We said goodbye to the North Island as we flew from Christchurch to Queenstown, and it was abundantly clear we’d be entering a vastly different landscape in this second part of our journey.  Jungle-like, tropical hills and flat acres of farmland were replaced by soaring jagged mountains, deep canyons, and expansive lakes and water channels… Read more

Frankly, I’m not sure how to describe all the incredible moments of the six-day biking adventure we did with eight other people and two fabulous guides…so I guess I am best to simply retell the highlights in hopes of giving you a flavor of the experience.  Put simply, this ride was not for the faint… Read more

Admittedly it was a bit hard to leave the North Island – we’d had so many amazing experiences it was hard to imagine there’d be anything to match it.  This was also the juncture when Ruthie was parting ways with us to continue her travels with her friend, Tori, to see other parts of North… Read more

Our next stop on our Kiwi wanderings was to Rotorua, a town set on its namesake lake (still on New Zealand’s North Island), known for its geothermal activity and Maori culture.  Locals also call it “Rotovegas” because it is the epicenter of all sorts of tourist and action-filled activities for the mostly younger set.  To… Read more

It is such a pleasure having a home base to return to while venturing out and exploring a new country.  We have fallen in love with New Zealand AND our “host” family (Thank you, Gareth and Kula, Aston and Tamara!), and are so looking forward to more exchanges in the future – we already have… Read more

During our trip through New Zealand we had the good fortune to be able to meet with several groups of cancer patients/survivors, carers (care partners) and advocacy/service group leaders as part of the ongoing work Andrew and I do together at Patient Power.  Andrew is very active in a number of Facebook groups that focus… Read more

On our way back from Paihia we stopped at a lesser-known natural attraction – a family-owned and run glow worm cave.  There is a well-known tour of this kind of cave run by one of the big adventure companies that is quite pricey.  This version, however is run by the 14th generation of a single… Read more

Paihia is a relaxed beach town on the eastern coast of the North Island. It’s known as a gateway to the dive sites and sandy beaches of the Bay of Islands.  Our primary reason for choosing Paihia specifically was the great reviews we got about scuba diving in the Bay of Islands area.  As I… Read more

The highlight of one of our early days on the North Island was a visit to Shakespear (yes, NO “e” on the end) Regional Park.  It is described as an “open sanctuary integrating conservation, recreation and farming….providing a pest free habitat and a safe home for wildlife.”   It is located at the tip of the… Read more

I have to admit that I am no wine expert…I like wine well enough, but I usually trust the more knowledgeable good graces of others to tell me what is good wine and what is best left behind.  I really planned this day excursion knowing that Ruthie and her buddy, Lauren, would really enjoy it… Read more