Author Archives: bwbattles

“We’ll always have Paris.”  That line from Casablanca was going through our heads as we caught what was nearly the last flight out of Auckland for the U.S.  Not surprisingly, it was packed.  American Airlines has a codeshare agreement with Qantas, and it wanted its equipment back to the States before NZ closed its borders. Continue reading “HOME!”

We are fewer than 24 hours from our NZ departure. The ride to the airport is scheduled so that I will be there within my “comfort zone” of getting there early enough, I hope. We are packing up for a quick checkout tomorrow. Even so, we took another stroll around the area just to seeContinue reading “Kiwi Wrap Up”

We arrived here already in semi self-isolation. So many attractions and tours have closed or been cancelled that we have been walking quite a bit. We are in a one-bedroom apartment, and it gives us a bit of flexibility. We are just a five-minute walk from the waterfront with ferries and a wide variety ofContinue reading “Holed Up in Auckland”

Our South Island odyssey ended up in Nelson at the north end of the island. The drive to Nelson from Picton was scenic, I think, as I was concentrating on staying on the right, or rather the correct, side of the road. Our B&B was comfortable and walking distance from the CBD. We found aContinue reading “Leaving the South Island”

We have had a couple of interesting days: some for trip-related items, some for travel-related items. The trip aspects have been as we had hoped. We arrived late into Christchurch, but the next day we took a the TranzAlpine train to Arthur’s Pass in the Southern Alps. When I heard “alps,” I envisioned snow cappedContinue reading “Diversions”

The name pays homage to the Maori name in addition to the Anglo name.  Can you guess which is which?  We checked into a very comfortable motel-style suite at the Mt. Cook Lodge, about a 15-minute walk from the Hermitage main location.  Too bad we only stayed one night and could not take advantage ofContinue reading “Aoraki Mt. Cook”

Slept in a bit for our last day in Queenstown, then explored around town a little more.  The gondola ride provided a beautiful overview of the area, thanks to the sunny and clear day.  We watched the tandem paragliders jump off for the 10-15-minute spiral to a soft landing near downtown. Back in town weContinue reading “Queenstown Miscellaneous”

Amid and inspite of the onslaught of COVID-19 emails from hotels, airlines, Amtrak, county facilities, sports teams, the NCAA (good bye, Frozen Four tournament), 7-11, ADT, newspapers, and more yet to be named, we left the hotel early for our hike in the woods at Fjordland National Park. A digresssion: Virtually every email goes onContinue reading “The Routeburn Track”

Queenstown sits on the shores of the South Island’s Lake Wakatipu, set against the dramatic Southern Alps.  Renowned for adventure sports, it is also a base for exploring the region’s vineyards and historic mining towns. There is bungee jumping off Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge and jet-boating on the Shotover and Dart rivers.  In winter, there’sContinue reading “Milford Sound”

You have a full weekend in Sydney, Australia’s largest city.  What to do?  Based on Brett’s Tour Guide, let’s have a go.  Saturday morning, stroll the farmer’s market at El Alamein Park.  Take in the aromas, different cultures, items one does not usually see in the U.S., then enjoy a croissant, Portuguese custard pie, orContinue reading “A Weekend in Sydney”