We met Blair Anderson from Waimarino Adventure Park and Kayak tours and proceeded in a van pulling four kayaks to Lake McLaren. It was getting dark, and that was good–we were there for a moonlight kayak and a chance to see the glow worms light up the inside of a […]
In the busiest day of our seven-day trip here to the North Island, we met Mere Mollard-Wharepapa, who guided us up her favorite playground, the legendary Mount Maunganui. This bulb-shaped mountain is located at the end of the sweeping Bay of Plenty, and is green all the way ’round. Sheep […]
We joined Geoff Brown, Managing Director of the Longridge Fun Park for a spin on a jetboat up the Kiatuna river this morning. These 385 horsepower machines spin on a dime, and draw only about six inches of water. Both sides of this spring fed river were lined with prolific […]
Rebecca Crosby showed us around her family’s business today, and at age 24, she’s got a full plate. Rebecca runs the Papamoa Beach Top 10 Holiday Resort, here on the beach on the east coast of the North Island. We talked with Rebecca and her grandmum Thelma, a charming woman […]
Last night in Auckland we joined Gerry and Sally our hosts for a dinner in their home with some of their friends. John, a local painter, was there, along with another couple, Alan and Eileen. Alan works at the big Sky One tower, in finance, and Eileen is a therapist […]
Auckland harbor was the perfect place to set sail yesterday, with a stiff wind and sunshine all over. At home it’s about 5 degrees, so we are not missing much. Off to Papamoa today, a three-hour drive to the coast.
On the ferry over to Devonport, a peninsula about 15 minutes from downtown Auckland, the wind was whipping even though the sun was shining brightly. I knew that would bode well on my next excursion….sailing on an America’s Cup boat out in Auckland harbor with Sail New Zealand. I didn’t […]
The Sky City tower dominates Auckland’s skyline, and at night during Cup Week the spire is lit up with green and red spotlights. Wherever we are in Auckland we can see this giant tower.
We joined Sarah Keenan and Melissa Prentice for dinner at the Jervois Steak House on Ponsonby Road last night. These two women are media reps for NZ Tourism and Auckland Tourism, and they told us about their lives here in Auckland, the battle over Marmite versus Vegemite, and what it […]
With no scheduled meetings or sites we have to see, we were free to explore Ponsonby Road and the California-like neighborhood where we are staying. There are many small bungalows and stately early 1900s era buildings, and cool cafes and shops along this main thoroughfare. Before we set out, Proprietor […]
We took the long flight last night from LAX to Auckland. Air New Zealand did not disappoint, business class was just as much fun and as comfy as we had hoped for. My friend Johnny Jet told me on the phone before we left that he had one of the […]
Our day in Marina del Rey began with a walk. A marathon walk all around the marina, we basked in the bright sunlight that has eluded us so long in our New England home. We walked and walked, and talked about our idea to come out here in February and […]