Mags50

Two weeks into being in Port de Pollensa (part 2 of the career break) and we have been walking and discovering Mallorca in the 30 degree heat! First up Castell del Rei This Moorish castle was always supposed to be inaccessible to invaders, but for over a decade private land closure has done that job! Fortunately nowadays, with a permit requested some days before the hike, you can re-discover a truly fabulous stretch of northern Mallorca. The walk climbs gently through oak and pine forest eventually reaching the castle 490m above sea level. Founded by the Moors and strengthened by Jaume I, this was the last fortress to surrender to Pedro of Aragon when the brief-lived kingdom of Mallorca came to an end. The castle has been abandoned since 1715. The solitude of the Ternelles valley ... read more

Tiritiri Matangi is an island in the Hauraki Gulf. Tiritiri Matangi, meaning "tossed by the wind", is an open scientific reserve managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC) and supporters. Open sanctuary status allows up to 170 ferry passengers daily from Wednesday to Sunday. You can also stay on the island overnight in the bunkhouse. We went for the day. On arrival shoes and bags need to be checked for seeds and pests. There are no rats or hedgehogs on the island and planting is strictly controlled. First time visitors are taken on a guided walk over beach, forest and grasslands to view the abundant birdlife in the area. Birds rarely found in other parts of NZ such as the stitchbird, brown teal, takahe, saddleback, kakariki and whitehead are so abundant here that some are being ... read more

Northland: Paihia- Maori meaning place of many pas (hill forts). Once there were many tribal wars. Every time blood was spilt, the tribes left the pa to find another. While built for defence, the main function of most pā was for the safe storage of food in pits, especially kumara, a sweet potato. They would dry out the kumara and bury it, then as they travelled they could always source food. These days Paihia is a bustling tourist town, with a ferry to Russell. the old capital of NZ, population of 2000 which rises to 70, 000 in the summer months. Paihia is the gateway to the Bay of islands and Cape Reinga, the very top of the North island. Russell, these days is a sleepy small town with around 1000 people. It has an interesting ... read more

The Cruise: All cruises are famous for the food- no less this one. Glad to say we managed to eat and drink a lot in the seven days. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food was good. Now we're back in NZ and eating much less! Each day we had an itinerary crated by the hospitality manager, Florian. Usually a visit to the beach to swim, snorkel and laze around and some sort of cultural visit as well. At night the entertainment was always singing and sometimes the Meke, singing and dancing. The first place we went to to practice snorkelling was a cay- literally a small area of gorgeous sand temporarily out of the water for a few hours before the high tide covered it up. There was quite a swell, and, not being used to ... read more

Villages: Bula! (Hello!) We went to several villages on the cruise. To attend church, visit a school and have a feast We were asked to respect the culture by dressing modestly, covering shoulders and legs (to below the knee). Every visit included lots of singing and dancing and usually a handicraft market- at which we bought some lovely shell and coconut gifts (Neiria bought a rather fetching ankle bracelet) then we worried about bringing then back through biological security in New Zealand (you simply declare it). Everywhere you go, even on the ship there was the traditional "Sevusevu" ceremony, where like the Maori culture you are welcomed to the village declaring you come in peace. The appointed Western chief presents the kava which is a root of the pepper tree or yaqona to the village chief ... read more

Easter has arrived in Waiheke along with it an influx of tourists. Lots of people own houses around these parts which they only use for weekends like these. And what a weekend, the temperature on the beach is ideal, around 24 degrees, a cooling zephyr and warm sea water make this the ideal beach time of year, better even than summer. The boats from Auckland line up in the bay and people pile into little dinghies to access the beach. And what a beach (see even more photoes of it!) A place to really be in the moment, full of mindfulness. Autumn's here and the cicadas have stopped singing. It's also cooler at night- around 15 degrees. The nights are fair drawing in! It's dark at half past six, just as well we've got Tunein radio ... read more

New Plymouth:: Taranaki There's so much to do for visitors to New Plymouth and Taranaki and yet because it is a terminus, the end of a line- west coast of the North island, many tourists don't go. The weather was brilliant for the 3 days we spent here. Day one was spent on the coastal walkway that runs for 10 km stretching from the Port to Bell Block. We headed off past the port to climb Paritutu, one of the spines of lava pushed up from a volcano, then hit the sea quite literally in a lifeboat sailed by Happy Chaddy to explore the other two spines at sea : the Sugar Loaf islands dated to 1.75 million years. Paritutu proved too much for me, the stairs end and a rope guides your climb to the ... read more

We headed to Auckland on the 16th of March to join in with the fun and festivities of the Volvo Ocean Race, currently located till Sunday 18th March in Auckland, Teams from NZ, France, USA, United Arab Emirates, Spainand China are taking part in the round the world race, stopping off in the aforementioned countries along the way, and no expense has been spared to let the public join in with entertainment set up in the Rce village in the viaduct harbour. Most of it was wasted on me, but I did enjoy looking at the yachts, wow some of them must cost the earth! and the slant on teaching people about the need to clean up the seas, or as they put it, providing recycling and waste solutions. We have already noticed the huge push ... read more