Our day began with gentler seas as we approached the northern part of the Auckland Islands and anchored off Erebus Cove. The morning’s agenda included a visit to the historical Hardwicke Settlement, established in 1849 and abandoned just 3 years later. We disembarked via zodiacs for a short trip to shore, where we were divided […]
Our night was a turbulent one, rocked by what felt like unusually rough seas. The motion was a strong side-to-side sway, reminiscent of a baby being rocked in a cradle a bit too vigorously, which left us wondering if it was due to our cabin’s location or just the wild sea conditions. By morning, we […]
Our day kicked off with a hearty buffet breakfast and a picture-perfect weather day for Queenstown. Following the instructions provided by Heritage, we checked out of our room and dropped our bags at the hotel reception by 9 AM. We had some time to spare, so we walked over to the gondola. Despite the steep […]
The centrepiece of our trip to New Zealand was a 10 night ‘Galapagos of the Southern Ocean‘ expedition. After being captivated by the documentary “Edge of Nowhere,” and having previously visited South Georgia for penguin watching, the NZ subantarctic islands, and Macquarie Island—a part of Tasmania—seemed like a closer, equally thrilling alternative. The expedition […]
When booking our Airbnb in Te Anau, our host wisely advised us to schedule activities in advance due to the high season rush. He also recommended visiting Doubtful Sound and, if possible, staying overnight. Taking his advice, we adjusted our dates, even though this meant one less night in Te Anau. Doubtful Sound is […]
The slight wine-induced haze from last night—yes, three glasses now count as a big night in my mid-life—made for a slow start to the morning. Andy fetched our coffee from the lobby, just as we got a text from our Airbnb host inviting us to check in early. Motivated by the prospect of settling in […]
Both Andy and I woke up feeling refreshed, especially after takeaway coffee from the lobby bar, and Fergbaker pastries. We decided on an impromptu photowalk around the Hilton complex. The birdlife was spectacular! We spotted Great Crested Grebe, New Zealand Scaup, Chaffinch, Tui, Coot, and Tern. The highlight was definitely spotting the Tui, a new […]
After flying to South America for our 2022 and 2023 extended holiday breaks, today’s short flight from Sydney to Queenstown was a breeze. Getting to New Zealand The flight itself was fast, clocking in at just under three hours. We booked window and window to enjoy the stunning views of the alpine landscape and […]
New Zealand, a treasure trove of natural beauty basically in our backyard, often gets overlooked for more distant destinations. Our first roadtrip through New Zealand taught us the importance of pacing—we tried to cram too much into too little time so we barely scratched the surface. We thought a campervan would give us flexibility, but […]
How to spend a perfect week in the Cook Islands In late October, I found myself staring at a massively selfish problem: I was 200 credits short of retaining my platinum status on Qantas. With our 25th wedding anniversary just weeks away, it hit me—why not turn this milestone celebration into a status run? Two […]