Mount Maunganui (Mauao) Accommodation: Thurs 6th Feb – Fri 7th Feb Thurs 6th Feb : Waitangi Day: a public holiday It was a 3 1/2 hour drive down to Mount Maunganui (Mauao) but we stopped off along the way at Hot Water Beach, about 30 minutes out of Whitianga. Our timing was perfect: Hot Water… More
Whitianga / Coromandel Peninsula Accommodation: Tue 4th Feb – Thurs 6th Feb Tue 4th Feb The trip from Paihia to Whitianga took 5 1/2 hours and was essentially 4 hours of driving south, from the Bay Islands and back down through Auckland, then about half an hour of heading east followed by an hour heading north… More
Paihia Accommodation: Sat 1st Feb – Tue 4th Feb Sat 1st Feb It was clear and sunny for our 3 1/2 hr drive from Auckland up to Piahia in the Bay of Islands. I had changed my mind a few times about where to locate in this area and eventually settled on the Piahia Beach… More
Auckland Accommodation: Wed 29th Jan – Sat 1st Feb Wednesday 29th Jan We made it across to Auckland, via QF3, without any glitches which, for us, was somewhat surprising. We usually have to deal with a lost bag or a lost bike and Mark being detained at security with his carry-on bag but we managed… More
Copenhagen: Sun 29 Sept – Tue 1 Oct: Accommodation Sun 29 September It was a day of travel today with an early start departing Como. It was much easier navigating the narrow cobbled lanes on a Sunday morning at 7 am so we were thankful for that. Also, the drive to Milan was much… More
Como: Thur 26 – Sun 29 Sept: Accommodation Thursday 26 September Our trip from Lake Iseo to Como was only a couple of hours so we broke the journey up with a stop at Bergamo. Bergamo old town, Citta Alta, a UNESCO heritage site, is located on an hill overlooking the modern city expansion,… More
Lake Iseo: Tue 24 – Thurs 26 Sept: Accommodation Tue 24th September It was an overcast day but thankfully the rain had stopped meaning that we could take a quick final walk around Verona and have a final coffee at Cafe Martel, the cafe below our apartment. It was only a 2 hour journey from… More
Verona: Sat 21 – Tue 24th Sept: Accommodation Sat 21st September It was a fine day for our trip to Verona and twice the temperature of the previous few days. We’d been cold and wet with temperatures of 17 degrees back then but today it was 34 degrees when we stopped off at Ferrara. Ferrara… More
Thurs 19th Sept It was a wet and cold morning so we were in no hurry to get outside and it was 11 am before we wandered out to explore a bit further and have some lunch. We had a 3 hour food walking tour booked for 4 pm and hoped that the rain would… More
Bologna: Mon 16 – Sat 21 Sept: Accommodation Mon 16th Sept: arrival day It was another glorious sunny day for our drive from Alba over to Bologna and we stopped at Parma on the way to have lunch. We’d stayed here once, years ago, but this was before Google was available and we both had… More