This will be a 3 week journey through LA, Fiji, and New Zealand starting with a near red eye from Dulles International at 10pm to LA arriving at 1am local. 

11/21 Los Angeles

Jerry?....Cramer? that you?

An easy start to our travels as we walked Venice beach amongst the hippies, at lunch at Tocaya Modern Mexican which included plantains with guacamole that was unique and delicious. We then hit Sony studio for a tour but had no luck running into any stars and the tour itself was ok. Box checked and off to the airport to catch the long haul to the southern hemisphere. 

11/22 

Yeah, what happened to it? Crossing the international date line means a loss of the entire day…ask my iWatch that is confused! 

11/23 Bula Nadi

It's pronounced Nandi. Easy immigration and customs though I did not experience the singing welcome they advertised but then it was 5.30am local. We gather our bags and stick them in a luggage service outside arrivals. After a few attempts, we found a private driver to take us around the island for the day to explore until our flight to Auckland later in the evening. 1st stop is a coffee shop followed by a visit to the Garden of the Sleeping Giant which is a conservation of Orchids. Some interesting vegetation and a mile hike. 

Drive through Lautoka about half an hour away. We stop at a local village that was the first landing of the Fijians who claim that their ancestors came from Tanzania. The guide had some interesting things to tell us including the town hall in the middle with the thatched roof is entry by invitation by the chief only and he has been in there only twice in his 50+ years.

The local mall’s food court is full of Indian takeouts which is not surprising given almost 40% of the demographics are people of Indian origin. We drive by the Hindu temple that has an entrance fee of $10…wtf! Never have I experienced an entry fee to a religious location. 

To top that it’s 95F, feels like 105F, and its 11 on the UV scale…I think my phone has stopped working as I begin to hear my skin burn despite loads of sunscreen! So our driver thinks its a great idea to go drink some Kava, the national drink that is used to ceremonially welcome you. But yeah, no, not likely to be my go-to anytime, ever.

Lunch at Nandina, a brilliant Fijian cuisine on Denaura island where all the resorts are located. The food is super delicious. 

The flight departed early out of Nadi and we landed in Auckland early too. But before that at check-in Fiji Airways ticketing agent specifically asked me to add my name and phone number to my checked bag. When I tell him it’s a direct flight, he says you never know…way to give us passengers confidence. @Fiji Airway, you may want to refresh your customer service training for your Nadi ground staff…particularly this dumb ass whose name I forget to check! Lucky bastard. 

It’s a short walk to the Uber pick-up that is unmarked outside the Auckland airport, so it’s manual direction checking along the way at midnight. But the New Zealanders ever so friendly were very helpful, almost to the point I thought they might give us a ride to the hotel. 

11/24 Kia Ora Auckland

While NZ is 18 hours ahead of the US east coast, the jet lag is minimal given we are really just 6 hours off the next day...figure that one. So good night's rest means Uber to downtown Sky Tower City. Then hop-on-hop-off bus after some drama as they gave us the wrong pick-up point. Apparently, the hop-on-hop-off outsourced their customer service to some faceless outfit god knows where called Headout. Headout has its head up its ass given the incorrect information, who would not pick up the phone and stuck a bot on me on WhatsApp. Thankfully we spot the bus a block away and amble over to line up behind what looked like a take You Loved Geriatric out-to-the-park day. Enjoyed the mini hike up to Mount Eden with great views of the city. 

Sky Tower

The home of the All blacks

Lunch in Parnell village at the Blue Thai restaurant…wonderful. The city seems to shut down by about 3:30 to 4PM so there are no coffee shops or takeaways open. So we make do with the worst kebabs and some ok salad…but if it's restaurants or bars, downtown are bustling…relatively. 

11/25: The glow worms in Waitomo and the hobbits

Picked up the car at 7am and pointed it towards Waitomo caves two and half hours away, driving on the wrong side of the road where the glove worms make it a one-of-a-kind setting in the world. We take a boat under the caves to see an infestation of glow worms stuck on the cave roof. Unfortunately our picture taking skills did not rise up to the standard of taking actual pictures at the end of the tour.

Then it’s off to the Hobbiton movie set in Matamata. The set includes some 50 hobbit holes/homes built for the midgets or dwarfs or little people or whatever is the appropriate term currently. Not a lot to say...just the pics!

Enjoyed a stout on the water at the famous Green Giant pub and then drove to Rotorua to settle down in the oldest hotel in town called Prince's Gate. Dinner is at The Fainting Goat across from Eat Street which turns out to be super fine. 

11/26 Geysers and Maori's in Rotorua

A walk-through queens drive to check out a variety of gulls in the breeding season, as well as several black swans. 

Prince's Gate hotel

A trip to the Te Puia Maori village that has a natural geyser and mud pool, both of which reach temps over 85c so cant really dip into it. We also got to see Kiwis that are now at risk of extinction with only 66 thousand in the wild… they are proving Darwin as they can’t adapt to an environment of increased predators.  This is a working village that makes wooden masks, stone jewellery, weaving from flax, and more. 

