from Hertfordshire. Doug took a quick trip to Real Groovy to pick up some LPs. I waited at the ferry terminal with our luggage and attempted to call the Hilton in LA to arrange early checkin for Friday morning, no luck.

    Uber to airport. An overly long checkin with an agent who inadvertently checked Doug in all the way to Albany, along with my suitcase. This took ages to fix. So much for priority checkin. Somehow this changed Doug’s seat on the flight from Chicago to Albany. The security lines were incredibly long. I was exhausted by the time we got through, tried to enter the lounge, but we weren’t eligible for some reason. We were too tired and short on time at that point to do anything but sit for a few minutes. Had hoped to do some gift shopping, but no energy. Auckland airport was great upon arrival, not so great on departure.

    Flight to Tahiti in Premium Economy was comfortable and went fine. Arrived around 10pm and having crossed the date line, we’d regained a day. Even at 10pm, Tahiti was beastly hot and humid. Fortunately there were no problems with getting into the airport this time, and no long line at security screening. Access to the air-conditioned lounge was appreciated. Good wine, lousy food.

    Overnight flight to Los Angeles in business class was fine, though we didn’t sleep. Hilton kindly checked us in early. Perhaps for a fee? I don’t recall. Had a swim and a long soak in the hot whirlpool. Headed to the bar around 5:30 for an early dinner. Though they didn’t serve food till 6pm, the waiter ordered a pizza from the hotel cafe for us. Perfect. Pizza, 2 glasses of icy cold Sauvignon Blanc and some beer and we were ready for sleep.

    Got to the airport at 3:30 AM just as the checkin was opening. Grumpy baggage check clerk. Waited for security to open. Then waited for the AA lounge to open. Quick breakfast and some much needed coffee. Flight to Chicago was fine. Lounge at O’Hare. And finally the final flight to Albany, oddly in first class. Tiny plane, but nice to have comfy seats. Albany airport was a traffic nightmare due to construction. Took Mary and Gary about 20 minutes to get into the airport. Home! Yay! An amazing trip.    Read more

    Trip end
    March 8, 2024
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