Category Archives: Uncategorized

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”

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”