13 January: Everything is packed, the house is tidy, and we are at a hotel near Logan Airport. Heather and Kevin were our cheauffeurs. Kevin found a wonderful Italian restaurant in Revere.Sebastian's is small, and the food is excellent.

14 January: Our flight from Boston to SanFrancisco was uneventful. I do bemoan the loss of some of the amenities we once enjoyed on transcontinental flights. We hadn't transferred in SFO before. It is a much more pleasant experience than the craziness of LAX. Our flight for Auckland leaves around 7:45 PM.

16 January: No January 15 for us. We lost it somewhere over the Pacific. Our flights were uneventful..unless you count the lady in the seat next to me on the SanFrancisco-Auckland flight who practiced her contortionist skills for the entire flight. We arrived to a breezy, coolish (18C) day in Auckland. Only 26 hours from Boston to Auckland. Customs was a breeze. We stopped at the mobile phone kiosk to see if my antique phone, c.2003, could still be used. Alas, I had to buy a new one. For NZ$40 (US$32) I got a phone, SIM card, $20worth of prepaid minutes, and a $20 bonus for signing up. My old phone didn't even have a SIM card slot!

We were warmly welcomed by Dan and Valerie Cohen. After a shower, a cup of tea, and some catching up. I needed a nap. After lunch we went to the Auckland Museum to see two special photographic exhibits. One was NZ photographer Robin Morrison. His photos are mainly of iconic daily New Zealand life as well as important cultural events. The other was a retrospective of Fashion photography of the late 19th century through the present. We then went to the interactive exhibit about Sir Edmund Hillary's Nepal expedition. It only took Buzz about fifteen minutes to get to the top.

17January: A foggy, rainy morning gave way to a warm breezy afternoon. I reorganized our belongings, caught up on email, took a short nap (the travel always catches up with me on the second day), and in the afternoon we went to see the film Nebraska. It was excellent. Buzz helped Dan work in the garden in the late afternoon. Valerie made a lovely Shabbat dinner. She even found gluten free soup noodles for Buzz. Tomorrow we'll have an outing to a farmers'/craft market.

18 January: We started the day with a visit to the Artisan Winery farmers' market. Artisanal breads, veggies, elixirs for digestion, fudge and more available for tasting and purchase. We bought strawberries. From the market we drove through the beautiful Titirangi area to Huia where we had lunch and on to Whatipu (pronounced fatipu) to have a walk on the beach. Access to the beach is a short walk over the dunes of hot black sand. The water was as cold as the sand was hot. In the evening we went to our favorite Italian restaurant, Me Ne Frego, with Dan, Valerie, Andrew Lorrey and Tracy Riggio. The meal was excellent, and the company the same.

19 January: What a wonderful day. After Dan provided us with a gourmet breakfast of crepes, raspberry jam, lemon curd, and his delicious coffee, we left for the Auckland Ferry Terminal and an afternoon on Rangitoto Island. Quay Street was closed for the Auckland Iron Man race, and a pedestrian overpass had been constructed to allow access to the pier. The ferry ride to the island is about 20 minutes. Rangitoto is a volcanic island about 800 years old. The last eruption was about 600 years ago. Once on the Island we took a tour on a Road train pulled by a huge tractor. Near the summit, the train stropped to let us off to walk the 372 steps (23 minutes including rest stops) to the actual summit. I really wasn't sure I would make it, but I did. The view was worth every step. I always say these walks are ******* your heart on the way up and ******* your knees on the way down! On the return ferry trip, we decided to have a cold drink. When we used some wet towelettes to clean our hands, we found our how dirty we were from the volcanic dust raised by the tractor. Later in the afternoon we visited Andrew and Tracy at their home before returning to another of Dan's excellent dinners: Swiss Chard and Blue Cheese Omelettes with home made French Fries and salad.

We have had a wonderful visit here, and look forward to welcoming Dan and Valerie to Hudson in August. Tomorrow we leave for Tauranga and the beginning of our travel down the east coast of the North Island.