NZFrance

NZFrance

NZFrance




Europe » Portugal » Northern » Porto February 27th 2022

Over a year since we have been overseas and it was going to be our last opportunity before the little one arrives. We also had to be careful as to not catch Covid and prevent us from getting to Porto, in the end we made it. We booked an airbnb close to the river front and most importantly opposite our daily Pasties de Nata shop! We arrived the Friday to warm sunny weather which stayed with us until we left on Monday. It definitely made the trip more enjoyable especially given it was mid winter! Our first day we enjoyed exploring along the riverfront on both sides. Starting along the Cais de Ribeira where you can sit in the sun, as it's south facing, and order a drink or some food whilst enjoying the river front ... read more
Sao Bento Train Station
View from Camara Municipal do Porto
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Europe » United Kingdom » Wales » Pembrokeshire September 27th 2021

It's always nice being invited to a wedding where you can attach a holiday to. South Wales was the destination. We had been to the Brecon Beacons previously and this time we were able to visit a few more places. We spent the first two days in the Brecon Beacons, one day spent doing a walk up to Sugarloaf hill covered in Brecon and the next day we did a 14km walk around Llyn y Fan Fach and Fan Fawr reservoirs. So far the weather has been pretty decent! We then made our way South to the Gower Peninsula near Swansea for a few days where the wedding was held. Gower is a small area but some nice little spots, one being the Rhosilli coast and beach and Three Cliffs Bay where there are some nice ... read more
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Europe » United Kingdom » England » Devon September 27th 2021

Only 8 years in the UK and Devon will have been the farthest West, along the south coast, that we would have been. We always say we want to get to Cornwall, we will eventually and over the years we are gradually getting there! It also helps that we have our own car! we can finally go to places without having to worry about renting and public transport. We based ourselves at a campsite near Modbury and our first place of visit was Bigbury on Sea/Burgh Island, a tiny island with one fancy hotel and a pub that is accessible by foot only in low tide, or by taking a gigantic tractor like machine with huge wheels when the tide is high. We took a walk to nearby Felicity Bay and back and by then enjoyed ... read more
Hope Cove
Bellever Tor
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Europe » France » Languedoc-Roussillon » Sainte-Enimie September 27th 2021

Who could have predicted a global pandemic that stopped the world as we knew, restricting travelling was a big impact on people, but luckily we had been lucky enough to do so much travelling before. We managed to take advantage of a small travel window and still get out to France for August knowing we would have to isolate for 10 days afterwards which we thought was worth it as we could work from home. We flew in to Montpellier where we hired a car and headed north stopping at places like Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert which is a great little village to shop and have lunch in the court yard with a huge tree and cliffs in the background and not far away is Le Pont du Diable, where you can laze about in the little beach and ... read more
Cirque de Mouzieres
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Central America Caribbean » Cuba » Centro » Trinidad September 27th 2021

Trinidad was again another great place to visit when in Cuba! Cobbled streets, vibrant colours, a short hop away from the beach, brilliant restaurants and even a cave nightclub. We enjoyed the few days that we had left on our holiday in Trinidad. No cars are allowed in the inner city, so walking around the cobbled streets is a pleasure! A very popular restaurant that often has a line out the front is La Botija, we went there twice and I recommend going there at least once. Palacio Cantero, the very obvious iconic tower of Trinidad has a nice view point and is also a museum. We also enjoyed the experience of being in a natural cave nightclub just on the north of the town. As you walk up the hill, various little alcohol stands pave ... read more
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Central America Caribbean » Cuba » Oeste » La Habana February 24th 2020

So I've finally gotten around to doing my blogs, one and a half years later! Thinking back, we were very lucky to have squeezed in a two week trip to Cuba as a global pandemic was forming. A few weeks later and most of the world shut down! So after a while of not doing this blog, my memory is a bit hazy. Our first two nights were spent in Havana, a nice city with a mixture of less than glamorous buildings in dire need of a make over (on the outside but nice on the inside), history and colourful 1950's American cars. Most people will splash out for a city tour in one of these cars but we opted to join the one of the Free walking tours of the city which we tend to ... read more
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Central America Caribbean » Cuba » Oeste » ViƱales February 24th 2020

I don't know what it was that really made me want to go to Cuba, but after many years of holding on to that dream, it finally came! Two weeks is enough to get you to the main west coast hot spots such as Havana, Vinales and Trinidad with maybe another smaller place on the side. We spent the first two nights in Havana and then took the Viazul bus to Vinales. Tourists in Cuba can only use one bus company (Viazul) to get around and with limited routes and limited buses per day, these get booked in advance. If you don't book a bus, the chances of you getting a seat in and out of these hot spots can be very difficult and costly.I had booked our tickets online about a month before. It was ... read more
Tobacco Plantation
Ox Farming
Cigar Making

Middle East » Turkey » Aegean » Pamukkale October 1st 2019

Pamukkale is a well known place to visit within Turkey where there are amazing white tiered calcium deposits, old Roman ruins, an amphitheatre and pools all in the one place, it's a great place to visit for a day! Many people will come here for a day trip and we were the same. We had spent the night in Denizli and caught a bus in the morning to get to Pamukkale. It is better to get there in the morning before the tour groups get there. We entered from the South Gate and walked up the Calcium deposits while Hot Air Balloons drifted ominously above. By the time we slowly made our way to the top, more people had arrived so we decided to go to the quieter places like the pools and amphitheatre. We contemplated ... read more
Roman Amphitheatre Pamukkale
Pools Pamukkale
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Middle East » Turkey » Aegean » Fethiye September 14th 2019

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think Turkey? Does sailing on blue clear Mediterranean waters, walking bare feet on hard white calcium deposits, sitting in a centuries old Roman amphitheatre and visiting temples carved in to cliff faces come to your mind? The problem with Turkey is that it is a big country and sometimes there is not enough time to visit everywhere but if you have a few weeks then the South West coastal route might just be what your'e looking for! Our plan was to fly in to Antalya and out of Bodrum. We had a rough idea of what we wanted to do but once we arrived, our plans changed almost on a daily basis. We stayed in Antalya for the first sweltering two nights, a temperature ... read more
View Overlooking Oludinez Beach
Sail Cruise
Antayla Harbour


The Abel Tasman trek is one trek we have been wanting to do for a long time and after waiting 5 years to return to NZ, we got our chance! After attending my cousins wedding in Queenstown followed by a chance to cycle some hills around Akaroa and Lyttleton, we flew in to Nelson from Christchurch. As with most big treks within New Zealand, we had booked several weeks in advance along with the transport, a bus to the start of the trek and back and the water taxi from our last point, Awaroa, to Kaiteriteri. We were lucky that we were doing the trek after the summer peak time, during the week and also the week before the school holidays which meant that it was quiet and unspoiled. We also struck gold with the most ... read more
Walking Towards Bark Bay
Anchorage Bay
Bark Bay Campsite View




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