Just a quick note: It is now Sunday March 1 and I am way behind on the blog. I wrote the blog below last Friday but have not had a chance to post as the internet in the Haast area was very slow. Hopefully I’ll catch up in the next day or so!! Feb 25-26 … Read More →

Hi All, After a very relaxing day recuperating we got back in the saddle and were on the road again by mid-morning. We had a very scenic drive on HWY 6 over the mountain pass and to the Tasman Sea at Westport. Now the Tasman Sea is one of the roughest seas in the world … Read More →

Hi All, Wow-o-wow…..the Heaphy Tramp (Kiwi’s say tramp vs backpack) was an experience that is hard for me to describe with words….awesome, top ten experience, amazing, loved it, exhilarating…yes, it was hard…..but maybe not as hard as we feared!!!! What a sense of accomplishment when we finished and we both were quite elated and also … Read More →

Hi All, We have had 3 marvelous days in what is called the Golden Bay in the northwest side of South Island. We got here somewhat late afternoon the first day and spent some time looking around Takaka (say tack-a-ka) where we are staying in a charming cottage called “The Rock”. They have tried to … Read More →

Feb 8-9 Hi All, Another successful few days tasting wines in the largest wine producing region in New Zealand, the Marlborough Region. Over 70% is Sauvignon Blanc which is not one of my favorites but I made do with a few Pinot Noirs and Syrah’s. Kathy liked some of the Sauvignon Blancs, some of the … Read More →

Hi All, The Ferry was nice and very uneventful. From Wikipedia: Cook Strait lies between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It connects the Tasman Sea on the northwest with the South Pacific Ocean on the southeast, and runs next to the capital city, Wellington. It is 22 kilometres (14 mi) wide at … Read More →

Feb 6-7 Hi All, Yes, we have named the woman on Goggle Maps…..GG….sounds like Gigi….you pick, either Goggle Girl or Gigi from the movie starring Leslie Caron….it was our good friends Adam and Cindi on sv Bravo that gave us the thought!!!! So, by using GG we have successfully made it from Napier to Wellington … Read More →

We did Napier proud, the wine region is known as Hawke’s Bay….7 total wineries and the car trunk is full….now to start to drink it all:)))) There are some really good wines here….many will rival those found in California….Napa or Livermore. Both of us continue to be surprised by how good New Zealand wines really … Read More →

Hi All, Kathy and I are back on Mystic Moon after a wonderful 2 months in the USA. We have just started our New Zealand roadtrip. We are currently in Napier, about to spend 2 days sampling the wines in Hawke’s Bay. The Holidays were just a “kick in the pants fun” with family and … Read More →

Hi All, It still boggles the mind that we can travel by plane in 12+ hours what took us all last season to do by boat….whoa!!! Yes, the date is finally here and yes, we are soooooo ready to go back to USA and see family and friends. Gee, John, why are you so ready … Read More →