Cleared for Departure

Category: New Zealand 2017

  • And Now, The End is Near

    Well … our time together has come to an end.   Together we flew 19,000 miles on 7 planes.   (The Earth is 24,901 miles in circumference.)  We drove 1,410 kilometers, not including the quad biking.  We rode on 9 boats.  We hiked 33 kilometers and ascended roughly 2,000 meters while doing so.  I took…

  • Something’s Fishy

    Something’s Fishy

    Welcome to Auckland, home to 25% of New Zealand’s population. A lot goes on here, and has been for many years.

  • Sulfur & The Sky Tower

    Sulfur & The Sky Tower

    The smell of sulfur from Rotorua is persistent and follows us to Auckland, where we walk through a city that feels vaguely familiar.

  • Smells Like Burning

    Smells Like Burning

    Welcome to Hell’s Gate Thermal Wonderland, a place to bathe in warm diesel fuel for a fee.

  • A Long Walk

    A Long Walk

    It is unclear to me why I thought a 20 kilometer walk, seriously uphill, on volcanoes, was a good idea.

  • Quad Biking & Sore Rumps

    Quad Biking & Sore Rumps

    Today we went quad-biking , exhilarating but crazy dangerous. Only in NZ would you even find this type of tour.

  • A Day at the Theme Park

    A Day at the Theme Park

    Imagine a world where 80% of the population has died or vanished.  A group of survivors decide to create a realistic downtown theme park, a homage to how things were before the Event. Let’s call this theme park Wellington.

  • Wellington

    A tour of Te Papa and the “arts” of Wellington.

  • Wagons … NORTH!

    Wagons … NORTH!

    To Wellington!

  • Stewart & Ulva Island

    After a two hour drive to Stewart Island and a one hour ferry ride, we arrived at Oban on Stewart Island.  RBD’s first words to me were, “Why are we here again?”  As you can see below, downtown is a little different than what we’re used to.  The answer isn’t very clear to me, either.…