Last weekend my husband and I went to Hamilton for the annual Balloons Over Waikato event. We only caught 2 days of the festival, but it was amazing!
NightGlow at Balloons Over Waikato
We arrived the day of the NightGlow and we went early, since the website said the event started at 4:30. The NightGlow isn’t just [...]
I’ve shared a few pictures from the waterfalls I’ve seen near Lake Taupo – Taranaki Falls, Tawhai Falls, Huka Falls and Waihi Falls. It is probably pretty clear that I’m slightly obsessed with waterfalls. Paul and I hiked for four hours through the mud to see Waitonga Falls when the bridge was out. So, when [...]
One of the most amazing things I have done since arriving in New Zealand was visiting a seal colony on the southern most point of the North Island. Cape Palliser is about 2 hours from Wellington and it is well worth the drive. The road is long and deserted so be sure to fill up [...]
Next to Lake Taupo, just a few minutes drive from Turangi, is a very easy walk through the woods. The walk is shaded nearly the whole way and the gentle breeze from the wake keeps you cool as you stroll around the winding path listening to bird calls and admiring the foliage.
There are no [...]
Balloons Over Wairarapa, 2010
We went to the southern part of the North Island and saw Wellington and the surrounding area. We timed our trip to be able to see the mass ascension of hot air balloons in Clareville. It was really pretty. We arrived at 7:00 am, so we were able to watch the balloons [...]
Once again I find myself at the mercy of New Zealand TV. We only have three channels that come in with our rabbit ears here in Motuoapa, near Taupo, and none of them are delivering news. Since our Vodafone mobile broadband 3G internet connection is weak, and limited, I can’t watch videos, so no YouTube, [...]
As I slid down the white rock grasping for anything to hold on to, I thought, if I don’t slow down I might actually die. It seems like something you would read in a fiction book or see in a movie. Being from Florida, where the highest point you reach above sea level is in [...]
I can’t believe we are selling our kayak already. It seems as if we just bought it yesterday. In fairness, it has only been 2 months. We had expected to get a little more use out of it, but it is kind of cold and I couldn’t stand a spray from the chilly Lake Taupo [...]
My favorite kayak trip was to Motutaiko Island in Lake Taupo.
I think we went to Motutaiko Island three times. The first time we attempted the trip we didn’t make it. It doesn’t look too far from our launch point on the east side of the lake, but it took over an hour to kayak to [...]
Today Paul decided to get his fishing license, so we decided to start the day at the Tongariro National Trout Centre to learn a little about the fish were were going to catch. The trout center seems to be set up to be more of a children’s attraction than an educational center, but we enjoyed [...]
Yesterday we went for a short hike, the Pukawa Bush Walk, and were serenaded by dozens of birds. I’ve never heard so many birds at once and the variety of bird calls was very surprising. Most of the birds were difficult to see, so I couldn’t identify which birds made what sound. Being difficult to [...]