Category Archives: New Zealand

Improbable

Posted on July 25, 2016 by d4vid

Discovered a black swan in Lake Rotorua.  Didn’t see that coming.

Posted in Rotorua | Leave a comment

Sulphur

Posted on July 25, 2016 by d4vid

In Rotorua, stayed at the boutique Regency of Rotorua motel a few blocks away from the sulphurous Lake Rotorua.

Posted in Rotorua | Leave a comment

Tongues

Posted on July 25, 2016 by d4vid

In Rotorua, enjoyed a Māori hāngi which is a feast cooked in a buried pit (much like a Hawaiian luau.) After arriving on the Mitai’s tribal land, we watched the village warriors paddle a waka down the river, carrying torches.  Then we gathered … Continue reading →

Posted in Rotorua | Tagged | 2 Comments

Shire

Posted on July 25, 2016 by d4vid

Yes.  That’s the green door.  Bag End.  Home of Bilbo Baggins. Okay, okay, okay.  I admit I went full-nerd but I toured the set of Hobbiton for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. Buses started from a … Continue reading →

Posted in Matamata | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Starfield

Posted on July 25, 2016 by d4vid

I visited the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. After wending our way through stalagtites and stalagmites — some ancient, some forming before our very eyes — we boarded a small boat and our guide used a series of overhanging ropes to pull … Continue reading →

Posted in Waitomo | Tagged | Leave a comment

Toponyms

Posted on July 25, 2016 by d4vid

If someone came to California for the first time with no sense of history or language, they’d probably say something like, “Wow.  There sure are a lot of places with names that start with ‘Los’ or ‘San’ around here!” The … Continue reading →

Posted in Waitomo | Tagged | 1 Comment

Radio

Posted on July 23, 2016 by d4vid

Radio here in New Zealand seems to be one long 80s & 90s weekend.   This reminded me how although there are tons of recent bands experimenting with that 80s sound, all of them seem to be overlooking the essential … Continue reading →

Posted in Tongariro | Tagged | Leave a comment

Overlook II

Posted on July 23, 2016 by d4vid

This is the Chateau Tongariro Hotel on the slopes of Mount Ruapehu.It was built in the late 1920s but, in the long years since, it seems to have become haunted by the spirit of The Shining.  Not the haunted Overlook Hotel … Continue reading →

Posted in Tongariro | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Vigor

Posted on July 23, 2016 by d4vid

The culture here in New Zealand seems to be a fascinating hybrid of Scottish and Maori. One branch of the Young lineage comes from Paisley, which was also one of the places in Scotland that saw a huge amount of … Continue reading →

Posted in Wellington | Tagged | 1 Comment

Aotearoa

Posted on July 23, 2016 by d4vid

Visited the excellent Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.  Appreciated this map inlaid on the floor as it matched my perspective:  looking from New Zealand back up toward China to the left and California to the right. New Zealand … Continue reading →

Posted in Wellington | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Madness

Posted on July 23, 2016 by d4vid

  Found out that the Sofitel I’m staying at just opened three weeks ago.  Probably haven’t gotten too many complaints yet about the wallpaper staring at guests.  Looks to me like a wall of…what’s the collective noun for “Cthulhu”? An “eldritch … Continue reading →

Posted in Wellington | 4 Comments

Accent

Posted on July 23, 2016 by d4vid

If a Kiwi is saying something to you that sounds like “ear big”, trust me.  They’re saying “airbag”.

Posted in Wellington | Tagged | Leave a comment

Promising

Posted on July 22, 2016 by d4vid

 Well, just starting off and this is already proving a Very David Vacation ™.  The view out my window of the Sofitel was an Anglican cemetery.   

Posted in Wellington | Leave a comment

Windlord

Posted on July 22, 2016 by d4vid

  Can’t even get out of Wellington airport without seeing a life-sized Gandalf riding Gwaihir.

Posted in Wellington | 1 Comment

Orcs

Posted on July 21, 2016 by d4vid

 “Way out international terminal” indeed.  Who builds their domestic terminal a fifteen minute uncovered walk through the drizzle from their international terminal? Not that I mind the drizzle.  I’m here for the winter weather.  It’s the forced march I object … Continue reading →

Posted in Aukland | Leave a comment