Category Archives: New Zealand

As the world moves on, Christchurch struggles to regain footing

Posted on March 2, 2011 by

With civil war in Libya and budget battles in our Capitol, the devastating earthquake that wrecked large swaths of the New Zealand city of Christchurch has vanished from the headlines of my two daily newspapers. True, this magical country, in … Continue reading →

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Christchurch: Memories of a shaken city

Posted on February 23, 2011 by

We landed in Christchurch, N.Z., the morning of Dec. 28, just two days after the Boxing Day quake dampened the holiday season there as much as the steady rain that greeted our arrival. The streets were empty.  Metal fencing closed … Continue reading →

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The signs of New Zealand: From the poetic to the profane

Posted on January 22, 2011 by
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Images of New Zealand

Posted on January 19, 2011 by

A few years ago, on a five-month sabbatical in one of our favorite places in the world, Provence, France, Kathy and I snapped about 750 photos.  In the last 20 days, on the South Island of New Zealand, we’ve taken … Continue reading →

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Letters from New Zealand: 10 tips for planning the best trip

Posted on January 18, 2011 by

METHVEN, N.Z. – Mike Johnstone has penetrating blue eyes, a face like leather and a head full of numbers. He can tell you that he and his son work 1,800 acres of the rich pastureland in the shadow of Mt. … Continue reading →

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Letters from New Zealand: Finding the right rhythm

Posted on January 11, 2011 by

HOKITIKA, N.Z. – This morning we set out to do a bit of fossicking – beachcombing to you. We walked for more than an hour on the reddish-gray sand, strewn with driftwood, along the Tasman Sea, passing but three walkers, … Continue reading →

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Letters from New Zealand: Into the (wild) west

Posted on January 10, 2011 by

Set between sky-propping peaks … and the vast emptiness of the western seas are forests and lakes, rivers and seashores as beautiful, as mysterious, as rich in the elemental spirit as any left on earth. – New Zealand poet Peter … Continue reading →

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Letters from New Zealand: Odds & Ends

Posted on January 9, 2011 by

FOX GLACIER, N, Z. – If Montana is Big Sky Country, then New Zealand is Big Land Country. No one here would invent an ad campaign like McDonald’s “Super Size Me.”  The entire country is supersized.  Waterfalls cascade hundreds of … Continue reading →

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Letters from New Zealand: The pleasure of the unplanned

Posted on January 7, 2011 by

QUEENSTOWN, N.Z. – Some of the best moments of vacations arrive serendipitously. Only after the jetlag falls away, after the most obsessive, adrenalin-driven, pre-planned  highlights are checked off, and after the pace of daily activity slows does travel begin to … Continue reading →

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Letters from New Zealand: Dollars and (good) sense

Posted on January 5, 2011 by

This country can be as expensive as you want to make it — or as economical.  Today we’re catching our breath in Queenstown, sometimes called “Screamtown” because so many of its visitors have a penchant for extreme sports, from  bungy jumping to … Continue reading →

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