Thought for the Day:

• “Put simply, every human is an expression of love.” (Steven, in Hot Water Beach)

Prayer for World Leaders:

• So that what happened in Hagley Park, Christchurch, never happens again – anywhere – please follow Jacinda Ardern’s lead and pass laws forbidding the use of semi-automatic weapons.

Things They Don’t Teach You in School about New Zealand:

• The “wh” that begins many Maori words is pronounced as “f”. Example: Yesterday we went to the New World in Whitianga (Fi-ti-anga) to buy groceries.

• If you order a milkshake in New Zealand, you’ll be handed a glass of cold milk with bubbles. Example: Meg and I laughed our heads off when all we got for our hike out to Cathedral Cove was a glass of milk; we needed to order “thick shakes!”

Tip for The Savvy Traveller:

• If you are planning a trip to New Zealand, a great time to come is late February-March. There’s still plenty of sun, but the temperatures, especially on the hotter North Island, are a little cooler. Plus, because you’re in the shoulder season (summer to fall), Kiwi kids are back in school and tourist spots are a lot less crowded.

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There’s no place like Glenorchy… Don and I spent our last three nights on the South Island in Glenorchy, the very place we had started at three weeks earlier. Although neither of us likes to double-back, I was glad the minute we started climbing up out of Queenstown, following Lake Wakipatu until it turns and ends. I could actually feel new space opening up in my heart and lungs. In addition to its other charms, Glenorchy is the gateway to Mount Aspiring National Park, another world heritage site. (It is a 50-drive from Queenstown, so also convenient).

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After one campervan night at Mrs. Woolly’s, we crossed the tracks (so to speak) to the upscale Camp Glenorchy ($75 to hook up per night, instead of $55). This lodge (with 8 campervan sites and many cabins) opened one year ago this month. No matter where you stay, you get to cook in a huge, fully outfitted kitchen, plop down in tasteful living spaces with comfy chairs for reading and writing, and treat yourself to fabulous cookies, meat pies, and salads next door at Mrs. Woolly’s. My wish is to bring our extended family here.

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One afternoon, Don talked me into renting mountain bikes (I was still a little nervous after my spill in Cambodia) and I am so glad he did. We biked deeper into Mt. Aspiring Park, heading up and out onto a gravel road that dropped us at Diamond Lake, where two brides were posing for their wedding photos. You’ll see in the photograph just how stunning the setting is, with the mountains and clouds perfectly reflected in the still water. “Paradise” is where Lothlorien, Amon Hen, and Isengard were filmed (for LotR fans). Fortunately, Peter Jackson’s decision to use this wonderland as his setting made barely a ripple. The stream of Tolkien fans has slowed down to a trickle, and even Hobbiton, which we drove past today, does not intrude upon the more traditional work of the neighboring sheep and cow farms. The mounds and gentle curves of the pastureland here remind me of a lumpy apple pie or maybe, a huge sandbox with great branching trees stuck in to create mini-tableaux.

After three days in Glenorchy, we drove back to Queenstown to drop off “Gertie” and meet our plane to Auckland to pick up Meg. (I had time to swim at the Activities Centre, with a lane all to myself, so I didn’t have to worry about the reverse circle lap. [In Dunedin, a guy quipped that I’d “get it” after the first two or three collisions]. Regardless, I kept missing the wall on my flipturns, feeling like a total dummie, #backtosquareone.

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The Coromandel Peninsula:

Best fish I’ve had in New Zealand: John Dory, Red Snapper, Salmon, Blue Cod.

Meg’s arrival in Auckland has been the most highly anticipated part of the trip. There was much hugging of her neck and general fawning over. Her smile and life wisdom and sense of humor have boosted the intelligence factor of our little band by miles. First up: The Coromandel Peninsula on the North Island, a lovely area of small beach towns, magnificent rock formations, and the most incredible full moon (during our stay), which lit up the sky and a huge swath of ocean.

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Favorite Places, Hot Water Beach: I was skeptical but it’s actually a thing. You take a shovel out at low tide, find some hot (not too hot) sand and dig a hole that fills with deliciously steamy water for you to lie in. The whole crowd of us there resembled a pod of beached whales, but you didn’t mind being in the middle because everyone was having such a relaxed, good time. It was a mini-United Nations. Close to sunset, the surfers came out to ride the perfectly capping waves as the tide moved in.

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Other favorite place, Cathedral Cove – accessed through an up-and-down path. Meg and Don bodysurfed both times we were there. Day 3, we added a kayak tour of the bays and rock islands in the heavily protected Marine Reserve ($250,000 fine if you’re caught fishing), where we saw red snapper swimming below us. We rode the swells in to beach the kayaks at Cathedral Cove and later, put up a “sail” during the stretch to Cook’s Cove.

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