Category: 2022 12 New Zealand
-
Art deco and the indomitable Kiwis.
February 3rd, 1931 broke as a beautiful, sunny day in Napier. Kids were headed back to school after a long summer vacation. The long north-south oriented sand spit that had been packed the day before was largely empty. The huge, shallow lagoon behind the spit (Ahuriri lagoon) that had been used for canoe races the…
-
A little bit of Victoria in Napier.
Much to my surprise, I found a bottle of “1908 gin”, made by the Grand Lady herself, here in Napier. Cheers mates!
-
Talk about anticlimactic…
Last night we had a choice between staying up late and bringing in the new year, or getting up early and seeing the first light of 2023 (Gisborne is the first place on planet earth to see the light of a new day). We started out with great intentions, enjoying 🍸’s and cards (Bernie enjoyed…
-
A peerless pier.
We visited the longest pier “of its type” in the southern hemisphere, at 660 metres, and it just happens to be one cove over from where Cook, in the Endeavour, first dropped anchor in 1769. Built between 1926 and 1929 in Tolaga Bay, its use peaked in 1936. Use declined steadily after that, especially during…
-
Te Wairoa
Of the 7 villages destroyed in the 1886 Tarawera eruption, only one has been excavated: Te Wairoa. The others are buried. Before the eruption Te Wairoa was a thriving tourist town; as described in the last post it was the kickoff point for the final leg to the Terraces. It had two hotels, a small…
-
No easy trek.
In the 1870s and 80s, up to 5000 people a year were making the rugged trek up from Auckland to see the “8th wonder of the Natural World”: the white terraces (Te Tarata) on the eastern shore of Lake Rotomahana and the pink terraces (Otukapuarangi) on the western shore. Rugged might be a generous word. There…
-
New Zealand 47, David 3
We estimate that I have driven on 50 different routes since we rented the car. I have NOT turned on the windshield wipers 3 times. 😡😡😡 I should just stop trying to use the blinkers.
-
Armageddon down under.
I cannot imagine what it was like 25 km to the SE of us, on June 10th, 1886. The guests at a hotel that allowed visitors access to the “8th Wonder of the Natural World” and the inhabitants of 7 Maori villages felt the ground start to rumble at about 1:00 am. Then at about…
-
Lothlórien?
Bet that got your attention. 🤣 For “Lord of the Rings” fans, it is the Golden Wood where lived the Sylvan Elves ruled by the Lady Galadriel. While those scenes were not filmed where we were today, we felt like we were guests of the Lady herself. These California Redwoods were planted here starting in…
-
Black swans and Shrek’s swamp.
Had a quiet day yesterday. Not much to do given that most things were closed. But the walk around Lake Rotorua (Te Rotorua nui ā kahumatamomoe) was quite something! It’s Christmas Day back home. Hope everyone has a fabulous day!
63 and free 