Their story started in 1983 when Michael Mayell returned to New Zealand from a trip to the U.S. Inspired by cookie shops in the U.S., he set out to do something similar in New Zealand – borrowing a bakery at night and partnering with his brother he started a brand that is known throughout New…
On Monday at 12:02 am, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck New Zealand’s south island near Hanmer Springs. Since then, over 2,000 aftershocks have hit. The earthquake was felt all the way in Auckland – over 1,000 kilometers away. I hadn’t yet returned to NZ from my grandmother’s funeral in the U.S. but my partner said…
A nine-foot wingspan. A 50-year lifespan. One mate for life. The Royal Albatross is remarkable — and the only place in the world you can see them nesting on a mainland is a short drive from Dunedin.
Wikipedia says there is a Maori legend about the sandfly: “The god Tu-te-raki-whanoa had just finished creating the landscape of Fiordland, it was absolutely stunning… so stunning that it stopped people from working. They just stood around gazing at the beauty instead. The goddess Hinenuitepo became angry at these unproductive people, so she created the sandfly…
Manta rays in Fiji. Whale sharks in Western Australia. Manatees in Florida. And two of the top ten? Right here in New Zealand.
Antarctica was still on my list — the only continent I hadn’t visited. Until I got there, Christchurch’s International Antarctic Centre turned out to be a pretty good consolation prize. A storm chamber that drops to -18°C, a Hagglund that makes a Hummer look timid, and my partner bear-hugging a man in a penguin suit. Not a bad afternoon.
I previously posted about Milford Sound. It is an incredible wondrous place. But even more incredible and wondrous (in my opinion) is the road that takes you there — state highway 94. Picture a road with mountains all around you, fields of purple flowers on every space flat enough to have them, and waterfalls competing…
I previously blogged about the New Zealand wine trail. In Central Otago in the South Island, on highway 6 just outside of Queenstown on the way to Wanaka you’ll see signs for Gibbston Valley Winery.
If you take the ferry to the South Island, you’ll leave Wellington and arrive in the town of Picton. Picton is relatively small with just 4,330 people. It is one of the Easternmost towns in the South Island. Last summer, we spent three weeks exploring the South Island and of course started in Picton since…
Just like the rest of the known universe, there are plenty of Starbucks in NZ. There are 12-15 stores in Auckland and about 10 other cities have one. The reception to Starbucks by Kiwis is mixed though. In Auckland, especially in the tourist areas, if you go to Starbucks you will most likely be waiting…