Articles from this Category
24 April 2011
Kim has a former teaching colleague, Peter, that moved down to Stewart Island many years ago. We had talked about visiting but it hadn’t happened … until now. We flew from Auckland to Invercargill (via Christchurch) and waited for what was meant to be three hours for our 20-minute flight from Invercargill to Stewart Island. […]
10 April 2011
On the return train journey back into Dunedin, Air New Zealand rang to say that our flight had been delayed. The first leg to Christchurch was delayed and we’d miss our connection to Auckland. The kindly rebooked us on an earlier flight non-stop to Auckland. We hopped of the train near Mosgiel, which was closer […]
10 April 2011
We left the hostel and ate nearby before walking to Dunedin’s Railway Station. The rail journey to Middlemarch took 2h30. For most people, the journey was the destination as the route took us through rugged gorges, impressive viaducts, clear rivers and green pastures. But some people opted for a one-way journey so they could mountain-bike […]
9 April 2011
Today we flew down to Dunedin … Edinburgh of the South, as it is New Zealand’s most Scottish city. As we approached the town centre, the shuttle driver told us that the railway station was the second most photographed building in the world! Hhmmm! So, it is more photographed than the Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower […]
13 March 2011
With an evening flight back to Auckland, we had a lazy day and went out briefly to the Riwaka Resurgence. That’s where the Riwaka River comes out from under the ground. Beautiful clear water but I think it would be too cold for me.
12 March 2011
We woke early and rang the kayaking company. It’s still all on, regardless of the tsunami warning … we later understood that Civil Defence’s expectations was that it would affect the North Island more (the TV showed some surges in Northland when we went back at the end of the day). We had booked the […]
11 March 2011
Sea kayaking is something I’ve always wanted to try out … well, not quite always … since I saw the beautiful green waters of the Abel Tasman National Park. We flew down to Nelson in the evening and drove to Motueka where we stayed with family friends. We arrived to hear about the big earthquake […]
20 February 2011
In between the various events at the Art Deco festival, I had some spare time. So I decided to go swim with sharks in the National Aquarium. I checked out the pricing and it wasn’t too bad compared to just a walk-in visitor. I was led up to the backroom where I donned a thick […]
9 February 2011
Kek Lok Si (or Temple of Supreme Bliss) has been Penang’s big attraction for decades. The Chinese-Buddhist temple complex at Ayer Hitam is massive … there are many shrines in addition to the old main pagoda built in an eclectic style … Chinese, Thai etc all put together. More recently there is a ginormous statue of […]
8 February 2011
Today I said goodbye to family and flew to Penang again, leaving at 1220. It is my third time there this trip, using the island as a hub. It has turned out to be a good plan as I love the food and the character. It’s like an authentic version of Singapore … Singapore with […]