Walked through a subtropical forest in the footsteps of 19th century gold miners in nearby Kahurangi National Park. It’s New Zealand’s second-largest national park, one of the least-visited, and slightly off the beaten path; a good choice for B-list travelers.
Category: Living
On Golden Bay
Drove on the left on slow roads to Golden Bay in the far northwest of New Zealand’s South Island. We’ll chill for a week in an isolated VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner) cabin.
Queen Charlotte Track 2020
Last week we hiked the Queen Charlotte Track for the third time. Including a rest day we took five days to walk 72 kilometers along a well-engineered and maintained trail. This was a walk in the park, especially as our backpacks were transported ahead of us by boat. We took a boat to the start…… Continue reading Queen Charlotte Track 2020
Final Leg, Queen Charlotte Track
Continued our walk, another seven hours along the ridge to the end of the Queen Charlotte Track.
Punga Cove
View from our A-frame, Punga Cove, Marlborough Sound, half-way through our hike.
A Week In Honolulu
Posted A Week in Honolulu.
A Week in Honolulu
The snow was piling up as we waited to ride the light rail to the airport. At Minneapolis/St. Paul MSP, snow-clearing crews were keeping ahead of the snow: across four departure boards, I saw only two cancellations, probably due to inbound cancellations. MSP, runway 30R, getting a good scrape from 20 graders driving in formation.…… Continue reading A Week in Honolulu
Marlborough Country
Looked out at Marlborough wine country on the final approach in a de Havilland Dash 8-300. Later, thanks to Google, learned Geoffrey de Havilland, the founder of the aircraft company, and Olivia de Havilland (now 103) are cousins, Olivia’s sister is Joan Fontaine, and … . Enough celebrity gossip!
Air New Zealand Lav.
Flew Air New Zealand from Honolulu to Auckland. Appreciated the lavatory decor.
Local Starchitect
Walked to Vladimir Ossipoff’s IBM Building. The facade has staying power compared to many facades of the 1960’s. He designed the open-to-the-elements Honolulu Airport, and airports at Kahului, Maui, and Kona, Big Island. I once met his daughter, but didn’t realize the connection.