Cleared for Departure
Next Trip: Singapore & Australia, Fall 2026
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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. I wanted to see how people… Continue …
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Doubtful Sound, Part 2
A.k.a. Doubtful Silence We awoke to the anchor of the ship being hoisted. Hard to sleep through that. It drones on for minutes and rattles your soul. After herding us through breakfast, we were herded to the outside of the ship to experience the sounds of the fiord. The crew shut the ship down completely and we floated, listening to the… Continue …
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Doubtful Sound, Part 1
The landscape surrounding us really cannot be described. We are deep in Fiordland National Park, located in the Fiordland District, floating on The Doubtful Sound. Around us is a rain forrest so thick and mountains so steep, a majority of the land has never felt a human footprint, ever. Waterfalls hundreds of feet high emptied recent rain into the sea. The… Continue …
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I Taste Cherry and Pink Marshmallow
We decided to tackle Queenstown Hill after breakfast. Two hours and 1300 feet later, I was cursing the New Zealand penchant for snarky understatement. Where I come from hills barely raise your heart rate. This was a two and a half hour slog straight up. Even more maddening were the Kiwis who passed us barely breathing heavy. Clearly we found the… Continue …
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Jump, Shop, Eat
Welcome to Queenstown, the “adrenaline capital of the world.” The city where bungee jumping became a thing. Continue …
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Welcome to Aotearoa
We departed JFK early in the morning. Sadly, the check engine light (pilot’s words) came on, so we sat. At one point they even “rebooted the plane.” Clearly Delta must use Window to power the whole thing. Mildly concerning. While most of us ignore that yellow check engine light, I suspect we wouldn’t if driving 500 mph at 30,000 feet across… Continue …
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This Is Only a Test
Hello and welcome! Thank you all for joining me and RBD on our second trip to New Zealand. We depart on Saturday, December 16th and arrive two days later. Continue …
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The Morning After
Well, it should be no surprise to any of you I’m up early. Just a final note … As a thank you for joining me you’re welcome to any picture I’ve previous sent or included below. I’m happy to give you a full resolution file, suitable for printing in most any size you’d want. The cool thing about the medium… Continue …
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Vespas and Tuscany
The day started with a heavy, wet fog over the entire area. We made our way to the meeting point for our Vespa tour and checked in. They drove us out to the countryside in a van. A large gaggle of girls, no older than 20, occupied the first van. They were students from Rhode Island. The less senior guide… Continue …
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Good Price for You
I seem to buy wallets only on vacation. My current wallet I bought on vacation in North Carolina many, many years ago. I figured I needed an upgrade. I’m actually unsure where I would buy a wallet not on vacation. After visiting the Museo Galileo, all of us went shopping. RBD’s shopping inclinations closely resemble the 13 year periodical cicada.… Continue …
Cleared for Departure 