Category: New Zealand

  • New Zealand Redux

    New Zealand Redux

    When we returned to the United States in November, we found a deeply divided nation. As Linda put it,“I never realized how angry people are. This is really sad.” When we left in January, the United States was even more divided. On one side there were the people energized by Trump’s victory and his vows…

  • Earthquakes and Brimstone

    Earthquakes and Brimstone

    After our road trip in the South Island, with what little time we had left, we planned to explore the North Island. One of the places we wanted to visit was Napier. In 1931 it was devastated by a two and half minute, 7.8 magnitude earthquake, and the subsequent fires. The local newspaper, The Dominion reported,…

  • Nature at Its Finest

    Nature at Its Finest

    Our road trip in the South Island was a non-stop experience of spectacular scenery. Linda put it perfectly when she said, “Every new mountain, every new beach, every new green valley, and every new lake is even more beautiful than the last.” And along the way we also found a few towns where we had…

  • Down the East Coast of the South Island

    Down the East Coast of the South Island

    We took the InterIslander Ferry from Wellington to Picton and rented a car to start our road trip. While I try to avoid driving as much as possible, there was no way we could see New Zealand without a car. Driving was interesting in a couple of ways. It was the first time I was…

  • We Finally Made It to New Zealand

    We Finally Made It to New Zealand

    When Linda and I first met, I was living in California, and she was living in Minneapolis, and I moved to Minneapolis to be with her. When we decided to get married our plan was to start our new life together by taking a trip around the world, starting in New Zealand and then ending up…