After retiring from a career in sales and marketing, I decided to do what I really love: Travel. Photography. But I like to write, too. Well, I really like to do a lot of things, and I'm sure they'll all show up at one time or another in my blog. Happy reading!
After a (very) few days visiting friends and family in Montana, I headed South to do the same in California and Arizona. I also spent time doing some pet sits in Arizona (thank you, Trusted Housesitters!). How could you not love these sweeties?
Trusted Housesitters is a great organization that matches travelers with pet parents to the advantage of both. I spent a quiet Thanksgiving with two labradoodles and Polly.
When I got on my connecting flight from New Zealand in Los Angeles, the flight attendants surprised me with a plaque and a goodie bag to recognize my Million Miles with Delta Air Lines. It only took me 38 years! I didn’t pay for most of those miles-I spent over twenty years traveling for work almost every week!
Tomorrow begins the next big adventure. ANTARCTICA! First a flight to Buenos Aires to board the ship for my cruise.
The last time I visited New Zealand I didn’t get to the far North end or the far South end of the country. Even as I boarded my flight home, I knew I’d have to return. I decided to focus on the Northland this time, above Auckland. I’m so glad I did. As you drive North the island grows narrower, so the ocean is never far away. There are forests and farms and lovely towns that entice you to slow down and enjoy the ride.
I chose my favorite photos from the Northland segment of my trip, and I’ll describe the adventure below.
I chose to stay in different areas of the Northland, spending two or three days in each place. It would have been easy enough to use one spot as a base and drive to the various places, but I was interested in trying out some different lodgings.
This part of the trip involved picking up my rental car after leaving Waiheke Island. I decided to use a location North of Auckland and take an Uber to the office from the ferry terminal, rather than trying to get used to driving on the left in the heart of the city. I’ve found that it’s fairly easy to drive on the other side of the road once you get on the highway-it’s the turns that can be a challenge. The biggest issue I usually have is turning on the wipers when I mean to use my turn signal. All the controls are switched.
My first stop was the Avalon resort in KeriKeri. Reasonably priced for what you get, I had a one-bedroom cabin in this lovely setting with ducks and ponds and lots of trees. Oh, and chickens. I was warned to keep the gate to my deck closed, because the chickens like to come into the house. Sure enough, I had a visitor each day.
I went to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds to learn a bit about the Maori culture. There was a museum, a guided tour, and a show with young people demonstrating their songs and stories. I’ve always been fascinated with the Maori culture, but this day gave me a whole new understanding and respect for the people and how they have worked to preserve their culture.
The following day I drove to the West Coast to visit the Waipoua Forest Sanctuary. The gigantic kauri trees there are some of the oldest living creatures on earth. Unfortunately, they are threatened by a disease that is killing many of them, so the sanctuary requires all visitors to go through an entryway that will sanitize their shoes to prevent spreading the disease. So I couldn’t hug the tree, but just being in its presence is awesome.
My next location was an Airbnb in Ahipara on the West Coast. This was a beautiful home right across the street from the beach. The entire front walls of the home opened up, so I could sit in the kitchen, listen to the waves, and breathe in the scent of the jasmine in the yard.
That was the perfect starting point to head to the farthest North point of the country, Cape Reinga. It was threatening rain, but turned out to be a magical day. As I approached the parking area for the Cape, it was raining and foggy. I was disappointed since I couldn’t see the ocean at all. I decided to get out of my car and walk over to the restrooms anyway, and when I did the rain slowed and I could see an archway with a path leading through it. As I walked through the arch, the fog began to lift and I could see the lighthouse in the distance. Now, do I want to walk down there? If I do, it means an uphill walk on the way back and I’m not getting any younger, you know. I decided to go a little way to take some photos. Then a little further. Then the fog lifted completely and I went a little further. Yes, I ended up at the lighthouse, and glad I did. This is the place the Maori believe their dead come to so they can climb down the roots of the tree at the point to their afterlife. It’s a sacred place, and you can feel it. Oh, and the walk back up was actually pretty easy.
Next I was off to stay in the Duke of Marlborough Hotel in Russell. A historic hotel with the tag line “Refreshing Rascals and Reprobates Since 1827”. How could I resist?
