After camping at McLaren Falls and kayaking with glowworms, we packed up our camping gear and took off to hike Mount Maunganui. Mount Maunganui is located in Tauranga, the 5th largest city in New Zealand with a population of just over 100,000. We stayed at a fantastic Airbnb – one where the second B really…
After buying our car in Auckland and spending five days touring the city, we packed up into Fornaxia and took off for our first three sights in our road trip: Owharoa Falls, the Dickey Flats Campground, and Karangahake Gorge. Owharoa Falls Our first stop was Owharoa Falls in Waikino. The falls are just a 2-minute walk from…
David and I flew into Auckland to begin our 5-week road trip around the country. Day 1 – The Waterfront and New Zealand Maritime Museum Our AirBnB was just a block off Queens St, the main area of Auckland. We took a right turn and walked all the way down to the waterfront. The Waterfront…
We’ve just flown into Auckland to start our 35-day New Zealand road trip around the North and South Islands! Our tour started with five days in Auckland, and one of the popular things to do in the Auckland area is taking a ferry out to Waiheke Island. About Waiheke Located just 20 km off of…
Monday after errands we took off from Suva. We enjoyed the hiking but were anxious to get out, it’s not the most pleasant place to be. Our destination was Astrolabe Reef, where not many cruisers head. Sailing to Astrolabe Reef We sailed to Bequ (pronounced Benga) and anchored at the top of a long bay….
Suva is very different from anywhere we’ve been before. This city is extremely industrial. Sailing into Suva There are only a few sailboats here and cruising is a little challenging. We anchored off the Royal Suva Yacht Club, which is about a 10-minute drive from downtown. The water is very shallow; we anchored in 9…
Sunday morning, after our fantastic Huahine Hieva, we finally upped anchor and headed to Raiatea. The short (20 nm) sail was beautiful; winds on the beam and small sea state. Where is Raiatea? Raiatea is located in the Society Islands group of French Polynesia. It’s the second-largest island in the group, the first being Tahiti. …
After clearing into the Galapagos Islands at Santa Cruz, David and I set out to explore all that Santa Cruz, Galapagos has to offer. About Santa Cruz and the Galapagos The Galapagos Islands are a small archipelago of volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are, politically, a part of Ecuador. Santa Cruz is the…