New Zealand # Taylor anniversary trip

We are honoured and very appreciative to have been invited on this New Zealand trip with the Taylor family to celebrate Greg & Anne’s  50 years of marriage. We flew into Auckland and spent our first night there just the 4 of us, all pretty excited to be beginning another adventure! On leaving Auckland we firstly found the guest house where Anne stayed 50 odd years ago whilst on a working holiday here in NZ. The hostel is now a  boutique hotel and we were lucky to be shown through - and even offered tea & coffee - which we didn’t have time to accept. 

We were intrigued by this structure at the Basin, not far from the bridge. We headed north and seemed to pass an endless stream of traffic heading back to Auckland . The scenery in NZ  is amazing and so green and lush for January with blue and white agapanthus everywhere. We stopped in Whangarei which is a lovely place and very popular. Heading towards our accommodation at Paihia, we found the iconic toilet at Kawakawa - very different!

Our place at Paihia was perfect and here Andrew & Narelle joined us, and Megan & Craig were staying at a nearby place. We had beautiful views over the bay and each day a new cruise ship entered the bay which kept us entertained, watching the tenders ferrying guests to and fro. 

We enjoyed a beautiful seafood lunch at Charlottes Kitchen - all except Darryl who enjoyed a burger! We then caught the ferry across the bay to Russell and had a drink  in the historic Duke of Marlborough hotel.

All good things come to an end so we had to leave Paihia and head further north to our next destination here at Te Koha.  We passed the beautiful golf course which overlooks the bay, and stopped at a couple of waterfalls the second one aptly named the Rainbow falls.

At Kerikeri we had a break, some browsing shopping and lunch before we could arrive at this beautiful place. We’re all here together in 2 separate lodges and it’s very spacious, secluded and luxurious. It’s a very steep walk or drive to the beach as we’re up quite high and after our strenuous walk this morning, we have used up our energy and having a quiet afternoon. We are spoiling ourselves with seafood and last night enjoyed beautiful oyster entree and then mussels cooked in a creamy garlic sauce - better than any restaurant thanks to Craig, Megan, Andrew& Narelle. 

We are feeling a little guilty that we’re over here happily enjoying beautiful sunny weather, whilst back home Kerang was once more lashed by storms - the 3rd  in 2 weeks, which flooded streets and played havoc with drains and septic systems. We’re probably not alone in hoping that that’s the end of storms for a while! 

We will sign off now and the next instalment will include the anniversary celebrations. Cheers for now from Marg & Darryl, Greg & Anne and extended family. ❌❌❌❌

These are some pics on our 6.5km walk - which included lots of stairs!