Blogs from New Zealand, Oceania - page 2148

As you could probably understand already, Abel Tasman park is by the sea. So why not look at it also from the sea? So we took a 2-day group tour. In the first day we kayaked. We started paddling to the Tonga island where they have a seal breeding colony, and again we were amazed by the baby seals that simply love performing in front of us. Then we paddled along the beautiful shore, to Musquito bay beach for lunch (Surprisingly, I got biten by a bee there, not just by musquitoes). They provided pretty good lunch, and long time for sun bathing. Ain't life good??? After lunch we continued to paddle and the guide took us into a river that goes to the sea there. It was really nice. It was amazing how the water ... read more

Hi All, Spent the last week in Wellington, which as I heard, is very similar to San Francisco. It's quite quaint and charming and sits both on the water and in the hillsides. It was great to luxuriate in the hotel with Trisha. We had fun! I didn't take too many pictures there because I spent most of the week in the downtown area. And now, the unthinkable has happened... I left my laptop at a friend's house in Welly while I am on my Kiwi Experience. I feel okay so far. But I've only been gone one day... So, I have commenced my Kiwi Experience trip and am spending my first night in Nelson. I took a bunch of photos sailing into the Marlborough Sounds but since I am on the hostel computer, I am ... read more

Hellooo!! Tis Rach B here, have been a bit slack about writing these long and winding passgaes, that tell you just how much time we have on our hands now that we're not working!!! Anyhoo, we're back together now, which is cool, because now when we both eat cake and ice cream, we don't feel so guilty. A couple of days after Rach F's red jump suit moment, I too donned the super figure enhancing garb and I think I might have fallen out of the plane actually, not jumped. But that's merely a detail. Unlike Rach, who got to see her fellow passengers fall out of the plane before it was her turn, I got to go first. Lucky me. I do have photos and a dvd (and a t-shirt...yeah I got everything), and will ... read more

Dearest friends and family, Hello from Napier, Art Deco capital of the world!! I will mercifully spare you accounts of my travel because nothing really uncomfortable has happened yet, and we all know that stories about nasty occurences make for better entertainment. I have, however, left Te Nikau retreat. :-( The weather cleared up beautifully last week and it was how I imagined Hawaii would be like. I should have some awesome pictures in a bit, once the English gal Claire (who hates beetroots, sushi, hummus, spicy stuff, couscous, etc, thus giving merit to the stereotype that Brits -- hi, Roger -- don't like anything remotely exotic and tend to baby their palates with the usual grey-colored cuisine their ancestors have ground into their culture) e-mails me the photos she took with her camera. If ... read more

Our start in New Zealand was a good one. The airport in Auckland is set in a lovely watery location and there are some nice shops awaiting. Then when you get through customs there is a stand offering free coffee and tea (Denise was overjoyed!). Funny how first impressions count. We headed straight for the campervan rental office in the airport with a view to hiring a van for a week or so. Unfortunately all the vans were already hired out "but there is one", the attendant said "but we don´t normally hire it out!" This appealed to Denise´s maternal instincts so we said we would take it! We couldn't pick it up until the next day so we booked ourselves in to a Best Western Hotel nearby. Just before the sun set I (Gerry) went ... read more

Hey everyone...I'm not sure if this will be a repeat blog as I started a blog today but ran out of time waiting for the photo's to download so I cancelled the blog...BUT Aunt Marja responded to the Thailand news (thank-you for the note!) already so...if this is a repeat blog, I apologize!! So...as you've probably gathered I am heading off to Thailand April 2-28th. I am flying into Bankok and will be leaving from Phuket. I am getting excited about heading there...tomorrow I get my shots and malaria pills so that should be a fun day!! I have no set plans for the trip which I was told is the best way to travel when in Thailand...wish me luck! As for what's been going on here in Dunedin...not a whole lot. I've been doing a ... read more