Somewhere along the way someone mentioned I’d be taking the ferry to Russell, but looking at a map I found that it’s on the mainland so there must be a road, right? There is, but it didn’t take long to realize it wasn’t a good idea. All gravel, narrow, with warning signs not to drive a camper on it. I figured Avis would not be happy, so I backtracked and lined up for the ferry. There’s a photo in the gallery above, with Polly sitting on my dash checking out the other vehicles on the ferry. It was really easy-just drive on, stay in your car and they come around to take your payment.
Russell is a lovely town, and I loved the hotel. They treated me like royalty, and I had a suite with a balcony overlooking the bay. The Moreton Bay Fig Tree was right next to my balcony, and I think it must be at least 10 feet in diameter. Polly and I enjoyed sitting on the balcony with a glass of New Zealand wine and watching the sun set. There were some great little shops in the town, and in one I had a long conversation with the shopkeeper, who is an American expat who moved here for love. Always a great story.
For my final stay I chose a place with a short drive to the airport. I didn’t want to stay IN Auckland, but NEAR it. The Castaways Resort is south of the city on the coast, and it was a lot more than I was expecting. I thought I had booked a small studio room, but when I got there I was given a two-bedroom villa! The villas are very private, and the hotel takes you to your accommodation by golf cart. If I had known how beautiful the place was, I would have planned to stay longer! The one funny thing was how long it took me to connect the icon on their website, which looked like Wilson in the movie. Of course. Wilson, Castaway, Wilson, Castaway. I was two days into my stay before I made the connection.
On my final day I drove out of the resort property and stopped along the driveway to take a photo of the rabbit sitting in the field. It’s about six feet tall, from what I could estimate, and I’m pretty sure it’s a statue. Either that, or its name is Harvey. (Look it up if you don’t get the reference.)
New Zealand continues to be one of my favorite places in the world. I hope I’ll be able to return again. I still have to visit the far South end of the country, after all.
Next on the agenda for this year of travel: a return to New Zealand. I visited two years ago and fell in love, vowing to return. I had done a day tour to Waiheke Island, known for its wines, and knew I wanted to spend more time there. So for the first few days “down under” I headed to an AirBnB on Onetangi Beach. It was ideally situated with three amazing restaurants down the street and a gorgeous beach right across the road.
A hop-on hop-off bus tour to the Eastern part of the island allowed me to see a part of the island I didn’t see the first time, and introduced a less populated area. I stopped at the Waiheke Distillery for lunch and a gin tasting, and the bonus was sitting out on the patio with an ocean view that would take your breath away. The lunch was great, and I tried a new kind of pizza: they fry the dough first and then put the toppings on-no oven. I can’t wait to try this when I finally have a kitchen again.
For those wanting practical information on this part of the trip, here you go! I flew into Auckland, and knowing I’d be jet lagged after flying from Fort Lauderdale to Atlanta to Los Angeles, and then 13 hours to New Zealand, I opted to book a SuperShuttle transfer and a hotel in Auckland right by the ferry dock. The M Social is literally across the street from the dock, and a great place to stay. Every room has a view of the harbor, and the staff was very kind in getting me into a room even though I arrived well before check-in time.
The next morning I took the ferry to Waiheke. There was plenty of room for my luggage, and the ferry runs hourly. I hired a taxi to take me to the Airbnb (expensive, but I didn’t know where I was going).
I booked the Eastern Waiheke hop-on hop-off bus online and was able to pick it up just a couple of blocks from my lodging. Besides the stop at the distillery, it gave me a good look at the island. When it was time to return to Auckland, I was able to grab the local bus just down the street and head right to the ferry terminal. The best part of that? When the bus picked me up the driver insisted on picking up my luggage and loading it for me, and then did the same at the ferry terminal. Wow, you have to love these wonderful Kiwis!
I’ve had questions about my experience with solo cruising, so I thought I’d talk about how this one went. It’s been six years since the last cruise-not counting the three cruises I did as a Tour Director. That was work, and I had a built-in group to keep me busy. This was also my first time cruising alone. So – how did it go?
