Blogs from Gisborne, East Coast, North Island, New Zealand, Oceania

Gisborne is best wel een gezellig stadje met enkele heel grote winkelstraten. Het is de moeite om rond te lopen in Muirs bookshop. De oudste boekenwinkel van de stad. Op de 2e verdieping kan je koffie drinken en brownie's eten! Na wat rondslenteren kwamen we opnieuw een boekenshop tegen, dit was misschien wel de 2e oudste van de stad...in elk geval was het een bizar winkeltje. De rekken stonden overvol met oude boeken. Ik kocht een boekje uit 1900 voor $2.00! Poëzie van Lord Byron. Dit zou je in België niet vinden! We zagen heel veel oude boeken, eerste drukwerken van bekende schrijvers (boeken die meer dan 200 jaar oud waren en in goede staat) voor slechts $2.00! Dju toch! Waarom is het zo duur om iets op te sturen naar België?? Vanuit Gisborne reden we ... read more

Deze rit vanuit het dichtbijzijnde stadje duurt een goeie 2 uur! En je rijdt bijna volledig op ongeasfalteerde wegen – dus een 4x4 is hier niet mis -. Lake Wakaremoana is één van de mooiste meren dat we hier in dit land al gezien hebben. Het is heel groot! Je kan het meer in 3 dagen wandelen (the great walk/de grote wandeling). Wij waren ook 3 dagen rondom het meer maar hebben wat kleinere wandelingen gedaan (dagwandelingen). Een must do voor korte wandelingen zijn de watervallen, Lou's Lookout want daar heb je een prachtig zicht over het meer, the Rata walk (de grootste en oudste boom van dit district) en een bootje huren om te roeien op het hoger gelegen meertje is ook heel leuk om te doen! Je hebt rondom het meer een 3 tal ... read more

Opa opa opa!!! Como estamos todos nós?? Como entramos nesse novo ano?? A vida sorri?? Esperamos que sim!!!!! = !!!! Sim, sim, essas últimas 3 semanas foram bem corridas e interessantes!!!!! Depois de nossas 6 semanas de vida boa em Mount Maunganui, o bolso começou a ficar mais vazio e infelizmente não era porque tinha um furo, era porque não tínhamos trampo mesmo!!!!! Demônios alados!!! Então tomamos a difícil decisão de abandonar aquela vidinha "complicada" e seguir viagem para terras distantes, com frutos e especiarias exóticas, ciclopes e unicórnios!!! E para lá fomos!! Partimos para Napier, uma cidade que fica em Hawke's Bay, costa leste da Nova Zelândia. Chegamos numa segunda e fomos para um albergue, o Toad Hall Backpackers, nos alocamos e fomos dar um rolézinho de leve para ver a cara da cidade!! Bom, ... read more

Hi thereall-----------first time so still learning so will keep news short it raining at present and going to be the same for next 3 days and is getting cold.We have been travelling Australia for last 2 years but at present home in Gisborne.Have a happy day,Jeff... read more

We gave this name to the blog because its Maori translation, Whakatane, is the name of a place that we passed through on our 3-day trip to the east coast. The name arises from an 800-yr old tale in which a young woman did the man’s work of steering a huge Maori canoe to shore, thereby saving everyone from great peril at sea... (N) At the start of the month, I had a company conference on nearby Waiheke Island for a couple of days. It was a mix of work and play, including a treasure hunt by car one afternoon, which was as cheesy as it sounds. We were split into teams and had to carry out odd or just generally compromising tasks, such as building a raft, getting photographed on a nudist beach and persuading ... read more

We are starting to get excited, as we start to count down to our departure and getting all the preparations in place. Starting to write lists, gathering useful things together and reading about our planned travels in more detail. The next couple of months are going to be very busy with our work, and other committments all demanding lots of our attention. So the time will go fast, and I think there will be a huge sigh of relief when we first hop on the plane. I have just looked at what we will need to do to get our call committments sorted out. Likely we will have to be on call for most of the weekdays of three weeks to make up for our time away. ... read more

Weds 9th Jan: Changes buses again today as Chris and I are heading to the East Cape. we drove along through many coastal villages and beaches along the very scenic Highway 35 to Maraehako Bay retreat, the most amazing seafront accomodation. After checking in we went for a walk along the rocks and onto the beach to take a few photos. We were having a group meal so we all contributed and enjoyed dinner with a few drinks. We sat around a huge fire for the remainder of our evening. Our driver, Jason, got out his guitar and provided our entertainment for the evening. Most people crashed around 2300 but Lou and I stayed up chatting to some others who'd joined us by the fire. Made it to bed around 0100 and have an early start, ... read more