Top Ten and Next Ten

It has been three weeks since we returned from our ten-week journey. We came back to celebrate the wedding of our niece, Codie, and her husband, Alex. It was a wonderful occasion filled with love, joy, and time well spent with family. We had so many incredible experiences on this trip. Here are our top […]

Random thoughts & observations

We are half-way through our ten week adventure and here are some random thoughts and observations (some are likely pretty obvious): Australia was great but New Zealand, specifically the South Island is amazing. It has to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. If you haven’t visited, it’s a MUST! When planning […]

Green & Clean

We are sitting in Queenstown Airport, waiting for our flight to Melbourne. This was Jane’s second visit to New Zealand and my first trip to this stunning country. New Zealand is green, clean, and breathtakingly beautiful. The lushness of the landscape is hard to describe. Mountains and valleys are filled with trees, wild flowers (lupins), […]

Starry Night & Aoraki/Mt Cook

Over the past 50+ years, I’ve had the privilege of traveling around the world, and when asked about my favorite countries, I always mention New Zealand and Thailand. This year, I was fortunate enough to visit both of them for the second time, bringing Darryl along for his first visit to both. Neither country disappointed, […]

Garden City

Not to be confused with New Jersey which claims the title “Garden State,” Christchurch rightfully earns the moniker “Garden City.” Christchurch has endured significant challenges over the past 14 years. The city was struck by major earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. The 2011 earthquake was particularly devastating, claiming 185 lives and damaging 70% of the […]

Redwood Forest

I’ve officially passed my initiation and can now call myself a seasoned left-side-of-the-road driver! I managed dozens of roundabouts and left-hand turns without too much trouble. The trickiest part was remembering to get into the car on the right side. Of course, Jane often followed my lead and tried to get in on the wrong […]

Glowworms

We started the day by renting a car—Darryl’s first experience driving with the steering wheel on the opposite side and navigating on the left. Surprisingly, it was a smooth transition. The 2.5-hour drive took us through lush, green rolling pastures and mountains dotted with sheep, cows, and horses. Our first impression of New Zealand is […]

The Grove

Our walking tour of Auckland, led by Darcy from All About Tours, was incredibly informative. With a population of more than 1.5 million people, Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city and one of the most diverse, with 39% of its residents born overseas. Highlights of the Tour During the tour, we explored downtown Auckland, strolled […]

Start of Something Big

Kia ora (hello) from Auckland, New Zealand. This is the start of an incredible journey as we embark on a ten-week circumnavigation of the globe. Along the way, we’ll be exploring New Zealand, Australia, Bali, India, the Seychelles, and South Africa. A Little Background on This Adventure We’ve been discussing this trip for years, and […]