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The Kauri is the Symbol of New Zealand’s Northland

The Kauri is the Symbol of New Zealand’s Northland

If there is one symbol of all of the North Island New Zealand places I’ve been on this trip, it would be the Kauri tree. This tree shaped the country and made the economy and determined what people did when they first arrived here. It’s a sad story of timber […]

Celebrating a 60th with a Rockin’ House Party in Coromandel Town

I drove and drove, up and around, past stunning vistas, past thousands of cows and hundreds of grazing white tailed deer, past mirrors that showed the other side, and around hairpin curves and long sweeping straight-aways…. I had set out from Matakana and drove right past the big metropolis of […]

A Bone Carver Living His Dream in Omapere

A Bone Carver Living His Dream in Omapere

On my last morning in Omapere, I visited a man who I had heard about on the motorboat over to the Dunes. His name is Jim Taranaki and he’s happy to be doing what he loves, every day, and sharing his art with visitors who come see him in his […]

The Father of the Forest Deserves a Moment of Silence

We sat in silence, in awe, of what might be the world’s biggest tree, standing before us in the moonlight in a deep dark forest called Waipoua. This was Te Manua Ngahere, the Father of the Forest, the oldest known Kauri tree which started as a tiny seed 4000 years […]

Jumping Out of a Motorboat, Into a Dune Buggy

Jumping Out of a Motorboat, Into a Dune Buggy

Some of my favorite moments in travel are when I feel like Bond. James Bond. The movies are always set in exotic locations, and he always checks into swank hotels, with his tuxedo ready for a night at the casino, that inevitably will turn into an exciting chase and battle […]

“They Never Taught Us This,” She Said, With Tears in her Eyes

“They Never Taught Us This,” She Said, With Tears in her Eyes

“This isn’t part of the tour. You paid to take a trip on the boat and listen to me talk, but you didn’t pay for this part,” Hone told us this as he stood in the back of the long Waka, the traditional boats used in the South Pacific.  I […]

Looking up at Kauri Trees, Sailing the Glittering Coast

Looking up at Kauri Trees, Sailing the Glittering Coast

The day was on the water for the most part, but earlier, I drove the winding roads, past grazing sheep and logging trucks to an amazing spot some people from Sydney told me about on the dinner cruise…the Manginangina Kauri Walk, a forest preserve full of ancient trees. The Kauri […]

Being a Tourist in the Bay of Islands Isn’t Half Bad

Being a Tourist in the Bay of Islands Isn’t Half Bad

But Chip, we ARE tourists! Fred McMurray said this on an episode of “My Three Sons” when the family was on a European vacation. My job as a travel writer often takes me places that on the face of it, are pretty touristy, but again and again, I find I’m […]

Old Towne Orange: A Small Town Filled with Treasures

Old Towne Orange: A Small Town Filled with Treasures

On Saturday morning I discovered a part of Orange County much different from the concrete jungle and massive structures laced with freeways that makes up much of Anaheim. We drove a little west to the small townish Old Towne Orange, where the small municipality is dominated by a circle. Everything […]

Mighty Anaheim Boasts Two Pro Teams…and Wants More

Mighty Anaheim Boasts Two Pro Teams…and Wants More

I landed at LAX and walked right out into the sunshine, and soon was zooming east on the 105 freeway headed toward Anaheim.  This city has some distinctions that are surprising for its size and it has one of the most iconic tourist attractions in the US, Disneyland, where more […]

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