2/27/2012 Spent the day in Auckland bumming around (shopping). We enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Campbells. Hugh donned his Scottish apron and prepared the night’s meal of gurnard.fish. Fried to golden brown, it was so very……..tasty. 2/28/2012 By mid-morning Trampers 4 were ready to drive north along the East Coast to Mangonui. We stopped for a picnic lunch at Waipu Cove (East Coast, Pacific Ocean) about 2 hours north of Auckland. When we reached KeriKeri, Robyn (at the wheel), drove down to the waterfront to show us the spot where the first mission settlers arrived. We then continued north, arriving in Mangonui where the Campbell’s friends, Margaret and Graeme live. They treated us to a delicious dinner of Moroccan lamb stew. Their house, situated on a bluff, overlooks the inner harbour of Doubt ... read more

2/25/2012 Note,,, this entry comes with a grammer disclaimer. Trampers 4 up bright and early making their way to I-Site. Robyn has the beautiful Routeburn Track (linking Mt. Apiring Nat. Park with Fiordland Nat. Park) blazed in her brain as a must do. We get the map and set out from QT to Glenorchy, 50km. northwest of QT. After passing thru Glenorchy, the paved road gave way to gravel. But that wasn’t the worst…grinding on further we confronted quick sand, rocky, flooded streams, pot holes, and gray dust. Our little, red Camray did just fine until the last ford. John checked the under carriage, and proclaimed a NO GO for the Camray, a 4 wheel drive vehicle was the only answer. So…..we made the call to back up. In retreat, we headed back toward Glenorchy, to ... read more

2/23/2012 Rain, rain and more rain, but warm and no breeze. Despite the weather we cut our lunch and drove off to the popular Kawarau Gorge bungy jump ‘entertainment’ center. We emphasize ‘entertainment’ because we happened upon a ‘stark naked female bungy jumper’ who was nonchalantly ‘taking THE plunge. The general response was surprise, disbelief and polite acceptance … our only question to the management was “Does this happen often?” Back in the car we drove on thru’ the rain to the celebrated Gibbston Valley Winery and Cheesery . This is a regular tour bus stop and tho’ only being mid morning, business was pulsing. Gibbston Valley Winery posts to the world ….. 12 (top shelf) bottles to USA, cost... read more

2/21/12 Awoke in Christchurch. We were not near the earthquake devastation area. In the late morning, we made our way to the airport and boarded our plane to Queenstown, the jewel in the crown of the Southern Alps. After arriving in QT, we managed to squeeze in a short tramp along Tobin’s track in nearby rustic Arrowtown. With the benefit of long daylight hours we were able to then drive onto Coronet Peak (about 5000 ft.). This local ski resort attracts huge crowds of skiers in the winter season. At this strategic vantage point (Coronet Peak) we were mesmerized by a spectacular panoramic view of Lake Wakatipu and Lake Hayes. As a bonus, we watched paragliders as they launched from the ed... read more

2/19/2012 Got an early start on today’s travels. On the west coast, we headed south for Tauranga Bay to take in the Seal Colony .. maori name kekeno …. Male seals 200 kgs, mature after 8 years, whereas females half this weight and mature in half the time. Seals are known to travel long distances to their rookeries i.e. South Australia and the Chatham Islands. Also took in the local light house at Cape Fowlwind which was named by Captain Cook in 1772. It was so named because of the treacherous conditions. Next attraction was the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki some 70 kms south of Westport. Enroute we encountered a superman. A Taiwanese national biking New Zealand and looking for love. Not happening so far. We offered to snap his pic ... read more