Here we go. 2 weeks driving around the south island in the Alfa 159 First stop Wellington onto the interislander ferry accross to Picton. Stay tuned ..read more

New Zealand is a lovely place. But to maximize your stay in NZ what are the tricks. Well if you visit NZ you really want to visit those tucked away places that are there to take your breath away. That is totally doable, but you can make it easier and you can make the trip more efficient if you know how to. Well I am about to share with you how you can do that, plus travel less and save money. A lot of people associate holidays with hotels. Book your destination and book your hotel. Sorted! Maybe that works for certain holidays. To a degree that would work for NZ. The trouble with this is that ..read more

eating out in the bay of islands and we have been. I have put on a few pounds. In order of stay. Restaurants in Russell, 1. My favourite was the Duke of Marlborough. Great food and outstanding professional friendly service. More expensive but worth it. https://www.theduke.co.nz/eat-and-drink/menu-and-beverages 2. This was a great little Gem. Alfresco's bar and restaurant. Not to be underestimated. The service was great. The food was great and the setting was great. All this and at a better price. You may drive past Alresco's and think it isn't much but it is well worth a stop. https://www.alfr ..read more

Today we had a plan. But it turned out slightly different. Today we drove into Kerikeri. Stoped at the Packhouse cafe for a morning coffee. It was a lovely cafe. Recommend it. https://www.theoldpackhousemarket.co.nz/ Our plan then was to try the sculpture art park but we passed the sculpture park accidently and carried on to turn around, but found a little gem. It was the old stone store. https://www.heritage.org.nz/places/places-to-visit/northland-region/kerikeri-mission-station What a lovely idyllic spot just by the river. A beautiful spot with a cafe and bridge over the river where we found ..read more

We visited Waitangi Treaty Grounds today and I must say that they have ceated a great educational and atmospheric place. With museums, a war memorial and history around every corner. The staff were all very friendly. The tour guide was great and interactive. We really enjoyed it and for the price it was well worth it. We spent 4 hours there which included the tour and the cultural performance. https://www.theduke.co.nz ..read more

Listen to this. It was beautiful sitting there just listening to the Tui calling. [object Object ..read more

We had a 3 night stay in the Duke of Marlborough hotel. A lovely historical hotel in Russell, Bay of Islands. We had our anniversary meal which was absolutely lovely. In my opinion the Duke ofMarlborough is the number one resturant in Russell and maybe the Bay of Islands. Staff great. Hotel great. Location great https://www.theduke.co.nz ..read more

The largest tree in New Zealand. Approx 2000 years old. The Kauri I can confirm it was pretty big. Check it out... My commentry was not great so I apologise for that!!!! [object Object ..read more

A hiden gem. We found this beautiful spot as we were driving on the west coast. A place called Arai te Uru Nature Reserve on the west coast. Certainly worth a stop ..read more

Pretty nice up here. I would recommend it for sure. Judge for yourself ..read more