Cape Reinga: New Zealand’s Very North Tip.
Today is our first official family road trip. Ruth, John and I pack up the car and head north for the 2-hour drive to the very northern tip of New Zealand, Cape Reinga. John skillfully and successfully drives one of the cars on...
Hurtling Towards the Date Line: LA to Auckland, New Zealand
We started toward the airport today about 8:30 a.m. for a 1:35 p.m. flight. With 2 in the car, we got to use the carpool lane on the highways, which helped considerably. Got to the airport a bit earlier than anticipated, checked...
First Mornings: Auckland, New Zealand
Latitude: S36° Longitude: E174° Full Moon. We got to bed at about 2:30 a.m. Auckland time (5:30 a.m. L.A. time) and we’re up about 8:30 to seek out coffee and breakfast, feeling that hazy, thumping middle of the...
Spontaneous Conversations with Friendly Jafa’s in Auckland, New Zealand
We start our morning in a sun-drenched café with coffee and muffins in the Mt. Eden neighbourhood of Auckland. John’s sister Ruth is heading to Waiuku for a funeral and leaves us on our own. We catch the bus and head...
No Doubt about Doubtless Bay, New Zealand
S35° E173° John’s sister Ruth lives about 10 km outside the town of Mangonui,which is just off Doubtless Bay. The story is that Captain Cook sailed by but did not enter Doubtless Bay, instead uttering the words...
Farewell to New Zealand
We drive into Auckland from Doubtless Bay. It takes two cars to handle the overflow of luggage that we have brought with us (not to mention that there are six people making the journey). We take everyone out for dinner to...