Category Archives: Uncategorized

June 3, 2021 On our way back from Cambridge to Auckland we stopped in Hamilton to visit the very impressive Hamilton Gardens. On the banks of the Waikato River, the gardens cover 54 hectares (133 acres) and includes many different types of garden. It is the Waikato region’s most popular attraction, attracting over a millionContinue reading “Hamilton, New Zealand”

June 3, 2021 From the age of eight to thirteen years, Mal lived in the small country town of Cambridge, about two hours drive south of Auckland. At the time it had about five thousand residents but it has grown dramatically since then to over 20,000. It is a lovely town with a decidedly EnglishContinue reading “Cambridge, New Zealand”

May 29, 2021 Our good friends, Louise and Jack, live at the end of the Whangaparoa peninsula (in Maori whanga means bay and paroa means whale), just north of Auckland. Their house sits on a hillside with incredible views over Okoromai Bay toward Rangitoto. After a scrumptious lunch, we went for a walk on aContinue reading “Whangaparoa, New Zealand”

May 27, 2021 Today’s walk was a rather nostalgic one for Mal. First, we visited K.S. Thompson Ltd., the picture framing business owned by Mal’s sister, Christine, and brother-in-law, Bill. Along with a number of our friends, we both worked there on a number of occasions when we were at university. So if you areContinue reading “Auckland, New Zealand”

May 29, 2021 Marcus and Vasu picked us up and we drove around the harbour to Petone. We walked along Jackson Street, lined with shops and cafes. There were even shops catering directly to the Dutch and British. Some of the stores were more colorful than others. We have previously mentioned how old banks areContinue reading “Wellington, New Zealand”

May 20-21, 2021 In our last post we were climbing Mt. Wellington. In this post we are actually in Wellington, New Zealand’s capital. Arriving after a short flight from Auckland, we went for a stroll along the streets that we walked over thirty years ago when we were both fresh out of university and workingContinue reading “Wellington, New Zealand”

May 19, 2021 We have been on a quest to summit all of the great peaks of Auckland. So far we have climbed One Tree Hill (Maungakiekie), Mt. Eden (Maungawhau), Mt. Hobson (Ohinerau) and North Head (Maungauika). Today, we climbed Mt. Wellington (Maungarei). It is the youngest onshore volcano of the Auckland region, having formedContinue reading “Auckland, New Zealand”

May 13, 2021 From the hustle and bustle of downtown Auckland, it’s just a short ferry ride across the harbour to the laid-back suburb of Devonport. There has not been the same amount of development there as in many other parts of Auckland and many of the original villas and bungalows remain. In a wayContinue reading “Auckland, New Zealand”

May 12, 2021 Today we circumnavigated Mt. Eden (Maungawhau), taking the streets surrounding the volcano. With their larger houses and established trees, the neighborhoods reminded us of some of the Washington DC neighborhoods that we have explored. One of the largest of the houses is Tibbs House, a boarding establishment for boys attending neighboring AucklandContinue reading “Auckland, New Zealand”

May 10, 2021 On a drizzly day we walked downtown to the Aotea Centre to pick up some tickets for the upcoming Auckland Writers Festival. The Centre is Auckland’s largest performing arts and events venue. Opened in 1990, it is not a particularly loved building. First, due to poor acoustics, the main auditorium required aContinue reading “Auckland, New Zealand”