You take the gondola up to the Skyline and get some of the most amazing views.
Below is a photo of The Remarkables, one of several ski resorts near Queenstown.
You can see the winding road going up the mountainside. We have made this trip several times and it is particularly frightening in winter when chains are required.
In the other direction, heading towards Kingston, the views of the mountains and the lake are equally as magnificent.
Or manage to capture a photo of the Earnslaw making its way across the lake towards Walter Peak Farm. It seems almost like a miniature toy.
Oreti village, Pukawa Bay, North Island, New Zealand
On the southern tip of Lake Taupo
Our first morning there, a Saturday. Winter. Cold. And a beautiful sunrise.
This was taken from the balcony, overlooking the lake.
The sun is just creeping up over the horizon
It gradually gets lighter, and then the sun breaks free of the low cloud
It lights up the balcony
And the trees just beyond, a cascade of colorful ferns.
It looks like its going to be a fine day, our first for this trip, and we will be heading to the mountains to see snow, for the first time for two of our granddaughters.
To me, reading is an essential part of a writer’s life. We see what others write, we see how others write, and we see what they write about.
It is an education in itself on the genre we eventually want to write for. Call it homework, or very pleasant homework.
But…
Between everything else I have to do around the house, the time set aside for writing, the time set aside for maintaining social media, the time set aside for family, is there any time left?
About an hour before I go to sleep, though that time is considerably shortened if the book is boring.
Fortunately, quite often they are not.
The other problem is the intervals between new books from my favorite authors is getting less as they take on co-writers, such as James Patterson and Clive Cussler. And even more are now getting co-authors which means my to be read list is getting longer and longer.
It seems the only time I can steal more than an hour away is when I go away on holiday. This we try to do several times a year, and this year we’ll be going to Melbourne, and then a week in Tasmania.
There’s only one other problem involved, the fact books are so much cheaper there, and I’ll be buying more.
Damn. It’s a never-ending cycle.
But, at the moment, the list reads like this,
Len Camarda, The Seventh Treasure
Edgar Wallace, The Clue of the new Pin
Nicola Upson, Nine Lessons
Matt Gallagher, Youngblood
Sam Peters, From Darkest Skies
And, of course, about a hundred others.
As odd as it sounds I’m looking forward to the few hours in the plane seeing many airlines are now doing away with inflight entertainment. I’m sure food will be next.
Oreti village, Pukawa Bay, North Island, New Zealand
On the southern tip of Lake Taupo
Our first morning there, a Saturday. Winter. Cold. And a beautiful sunrise.
This was taken from the balcony, overlooking the lake.
The sun is just creeping up over the horizon
It gradually gets lighter, and then the sun breaks free of the low cloud
It lights up the balcony
And the trees just beyond, a cascade of colorful ferns.
It looks like its going to be a fine day, our first for this trip, and we will be heading to the mountains to see snow, for the first time for two of our granddaughters.
I’m sure a lot of people have considered the prospect of whale watching. I’m not sure how the subject came up on one of our visits to New Zealand, but I suspect it was one of those tourist activity leaflets you find in the foyer of motels, hotels, and guesthouses.
Needless to say, it was only a short detour to go to Kaikoura and check out the prospect.
Yes, the ocean at the time seemed manageable. My wife has a bad time with sea sickness, but she was prepared to make the trip, after some necessary preparations. Seasickness tablets and special bands to wear on her wrist were recommended and used.
The boat was large and had two decks, and mostly enclosed. There were a lot of people on board, and we sat inside for the beginning of the voyage. The sea wasn’t rough, but there was about a meter and a half swell, easily managed by the boat while it was moving.
It took about a half hour or so to reach the spot where the boat stopped and a member of the crew used a listening device to see if there were any whales.
That led to the first wave of sickness.
We stopped for about ten minutes, and the boat moved up and down on the waves. It was enough to start the queasy stomachs of a number of passengers. Myself, it was a matter of going out on deck and taking in the sea air. Fortunately, I don’t get seasick.
Another longish journey to the next prospective site settled a number of the queasy stomachs, but when we stopped again, the swell had increased, along with the boat’s motion. Seasick bags were made available for the few that had succumbed.
By the time we reached the site where there was a whale, over half the passengers had been sick, and I was hoping they had enough seasick bags, and then enough bin space for them.
The whale, of course, put on a show for us, and those that could went out on deck to get their photos.
By the end of the voyage, nearly everyone on board was sick, and I was helping to hand out seasick bags.
Despite the anti sickness preparations, my wife had also succumbed. When we returned and she was asked if the device had worked, she said no.
