Tripping with Judy

It was a day of “lasts”…last morning in New Zealand, last breakfast made for me, last time to pack my suitcases.  I have thoroughly enjoyed waking up in the mornings to hotel breakfasts…some better than others…and conversation with my fellow travelers to start the day.  Some of us have been together for six weeks, and all of us are friends now.  It has been a fabulous group of people to travel with. I will not miss eggs; I have seen and eaten enough eggs for six months!  I will not miss beans for breakfast; although, I did try them a few times, nor broiled tomatoes.  I especially won’t miss limp “streaky bacon”!   I do not like and will never like nor miss Vegemite! I will miss trying new foods and drinks and need to Google how to make lemon lime bitters!  I will miss my “news ignorance” which I indulge in when I travel.  It has been especially pleasant missing US election drama. I will miss the electric hot water pot in each room with an ...

My “trip of a lifetime“ in Australia and New Zealand is ending too quickly.  It has been good for me to document my travels; although, there is so much more I didn’t include.  This blog has been my memory and notes which sometimes are hard to read from my squiggles in a bumpy bus.  Please don’t quote me as gospel because I don’t fact-check information.  I’m just journaling, and I’m glad you are along with me! The Whatangi Treaty Grounds and Museum explores the birth of New Zealand as a nation.  Our guide, CeCe, is an encyclopedia of dates and names and places.  I will try to remember the basics, but she was so fabulous I could only record a portion of all she taught us. The Scottish were one of the largest groups of immigrants, and the first English mariner, Captain James Cook, in 1769 hired a Tahitian navigator who had the information about multiple islands in his head.  With his travels, this navigator was able to understand the Māori language an...

A few more goodbyes this morning, and eight of us load the van for our four days further north in New Zealand’s Bay of Islands.  It feels a little strange to be traveling in a smaller group like I left something behind. We have been on the road less than an hour when the van starts vibrating.  Neal, a retired GM executive, believes it’s the drive shaft so our driver finds an auto repair place with a nearby coffee shop for us.  We relax with drinks while a new van is brought to us, and after 1 1/2 hour delay, we continue our travels. Phil says it’s the first group he has ever brought to Silverdale Industrial Park! Parry Kauri Park is a small natural preserve for the native kauri, New Zealand’s most famous tree.  I stroll along wooden boardwalks admiring trees, and ferns, vines, and bushes.  An 800 year old kauri tree and its neighboring 600 year old one, are amazing in size and breadth of the trunk.  It is easy to see why they were desired for timber s...