If It Was Today...

Oh My!

Posted on February 26, 2026 by If It Was Today

We drove further north today. We planned to use Ahipara as a base to visit the Cape Reinga Lighthouse, near the northern tip of New Zealand, and to explore Ninety Mile Beach. It was a comfortable drive, just over two hours, so we planned to do a little exploring along the way. But before we even left Paihia we spotted a market beside the road. We had time to kill, so we decided to check it out.

The market is timed to coincide with days when cruise ships dock in the Bay of Islands, so there are a lot of craft stalls, in addition to a few with produce. One particular spot caught Jan’s eye.

The woman uses all natural fabrics, and plants for the dyes. The leaf shapes you can see are from actual leaves. Jan bought a merino wool wrap that is absolutely gorgeous. Then it was off to the first of our two waterfall stops.

Of course there was also a hiking trail, so we stretched our legs. This tree along the trail was particularly interesting.

Then we headed to Kerikeri to get lunch on our way to Rainbow Falls.

By now it was getting late, so we headed for Ahipara. The place we are staying in is called Gems Seaside Lodge. When we opened the front door, we understood why. This is the view from the room.

We unloaded the car, got ourselves organized, and then…

If you look closely at the previous picture you can see what looks like sand dunes in the distance. That is exactly what it is. It is one of the things that I may have to explore, if I ever get tired of walking along the beach.

It’s called Ninety Mile Beach, but it isn’t actually that long. Apparently it is “only” 88 km long. You can see it stretching into the distance.

It isn’t just about the beach. The front of the house had a gorgeous frangipani plant, still in bloom.

I said that this wasn’t just about the beach, but let’s be honest here, it’s mostly about the beach. This is where I’m sitting as I write this blog post.

As I was writing, I looked up and saw this.

I started this post by saying we had two things in mind when we booked here – Cape Reinga Lighthouse, and Ninety Mile Beach. After seeing the view from Gems and walking the beach, we’re thinking that Cape Reinga Lighthouse may need to wait for another visit.

Posted in Travel | Tagged Travel, Photography, New Zealand, Paihia, Ahipara, Ninety Mile Beach | 3 Comments

Waitangi Treaty Museum

Posted on February 25, 2026 by If It Was Today

We returned to the Waitangi Treaty Museum today. Tickets include an option for a second visit within a few days. Two days ago we took the guided tour and cultural display, so today we visited one of the museums. There is so much fascinating detail about how the Maori and English struggled to come together, recognizing each other’s culture and needs. I think it’s fair to say it’s ongoing, but I get the sense that New Zealand has made more progress than many other countries. I’m not going to try to summarize our visit to the museum, other than to say it is well worth seeing.

After our visit we headed up the hill to the golf course restaurant. I don’t play golf, but I was told the food, and the view, were both excellent. We were not disappointed.

Yesterday Jan spotted a t-shirt that that was perfect for me.

In case the picture isn’t clear, here is a closeup.

Tomorrow we head north again.

Posted in Travel | Tagged New Zealand, Paihia, Photography, Travel, Waitangi Treaty | Leave a comment

Bay of Islands

Posted on February 24, 2026 by If It Was Today

In an earlier post, I suggested that there were hundreds of islands in the Bay of Islands. Today I learned I was mistaken. There are only 144 islands. We took a boat tour of the islands, though obviously not all of them.

For the past week, the weather has just been “okay”. Today, it was perfect. (Thank you Heather!) Clear skies, warm temperatures, and amazing colours, on the islands, and the sea.

There are so many islands that you can get views of islands, between the gaps in other islands. Some of the islands allow you to anchor your boat and camp. If you have a boat in New Zealand, that is. Damn!

The highlight of the tour was a visit to “Hole in the Rock”, which is exactly what it says it is.

Someone asked if our boat would fit through the hole, and the skipper said “just”. If the tide, the currents and the swell were just right, we could go through the hole. Today, everything was right and we went through.

To give you some perspective, here is our boat.

There were several interesting perspectives as we sailed around the rock. In this shot, the island looks like an elephant.

Further along, you could see a lady’s face in profile.

