Before giving an update of our travels on the South Island, I want to share some information on traveling in NZ in general. As I'm sure you already know, it is a rugged and sparsely populated country. Our plan was to spend most of our time on the South Island (least populated), but that plan has changed somwhat. Because of the topography and population roads are limited. On the South Island there is a main road running down each side of the island and a few roads connecting the east and west sides in key places. If you change your travel plan, you may need to backtrack – there is no alternative route. Almost all roads are 2 lane. Heading into Christchurch with a population of 373,000 it only becomes divided highway (still 2 lane) about ... read more

We had an uneventful trip to San Francisco where we met our grandniece Paige. After 3 movies, several cat naps and 13 hours we landed in Auckland, NZ. We flew on Air New Zealand which has very nice service and excellent food. Reminded me of the service we had on Air France when we went to Italy in 2001. We let San Francisco at 7:45 PM on Dec. 31, they served champagne to everyone when the plane was in the time zine for midnight. We then landed at 5:55 AM of Jan. 2 having skipped Jan. 1 completely. The hour change between NZ and NV is only about 4 or 5 hours, but the day is different. How confusing can that be. We picked up our van without any problems. We are not into high visibility ... read more

We are now home. Planned to do a posting when we got to London, but the hotel we were in charged 15 pounds per day for internet which we didn't pay. Most of our other stops were free or charged from 3-6 euro per day so this was a shock. We completed our canal experience on July 15. Overall it was a great experience. Beautiful countryside and fascinating to work the locks. Have lots to share with everyone when we get home. The weather was somewhat less than desirable - in the mid 60's most days, lots of clouds and only a few days with no rain at all. Four days pretty much had rain on and off all day. They provide slickers with the boat so this was not unusual weather. In fact, it explains ... read more

Liverpool has been a lovely surprise. If asked about Liverpool before starting our trip I would have described it as an old, industrial, shipping city and home of the Beatles. Wouldn't have planned to spend much time here. Because it is close to where we get our canal boat it was a good stopover place so added it to our schedule. As I started reading about it in Lonely Planet: England it sounded more intriguing. It has turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. Many old buildings with lots of history and some areas that look neglected, but also a significant urban renewal with a large section of the downtown a large, open walking mall and shopping area and the docks renovated with numerous shops, restaurants and museums. A lot to see. Our first day ... read more

We returned Amsterdam to do a final museum swing through the city before turning in the van and heading to the UK. When we left Assen we headed to Hoenderloo near Appledoorn. There is a national park, De Hoge Veluwe near there that we wanted to visit. This was originally a country estate owned by Anton and Helene Kroller-Muller. They purchased the land in the early 1900's and from the beginning planned that it would be a lasting monument where art and nature are combined. They purchased various parcels of land over the next several years for a total of over 4000 hectares. Most of it maintains its natural appearance of woods, open areas of heath and some sand dunes. The hunting lodge is immense with a landscaped garden and lake near it. In the center ... read more