We had a “day at leisure” so we decided to go to Zealandia. Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne is the world’s first fully fenced urban ecosanctuary with an extraordinary 500-year vision to restore the valley’s forest and freshwater ecosystems as closely as possible to pre-human state. Set around a picturesque reservoir, Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne …
Day 17 – April 16, 2025 – Zealandia, bird sanctuaryRead More »
After breakfast in the hotel lobby, we returned to our room for a facetime call with the kids and grandchildren. They were all at Ben & Chloe’s in Brooklyn, so we got to see them all. While we travel and keep pretty busy, we still miss everyone back home! We left the hotel for Queen’s …
Nothing planned for today. We are on our own. So, after spending 40 minutes on the phone with my bank to get them to clear my ATM card to be used to get cash, we went down for breakfast then headed out for a walk about. Though situated between several mountains, and having some hills, …
Day 16 – April 15, 2025 – walking around WellingtonRead More »
April 12 2025 – travel and arriving in Wellington Not much happening today. Got picked up about 10 am for drive to the airport. Our driver, Tony was exceptionally helpful in getting us situated. At the airport in Wellington, Robert picked us up. Gave us a brief tour of the Capital and 3rd largest city …
Day 13 & 14 – April 12 & 13 2025 – travel to Wellington and a tour around townRead More »
We started the day in the Breakfast room, which is actually an auxiliary kitchen right next to the actual kitchen where the staff creates their amazing food and confections. Today was surprisingly busy as we only expected to do a half day tour of the city and then relax. Christchurch is a very walkable city …
Day 12 – April 11, 2025 – Christchurch – a city rebuildingRead More »
Today we started out early as we had to get to the marina for a cruise through the Akaroa Harbor. Akaroa is a charming French settlement on the Banks Peninsula. The name Akaroa is Kai Tahu Māori for “Long Harbor”. The drive was about an hour though farmland and breathtaking landscapes. We stopped at a …
Day 11 – April 10, 2025 – Akaroa a day on the waterRead More »
Today was an active day. We started out at 9:00AM heading toward Arthur’s Pass National Park. It was about a 2-hour drive. Along the way we stopped first at a site that is meaningful to the Mauri as a spiritual site. This area was underwater several million years ago. Uplifted by the tectonic actively. The …
Day 10 – April 9, 2025 – Walking trails at Arthur’s PassRead More »
Up early to pack for the next leg of our trip. Breakfast then meeting our driver Sue for a 5-hour drive north. It was raining as we left, but we noticed that there was snow in the mountains! You could see a line where the snow ended, and the rain began below! We stopped along …
With rain in the forecast for the afternoon, we decided to just take a walk around the area in the morning and then relax and watch the rain from our suite. We started off just before 10 AM, to trek along the river and then back over the hills. We had at first thought of …
Day 8 – April 7, 2025 – Lindis Lodge a walk aboutRead More »
After our breakfast we met Sam, our guide for our off-road trek into the mountains. We first had to get suited up as it would be cold and windy. We wore our down jackets that we had from our trip to antarctica, so we were not worried about the cold. Sam fitted us with windbreakers, …
Day 7 – April 6, 2025 – Lindis Lodge off-road adventureRead More »