Yeah! That's the name of the Maori village

Dinner is part of the Maori village experience at Te Pa Tu that started with a real Haka dance welcome.

That is followed by lessons in fitness, fighting, and Maori medicines followed by a performance of Maori singing and dancing and dinner which was okish. 

11/27 Napier 

We drive out of Rotorua through Lake Taupō which is a brilliant aquamarine that can not be described.  The view of the snow-capped Mount Ruapehu is a classic.

The road to Napier is lined with burning bushes as spring is in full blossom.

Napier was rebuilt in 1931 after a 7.8 Richter scale earthquake destroyed it. The rebuilding was done in Art Deco form and now it is considered to be the global capital of Art Deco. 

11/28 Martinsbourough and the approach to Wellington

We drive to Wellington through the Martinsborough wine region that is known for Pinot Noirs. We stopped for a tasting at Ata Rangi and Palliser wineries. 

Then to Wellington which is the first bustling city we experience in NZ, but that is relative. Our digs are up on a hill and have a great view of the bay and city. The city seems like one that just grew without much thought and kinds looks ugly from above. 

We decided to shop and cook this evening and it turned out pretty decent after 10 days of restaurant food. We shopped at Countdown which appears to be a national grocery chain. They are generous folks there encouraging healthy eating habits early on.

11/29 The capital city

We have a 10 AM appointment to tour the New Zealand Parliament which includes the beehive, the debating chambers, and part of a third building that includes their library. New Zealand is one of the few Western democracies that has a single legislative body instead of an upper house and a lower house which is common in the US the UK, and many other democracies around the world. In a small country such as New Zealand, there are 122 members of the parliament with a very strange combination of electoral and other elected representatives by party. But they are one of the most progressive nations in the world where LGBTQ rights are commonplace, legalization of prostitution and abortion rights in all other basic human dignity that we in the US seem to struggle with. This little nation is a giant compared to the US was the first to allow women to vote and has had 5 women prime ministers including my favorite Jacinta Ardern.

On to the National Museum of New Zealand where a copy of the Treaty of Waitangi is available for review. The exhibits include New Zealand's participation in World War I in Gallipoli in particular. 

Then it’s fish and chips at a chippy on Cuba Street. The Dodo who sold us fish and chips is perhaps the only New Zealander without personality or friendliness...but then I think he is not from here(?)

Later in the evening, we walk down to the Basin Reserve, which is the home of New Zealand cricket, and I get a chance to wander into the stadium without a game in session and appreciate the cuteness of the stadium. Oh, how I Wish I could play again. 

In a nod to the 2 most hated names in cricket!

11/30 The ferry to South island

I have been looking forward to getting on the ferry to cross from the north island to the south island. So it's a 6am start to get on the Bluebridge ferry from Wellington to Picton across the Cook strait.

We park on the ferry behind a bunch of 18-20 wheelers, campers, and other assorted cars and make our way to the seating area around the cafe. 

The ferry takes about 3 hours and is relatively calm waters to get us to Picton. The views through the fords are spectacular and calming. 

We drive to Blenheim which is the place to be to visit the wineries of this Marlborough region and its famous Savnigion Blanc’s. The region has exploded into an international force from around the Wairau River region and some of the vineyards we visit are renowned like Villa Maria...

 
Yes we did run into sheep as you must if you're in middle earth

...dinner is at another vineyard called Harvest which I would rate as ok. 

12/1 The glacier

Another early start to drive to the glacier at Franz Josef through some incredible views of the west coast. 

The pancake rocks at Punakaiki are another example of unexplained geographic formations. 

We have lunch at a cute bohemian joint called Sevenpenny at Greymouth. I have been musing about the lack of cops and other law enforcement types in NZ since we got here. Well, we get pulled over by a posse of 5 happy and laughing cops and 3 cruisers in the middle of nowhere for what they called a "saftey check". They have me speak into a breathalyzer, which I pass…and the wishes god bless when he heard we were from the US. Yes! the threat of the potential return of the orange clown does worry the world. The twists and turn of the mountains take some 6 hours to get us to the delightful hamlet of Franz Josef as it sits beneath the towering mountains. The rainforest retreat is indeed a retreat nestled amongst trees and greenery that words do t do justice to. 

12/2 will we get to the glacier?

We have a 7.30 ride by chopper to hike the glacier but the weather has the final say as thick clouds and rains cancel the ride. I kind felt it when I woke up to this...

So instead we drive and hike to a spot where we can see the glacier. 

Lunch at Alice May’s, an eclectic restaurant run by Alice’s great-granddaughter in tribute to her famous ancestor who in 1915 shot and killed her boyfriend and shot herself. While convicted and imprisoned for life, the public rallied to have her released given the mitigating factors that forced her action. 

Wander around the 4 blocks of town is super relaxing and takes away some of the disappointment of not flying up to the glacier. 

12/3 Queenstown through Wanaka

Next, stop is Queenstown which is about 5 hours away. We drive along the winding west coast to the brilliant turquoise waters of Lake Wanaka. That Wanaka Tree is supposedly famous and we took a few. 

