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 Island, Wellington) and a climax.…

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 I had done so good…

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, both luxurious and nice people.…

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 the coolest roads you will…

 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 as the best one day…

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 white steam rising from the…

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 for the volcanic activity so…

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 each, one for their butts…

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 special about cutting through the…

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 a coon, but in New…

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 and the indigenous Maori wanted…

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 us feel right at home.…

We touched down in Auckland and headed downtown, for our one night in the “big city” before heading north.  It always takes me a bit of getting used to driving on the left side of the road. Everything is backwards, I find myself constantly turning…