Tag: New Zealand

  • Christmas & Maori Lands

    Who uses solar-powered Christmas lights? The southern hemisphere where it’s sunny summer in December!  Christmas here is not commercialized (perhaps as it is a majority secular country? summertime?) and it is focused on spending time with family outdoors, camping and having a BBQ in the warm weather. We went to a Christmas parade in Paihia,…

  • Camping & Anchoring in Northland, New Zealand

    We kicked off December by a “shake-down” camping overnight to nearby Whananaki.  We walked the “Longest Footbridge in the Southern Hemisphere” at 395 metres, which was constructed in 1947, enabling the children living in Whananki South to attend school in Whananaki North.  Previously the schoolteacher rowed a boat across the estuary twice a day to…

  • Our First Weeks in Aotearoa

    The morning after our November 12, 2024 arrival, we were greeted with a Welcome Bag of goodies including honey, cards, coupons for free drinks and bread, and rum?!  Customs could not have been friendlier, funnier, or easier; as one agent on board disclosed his fishing hot spots and tips with Calder.  Biosecurity agents reviewed the…

  • ARRIVAL to New Zealand

    Passage: Tonga to New Zealand Day 7/8 – ARRIVAL! This morning, squalls moving in bringing 360 degree shifts in light winds.  Southern swell from a system off Australia is mixing with the dominant SE swell, creating interesting waves.  This morning, over coffee, Chris and I talked about what this passage from Tonga to NZ has…