Author Archives: walkingward3

February 18, 2024 With our cousin, Annette, we headed across the Harbour Bridge to Devonport. We dropped in on our friend Astrid who has just moved to the neighborhood. She led us on a walk along the waterfront toward North Head (Maungauika), a dormant volcano that sits on a point with extensive views over theContinue reading “Devonport and Cheltenham, Auckland, New Zealand”

February 14, 2024 On our second morning on Waiheke we headed out for a bush walk. It was less strenuous than the previous day’s walk but just as beautiful. Silver ferns have become a symbol of New Zealand and you will see them on the uniforms of most of the country’s sports teams, including theContinue reading “Waiheke, New Zealand”

February 13, 2024 Waiheke Island is just a 45 minute ferry ride from downtown Auckland, but it is a world away from the hustle and bustle of New Zealand’s largest city. Ringed with beautiful beaches and coves and dotted with upscale vineyards and restaurants, it has become a popular destination for Aucklanders and visiting tourists. WeContinue reading “Waiheke, New Zealand”

February 9, 2024 We returned to the quiet streets around Eden Park. Most of the villas you see in Auckland are painted white. But, of course, there are exceptions to the rule. Speaking of colorful, today’s car of the day, is this bright orange McLaren. In fact, as followers of Formula I car racing will know, theContinue reading “Mt. Eden, Auckland, New Zealand”

February 7, 2024 Eden Park is New Zealand’s biggest sports stadium with a capacity of around 50,000. It’s used primarily for rugby in the winter and cricket in the summer. It is considered one of international rugby’s most difficult grounds for visiting team to play. In fact, the New Zealand men’s rugby team, called the All Blacks, hasContinue reading “Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand”

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”