A Beautiful Waterway - in NZ of course

[ausastronomer]

As many of you would know I have been married to a New Zealander for a very long time and have made > 30 trips to New Zealand. Nevertheless I never get tired of going to the Shaky Isles for a vacation.

Sue and I have just returned from another 3 week trip to NZ. We did 12 nights on Celebrity Solstice embarked the Ship in Auckland and then spent 10 days in the North Island visiting her parents, 2 of her brothers and we also revisited some of our favourite tourist attractions in the North Island like Wai-O-Tapu. Rotorua Chair Lift and Luge run, Blue & Green Lakes and Huka Falls.

Below are some images from Queen Charlotte Sound as the ship left Picton. A truly beautiful stretch of water. We had Dolphins surfing the bow wave of the ship most of the way back out of the Sound, but I wasn't fast enough to snap an image of one.

Cheers
John B

[ausastronomer]

A Free Swimming Seal just off the Southern Headland of Otago Harbour Dunedin

[ausastronomer]

Ship arrived in Tauranga on 30/11. I had tried for 2 weeks to talk my wife and the 2 friends we travelled with into doing the White Island Volcano Tour. Just something I wanted to have on the bucket listn (Walked on a live Volcano) I was extremely fortunate that I had no takers. My wife Sue's exact words on repeated occasions were, "why would I go anywhere near a Volcano that might erupt at any minute".

We decided to do the V8 Trike tour instead of the Volcano.

3 Wheel Trike with a Fuel injected small block Chev (350ci).

I have had some nice and fast cars over many decades including a BMW M3, Jaguar XJR and and a Jaguar XJ8 convertible. However, there is no substitute for the throb and exhaust note of an old American bent 8.

Cheers,
John B

[wavelandscott]

Sounds like a great trip...and glad you avoided the volcano!