ramblings of a Seattle travel, food and photography hound
Yesterday's news that a large 6.5 earthquake hit Wellington, New Zealand's capital, following a 5.7 rattler only two days before, was yet another reminder that New Zealand remains seismically active. When I was here earlier in the year, Mt Tongariro on the North Island erupted. Volcanic activity and sudden earth movement are alive and well... Continue Reading →
The Waipara Valley Wine and Food Festival is an annual event that celebrates the wines produced in the namesake valley. Such festivals are generally fun to attend, so when our son-in-law told us about this one, it didn't take long to decide on going. In order to reduce traffic and congestion at the venue, several... Continue Reading →
Ask a bunch of Kiwis where they enjoy their favorite fish and chips and you're likely to get a range of opinions, so ubiquitous is this kind of shop throughout New Zealand. As an aside, an odd fact in New Zealand and Australia is that hamburgers are often sold in fish and chip shops, too.... Continue Reading →
Another business forced to close its doors after the September quake was Copenhagen Bakery located in the PriceWaterhouseCoopers Centre (now demolished). Known for its famous pies and pastries, it relocated to the Bishopdale neighborhood of Christchurch where it enjoys as much popularity as before. After a visit to the nearby Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, we went... Continue Reading →
Project Re:START in Christchurch is an attempt to revitalize a portion of the Central Business District by erecting a mall consisting of stacked shipping containers that have been modified for commercial purposes. It opened late last year to a lot of fanfare. This seems like an ingenious idea and one that has an eco-twist to... Continue Reading →
The September 2010 earthquake forced the closure of many businesses in Christchurch, many of them for good. This is one of the unfortunate consequences of natural disasters. Imagine how much more magnified the problem was for businesses in Fukushima. Samurai Bowl was a Japanese restaurant with a popular following, especially among Japanese students studying here.... Continue Reading →
There is a story told by one of our bus drivers that a kea removed the rubber seal around a car’s windshield in a mountain parking lot, causing the glass to fall and shatter. The bird had also stripped the rubber from the windshield wipers. When the owner returned, he was understandably furious and began... Continue Reading →
At a viewing area along State Highway 80, where the tour bus made a temporary stop, there was a breathtaking vista of a portion of the Southern Alps. Without a doubt, the snow cover made for a most dramatic effect. The tallest peak is Mount Cook (Aoraki, in Maori), the highest in all of New... Continue Reading →
From Queenstown, it took the bus tour four hours to get to Milford Sound, reputedly the most visited tourist spot in all of New Zealand. The boat cruise, once we got there, lasted almost two hours, by which time we got a closer look at the majestic fjords that can tower out of the water... Continue Reading →
From Franz Josef, we hopped on another all-day bus ride to Lake Wanaka, a resort area that serves as the gateway to Mt Aspiring National Park. With an afternoon arrival, it was all we could do to check in to our hotel (Oakridge Resort Grand Mercure) and walk into town before sunset. It was the... Continue Reading →
zoomeboshi 