One of the features of these tours, is the possibility of seeing local sea life. We came across fish “schooling” where they basically swarmed and broke the surface. Very cool.

We also saw New Zealand fur seals, sunning on the rocks. Apparently they hunt at night, and during the day they nap in the sun. A bit like me.

But the star attraction were the dolphins. In Deep Water Cove we came across a pod of bottlenose dolphins. The skipper estimated there were upwards of 50 dolphins, playing around our boat. Sometimes, very near the boat. Here are a sampling of the pictures I took.

We took the tour with our friends, Heather and Larry, who we met on a river cruise in Europe. They also joined us in Italy last fall, and we met up again this year in New Zealand.

We weren’t the only boats on the water. On our way back to Paihia we passed a two mast sailing ship.

We arrived back in Paihia mid afternoon, so, of course … wait for it … we headed for the beach.

We spotted a few interesting bits of seaweed washed up on the sand.

Tomorrow, it will be … very difficult to top what we did today. But we’ll do our best.

Posted in Travel | Tagged Travel, Photography, New Zealand, Beach, Bay of Islands, Dolfin, Sea weed | 4 Comments

Waitangi

Posted on February 23, 2026 by If It Was Today

Today we visited the Waitangi Treaty Grounds – the site of the first treaty signed between the British Crown and the Maori tribes. We took a guided tour, which included a visit to a Maori war canoe carved to commemorate the Waitangi treaty, signed in 1840. The canoe is housed in a special building, decorated with symbolic carvings.

The war canoe is taken out once a year on February 6th, the date the treaty was signed. It is huge, requiring at least 80 people to row it, but it is also rather fast, having been clocked at over 25 knots. It is also richly decorated.

The prow has elaborate carvings.

They have also preserved the stump of one of the three Kauri trees used for the war canoe. This picture gives you an idea of how large the trees were.

We were also treated to a Maori cultural demonstration, including how guests were welcomed, but only after they confirmed that they came in peace.

Later in the day I wanted to check out a trail very close to our hotel. It started with a paved path, that quickly changed to a gravel path…

And then the trail ended… maybe?

Unless, of course, I was supposed to continue over these rocks.

I decided I was on the wrong path, so I backtracked and found another path. It also started fine, but then went straight uphill and into bush.

This was when AllTrails beeped in my pocket, notifying me that I seemed to have gone off the trail. It didn’t actually say “you idiot” but I was pretty sure that is what it was thinking. Still, I was very glad for the warning. But before I turned around, I came to a lookout, where I spotted someone parasailing. That looks really interesting.

After turning around yet again, I was back to the starting point. This time I continued over the rocks until it came to a proper beach. I finally knew that I was on the correct trail.

The rocks weren’t easy to walk on, but they were interesting to look at.

All my wrong turns meant that I ran out of time and had to head back. It also made me thirsty, and since it was Monday, my mind turned to Monday Beer Club, and a flight of NZ beer.

Then it was off to dinner. We decided to eat at the Wave, which looked like a traditional restaurant. At least until the meals started arriving at the tables, delivered by…

Fortunately a person came and placed the meal on the table, but the robot smiled and thanked you in a sweet voice before it turned and headed back to the kitchen.

It was kind of cute … for about three seconds. Then … not so much. It was interesting, but I really hope it doesn’t catch on.

But the food was tasty. I’m confident it was prepared by a human.

Posted in Travel | Tagged New Zealand, Photography, Travel, Waitangi | 2 Comments

Sunset Dinner

Posted on February 22, 2026 by If It Was Today

We had dinner booked with friends, but other than that, our day was open. We decided to check out the farmer’s market in Kerikeri. Most of the stands were closing up when we arrived, but we found one with ripe avocados for sale. We were quoted a price for two avocados, and then we started chatting with the vendor and asked about a fruit that looked a bit like a lime, but not quite. We learned that it was feijoa, the very first ones available this year. Before we knew it, we had our avocados, five feijoa, and two little gem squash. We asked how much for the extras, and he said they were free. People are so incredibly friendly here.

