Articles from this Category
9 January 2026
Driving back to Christchurch We left our Lake Benmore campsite around 0730 for the drive to Christchurch. We had better luck with our stop at Fairlie Bakehouse this time. The salmon and bacon pie was very generous with a large chunk of salmon in it! During the drive, a friend Ming had told me that […]
8 January 2026
With cool and changeable weather, we didn’t get up to doing much today. There would have been nothing to report except that Kim went on the water ski effortlessly after many years of not having done that. He even went on one ski, a harder feat, but I didn’t catch of photo of that.
7 January 2026
Going to Mt Cook National Park Today is the one of two full days we have here, that is forecast for good weather. With my desire to do some short hikes at Mt Cook National Park, this is the only feasible day. We left around 0800 with Jan in our car, stopping in Twizel for […]
6 January 2026
Today we drive down from Christchurch to the western shore of Lake Benmore to join our friends who are camping there. We left after 0800 and stopped at Rolleston to get some groceries as our contribution before continuing to Dunsandel for breakfast after 0900. The remaining stops along the way now seem to be regular […]
5 January 2026
Upon arrival, I dropped some frozen Malaysian meals to a friend’s before checking in at the Classique Lodge for some rest. We have stayed in this motel before. It is Chinese-owned and rather old but very cheap. It appears to be kept alive as a land-banking measure, pending redevelopment of the site. My cousin and […]
9 January 2025
Continuing on the road After lunch in the Whanganui, we continued our drive to New Plymouth, getting to the Devon Hotel around 1730. Driving through town in search of dinner, we came across the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery / Len Lye Centre with its impressive mirror-finished exterior. We took dinner at a Korean fried chicken and […]
9 January 2025
It was about 1000 when we started our drive leaving Wellington. The car performed well, with Kim doing most of the driving to Whanganui where we stopped to visit friends Michelle and Colin. They live on Durie Hill overlooking the city, by the War Memorial tower. The suburb is served by a 66m elevator since […]
9 January 2025
Above: Mt Taranaki on the flight from Auckland to Wellington. Landing at 0910, we were met by David, the seller of the Lexus ES300H. I was surprised that he had parked and came into the terminal for us, holding a rose. At his age, maybe 80, I expected him to pick us up at the […]
17 March 2024
Bargain of the century! I had every intention of staying home in Auckland through autumn until my next trip in June. However, while helping friends search for fares, I came across a crazily low fare from Auckland to China. Hainan Airlines had fares to Guangzhou for NZD548 through their hub in Haikou. I was allowed […]
7 February 2024
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 […]