From the kiwi house, we drove to Matamata, we were able to check in and pay for our accommodation. Matamata is only about 20 minutes from the set, making it an ideal stopover location. Our accommodation was, on first impressions, … Continue reading Hobbiton: The End New Zealand Part 10
They say you smell Rotorua before you see it, and that was certainly true for us. Before we checked into the Holiday Inn (one of the few hotels we actually paid for – the rest were either paid for by … Continue reading Rotorua: Redwoods and Rotten Eggs New Zealand Part 8
Waitomo has a population of 41. But in an underground network of caves, hundreds and thousands of glowworms. Spellbound is the name of the company we used to see these miniscule critters. And spellbound we were. There is another … Continue reading Spellbound New Zealand Part 9
From Auckland we went to the Coromandel Peninsula for two nights before heading to Rotorua. Had we not made this detour, we may have considered going further south than Rotorua, but this had been a recommendation from two people; one of our NZ colleagues, Lara, and Sian my Welsh friend in Suzhou – who so far had come good on all recommendations (Mitre Peak Cruises and the Jet speed boat, and previously Cape Tribulation in Australia). We had high hopes. “Wh” in Maori is pronounced “F”. Whitianga is on the coast. The road from Auckland started off straight, but once … Continue reading Famed Whitianga and digging your own spa. New Zealand Part 7
At the Hurricanes v BIL match, I was disappointed that this team did not to do the Haka. However, the team gifted to the British and Irish Lions captain, Sam Warburton with a feathered Maori cloak, or Korowai. This was … Continue reading Majestic Māori New Zealand Part 6
We were in two minds whether to do this or not. Milford and Doubtful Sounds are advertised across the South Island, but Milford Sound is the most accessible in Fiordland National Park. Rudyard Kipling was said that it was the … Continue reading Magnificent Milford New Zealand Part 5
When we went to Australia in their winter 2 years ago, it was sometimes a bit wet, bit windy, but in the main it was jumper and jeans weather, except for the day we flew from Melbourne to Cairns – … Continue reading Two Winters and China”town” New Zealand Part 4
The TripIt app is an app that we used to import all our bookings, this ensured all our booking references and flight details were in one place. Our holiday had been planned meticulously, all by me. Martin would say to … Continue reading A long birthday New Zealand Part 3
Anyone who knows me really well, will know that this Disney tune is my pet hate. The sedate paced boat ride on the “seven seas” at Disneyland Paris which takes you through different countries with the song being sung by 289 nationally dressed-up dolls in 5 languages – French, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and English, (info supplied by disneyquestions.com – I have not verified this, and actually can’t believe I googled that information) is the worst ride for me but it is still strangely fascinating. THANK GOODNESS they do not have that ride at Disney Shanghai. Anyway, I digress, Despite New Zealand … Continue reading “It’s a Small World” New Zealand Part 2
Martin and I had both returned to the UK in June for work purposes. The previous years that we have done this, we have taken Eleanor with us. Last year I combined the UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) conference … Continue reading The Lions and New Zealand Part 1.
Crozier's China and our adventures 