Travel with Art

Actually arrived on time and then had a wonderful wheelchair guide greeting Mom as  business class offload started so no waiting, and then took us to duty free, through immigration and customs - all speedy with no waiting. Wonderful kiwi lad. Hobbitton - movie set in New Zealand Picked up the rental car (actually great to have an automatic even though I only paid for a standard). Lots of mileage on it but handles well. We headed out crossing the north Auckland bridge and carried on the motorway towards Orewa, then onwards to Warkworth and finishing in Whangarei. Overnight for  one night at Lodge Bordeaux. Dined at a local restaurant: with lamb (rack for Mom and liver - eg 'fry' for me- really good).  Next day it was an early start for the coastal drive first out to  Whangarei Head, then surfer beaches of Ocean and Sandy, and cross country over hills and cattle farms to the Bay of Islands and NZ's oldest European settlement of Russell (also NZ's first cap...

Mom and I start our next journey on December 22, 2013. We fly to Auckland and rent a car 11 days to tour New Zealand's north island before boarding the Celebrity Solstice for a 14 day cruise around New Zealand and over to Australia stopping in Hobart, Wellington and ending in Sydney. Another car rental for 12 days to tour from Canberra to the Blue Mountains, Hunter Valley and Nelson Bay before spending Australia Day on a boat in Sydney Harbour, and flying from Sydney back to Phuket on January 29, 2014. New Zealand North Island Drive.... Click  here  to open the map we will drive. CRUISE.... Click  here  to open the map we will follow for the Celebrity Cruise. Australia Drive.... Click  here  top open the map we will drive. Check back for progress as we commence our journey.