We spotted a nearby park with sculptures so we had to have a look. Two things about this jump out at me. One, it reminds me of collecting rocks and shells at the beach, something we love to do. And two, kids are free to climb over the sculpture, exploring to their heart’s content, just being kids.

In the afternoon we took the ferry across the bay to Russell for dinner. We arrived early and walked along the sea in the lovely seaside town.

The buildings along the shore date back to the late 1800’s and have a colonial charm. But a bit further along, there were some fabulous looking modern homes.

The path was lined with Pohutukawa trees, but there were also ones like this, that looked like something out of a Tolkien story.

All this walking made us thirsty, and someone on the street recommended the perfect place for a drink. We took their advice, and found a lovely table in the shade. I tried a hazy ale, brewed specifically for this bar. The others tried the wine. Note the art on the wall behind Jan.

Then it was off to dinner, where we had reserved an outside table. As you can see, we were having a terrible time.

The weather was perfect, and the view of the setting sun just kept getting better.

Heather and Larry recommended this restaurant, and we are so glad they did. We never would have found it on our own. The six of us enjoyed a fabulous dinner.

Then it was time to walk back to the dock to catch the ferry back to Paihia.

It was the perfect ending to a birthday.

Posted in Travel | Tagged Travel, Photography, New Zealand, Paihia, Kerikeri, Russell, Dinner | 3 Comments

Paihia

Posted on February 21, 2026 by If It Was Today

The place we stayed in Warkworth was a lovely little cottage with something very unusual in New Zealand. Late checkout. It was a lovely location, with a full breakfast delivered directly to the cottage, so we ate a leisurely breakfast, and relaxed in the calm country setting as long as possible. And then, we were on the road again, heading north.

We arrived in Paihia mid afternoon, and settled into the room. Then it was time for a walk to check out the town. The beach isn’t as nice as some of the others we’ve seen, but they did have a paved path along the sea, which was very pleasant.

Just down from our hotel there is a private “batch”, basically what we would call a cottage. It is apparently used for family gatherings, and has a sign in front of the property that offers words to live by.

Because we had such a hearty breakfast we skipped lunch, and that meant we were ready for an early dinner. We managed to get a table on a patio over the water, in the early evening sun. I’m a huge fan of IPAs of all types, but they have become so popular, that it seems that is the only beer you can get. I was surprised to find myself craving something different, and was very pleased when I spotted this light Vienna lager. Very enjoyable. Jan enjoyed her rose as well.

Paihia is on the Bay of Islands. Apparently there are over a thousand small islands in the bay, so when Captain Cooke was charting the area, he called it the Bay of Islands. How imaginative of him! The islands, and the sheltered bay, seem to attract a lot of boats, far more than we have seen anchored near other beaches.

There are also ferries across the bay and to some of the islands. We plan to start checking that out tomorrow.

Posted in Travel | Tagged Bay of Islands, New Zealand, Paihia, Photography, Travel | Leave a comment

A Funny Thing Happened…

Posted on February 20, 2026 by If It Was Today

A few years ago, our credit card was hacked just as we were preparing to depart on a trip. Everything was sorted, after a brief panic, but ever since I’ve been a little paranoid about such things. Every day I check online for unusual charges when we travel. Good thing! Yesterday I had a $500 charge for an “aftermarket Tesla upgrade”, from a company in Bulgaria. I don’t own a Tesla, and if I did own one, I wouldn’t be ordering software from Bulgaria. Needless to say I called the bank. It’s being sorted, but it was, let’s say, an interesting start to the day.

With that cleared up, we packed up and headed north. We have been to New Zealand three times, and never been north of Auckland. That was just wrong!

We don’t like long driving days, so we stopped for the night in Warkworth on our drive to Paihia. That meant today’s drive was less than two hours, so we had time for a stop along the way.

Last year, on our final full day in New Zealand we spent the night at a hotel at Auckland airport. We arrived early, well before check in time, so we looked for something to do for the afternoon. I know this will come as a shock to you, but we spotted a … botanic garden … near the airport. (Alas, no beaches in the immediate area.) It was an unexpected surprise, with a lovely mix of plants and art. We decided to stop there again today. Some of the art is quixotic, such as this “kiwi”.

