Blogs from Auckland, North Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 3

Leaving Paihia, we dawdled down the beautiful coast back to Auckland. All along the coast are wonderful vistas either at. sea level or from the heights above, and the coast is replete with wide sandy beaches and crystal-clear waters. As in all places in New Zealand, tramping trails abound. We took some time working our way back to Auckland, since we had little desire to do anything there other than see the wonderful museum with its Maori treasures. The Auckland Museum surmounts a hill in the large park called the Auckland Domain, occupying an old volcanic crater. The park includes tree-lined drives, walking trails, and a glass-enclosed botanical garden, and occupies 75 hectares (185 acres) just southeast of the main downtown area of Auckland. The park was established in 1843, and the Auckland War Memorial Museum ... read more

Málokdo z nás Čechů by si pomyslel, že na tak vzdáleném místě jako je Nový Zéland by mohlo existovat místo osídlené našimi předky. A opravdu je tomu tak. V 19. století se nedaleko Aucklandu usídlili Češi z okolí Plzně a sudetských oblastí. Dostali zde půdu, která však byla dost nehostinná a tak osada dostala název Puhoi ("bahno, bláto"). I tak si to tu vychvalovali a lákali sem své příbuzné a známé, aby sem také přijeli. Po krátké zastávce v Puhoi jsme jeli obdivovat krásy Aucklandu, největšího novozélandské města. Dominantu města tvoří věž zvaná Skytower měřící 328 m. Kam jinam bych se tedy měla jít podívat, vždyť přeci vůbec nemám strach z výšek a prosklených podlah :-). Ten výhled opravdu stojí za to, co myslíte? Konečně se po nějaké době můžu pochlubit fotkou nějakého jídla. Doposud jsem ... read more

We will land in 2 hours. I have been on the road (or in the air) for twenty-seven hours now. The Pacific Crossing is always bumpy but the Captan was avoiding a cyclone and we rocked and rolled for hours. I treated myself to Business Class and am I ever glad. I was given Star Lounge privileges and spent my six hour lay over nursing a glass of wine, too tired to eat. They had a large buffet and the folks were sure enjoying it. By the time I boarded in LA, I was almost comatose so I skipped the drink and the meal a snuggled into my flat bed. I got a good eight hours sleep despite the rough ride. I may not get to do it again but I was sure glad I did ... read more

I've had some emotions yesterday. I arrived, was completely and utterly exhausted, and started thinking about my situation. I already missed my family and friends, and I didn't know what to do with myself. They are half a world and a few timezones away; when I'm awake, they are asleep, and that doesn't make anything easier. I felt very much alone - even though I know it's ridiculous. After all, I'm staying in a room full of people going through the exact same thing as me. Today we had our first workshop, and that rekindled my excitement to be here. After that, we went out for lunch; we went to a pizza place, and I had some beer. I couldn't help but think of the last time I had pizza and beer - Sunday evening before ... read more

18th August 2019 So we landed back in Auckland after spending 12 days in Australia, celebrating quitting our jobs with no next job in sight!! We decided that we didn't want to pay for a camp site as we wouldn't be arriving until after midnight and wouldn't be able to get our moneys worth (already getting into the tight traveller mindset). Luckily we found a "freedom" campsite about 40 minutes from the airport at Onewhero domain. This proves difficult when you are not self contained in NZ and because our van is so tiny, and we didn't want to sacrifice bed space for a portable toilet, we need to find campsites with toilet facilities..... This was going to be a limitation over the next 5 months but i still stand by our design! The next challenge ... read more