Hi from magnificent Bay of Islands, New Zealand!

Flight out of LAX on ANZ was perfect. ANZ is far and away the best airline we've ever flown. Service, dining - outstanding.

Arrived in Auckland on Monday morning and then flew into Kerikeri, Bay of Islands. Our driver greeted us and we were on our way to Paihia - Paihia Beach Resort, overlooking the spectacular Bay. The staff and service are fantastic. We made a terrific move in reserving here for 4 nights. Spent the first day wandering along the water. Dined at Pure Tastes in our resort. Excellent, local cuisine. Got a great night's rest and awoke to a GLORIOUS day. Today, we take Dolphin Discoveries' Discover the Bay cruise, for 4 hours. It includes dolphin watching.

After breakfast, we wandered to the local market and picked up several bottles of NZ wines to enjoy on our balcony, which overlooks the bay.

Our room has a full kitchen and a huge patio with chaise lounges. The resort offers free internet and laundry services. Perfect.

Tonight, dinner at a well-regarded seafood restauant with a lovely couple we met last night during dinner as well as this morning at breakfast. They're from Switzerland.

The start of our trip could not be more perfect. The weather gods are smiling upon us and the tranquility of Bay of Islands couldn't be more ideal.

Off to wander and discover. Tomorrow, an early start for a full day driving up to Cape Reinga. Thursday, the ferry over to Russell.

So thrilled our long planned trip is finally reality!

Good to hear you're off to such a good start Denise. We love NZ, what's there not to love?? Russell has a neat old cemetary you can roam, delicious ice cream cones and friendly ducks who want your your cones. :D

What a nice start to a much anticipated trip Denise - keep having fun and send land mail

Oh so great to hear from you Denise and so glad your long anticipated trip is off to such a wonderful start. Are you on your own at this point or is this all part of the Tauck tour you are doing? Sounds magical. Agree with Joanna and Marcie, keep sending lots of landmail and pictures if you can.

Guess you'd better feed the ducks those cones Marcie talked about.

Heres a link to a webcam in Paihia....

Paihia webcam

(Move mouse across screen for time framed shots.)

Read about on Tripadvisors

Hi Denise,

So glad everything is going according to plan! Send some pictures if you can.

Hi Denise! So glad your trip is going so well. Our granddaughter, Alex did an internship in NZ a couple of years ago. She absolutely loved it! Keep having fun and keep reporting, when you can, Please!
Love hearing all about it.

Denise, know you've been looking forward to this trip for a long time. Sounds like it is turning out to be all you anticipated....can't wait to hear more!

Thanks, David, for posting the Paihia webcam.

Well, I must say our 4 day pre-tour stay in Bay of Islands was nothing short of spectacular. Bay of Islands scenery did not disappoint whatsoever. Our Discover the Bay excursion was incredible. We had the absolute best weather we could have wished for. Four hours aboard the ship was marvelous. The scenery was just awesome. We spotted so many pods of dolphins. Breathtaking to watch them swim along side us. Our cruise stopped at Otehi Bay, for about an hour. Simply beautiful. We wandered a path along with so many sheep/baby lambs. It was thrilling.

Our day long excursion up to Cape Reinga was marvelous. The landscape was fantastic. We took the steep path us to the lighthouse, which was worth the trek. We then went to visit the sand dunes. Several brave soles surfed the dunes. So much fun to watch. We then drove along 90 Mile beach and stopped to play in the surf and wander the beach. Magnificent.

Our stay here in Pahia Beach Resort has been ideal. The room spacious and clean, our view from our huge balcony wonderful. A great spot to sip on some wine and savor the day. The restaurant's chef, who is from England, has worked in Michelin 5-star restaurants, and his preparation and presentation shows and tastes. The food has been excellent and beautifully prepared. We've really loved dining on hapuka (sea bass), green lipped mussels and fish and chips, as well as kamura (sweet potatoes). Perhaps some lamb tonight, although spending quality time with them during our visit on Otehi Bay may force us to pass on the lamb! The wines have been outstanding. Our love for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noirs continue to grow.

We met a lovely couple from Switzerland, staying here at the resort. We had dinner with them the night before last and are having one last dinner with them tonight, before we all depart tomorrow. Fun company.

Off to Auckland tomorrow to begin our Tauck tour. It will be hard to bid farewell to Bay of Islands. A most special and beautiful place to begin our vacation. However, we're sure more of the same awaits us as we begin our travels with Tauck, beginning at the Langham Auckland.

To say this trip is and will continue to be, all we hoped and dreamed of and so much more, would be putting truly mildly. We're loving every moment of this trip. The scenery, the people - on and on!

Denise, Happy you and Alan are having a great trip, worth the wait! Land mail is something to look forward to w/ morning coffee. Continue to post, we love to travel w/ you!

Sounds like the perfect way to begin your trip. Hope you have internet access as you continue on with Tauck.

Sounds fabulous Denise and so glad its turning into everything you hoped and planned for.

Thanks for the Landmail, keep posting when you can.

Denise, so glad that you and Alan are having an incredible time. I know how long you've been planning this trip and so glad all is wonderful.

Nancy

Thanks for the kind words!

We awoke to some fairly light rain this AM. So happy the weather held out so beautifully for our touring/stay. Our visit to BofI concludes this morning. Just had some breakfast and now we await our transport to Kerikeri Airport (tiny little airport!).

Most eager to begin our tour. Our driver picks us up in Auckland. Our stay in Auckland, for two nights, is at the Langham. Group dinner/meet and greet this evening. We plan to take the hop on hop off bus today to get an overview of the city. Also eager to experience yum cha cuisine tomorrow night. I found a restaurant that specializes in this type of cuisine. We're always eager to give the special cuisines of any destination a go.

Not sure how much access or time I'll have to post. But, will try if possible. Otherwise, it waits until we return.

Sounds like your trip is going great. Have fun with Tauck.

Sounds so wonderful! Safe travel to Auckland. Can't wait for the next installment. Cheers, Anne

A quick post before heading off for dinner with some of the group.

Our flight from Kerikeri into Auckland was almost cancelled, due to inclement weather conditions. Fortunately, after an hour delay, it was a go.

Our Tauck driver picked us up and whisked us off to the Langham. Marvelous property with a real attention to service and detail. Our upgraded accommodations (thanks to Leaders Club membership) are outstanding.

We wandered Auckland on our own. Surprising to see how hilly the city is. Auckland is very nice. Reminds me of San Francisco, Vancouver and Seattle rolled into one.

We had a most excellent dinner last night with several couples in our tour. Actually, we stayed so long and enjoyed ourselves so much that we closed the restaurant down! A truly warm and congenial group and an wonderful tour director.

Today we took the ferry over to Waiheke Island, touring the island, visiting an olive oil plant (sampling as well). We then had a wine tasting and lovely lunch at Mudbrick Winery. Food was excellent, as were the wines.

Off to Rotorua tomorrow.

Now, off to have our final Auckland dinner with some of the group.

enjoying your reports Denise- what a trip!!