One of the things we love about the Auckland Botanic Gardens is that it doesn’t just have plants. It also provides information about the plants – where they originated, where they grow, and how they are used. Here is a good example.

Of course, there are also many beautiful flowers, so I have to take pictures … because … I’m me.

This next plant is interesting. The flowers are obvious, but if you look closely you can see small leaves, with large thorns sticking out from the tip.

As always, we watch for birds.

Last year, Jan found one piece of art that captured her fancy, so this year she had to have another look.

I’ll show one more photo from the Auckland Botanic Gardens. This plant is called “Cousin It”. I’m sure you can see why.

After lunch at the cafe in the botanic garden, we were on the road again, braving Friday afternoon Auckland traffic. Not our favourite part of visiting New Zealand. So after checking in to our B&B, we headed to a nearby nature preserve to see native New Zealand trees, especially kauri. Some of the trees were over six hundred years old. There is an elevated boardwalk through the preserve, so it is an easy walk.

But there are still lots of opportunities to forest bathe.

And lots of kauri trees.

We made one other stop on our drive north. I found a beer that seems perfect for lovely late summer days, but I couldn’t find it again anywhere. So we stopped at the Urbanaut Brew Pub to pick up a few. It is very tasty, and perfect for blogging, while sitting on the porch at the cottage. That pretty much describes where we are staying tonight … other than the lake.

Posted in Travel | Tagged Auckland, Botanic Garden, New Zealand, Photography, Travel, Warkworth | Leave a comment

Hamilton Gardens

Posted on February 19, 2026 by If It Was Today

Jan has been interested in visiting Hamilton Gardens since our first trip to New Zealand, but we’ve never managed to fit it in. So this year we made a point to included Hamilton in our itinerary. In preparation for our visit I did a little more research and discovered that the Hamilton Gardens is one of New Zealand’s top attractions, and one of the top ten gardens in the world. Definitely worth a visit.

We have visited many botanical gardens on our travels. It’s one of our favourite activities, especially when it’s winter at home. So we thought we knew what to expect. We were wrong! In most botanical gardens the focus is on the plants, showcasing different varieties and providing details about their origin and characteristics. Hamilton Gardens takes a different approach, almost a cultural approach, providing examples of different “gardens” over the ages. Some were purely functional (for food) while others were purely to display wealth and status. And some were a bit of both. This first picture is an example of a Mughal garden from 17th century India.

When touring these sites, it’s always important to remember to look up, or you will miss fascinating detail.

Here is another style, an Italian Renaissance garden. You can see similarities, and differences.

As you would expect, the garden features details from Roman mythology.

Next, we visited the Japanese Garden of Contemplation.

One of the more interesting features of this garden was a walkway lined with bamboo. It is constructed in a way that funnels a breeze through the path, and makes the bamboo stalks hit against each other, creating a steady knocking rhythm. I can definitely imagine spending time here in quiet contemplation.

There were also gardens that were primarily functional, such as this Maori garden.

Inside the garden, we learned that the kumara (sweet potato) is not native to New Zealand and requires special techniques to make it thrive in the colder climate. The Maori discovered that planting the kumara in small well drained hills, a little like potatoes, makes all the difference. The field is surrounded by a protective fence, and the raised hut is to store treasures.

There was a second raised platform near the garden, used to store garden tools.

There were various edible plants around the gardens. These are harvested and distributed to those most in need. Here are two pictures to give you an idea of what you can see.

Most of the gardens were from relatively recent cultures, but there was also an ancient Egyptian garden.

Here is a detail of the water lilies in the pond. It almost looks fake, but I assure you they are real.

We are always on the lookout for birds in New Zealand. We have seen many pukeko along the road while we were driving in the Coromandel, but we weren’t about to stop to take a picture of them … though we briefly considered the idea. Fortunately there were some in the gardens today.

We also saw a number of silvereye in the fig trees, apparently enjoying the fruit. I finally managed to get a decent picture of one of them.

And here is another monarch butterfly on an interesting plant. At one time, the bulbs at the top were used in making yarn.

