This is a view of Lake Wakatipu, the Remarkables and the surrounding town of Queenstown. It was formerly a gold rush town. These days it's a tourist mecca during both summer and winter. It's a beautiful place no matter what the time of year. Books that mention...
This is Westhaven marina and the Auckland Harbor bridge that links the city of Auckland with North Auckland. Books that mention Auckland: Playing to Win, Summer in the City of Sails Don't forget to enter my contest to guess how many books I will read during my...
This is a photo of the Champagne pool at the Waiotapu Thermal park, near Rotorua. It was difficult to photograph on the day we visited because the wind kept blowing the steam over the pool, obscuring the palette of colors. Books that mention Rotorua: Never Send a Dog...
Number eight wire is a gauge or thickness of wire used for fencing. In New Zealand it's also a term used to indicate a can-do attitude. A number eight wire mentality means that a person can turn their hand to anything or will attempt to do anything even though it...
Our local council runs a program called Women on the Move. Each month they organize a day trip to help women get out in the great outdoors, exercise and have some fun. I took a day off writing today and joined their day trip to Tiritiri Matangi. Tiritiri Matangi means...
In Spain, they have the running of the bulls. In New Zealand we have running of the sheep. Mention the small town of Te Kuiti and most New Zealanders automatically think of sheep. It might have something to do with the fact that the NZ Shearing championships are held...
A news item caught my attention last night. On 31 July 2006 the Reserve Bank of New Zealand introduced some new coins. The 5c coin was made obselete, and they resized the 10, 20 and 50 cent pieces. I forget how many million coins they put into circulation at this...
Barbie turns fifty this year, and New Zealand fashion designer, Karen Walker was asked to design some outfits for Barbie's special celebration. To date around seventy designers have designed special outfits for Barbie's exotic shape. Karen Walker downsized some of her...
The Bluff oyster season has recently opened in New Zealand, and oyster fans are clamoring for a taste of the new season's oysters. Bluff is a small coastal town at the bottom of the South Island. It is this town that the oysters take their name from, but they are also...