Rule number one: if you want to get to know people you need to get out of your cabin. Then you have to talk to people! My first step was to sign up for traditional dining and ask to be seated at a table with a group. Since you see the same people every night, you get to know them over the course of the cruise. Since this was two back-to-back cruises, I was seated with two different groups. In both cases, by the end of the first week we were getting along like old friends.
Sometimes all it takes is a generic question like: “Where are you from?” In my case, being from Montana seemed to generate a lot of interest. People either want to talk about their visit there, or how they want to visit there. In one instance, I was on a bus in Bilbao and when I told the woman sitting next to me where I was from. Immediately four people across the aisle let me know that they were from a town just a few miles from where I live. Small world.
I also participated in a couple of group activities. There is always something to do, whether it’s a crafting group, trivia, dance lessons, or games. I attended a meeting of nomads, and it was great to hear how others are choosing a lifestyle of travel. Doing more activities probably would have been a good idea, but after a long summer of leading group tours I was ready for a little alone time. I’m promising myself that on the next cruise I’ll get more involved.
Now, if you’re thinking about taking a cruise on your own, I would suggest trying a shorter cruise. On these long cruises, I found that most cruisers were couples. Smaller ships are also more conducive to getting to know your cruise mates. When you’re on a ship with 3000 or more passengers, running across the same person again gets a lot harder.
My next three cruises are with friends, so I’ll have built-in companionship. But I still plan to get to know other cruisers. One warning, though. As you meet people who do a lot of traveling, conversation naturally leads to places they have been. The next thing you know, you have another place to add to your bucket list!
Funchal, Madeira Polly and Prosecco. The market is fascinating. A work of art. They tell me fish are tasty, but after seeing them: no. I love how they decorate their doors.
This was my third time in Funchal, on one of the Islands of Madeira. It was a little bittersweet for me, since this was one of the ports my husband and I loved.
I again took a hop-on-hop-off bus tour, and then returned to the city center to go to their wonderful market and have lunch. I love visiting markets around the world. They have such interesting foods and products, and they are a photographers playground.
The one thing I wanted to do was have lunch at the sidewalk restaurant Richard and I visited when we were there. I tramped up and down several streets, realizing that it had been ten years since my last visit and the area had changed a lot. But I found it! I recreated the photo I took back then with my glass of Prosecco, but adding in my travel companion Polly the porcupine. She liked the Prosecco too.
I just thought this was pretty. Pretty fancy home for pigeons!OMG, the sweets were incredible. Remnants of the fort overlooking the city.
I’m a bit late in posting, but I was busy helping row across the Atlantic Ocean. Not really, but doesn’t that bring up visions of Vikings heading to the New World?
Anyway, I took a ship tour of Vigo and got to check out the city. It was a nice overview with stops at an old fort and some gardens. We stopped at a 5-star hotel for lunch before returning to the dock, and I got to try some local wine.
What I didn’t realize when I booked the tour was that the Old Town section was just a stroll from the ship. Of course I had to take advantage of that! I learned that their Old Town is quite modern, with lots of shops. As you can see by my photos, my favorite was the bakery! I ended up with the yummiest raspberry tea cake, and I enjoyed every guilty bite.
Today was a rather warm port day in Bilbao. I did a Hop On Hop Off bus tour and got off at the Guggenheim Museum. I decided to walk back to the place where the ship shuttle dropped us off. I think that was a mistake-I ended up with sweat in my eyes. I guess I need to remember we’re no longer above the Arctic Circle.
The museum was interesting; there were some installations that gave an idea of how the rest of the world sees us. It’s not flattering.
Today’s adventure was a tour to visit Monet’s home and gardens. While it’s October and many of the flowers are fading, it was still a lovely visit. How exciting to see the places I’ve seen in his paintings so often.
Weather and rough seas forced an unscheduled port stop in La Havre ( I’m going back in two days) so I took a tour to Honfleur. A lovely old village, and of course I partook of the required French pastry and chocolates. The pastry didn’t last long enough for a portrait, but Polly helped me decide which chocolates to eat first. The woman in the chocolate shop was exceptionally nice, chatting with me in her limited English (as opposed to my non-existent French) to make sure I got just what I wanted.
Travels with Billie 