Don’t Skip: Rotorua, New Zealand
Intro to Rotorua Located on New Zealand’s North Island, a 2-3 hour drive south of Auckland, Rotorua is an established attraction for visitors. The town is located on the southern shore of Lake Rotorua and is part of the Taupo Volcanic Zone. We’d been warned that it might be more “touristy” than we typically like, […]
Don’t Skip: Invercargill and New Zealand’s Southland
Intro to New Zealand’s Southland Region From the Catlins in the East to Fiordland in the West, New Zealand’s Southland region is a land of rugged coastline, rolling plains, towering cliffs and ancient glaciers. It’s a nature-lover’s paradise, filled with opportunities to hike, bike and just plain get lost. Though Fiordland can be considered its […]
Triple M: Lamb Chop Mecca
For those of you who have visited New Zealand I think you will agreed with the title of this post. Here in the US, on many a menu you will find listed “New Zealand Lamb Chops.” While often very good, you have to remember that they at bare minimum have made a 13hr flight from […]
Weekly Photo Challenge: Renewal
This unfurling New Zealand fern, or koru, is a perfect representation of “Renewal.” The koru, Maori for “spiral” or “loop,” symbolizes growth, strength and peace, as well as new life. It’s often used in Māori art as a symbol of creation. The shape conveys a feeling of perpetual motion, while the inner coil curving […]
Throwback Thursday: Round The World Slideshow
Below is our photo montage from our first RTW trip in 2008-09. I’m hoping to inspire myself to get to work on a video from our latest trip. We hope you all enjoy the show!
The Coromandel
Why head back to the city so soon when we could have one more pretty drive in the country? We spent our last day-and-a-half on the Coromandel Peninsula, exploring hidden beaches and camping by a stream. We passed artist’s studios, pristine beaches and inviting forests. It was a great way to wrap up the New […]
Waitomo
Though we were sorely tempted to join in some caving, abseil, blackwater rafting adventures in Waitomo, time and money were short, so we opted for a long walk followed by a leisurely tour of the Glowworm Cave. The cave was known by Maori long before any Europeans had been there. The guide was entertaining, and the […]
Rotorua: Thermal City, Land of Smoke and Steam
Rotorua Population-wise Rotorua is a big city (over 70,000 or so). We were advised it might seem overly commercial for our liking, but we wanted to experience the often talked about geothermal area that’s still bubbling, spouting and boiling away. The area is also very special in Maori history, and today there are many cultural […]
Taupo
After our Alpine Crossing we needed a day of taking it easy, so we head to the thermal pools near Taupo. I had a very relaxing mud wrap and massage while Donny tried to catch me in the book we’re trying to finish, The Penguin History of New Zealand by Michael King. It’s a great, […]
Tongariro Alpine Crossing
From a base in Ohakune (carrot capital of NZ, and a huge ski and snoboarding center in winter), we did an amazing 19.4k walk called the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, in Tongariro National Park. The full trek is multi-day, but this full-day hike was plenty for us, with some steep terrain heading up and an even […]