I woke up not feeling sore but only a bit stiff in the knees after the long hike yesterday. We left National Park at 0945 on the drive back to Auckland, with a lunch stop at Otorohanga.  I changed to my own car at Uncle S’s place at Manurewa and got home a little after […]

Mangatepopo to Soda Springs The Tongariro Crossing hike is a one-way hike, meaning that one doesn’t return to the starting point.  For us, it was best to be picked up and returned to the hotel by shuttle and Swee had opted for the 0715 pickup. The bus got us to the starting point at Mangatepopo […]

The drive from Auckland to Tongariro National Park took us through a township called Temple View.  It looked like a new town with three Mormon churches but upon looking it up in Wikipedia, it was established in the 1950s and is still looking immaculate. After a lunch stop in Te Kuiti, we reached Howards Mountain […]

Tongariro Crossing, or officially Tongariro Alpine Crossing is often considered the most beautiful day hike in New Zealand.  So, it seems wrong that after nearly 40 years in the country, I hadn’t done the walk. We had tried going in spring before my Saudi trip but had to cancel due to bad weather.  Late spring […]

Above:  Auckland skyline during better times. My flight cancelled I woke at 0600 to learn that my flight 1105 flight to Singapore had been cancelled.  Not unsurprising as a result of the flood inside the airport terminal. I quickly shifted my booking to tomorrow before other people could do the same. As I had been […]

Above:  Auckland airport international terminal flooded. Disaster hits Auckland I’m due to fly to Singapore in two days, on a three-week trip which will include hometown Kuching and also Singkawang across the border in Kalimantan. However, a natural disaster hit Auckland tonight in the form of extreme rainfall which resulted in a state of emergency […]

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 […]

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 […]