This is our last blog post before we start the homeward journey. March 13-14, 2023 We’ve been up to the Whangarei area for a couple of days. The main route here is still partially closed due to cyclone damage. We were able to take a slightly faster route than the Read more
March 7-11 The last few days have seen us in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand, where Frances grew up. Known as windy Wellington, it did not disappoint. It is extremely walkable, with lots of hills, which keeps locals fit. We enjoyed connecting with long time friends, Deb and Read more
Sunday, March 5, 2023 We cleaned up and checked out of our PurePod and met Greg at the road for a drive into town. We had a wee time before our ferry to Ulva Island, so we had a stroll around Oban, dropped our backpacks off at the Stewart Island Read more
Thursday, March 2 This morning we woke up in Invercargill and found ourselves a coffee at the local aquatic center. The cafe was called the Liquid Cafe – get it? We left most of our luggage with Dorothy at the motel and called Helen, the cab driver who transported us Read more
Today we drove from Whangarei to Auckland by way of the Sculptureum in Matakana. The drive took about 3.5 hours, more than normal because of a detour due to road closures and general roadwork to clean up storm slips and to repair roads. It was a gorgeous day. Matakana is Read more
Sunday, February 26 We spent a lazy morning at our kitchen table and then drove over to Frances’ niece Lizzy for a family lunch. The lunch was one of Lizzy’s legendary ones. Everything homemade and most of it homegrown. Lovely to have the opportunity for extended conversation and catching up. Read more
We made it! We left Detroit just as an ice storm was descending – we hear that power is still not restored to many. Our flight to Los Angeles was quite turbulent, reflecting perhaps the passage of the wintry storm across the US. Not quite as fresh as we began, Read more
It’s hard to believe but the NZ Escape is drawing to a close. I’m sitting in Air New Zealand’s Auckland Koru Lounge waiting on my flight to Los Angeles. The retail stores at the airport are still closed but Duty Free is open, which is encouraging. NZ has just opened Read more
The days are full, and I am tired at the end of them. Catching up today, Sunday, but the farm chores don’t take a weekend off. On Thursday I drove to Whangarei, about an hour away, to meet my friend, Lesley, for lunch. Lesley and I met in our early Read more
Yesterday was a gorgeous sunny day here. I spent part of the morning finishing my report and set off with Helen (who had already done more than a day’s work milking cows and feeding lots of little animals) to do some farmwork. The latter is like housework, never complete. A Read more