May 2, 2025 – Travel to Tasmania – Hobart Today we were up early, 2:00AM, to make our way to the airport for a 6:00AM flight to Melbourne and then a connection to Hobart, Tasmania. The flights were fine but arriving in Melbourne we had to go through their biosecurity. With three flights arriving it …
Day 33 – 36 – May 2 – 5, 2025 – Tasmania – HobartRead More »
Auckland is our last stop in New Zealand. I am putting the three days here into one post to try to catch up. Day 30 – April 29, 2025 Our guide for the day, Donna, was of Māori heritage and gave us a lot of background on the history of the people in this area. …
Day 30 – 32 April 29 2025 – May 1 2025 – AucklandRead More »
We had a late pickup as we headed to Auckland with a stop at the Hobbiton movie set. An hour and a half drive through rolling hills and beautiful countryside, it is no wonder Peter Jackson choose this area of New Zealand to represent the Shire of Middle Earth. The set is in the middle …
April 26, 2025 a walk around town. Today we were supposed to take a helicopter ride to the top of a volcano then hike down. However, the weather intervened and there was no flying today. So we decided to just walk around the town, site see and maybe do some shopping. We found the Government …
Day 27 & 28– April 26 & 27, 2025 – Around RotoruaRead More »
Day 25 – April 24, 2025 – Travel to Rotorua Our driver picked us up at 10:30 and we were off for a 4 hour drive to our next destination. Graig was very chatty and informative about the areas we passed through. He explained about the devastation caused by the Gabriel cyclone that passed through …
Day 25 & 26 – April 24 & 25 , 2025 – Travel to Rotorua – And a day in the Hot seat!Read More »
Another day another wine tour. Hawks Bay is renowned for its wine, particularly grapes that are historically grown in the Bordeaux region in France. Our guide for today was Robbie Darby. She had vast experience in wine and was very knowledgeable. Our first stop was Graggy Range, known for its Pinot Noir and Chardenay. We …
Day 24 – April 23, 2025 – Rosewood Cape Kidnappers Hawks Bay Wine TourRead More »
April 22, 2025 – Rosewood Cape Kidnappers We had a big breakfast knowing we would be traveling in the car for 4 ½ to 5 hours on our way north to Hawks Bay. We had a brief tour of the lodge, the lounge, library and the dining room before heading to our suite, a separate …
Day 22 & 23 April 21 &22, 2025 Travel to Rosewood Cape Kidnappers and a tourRead More »
Happy Easter! Today was a leisurely day. We got up late and had breakfast of juice and coffee and a small sweet roll. We did not want too much, not that we ever have a big breakfast, because we would be having lunch in the wild. To pass the morning, we took a walk heading …
Day 21 – April 20, 2025 – Wharekauhau Country Estate – Chief in the wild!Read More »
Today we headed out of the estate for some art, wine and oil! Our first stop was Rototawai, a tranquil landscape & restored homestead located in the rural setting of the southern Wairarapa: a family property made available to the public to enjoy a private collection of art, a unique landscape and historic home. We …
Day 20 – April 19, 2025 – Wharekauhau Country Estate – Artisan tourRead More »
Day 18 – April 17 – Travel to Warehauhau Country Estate We left Wellington late in the morning on our way to Wharekauhau (forry-ko-ho) Country Estate. We arrived at this beautiful place just after 1:00. Set on over 5,000 acres of private land, it commands spectacular vistas of the Pacific Ocean. The lodge is a …
Day 18 & 19 – April 17 & 18, 2025 – Wharekauhau Country EstateRead More »
