The start of our stay in Manly coincided with Mick’s 14th birthday. And since Australia is 18 hours ahead of California, he worked this angle in order to celebrate two days in a row! Continue reading “March 12-19 Manly, Australia by Cathy”
March 9-12: Sydney, Australia, by Cathy
3/9: Friday
Logistically, getting from Auckland to Sydney was easy, as was the Uber trip to our Potts Point/King’s Cross Airbnb. Emotionally, leaving New Zealand was kinda hard.
Thunder & Lightning, by Mick
Lightning and thunder are two of the many beauties of nature.
All of us have seen the bolts of light in the sky, and the boom of thunder coming right after it. There are more than a thousand thunderstorms in the world during every minute causing thousands of flashes all around the globe!!
March 1-9: North Island, NZ
3/1 Thursday
We left Picton and the South Island heavy-hearted on the 9:00 a.m. ferry to Wellington. The 3-hour cruise was smooth and scenic and we drove off the ferry around noon.
After a pit stop (Pita Pit) in town, we arrived at our Airbnb in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Wellington, which is arguably our best place yet.
The Life & Death of Nigel, the World’s Loneliest Seabird
Thanks to my cousin, Seldy, for making me cry with this article.
The Life and Death of Nigel, the World’s Loneliest Seabird
by Yonette Joseph
The New York Times, February 4, 2018
LONDON — The story of a lonely seabird named Nigel who tried to woo a mate that had a heart of stone and died on an uninhabited island off New Zealand has captivated many on social media.
Footage of the bird preening and cooing as he fruitlessly courted a decoy made of concrete has been watched obsessively online. Though his chosen partner kept a cold silence, Nigel, a gannet, won the affection of visitors and conservationists alike.
Continue reading “The Life & Death of Nigel, the World’s Loneliest Seabird”
Feb 4 – March 1: South Island, NZ another LONG ONE by Cathy
2/4 Sunday
Perth-Sydney-Christchurch. Our flight from Perth to Sydney was delayed, which wasn’t all that bad since it lessened the amount of time we had to wait in Sydney, but our late arrival into Christchurch made us miss the last shuttle to the Jucy rental car lot – something we figured out after watching every other rental car’s shuttle bus come and go over the course of about 45 minutes and then finally Googling Jucy’s hours.
Continue reading “Feb 4 – March 1: South Island, NZ another LONG ONE by Cathy”