No Doubt About Doubtful
We walked down the little walkway towards the ferry that was going to take us across Lake Manapouri so we could catch a bus that would take us along a dirt road through the Wilmont Pass, only traveled by other…
The Climax
Every good novel has a plot line, something happens (Lou and Martin land in New Zealand), the characters commit to a goal (we head out on our NZ adventure), rising action (Russell, Rotorua, The Squeeze, White Island, Tongariro Crossing, Kapiti…
Kiwis Everywhere
I rushed into the empty room disappointed and frustrated when I heard a voice behind me, “Can I help you?” I spun around and saw a man walking my way, “Probably not, I think we missed the ferry.” Lou and…
The Napa of New Zealand
Napier is one of New Zealand’s wine regions, on the east coast and considered the art deco capital, a sleepy little coastal town with the surf washing up on beautiful clean beaches. We loved our little apartment/room overlooking the ocean,…
Gentle Annie
Gentle Annie has all the right curves in all the right places, hot, beautiful and blond. She was a blast. Annie is something everyone who visits New Zealand should enjoy, a 90 mile track between Taihape and Hastings, one of…
Tongariro Crossing
It’s 5am in the morning and we are racing down the highway ready for another unknown adventure. We got a long drive ahead of us, (2 ½ hours) but an even longer hike (9 hours). The Tongariro Crossing is described…
Whakarri – White Island
Thirty miles out of Whakatane in the Bay of Plenty there is an active volcano on a small island called Whakarri or White Island. Captain Cook named the island in 1769 when he sailed by the island and saw the…
The Squeeze
We arrived in Rotorua after a long 6 hour drive. Everybody said this town stinks and they were right, literally. Because of the geothermic volcanic activity the whole town smells like rotten eggs (sulfur), but that’s okay because we came…
7 Psychopaths
We went to the movies last night, NZ style. We walked into the town hall, masquerading as a movie theater and we could tell this was going to be a different experience. One row of people with two plastic chairs…
The Phantom
We headed down early for a trip on the Phantom, a 50 foot sailboat so we could experience the Bay of Islands from the sea. It was a beautiful day and Rick and Robin were great hosts. There is something…
Real Girls and Reading Palms
One afternoon as we drove into town we realized that there was something going on to take us back to our southern roots the Real Northern Girl Contest. Every redneck loves a southern girl who can shoot, hunt or skin…
Russell NZ
Russell is a little sea port was the first settlement of New Zealand by Europeans in the early 1800s. Found on the northern part of the north island in the Bay of Islands, the bay offered a good sea port…
New Friends and Rule Breakers
After a 3 hour drive we arrived in Russell ready to meet our new friend and explore the backside of our home exchange. Chris our host, owns an art gallery in Russell and the moment we walked in she made…