NZ Travel Tips, Ideas, Insights

From our Aust.-NZ "adventure", one of the highlights was our stop at Napier and visiting Cape Kidnapper. This included the "Lodge" there at this dramatic location, having a luxury, custom lunch there overlooking the Pacific, etc. WOW!! So wonderful.

From the New York Times earlier this year on Feb. 13, they had this headline: "Discovering Lodge Hospitality in New Zealand" with many tips and highlights from billionaire Tiger Management owner Julian Robertson. He developed this lodge and golf course at Cape Kidnapper, plus two other famed NZ lodges. By the way, this golfing site with its spectacular views is only ranked as the 22nd best course in the world. Pretty good? Here are some of his suggestions for seeing New Zealand:

Why for NZ? "the country has some of the most diverse geography in the world including mountains, sea and farmland". What is the ideal New Zealand itinerary? His view: "You need two weeks. If you’re coming from the States, it takes 24 hours just to get here, so you spend two days in travel alone. When you’re here, I would say to stick to the coastline and the countryside, including the mountains like Mount Cook, which is the highest mountain here." Any advice on vacation planning in general? "Wherever you go, you don’t want to overdo the traveling around and jump from plane to plane. It’s not fun, and you don’t see much. If you have a limited amount of time, see fewer things but see them well."

Full story at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/22/travel/savoring-views-in-new-zealand.html

Below are a few of my visuals from visiting at this location, what we enjoyed there, our lunch, etc. You can read more details and see added pictures from page nine with posts #163, #176, #190, etc., from the below-linked live/blog.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 106,559 views for this posting

Here is our expert guide/driver, Jo, traveling along the ridge near the water (on the Pacific Ocean) as we go to see more of the famed gannet nesting areas along this super scenic coast.:

Here on the roughly 6,000 acres, it is not just about the dramatic coastlines and the gannets. There are also lots of other dramatic landscapes and scenic views. Here are Diane and Mike from our Central Ohio group looking over towards the ridges and lands to the west of these coastal areas. Nice looking?:

Here are two of these great-looking birds enjoying the coastal setting. Does it get any more special that being at this type of location with these birds?:

At The Farm Lodge we got a personal tour by General Manager Hannah Butler. Here we are outside on the patio/lawn that overlooks the scenic areas, including the Pacific Ocean in the distance.:

Here are members of our 14-person group enjoying our scenic and dramatic setting at a private, outdoor location for our three-course, gourmet lunch this day.: