rkrontheroad

Queenstown

Digging down into the bottom layer of my suitcase, I took out my few warmies, ready for the chill of a higher altitude, and headed up to the mountains. A serene scene welcomed me to my stop for the night by Lake Tekapo, a huge aquamarine lake backed by the jagged peaks of the Southern Alps ofContinue reading “Queenstown”

Christchurch

I visited the city of Christchurch twice. Although it’s the largest city on the South Island of New Zealand, and the second largest in the country, it’s not that big—the population is less than 400,000. Between those visits in 2010 and 2014, on February 22, 2011, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake damaged Christchurch, killing 186 people.Continue reading “Christchurch”

Kaikoura

The drive down the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island was as beautiful as I had hoped. It reminded me of the drive along the coast of Ireland, a trip I took, oddly enough, with the friend I had just visited in Melbourne the week before, green and beautiful. In Kaikoura, I was greeted byContinue reading “Kaikoura”

Abel Tasman National Park

I had originally planned on doing a hike, or tramp as it’s called by Kiwis, along part of the Abel Tasman Coastal Track in the National Park at the north end of New Zealand’s South Island, but I was in no shape for tramping, having sprained my ankle. Instead, I took a catamaran along the park’sContinue reading “Abel Tasman National Park”

Wellington

After planning and revising my route many times in 2010, I finally decided to spend most of my two weeks driving the South Island of New Zealand, with an emphasis on sea and coast rather than mountains, where I live when I’m in the states. I started with just a day in Wellington, on the southernContinue reading “Wellington”

Hobbiton

When I have traveled with my son, I’ve asked him what he wants to include on the trip. His choices have taken us to some places I might not have visited: the United Nations when in New York, Pompeii in Italy, and Carthage in Tunisia on a Mediterranean trip. Hobbiton was his selection for theContinue reading “Hobbiton”

Rotorua

A road trip away from Auckland is Rotorua, an area called Te Puia by the Maori. The nearby thermal reserve is bubbling and spewing with geysers, a dramatic place to walk—very carefully! The Pohutu Geyser, the Southern Hemisphere’s largest natural geyser, erupts two or three times an hour. Its name means “constantly splashing.” Rotorua isContinue reading “Rotorua”

Auckland

The first time I visited New Zealand in 2010, while I was teaching in Japan, I didn’t spend much time on the North Island. If you’ve been following my last few blog posts, you know I sprained my ankle right before leaving Australia. That story will continue after a few posts about my return tripContinue reading “Auckland”

Two Greats: Ocean Road, Barrier Reef

The Great Ocean Road follows the rugged coastline west of Melbourne skirting Australia’s southern shore. First stop on a day bus tour was Bell’s Beach, the famous surfer’s beach, relatively calm on this day in 2010. Fishermen were out early on Lorne’s Pier, sting rays circled in the water below. Local life paid no attentionContinue reading “Two Greats: Ocean Road, Barrier Reef”

Melbourne, St Kilda

Melbourne has a more open and casual feel than Sydney, a harmonious blend of Victorian buildings and attractive modern architecture, topped with a crisp blue sky during my visit in 2010. I rode the train to Southern Cross Station, an open metallic structure with a flowing wave of a roof, then hopped on the free shuttle,Continue reading “Melbourne, St Kilda”