Sunday, 6 March - Sunday, 13 March: The plane trip from Auckland to Norfolk Island takes just over an hour and a half, and the time on the island is two hours earlier than New Zealand. We were met by a shuttle bus and transported to our lodging. The Governor's Lodge is a complex of bungalows each with a sitting room, kitchenette, bedroom and bath and a small deck. Our rental car was waiting for us on arrival. For the net six days, we relaxed, read our books, went...

Sunday, 6 March - Sunday, 13 March: The plane trip from Auckland to Norfolk Island takes just over an hour and a half, and the time on the island is two hours earlier than New Zealand. We were met by a shuttle bus and transported to our lodging. The Governor's Lodge is a complex of bungalows each with a sitting room, kitchenette, bedroom and bath and a small deck. Our rental car was waiting for us on arrival. For the net six days, we relaxed, read our boo...

Sunday, 28 February: We left Audrey with a promise to return in late March before we go home and drove to Auckland over the Kaimai mountain range. As is often the case, the road was very foggy through the mountains. Our first stop was at the Auckland Botanical Garden. Even though many of the flowers have gone by, it was a lovely walk, and the sculptures we saw in January are still there; so Joe and Mary got to see them as well. We checked in to the Waldorf Celest...

Sunday, 28 February: We left Audrey with a promise to return in late March before we go home and drove to Auckland over the Kaimai mountain range. As is often the case, the road was very foggy through the mountains. Our first stop was at the Auckland Botanical Garden. Even though many of the flowers have gone by, it was a lovely walk, and the sculptures we saw in January are still there; so Joe and Mary got to see them as well. We checked in to the Waldorf Ce...

Sunday, 21 February: Today we drove from Feilding to Whangamomona. The treat of the day was being able to see Mt. Taranaki in its entirety. This mountain is so often shrouded in cloud and mist that some travelers never get to see it. Whangamomona claims to be a separate Republic within New Zealand...long story. One gets there along Road 43 called the Forgotten World Highway because of the remoteness of the area. We arrived in mid afternoon and settled in for our ...