Monday 12thDecember Chris’ 65th Birthday! A cloudy day which was very disappointing as we wanted to go on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, which was 10 minutes away from the motel. This is a 2 1/2mile cable car ride from 2643ft to 8516ft up onto Mt San Jacinto State Park, with many walking trails at the top. We spoke to the guides at the bottom, who confirmed that it was in cloud and currently snowing at the top, with more bad weather forecast in the next few hours – part of the first winter storn affecting Southern California . A definite must for next time I think! Instead we had a walk up the Tahquitz Canyon, part of Agua Caliente Indian Reservation – This was a 2 mile way-marked path that follows the creek up to ... read more

Monday 5thDecember Out to the airport by 9.30am to pick up a car and say fond farewells to Wendy and Peter before driving off on Highway 17 towards snowy Flagstaff! We were hoping the roads wouldn’t be too bad as there were reports on the TV of 4” of snow at Flagstaff! It soon turned into a beautiful sunny day, if somewhat cold and we soon climbed up another 2000ft to 4000ft and onto a high plateau! Quite a lot of snow in the shade and where the sun hadn’t melted it but the roads were very clear! Our first stop was Montezuma Castle, which is a high cave dwelling up in the rocks dating back to the Aztecs in 1100 AD. Had a wander around the short trail (the sky was soooo blue!) and then ... read more

Sunday 27thNovember We left NZ at 15.15pm on Sunday 27th Nov and arrived in LA at 6.30am on Sunday 27th November!! We had allowed 5hrs ( as per internet advice!) to get through customs, collect baggage and get to the next terminal to check in again for our flight to San Francisco. I suppose it took about 2hrs so we had a 3hr wait in Terminal 5 for our 11.15am flight to Oakland. We all boarded the plane (50 seater!) and 15mins later we all disembarked due to mechanical problems! They were unsure at first whether the plane would be fixed and/or if another flight would be put on, but eventually they announced there would be a flight leaving at 13.30. Arrived in San Francisco about 15.00 ish and then took the bus to the BART ... read more

20thNovember 2011 We saved the best until last! A beautiful sunny morning and by 10.00 we were at Whakarewarewa Thermal Village (thats the short name!!) The long name is Tewhakarewarewatangaoteopetauaawahiao which means – All the people that live in this village are direct descendents of Chief Wahiao! Took the guided tour of the village where it was explained that this was still a village where Maori people live and they do their cooking in the hot pools, bathe in the hot water, and the culture of the Maori people. We then had a half hour show of dancing, singing and the hakka before we were then allowed to wander freely in the village, exploring the streets and the churches with its graveyard of the chiefs and guides. We did the hours nature walk which gave you ... read more

Tuesday 15th November Woke at 5.30am to peek out of the window at the sunrise over the sea - amazing! Drove into Kaikoura for about 9.00am and decided to walk around the peninsular, a three hour walk before going on a Whale Watch ‘cruise’ at 1.15pm. It was one of the most memorable walks I have ever done – turquoise sea on one side with black sand and crashing waves, snow capped mountains and grassy hillocks the other, views all the way. It was a beautiful sunny day with not a cloud in the sky and the air was clean and fresh, skylarks were singing.....I wish I could have bottled it! The first part of the walk was along the coastline on the road, past the Old Wharf, and then out to Seal Point where loads ... read more