It is a little weird watching a disaster unfold while you are in a foreign country. We woke up this morning to a phone call from Paul’s Dad. He said New Zealand was under a Tsunami alert and wanted to know where we were and if we were in harms way. We are in the [...]
We kayaked to a waterfall yesterday! There is something special about viewing a waterfall only accessible by boat. I guess you could hike through the native forest to see the falls, but there are no paths and it might be private property or sacred to the Maori people. Also, the view from the lake was [...]
Seeing the glowworms in the caves of Waitomo was an amazing experience. There are many tours to chose from but we chose the Spellbound tour because they allow you to take photos in the caves. It was a wonderful tour. We saw lots of glowworms and I highly recommend this company.
The tour leaves from the [...]
Lord of the Rings, bungee jumping, rolling green hills and . . . sheep – these are the things that come to mind when I think of New Zealand.
On the drive from Auckland to Taupo we saw flocks of sheep on the mountain sides, but couldn’t get a good photo. So I was really excited [...]
We were in Taupo for about a month before we made it to one of the area’s main attractions, Huka Falls. Although it isn’t as tall as Taranaki Falls or Tawhai Falls, which are just south of Lake Taupo, Huka Falls is just as impressive due to the force and amount of water flowing over [...]
Quick Trip to the Thermal Springs: Tokaanu Thermal Pools
We strive to get out of the house a little each day, even if it is just for a walk around the neighborhood. We spent the morning researching and buying helmets and life jackets for kayaking, so we didn’t want to spend lots of time researching a [...]
On the same day we visited Tawhai Falls we saw the Taranaki Falls. This waterfall was much higher and you could even hike behind it, so you could view the world from the other side of a waterfall!
The Taranaki Falls is located on a 2 hour hike in Tongariro National Park. It is off Highway [...]
I’ve been itching to see waterfalls since we landed in Fiji back in December, but for some reason or another they’ve always eluded us. Yesterday I decided that enough time had past and I was determined to see at least one waterfall. Lucky for me, we actually saw three that day!
It was a little rainy, [...]
The Motuoapa Scenic lookout is one of my favorite lookouts around Lake Taupo. It is a short, uphill hike just off State Highway 1. Turn into the Motuoapa Lodge and park directly in front of the sign for the lookout. The hike is only about 10 minutes to the lookout platform, but the steep incline [...]
I was really excited to be in New Zealand for Waitangi Day, which is known as New Zealand’s national day, but it wasn’t what I expected. I thought there would be parades, fireworks or a big feast of some kind. Unfortunately besides the extra holiday fee many restaurants charged I didn’t notice anything special about [...]
Before we came to New Zealand we knew we wanted to spend a lot of our time kayaking. We had seen pictures of people kayaking up to Maori carvings, around lakes and in rivers. It looked like so much fun. We even read about people fishing from their kayaks! Of course we wanted to experience [...]
The weather today is absolutely perfect. It is amazing how there isn’t a single cloud over the lake, but big white fluffy clouds surround the nearby mountains. It makes me feel like I live in a fairy tale.
My husband and I have been in Motuoapa for a couple of weeks now. We decided instead of [...]
The snorkeling in Fiji was absolutely amazing. The pictures just don’t do it justice. The water was very clear and the colors were so vibrant. I was disappointed when I saw the pictures, but I’m not a pro so they are what they are. I’m sure with a better camera or a bigger flash you [...]
We spent 8 nights at the Amunuca Resort on Tokoriki Island in Fiji for our Honeymoon. The island is amazing. There are short hiking trails to the top of the small mountain that allows for stunning views of the coast, ocean and nearby islands. The snorkeling is the best I’ve ever seen and you [...]