Tag Archives: New Zealand

Warning: Botanic Garden

Posted on March 3, 2026 by If It Was Today

We all know what that means. Lots of pictures… The Whangarei Quarry Gardens are, as you might expect, in an abandoned quarry. This is a surprisingly good place for a botanic garden, so it has been done in other places … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Whangarei

Posted on March 3, 2026 by If It Was Today

Another slow start today. The hosts at this B&B join us at the breakfast table. Francis, in particular, has had a rather eclectic career and has an extensive collection of interesting stories. It makes for a leisurely breakfast. After breakfast, … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Kauri Museum

Posted on March 2, 2026 by If It Was Today

When we travel, we generally prefer to stay in places with things to see without having to drive. Once we arrive in a town, we like to park the car and walk. We’ve generally managed to do that on this … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Leaving Paradise

Posted on March 1, 2026 by If It Was Today

We were driving out of Ahipara this morning when Jan said “we never made it to Cape Reinga Lighthouse”. A pause, then we simultaneously blurted “we’ll have to come back”! But I’m getting ahead of myself again. Yesterday afternoon it … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Another Day in Paradise

Posted on February 27, 2026 by If It Was Today

We did nothing again today. I figured I wouldn’t be able to find any new and interesting pictures. I was wrong. Last night, after I posted, we watched the sunset from our patio. I’ll come back to the actual sunset … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Ninety Mile Beach

Posted on February 27, 2026 by If It Was Today

Today, we did nothing. Unless, of course, you count having breakfast and coffee while looking out over the sand and surf. Or walking for over an hour along the beach. Or having lunch with the same ocean view, reading a … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | Tagged , , , , , | 7 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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | Tagged , , , , | 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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments