I began my exploration of Tasmania by flying from Auckland via Melbourne to Hobart, Tasmania. 3 ¾ hours Auckland-Melbourne, 1 hour further to Hobart, Tasmania I flew from Auckland to Melbourne on Air New Zealand, in a rather new 787-900 plane with an interesting premium coach seat configuration that I think is a very clever…

I think I’ve fallen in love. I vowed to be very cautious about forming new relationships in the aftermath of losing my partner of 44 years and leaving Hawai’i. I’ve been traveling most of the time for the past 14 months, and met many interesting people and seen some beautiful and unusual places. Yet I’m…

This post is a photo collage of Auckland and other North Island places I have visited. New Zealand is an exceptionally green place, which is due to rather frequent rains. It can rain any time of year, and does, sometimes more than once in a day. I soaked in a natural hot creek south of Rotorua with…

Returning to North Island, I began my first explorations there. About 3 hours drive south of Auckland lies Matamata, a big lush green valley that is mostly farm pastureland. This area was the setting for The Hobbit movies, and some of those sets were preserved and now are the popular theme park ‘Hobbiton’. More than half…

Heading even further south, I set about walking the Humpridge Track. You begin by hiking along the coast. These are BIG old Rimu trees. A Kiwi couple from Wanaka, South Island, that I met along the trail.   After 8 hours of strenuous climbing, I reached Okaka Lodge, perched high atop Humpridge. On the ridge…