But perhaps it had because within half an hour we were at a cafe eating lunch, fish and chips of course.
This activity has been crossed off the bucket list, and there’s no more whale watching in our traveling future. Nor, it seems, will we be going of ocean liners.
Perhaps a cruise down the Rhine might be on the cards. I don’t think that river, wide as it is in places, will ever have any sort of swell.
To me, reading is an essential part of a writer’s life. We see what others write, we see how others write, and we see what they write about.
It is an education in itself on the genre we eventually want to write for. Call it homework, or very pleasant homework.
But…
Between everything else I have to do around the house, the time set aside for writing, the time set aside for maintaining social media, the time set aside for family, is there any time left?
About an hour before I go to sleep, though that time is considerably shortened if the book is boring.
Fortunately, quite often they are not.
The other problem is the intervals between new books from my favorite authors is getting less as they take on co-writers, such as James Patterson and Clive Cussler. And even more are now getting co-authors which means my to be read list is getting longer and longer.
It seems the only time I can steal more than an hour away is when I go away on holiday. This we try to do several times a year, and this year we’ll be going to Melbourne, and then a week in Tasmania.
There’s only one other problem involved, the fact books are so much cheaper there, and I’ll be buying more.
Damn. It’s a never-ending cycle.
But, at the moment, the list reads like this,
Len Camarda, The Seventh Treasure
Edgar Wallace, The Clue of the new Pin
Nicola Upson, Nine Lessons
Matt Gallagher, Youngblood
Sam Peters, From Darkest Skies
And, of course, about a hundred others.
As odd as it sounds I’m looking forward to the few hours in the plane seeing many airlines are now doing away with inflight entertainment. I’m sure food will be next.
Oreti village, Pukawa Bay, North Island, New Zealand
On the southern tip of Lake Taupo
Our first morning there, a Saturday. Winter. Cold. And a beautiful sunrise.
This was taken from the balcony, overlooking the lake.
The sun is just creeping up over the horizon
It gradually gets lighter, and then the sun breaks free of the low cloud
It lights up the balcony
And the trees just beyond, a cascade of colorful ferns.
It looks like its going to be a fine day, our first for this trip, and we will be heading to the mountains to see snow, for the first time for two of our granddaughters.
Tawhai Falls is a 13-meter high waterfall located in Tongariro National Park.
It is located about 4 km from the Tongariro National Park Visitor Centre, on State Highway 48.
An easy walk takes just 10-15 minutes to reach the waterfall’s lookout.
The top of the falls. There was not much water coming down the river to feed the falls when we were there in May
Tawhai Falls is also the filming location of Gollum’s pool where Faramir and his archers are watching Gollum fish.
It’s a rocky walk once you are down at ground level, and it may be not possible to walk along the side of the stream if the falls have more water coming down the river from the mountain.
Tawhai Falls is a 13-meter high waterfall located in Tongariro National Park.
It is located about 4 km from the Tongariro National Park Visitor Centre, on State Highway 48.
An easy walk takes just 10-15 minutes to reach the waterfall’s lookout.
The top of the falls. There was not much water coming down the river to feed the falls when we were there in May
Tawhai Falls is also the filming location of Gollum’s pool where Faramir and his archers are watching Gollum fish.
It’s a rocky walk once you are down at ground level, and it may be not possible to walk along the side of the stream if the falls have more water coming down the river from the mountain.
A relatively unassuming lane leads to what could be described as a grand hotel, called Waitomo Caves Hotel.
The original hotel was built in 1908, and it was later extended in 1928. Part of it is ‘Victorian’, based on an eastern Europe mountain chalet, and part of it is ‘Art Deco’, the concrete wing, and a feature, if it could be called that, is none of the four corners are the same.
Views from the balcony show part of the surrounding gardens
and the town of Waitomo in the distance.
In gloomy weather, it does look rather spooky, and I suspect there may be a ghost or two lurking somewhere in the buildings.
But…
This a a very interesting, and the words of one of my younger grand daughters, a very creepy place. It would make an excellent base for paranormal activity, and there could very well be ghosts walking the corridors of this hotel.
It has the long darkish passageways that lead in all directions and to almost hidden rooms, a creepy nighttime aspect, and the creaky woodwork.
I know when we were exploring, it was easy to lose your bearings, if not get lost, trying to find certain places, and once found, hard to find your way back.
All in all, it was one of the best stays in a very old place going through the throes of modernisation.
And looking at it from the outside at night, I’ll leave you with that thought…
Thrills, Spills, and just a dash of Romance 