Just a quick update on earthquake and tsunami events today. There is no need to worry about us. We are a long distance from the quakes and the only impact on us was to shake the bed enough to awaken Jim at 2:27 AM. He checked TV1 and Radio NZ Read more…
When the alarm sounded at 6 am, one of us did suggest that we just rollover and forget it. One of the advantages of marriage is that two people are not always of the same mind. So …… we got up and made the hour-long drive (pre-shower, but after coffee) Read more…
The penguins continued to elude us today, as did the dolphins, but we got some great views. We woke early to get to the Roaring Bay penguin hide soon after sunrise, but we only saw a Sea Lion and a pup and a trawler. This is our 3rd time at Read more…
Our first full day in the Catlins. The name Catlins comes from the Catlins River, named after a whaling captain, Edward Catlin (sometimes spelled Cattlin), who purchased a block of land beside the Catlins River in 1840 from a local Māori chief. It was a sometimes chilly and sometimes warmer day today, depending on how much we were in Read more…
We took one long last look at Lake Wanaka this morning and then packed the car and headed south. We pretty much followed the Clutha River south (we think of it as ‘Our River’), through Cromwell, Clyde, Alexandra, Roxburgh to Balclutha and then to where it flows into the Pacific Read more…
Last day in Wanaka, and the weather has turned a bit. Today we have had some strong gale winds. The temperature is quite pleasant. We took a quick drive on the Mt. Aspiring Road round to Glendhu Bay (on Lake Wanaka) and then walked a bit along the track. The Read more…
We had a little snafu with the blog site. Thank you to Fleur for giving us a heads up. The NZ tech team (Jim) has resolved the problem after a lengthy chat with the Indian team who supports the site host. There is no doubt that this is an international Read more…
A hot, hot day in Wanaka today (90 oF, 32oC). We had planned to get desperately needed haircuts today, but we changed our mind and set out for Cromwell mid-morning, in all our shagginess. Cromwell is about an hour’s drive south of Wanaka, at the 45th parallel – just a Read more…
We woke to another day in paradise…. Across the lake is the Rippon winery. We can see the vineyards from our kitchen window. Today, we decided to visit the Cellar and taste their wine. We wanted to earn it, so we walked half-way around Lake Wanaka and then climbed the Read more…
COVID Update: Auckland will move (down) to level 2 at midnight tonight and the rest of New Zealand will move (down) to level 1 at the same time. We continue to be inspired by the swift response of the NZ Government, the excellent public communication, and the consistent messaging. Today Read more…