Author archive
3 June 2022
Stressful lead-up It had been a stressful few weeks before my departure today. Due to recent reopening of borders after (?) the Covid-19 pandemic, flights to Singapore were fully booked for about 2 months. It would be risky for me to use airline staff standby tickets to get there and onwards to Malaysia. There weren’t […]
7 April 2022
I flew back from Queenstown to Auckland today after a great Kiwi vacation. Quite unusually, I was able to use the Priority Pass lounge at Queenstown Airport. It’s normally reserved for international travellers but as the international departure area is not in use, domestic flights have taken over the area. It was nice to have […]
6 April 2022
Helicopter Scenic Flight Kim’s sister Jo left us yesterday and we gained Russell and Marilyn as our guests. After two relaxing days, it’s time for some excitement for me. I had booked a 25 min helicopter scenic ride with an alpine landing for NZD138, discounted from the regular NZD280 (pre-Covid) and then NZD199 (while international […]
3 April 2022
Getting to Milford Sound Today is a long day. We start in Te Anau and head to Milford Sound for a cruise before back-tracking and finishing up in Queenstown for our stay there. Despite the country reverting to standard time (end of daylight saving), we slept in. The sun rises late her and it was […]
2 April 2022
Today we moved on from Miller’s Flat to Te Anau, a journey of about 2h30 driving. We left our hosts at 1100 making for a leisurely start, stopping for lunch at Lumsden. We arrived at Te Anau around 1430, staying at the Amber Court motel. While our room was ready, the owners suggested we wait […]
1 April 2022
Above: Our friends’ cafe is located in the building that was once the town’s grocery store. We spent the day with our hosts at home then visited them at their business, Fagan’s Café. The café is located in the building that was once the town’s grocery store. So, it a significant place in the town’s […]
31 March 2022
Above: Our go-around before landing in Queenstown. Kim and I fly to Queenstown together with his sister Jo for a little tripping around the Central Otago and neighbouring areas. It may be a good opportunity to do some touristy things at a low price before overseas visitors are allowed back into the country from 12 […]
24 February 2022
Above: Auckland’s west coast before landing at the airport. I woke early today to drive to Nelson Airport before 0800. My 1040 flight got me back to Auckland a little earlier than the scheduled time of 1205. I grabbed a sandwich to eat while waiting for the shuttle to pick me up, to take me […]
23 February 2022
Above: Very strong climber on the horizontal surface of the rock at Paine’s Ford. The weather had turned dull and cloudy today with considerable humidity. It felt warm despite little direct sun. I decided to do some minor exploration to Collingwood and then Milnthorpe Beach near there. Along the way I saw some hitchhikers. I […]
22 February 2022
Today I had made plans to go to Doctor’s Beach with another guest Dean. I had been the only guest at the accommodation until Dean turned up. We weren’t leaving till mid/late morning so I took a short visit to Pupu Springs (officially Waikoropupu Springs). The waters of the springs are amongst the clearest in […]