The next picture shows an artichoke flower. If you look closely you can see bees in the flower, having a great time.

This next picture shows what the flower becomes if it is left to ripen.

Here are a few more flowers. I love flowers…

We think the next picture shows chestnuts.

The gardens also showed how cultural styles travel and combine. This next arch is from an English garden that incorporates oriental styles.

I’ll close with a picture of the thing that we see most of all. Jim taking a picture…

Posted in Travel | Tagged Hamilton Gardens, New Zealand, Photography, Travel | 1 Comment

Hobbiton

Posted on February 18, 2026 by If It Was Today

This is our third visit to New Zealand, and we decided that we really shouldn’t put off a visit to Hobbiton any longer. It is, after all, one of the things that many people associate with New Zealand.

Only one of us is a fan of The Lord of The Rings, so there was a bit of hesitancy as we boarded the bus taking us to the set. But there is so much detail that it is hard not to become enthusiastic … at least a little. Here is a small sampling of the hobbit holes on the site. Most of these are just facades, but still very impressive.

The next picture is the centerpiece of the set – Bag End, the grandest hobbit holes, with a giant oak tree on the ground above the house.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t an oak tree in this spot, so what you see now is an artificial tree. For the original Lord of The Rings movies, it had thousands of silk leaves, individually wired to the tree. In many ways, it is more impressive than a live oak tree … and the leaves don’t fall off in the winter.

Throughout the site, we were continually impressed by the attention to detail, even with the hobbit holes that were little more than a facade. This is the cheese shop. Note the cheese hanging in the window, and the oak beams of the building.

The oak tree may be artificial, but all the plants and flowers are real, and constantly maintained by the staff. The flowers attract real butterflies.

After touring all the hobbit holes facades, we had a chance to actually go inside some of them. Not very far inside, but a little.

Two years ago they added a complete hobbit hole, and we were free to go through and touch things. Suddenly we went from “impressed” to “fascinated”.

Jan finally found a table and chairs that were made for her. She could sit on the chairs with her feet flat on the floor.

Growing up, Jan played with doll houses and they had one set up on the sideboard. The guide said she was free to open it and look inside. This keeps getting better and better.

They also had a fully stocked pantry, with all of the essentials.

Near the end of the tour, we crossed the bridge to the Green Dragon Inn, for a beer or cider. It was included in the price. And the beer was definitely real, and very tasty.

The Millhouse is beside the bridge, with a working water wheel.

It had been cloudy all afternoon, but after our free beer, our guide was wrapping things up before heading for the bus. Just then, the sun came out and highlighted Bag End, showing the majesty of the setting.

It was the perfect end to the tour. We are both very pleased that we visited Hobbiton this trip.

Posted in Travel | Tagged Hobbiton, New Zealand, Photography, Travel | 2 Comments

Another Travel Day

Posted on February 17, 2026 by If It Was Today

Today we drove from Whitianga to Hamilton. It was a relatively modest drive, so we had time for a bit of a side quest. On our Cathedral Cove tour, we spotted something we thought was worth a closer look. Our objective was … wait for it … another fabulous beach, perfect for a barefoot walk.

Sometimes we may give you the impression that New Zealand beaches go on forever. Today, we were able to reach the end of the beach. It was almost as impressive as the beach. Just look at that tree!

Almost as impressive, but not quite. Take another look at the view from the beach.

Here is another view along the beach.

Then it was time to head back for lunch.

We found the perfect spot for lunch, before it was time to get back on the road.

The only slightly negative thing about Whitianga is the road. It is narrow, winding, and mildly terrifying. Fortunately before we left home, we were given Ginger Chews to help settle our stomachs. Thank you Jane, they were much appreciated.

I know I was just complaining about the challenging roads on our drive from Whitianga, but when we reached Hamilton, we realized that maybe we shouldn’t complain. For the past two weeks we have been traveling through the countryside and small towns. The roads may be narrow and winding, but there is one important thing to keep in mind. Traffic is light. This wasn’t the case when we arrived in Hamilton during rush hour today. I think it was more stressful than driving through the Coromandel. Puts things in perspective, I suppose.