Author: tjiskavw

It's about a 12 minute ferry ride from Auckland to this charming seaside village filled with cafes, art galleries, and a coastal walk. I love these native banyan trees!

Maori were the first to arrive from the Pacific Islands and a concerted effort is made to honor first "ownership" of the land - which I found kind of weird…

This is the driveway up to Batch winery on Waiheke and sitting on a perch there enjoying a 360 view of New Zealand is pretty spectacular. My last stop was…

The woman on my left facing the camera is Liz Lyons, a 5th generation Auckland resident and founder of Aucky Walky tours - a very personal insider's perspective of Auckland's…

in Hahei there's a trailer called the Blue Kitchen where you can get a great cup of coffee - and to be kind to the planet, you can take one…

The marine preserve ( Te Whanganui-A-Hei ) near Cathedral Cove is protected and as a result, the snapper population has returned with a vengeance. The guides will occasionally feed them…

The infamous tractors of Hahei tow boats out to the beach where you meet them for a ride out to Cathedral Cove. That's basically the office set up here -…

a little roasted pumpkin with feta anyone? This restaurant was in what was once a a church so hence its name, The Church Bistro. The nicest dining establishment in Hahei…

I've made a lot of mistakes in my life but asking for more sauce isn't one of them. These two brothers come from Argentina and established a restaurant in Hahei…

The Rotorua tourist information center really has its act together with fabulous tours of surrounding areas. I signed up for a bus ride to this thermal wonderland and the driver…