Author Archives: walkingward3

February 6, 2024 Remuera is one of Auckland’s most prestigious neighborhoods. It is also one of Auckland’s hilliest, so today’s walk was one of ups and downs. We lived in Remuera back in the eighties. It was a one bedroom place that has since been torn down. It looked nothing like the grand old and new homes you areContinue reading “Remuera, Auckland, New Zealand”

February 3, 2024 On a blustery day, we drove across the Harbour Bridge to the North Shore and the seaside suburb of Devonport. From there we started walking along the waterfront toward the adjoining neighborhood Stanley Point, enjoying the views to the city on the other side of the harbour. Along the way, we passed DevonportContinue reading “Stanley Point, Auckland, New Zealand”

February 2, 2024 If you are in Auckland, we definitely recommend that you stop by the Auckland Gallery of Art to check out Fashion, Art, Fantasy, an exhibition of the extravagant, breath-taking fashions of Chinese designer Guo Pei. Many of the works are intricately embroidered and take over a year to make. Here is aContinue reading “Guo Pei exhibition, Auckland Gallery of Art, Auckland, New Zealand”

January 22, 2024 It is hard to over-estimate the effect that the Lord of the Rings (LOTR) movie trilogy has had on New Zealand tourism. Nearly one in five visitors to the country still cite it as a reason they chose to visit New Zealand, almost two decades after the first film was released. Case in pointContinue reading “Hobbiton, Matamata, New Zealand”

January 20, 2024 On our last day in Otago, we headed down to Queenstown. We went for a stroll around the beautiful peninsula that adjoins the downtown area, enjoying the views of the town, lake and mountains. The peninsula, with its beautiful rose gardens and quaint bowling club (that’s lawn bowls, not the ten pin variety),Continue reading “Queenstown, Otago, New Zealand”

January 16, 2024 On another glorious Otago day, we decided to go for a bike ride from Arrowtown down along the Arrow river toward Queenstown. To make it even more enjoyable, we rented e-bikes which took much of the hard work out of the ride. Along the way, we passed through some stunning scenery. We crossedContinue reading “Arrow River Trail, Otago, New Zealand”

January 15, 2024 Arrowtown is a small historic town situated on the banks of the Arrow River, about 20kms (17.5 miles) from Queenstown. It began life in 1862 when Jack Tewa, known locally as Maori Jack, found gold in the Arrow River. Soon a township of over 1,000 miners sprang up that would eventually rise toContinue reading “Arrowtown, Otago, New Zealand”

January 14, 2024 Neither of us are foodies, so we had no prior experience of dining at a truly high end restaurant. The type of restaurant where it takes five hours to eat nineteen courses (no exaggeration). Amisfield was named New Zealand’s top restaurant in 2023, and based on our experience it is easy to see why. AlongContinue reading “Amisfield Restaurant, Queenstown, New Zealand”

December 20, 2023 Back in Point Chev, we once again admired the solidly built state houses that take up most of the neighborhood. In the 1930s and 1940s, the Labour Government set out to build thousands of homes for those on low incomes. The standard of materials and construction was high because the government was determined thatContinue reading “Point Chevalier, Auckland, New Zealand”

December 12, 2023 Accompanied by our cousin, Annette, we returned to the streets of Point Chev. Here are some of the traditional houses we saw along the way. Generally, we have found the newer houses in the neighborhood to be less inspiring. One exception, however, are a number of houses that we have come acrossContinue reading “Point Chevalier, Auckland, New Zealand”