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Honk
My family and I were driving to Miramar a few weeks ago to visit the Weta Workshop. Our journey took us through the centre of Wellington and through the Mount Victoria tunnel. Think the Blackwall Tunnel but half the length. As we passed through the entrance, the bare concrete tunnel walls became illuminated with rows […]
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Lions and tigers and bears…..err nope!
A dear acquaintance of mine was quizzing me about wildlife in New Zealand last week and it occurred to me that perhaps other people might be interested in my answers. So here goes….. Are there any poisonous snakes in New Zealand? No. In fact, there are no snakes in New Zealand at all. Although I […]
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Slips
Steep hillsides + loose soil + earthquakes + torrential rain = slips. Slips (aka landslides) are very common in New Zealand. Roads and houses are built alongside or on top of steep, hilly terrain of soft rock which over time becomes weakened by regular earthquakes and then further destabilised by lengthy periods of heavy rain. […]
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The Escarpment Track
Following our recent move to Pukerua Bay, I’ve been on the lookout for more walks, regular ones that I can do multiple times in one week. I walked to Plimmerton one day which is the next town over and about 6km away but although the path was wide and not at all taxing, it was […]
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Rotorua: Redwoods Tree Walk
In an attempt to cram as much sightseeing into our holiday as was humanely possible, I had decided that we would spend Saturday evening up a tree. Well, not just one tree but actually a whole bunch of them; in Whakarewarewa Forest. The terrible Indian restaurant in which we had eaten earlier that evening had […]
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Rotorua: The 3D Trick Art Gallery
On Saturday afternoon, we went to Velocity Valley. This adventure park on the outskirts of Rotorua was advertised online as ‘NZ’s most exciting adventure activities in one location.’ They offered The Swoop (a giant bungee swing where you accelerate from 0 to 130km in 1 second), the Acroboat (where you apparently ‘fly like a Ferrari […]
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Rotorua: Whakarewarewa
Ever since purchasing The Penguin History of New Zealand from Audible (that’s Penguin the publisher, not a history of New Zealand penguins as I first thought it to be!) I was desperate to know more about Māori culture and customs. Written by Michael King, The Penguin History of New Zealand is an epic tome full of […]
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Tornadoes and Hailstones and Rain, oh my!
According to New Zealand’s National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), tornadoes are a ‘relatively rare’ occurrence in the country. Well, you could have fooled me. Here in Waikanae Beach, we’ve had 3 tornadoes in 24 hours. And another 2 last week. Granted they’re not the size of the ones you’d find hurtling through […]
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New Zealand Nuance #9: Pharmacies
“But I did request it over a week ago,” you whine petulantly at the man behind the counter. “All repeat prescriptions must be requested at least seven days before they are collected and it is your responsibility to ensure you have enough medication to last until then,” droned them man, almost reciting verbatim the sign […]
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Rotorua: El Mexicano Zapata
After a full days driving (both in the Mini and on the luge) there was no way I was going to throw together a family meal in the little kitchenette at the Regal Palms Resort. So I asked my husband (wearing a wide-eyed expression not unlike the one Puss-In-Boots wears when trying to stun his […]
She'll Be Right
Adventures in Aotearoa
She'll Be Right 