While I rang in 2014 in New Zealand, an incredible trip well documented on the blog, I spent the rest of the year exploring beautiful places right here in the good old US of A. And, in a year that showed our country’s ugly divisions, I met Americans in … Continue reading
When we arrive at Pete’s Farm in Rangiora, New Zealand, just outside Christchurch, Gaye is the first to greet us. There’s a twinkle in her eye and she shakes our hands warmly. Pete is not far behind with a hearty, “Welcome, Welcome!” He looks like a sheep farmer to me, … Continue reading
The other passengers on the HotBus to Tongariro Crossing ask us if we want to play a game. Tanya and I say, “Sure.” It’s a two-hour ride from Rotorua toward Taupo and it seems like a good way to entertain ourselves. Rachel, originally from New York, but currently living in … Continue reading
I drove on the wrong side of the road and descended into a dark watery cave in an inner tube to see some shiny sh*t. It was fun! First, let me explain the shiny poo part. Going tubing, or blackwater rafting, to see the glowworms in caves at Waitomo is … Continue reading
Our driver, Wallace, is explaining to us that our bus is our canoe, or waka in Maori. The name of our waka is Kiwi. This is important to remember, he says, because if we don’t and we miss our canoe we must “walk-a” home. Wallace has got jokes, but he … Continue reading
Awhitia Mihaere is a true force of nature. We don’t find this out right away. It reveals itself slowly, like the plot in a good mystery, and with each story she tells or life experience she shares. We get a clue when we meet her outside the Auckland Art Gallery … Continue reading
By the end of our Waiheke Island Wine Tour, Tanya and I are tightly hugging our fellow tour-goers and our guide, Wayne. It could be that we are really tipsy or we just really like them. Maybe it’s a little bit of both. When Wayne picked us up from the … Continue reading
Tanya loves our AirBnB home away from home. I’m standing outside of our rented garden apartment with our luggage while she screams, “Oh my God! It’s so cute! It’s so cute!” immovable inside the doorway. She’s like someone who just won the car on the “Price is Right,” unable to … Continue reading