I’m back. Aotearoa .. land of the long White Cloud
My 8th stop in NZ - if I’m counting correct. Not entirely sure.
Wow. Other than Bonaire,, this is the country I have visited the most. I love NZ!
As Bilbo says: I’m going on an Adventure!! … the tag line on my Web site 😊
Only 4 of my visits to NZ have been big adventures.. the others just one night stopovers while exploring the South Pacific.
This time around, I visit for a month. Needing some easy living and rest after fast paced world travel and diving. Time to regroup.
I come into NZ from PNG, via Australia… with a big big transfer hassle!!!
I had a visa problem while transiting thru Brisbane. I didn’t properly fill-out the NZ eVisa app and NZ refused my entry…. They don’t trust Americans any more.. times have changed. I didn’t even realize I needed a Visa – WTF!!!
the rules of travel have changed.. I also need an onward travel ticket.. so I got bounced from my NZ flight and spent a unplanned night in Brisbane,,after getting an Australian visa….. another immigration adventure.
After help fixing my NZ eVisa and booking an onward flight to Tonga ... (All that sucked!!!) … And.. a run-in with a Brisbane taxi driver thief!!! not cool. Finally, I'm permitted to travel.
Relax Bruce, no one ever said travel was easy!! .. If it was easy, everyone would do it!!
All in all, a terrible transfer to NZ! Who knew it would be harder to travel to NZ than PNG!!! ☹ ….. I finally arrive in NZ.
First off… An unplanned night in Auckland; downtown. Crowne Plaza, but I know a first rate restaurant on the quay wharf - at my fav gourmet restaurant there; Ortolana. Ahh, NZ is looking better by the second.
Practice my NZ language. A mix of Māori and English slang. Kai Ora – (have a good life)!! Good on ya! Sweet as!! Short Black! (an expresso). Remember to pay your bill at the bar, look around for the water station.
Rent a car (Apex) at the airport. Drive to the Bay of Islands (4hr). Get a hotel in Paihia. Rest-up. Took the ferry to Russell one afternoon. Relaxed place, interesting history, maybe a ‘romantic’ escape someday. The museum and vibe there are cool. Old-time place.
Paihia vibe is cool also. The Bay of Island views a delight. I’ve visited here before. Found a condo rental this time. Good plan, hotels aren’t very good here. Just simple food available, but a good rest stop after PNG.
After a 4-night stay, I drive back to the Auckland airport, return the car. One night at a hotel (Holiday Inn), store my dive gear with them.. and a flight to Wellington. Moving fast again!! ☹
Airport taxi to downtown Welly hotel - easy. The Double tree – ‘sweet as’ - 8 nights of luxury. (other than dive-boats, this is the longest in the same bed for 4+ months … phewww) …Hung out with Mikey and Allison - my friends that live here in Wellington. Their Dual citizens now!! Gourmet dinners and drives around the area ... stopping by their flat. Nothing is better than knowing the locals..
Love love this city. Allison works at a Gallery. Mikey recently retired.
Went to two big sporting events in Wellington. First a Soccer match. 90 minutes; 0-0 score…then Welly scores in extra time and wins!! Crowd went crazy.
Second was a Rugby match. The Hurricanes.. I’m a big fan!! … and my big motivation for visiting Welly. The Hurricanes win!!! Beating the Chiefs. I keep getting better at understanding this game. The teamwork required is unsurpassed by any sport!
I walk the city everywhere, took the cable car and Botanical walk. Once or twice I rented a Beam scooter. Mikey drove me around Miramar peninsula one afternoon .... getting a better feel for the area surrounding Wellington.
Plenty of rest on my stay in Welly .... I worked on my PNG dive photos and updated my web site … also: worked my 2023 taxes.. real life creeping in. hard to live 100% off the grid!
From Welly, I arrange a big road trip of the South Island. My first time there in 14 years.. It’s a trip down memory lane. I visited there with my sons back in 2010; in the dead of NZ winter that visit. We skied the Remarkables, and more!!! A fantastic memory.
Fly to Christchurch from Welly.. rent another car … get a hotel downtown. Novotel. Walked the city for a few nights. Saw the 2024 Christchurch Marathon, visited several Art museums, the Riverwalk Market, the botanical garden, and New Regents street for dinners.
Christchurch is a slow, boring town… but I have fond memories.. The Cathedral .. and the now destroyed tower – I’ve visited here before.
An earthquake hit Christchurch just months (Feb 22,2011) after my sons and I visited. Now, Christchurch is a city reborn.. still rebuilding – but all the crumbled buildings have been demolished and removed.. with new ones rising. They saved as many as possible, so it’s a curious mix of old and new.
Driving onto Tekapo, time for the mountains. Taking 100 photo’s of the Church of the Good Shepard.. iconic. And stargazing with the Dark Sky Project.. up St. Johns Mountain. Just one night .. but an incredibly beautiful place.
Driving on,, I go to Mt. Cook. Book the Hermitage.. High rent.. 2 nights/3 days of adventure. Great views of the mountains.. but not the high-quality Grand Hotel of Tongoraio Chalet in the North Island (now closed). Still, the splurge is worthy.
I hike Hooker Valley Track, towards Mt. Cook and the Tasman Glacier .... and take a Helicopter ride .. Insanely . cool. Definitely the highlight of my Mt. Cook adventure.
Also ... one afternoon, I took the boat ride on Lake Tasman.. touched an iceberg and saw the glacier up close - cool stuff.
Back on the road again ,,, 4 more hours.. I’m in Dunedin. Far far south. The first city of NZ. 2 nights. At the Fable Hotel. Walking downtown. Beautiful churches, and an ok museum. And a cool drive up the Otanga peninsula.. Looking for Albatross and Penguins.. I don’t find them, but the scenery is perfect!
One last driving day .. To Queenstown, another 4 hour drive.. thru beautiful sheep country, NZ is endlessly beautiful.
3 nights in Queenstown. At the Crowne Plaza. Expresso, walk the town, enjoying the great restaurants and bars. I had thought maybe a trip to Milford Sound.. but the long 12hour bus ride tour put me off.. I did that years ago with my sons… and skipped this time around... a little lazy of me :(
So,, first things first - head to Fergburger .. (world famous Epic burgers) .. a required meal while in Queenstown.
And the Remarkable fudge shop .. I buy big selection of fudge and candy .. and Post-it home to Rain!!! 😊 He should like that. An early B’day gift.
Had a fantastic afternoon in the Queenstown gardens.. don’t miss that lakeside walk if you have the time. But, with so may activities.. Normally time in Queenstown is packed. Jet boats, Bungee jumps, hikes, skiing, Milford Sound .. it’s an outdoor paradise.
Time to gas-up return the rental car. Fly back to Auckland.. retrieve my dive gear from the airport Holiday Inn. Terrible hotel food (use Uber Eats instead) .. - but the Hotel stored my dive gear for free.. that was a big-deal. Domestic flights in NZ with extra baggage are not cool, and lugging my dive gear around is not fun!
A month in NZ. I’m at home here. Maybe it should have been 2. Easy and safe. Just feels a little lonely this visit … maybe I can travel here with someone when I return again…
I have another old Blog of NZ.. with better details on the North Island. If you're planning a visit.. check that one out too.
I’d say, there is a 100% chance I return here again. This might be the best country on the planet.. Just a-bit too cold for my thin skin.
So, 1000 visits is the plan.
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