Further down the road is a fence near Cardrona that is meant to raise awareness and money for breast cancer by women since 1998 hanging their bras.

The drive like anywhere in New Zealand is beautiful, but this one to Queenstown is a little challenging as we travel through a curvy and mountainous path called the Crown Range.

The downtown is built for tourism only with hotels and Airbnbs of all types. This quaint alpine town sits on Lake Wakatipu which is the 4th largest in the country and is just as cute as a button. A walk around downtown and the lakeshore is done in 30 minutes despite the slowly growing crowds at the top of the summer season. 

12/4 Jumping off the bridge

We start with a trip to the top of Queenstown by a gondola with sweeping views of this little town and the turquoise waters of Wakatipu. 

Then it’s souvenir shopping and wandering time to end with lunch at Fergburger, a famed eatery that does not disappoint…given I had to stand in line for 20 minutes and then wait for another 25 minutes for the food. Sharing the meal with ducks and other birds on the lakefront was entertaining and calming. 

Then it’s a drive to the Kawarau bridge to bungy jump. This is the location where bungy jumping was commercialized in the 1980s and it’s 47 meters to the bottom and took me 7 seconds…yeah not memorable at all. While checking it off as something I did, it’s not a repeat.

On the way back we visit the Queenstown international cricket venue, which is a struggle to find. When we do find and walk right to it where there is no stadium or any structure to suggest some big names play here is really comforting in their simplicity.

12/5 Milford Sound to the Tasman Sea

We are headed to Milford Sound about 4 hours north of Queenstown. It’s a drive with many stops along the way to admire the scenery and the mirror lake in particular catches my attention as the still waters reflect the mountains in the background in stunning colors. 

We catch a boat at the wharf for a sail through the sound to the edge of the Tasman Sea, where it really gets bumpy. But we also get to see some penguins which is absolutely amazing as the 1-foot-tall flightless birds gander down to the waters. They are known to be monogamous through their entire lifetime which is very atypical of the non-human animal world. We also see some seals doing what they do best…nothing!…as our captain said they do 3 things, eat, sleep, and fart!!! We also floated under a waterfall which was fun if you did not get soaked. 

The start of the Tasman sea

We skip the drive back and instead catch a 10 seater single engine flight back to Queenstown flying over some incredible sights including brilliant turquoise lakes, snow-capped mountains, and virgin lands that have never had a human set foot on them. 

The evening is whiled away as tourists, enjoy a Japanese meal and wander the 5 blocks of quaint downtown Queenstown. 

12/6  Mount Cook

We drive to the highest peak in NZ measuring 3700 meters and hike about 2 hours to it through very high winds and mini dust gusts over 3 swinging bridges to stare at the peaks. The 4-hour, 7-mile round trip is satisfying but not tiring. 

The summit in the background

We drive on mesmerized by Lake Pukaki, whose shade of blue is yet to be defined. 

Night will be on the banks of Lake Taupo, the epicenter of star gazing in the southern hemisphere. While the clouds drifted in they cleared enough for us to see some of the lower constellations and the Southern Cross. 

12/7 Ōtautahi Christchurch

We are going to spend the next couple of days in the The Observatory Hotel that has a history dating back to 1895 to the founding of Canterbury College, then the university, the earthquake, and now a very nice hotel. 

We get there early in the day and get Uber to get to the Riverside Market which is an eclectic food court with all kinds of cuisines to taste from. In the process I forgot my phone in the Uber, and despite Uber's uber lack of support the very kindly driver (Sunny) brings my phone back by the evening. But that adventure does not stop us from visiting the Christchurch international cricket grounds at Hagley park through their botanical gardens. The cricket grounds are just fabulous, open, and welcoming.

The evening is spent exploring the restaurants and pubs. We end up at The Little Fiddle, an Irish pub. The downtown area continues to see some construction from the last earthquake.

12/08 Christchurch downtown

Christchurch has a population of ~400 thousand, but maintains a small city vibe with the locals being typically nice and friendly. The downtown and neighborhoods have used the earthquake damages to reinvent and modernize.

Lunch is at Mumbaiwala that is decent Indian but what struck me is that they have an IPA named after my cricketing hero, Sachin Tendulkar.

So its back to Auckland for the next couple of days before we return home. Airport security is very different from our many experiences at home and elsewhere...New Zealand nice?

We are staying on the water at the Viaduct Harbor, which is next to the waterfront that has loads of restaurants. Since this is Friday evening, the place is rocking...people + loud music - cops or bad guys = high energy.

12/09 Waiheke across the bay

We are headed to the island of wineries and a local weekend retreat. Waiheke is both a local attraction as the summer kicksoff and a tourist magnet. We get on hop-on-hop-off bus that will take us around the island. 

We decide to visit Tantalus winery that is known for both white and red varietals as well as a brewery that made one of the best stout I have taster...ever.

That wraps up 3 weeks of enjoying the peace and calm of NZ. Its the long journey back home until we return. Kia Ora Aotearoa.