This month I'm featuring Holidays Down Under - a new one every day. Today, 1st October, I chose New Zealand Garden tours - maybe because I love gardens!  There's a wealth of great garden tours you can book -New Zealand Garden Route looks super, or try the main NZ Tourism site  NZ Tourism. Both are good.


Here's some photos from Wellington's Botanical Gardens

Walking Wonderful New Zealand

Today was a great walking day. My group headed out for a long beach walk on the West Coast of New Zealand's lower North Island. Just beautiful. Big roiling sea, fat, full, blowsy waves, birds shouting at each other to be heard over the wind. Which was a stiff, cold southerly straight off the Antarctic. And the sand was soft - so all up an excellent work out. Of course, our mouths worked out just as efficiently too! We did our usual follow up with a great hot coffee at a nearby garden centre and restaurant. The stump photo below has been wedged into the sand at Peka Peka beach for 15 years!  In October I'll write about several New Zealand 4 days catered hikes - so today is just to give you a taste. If you are in the northern hemisphere winding into autumn with the promise of a cold winter, think about an island holiday. Whether it's North, South,  or Stewart Island, our summer is calling and there's a lot to explore.

Calling all keen fishers! The New Zealand flyfishing season commences on 1st October. It's a big industry and also an export earner for us. For information and links: Experiential Traveller Travel News. The fish is a 2014 catch, the lower photo Lake Waikaremoana in the central North Island.

Poles... to walk with, not the North or South or natives of Poland

We walk a lot. And as we get older, good poles have become very important. Recently we found some super ones - from Norway. They are light and durable. 16 different lengths are available to suit every height. At just under UD$70, they represent good value. A free Nordic Walking DVD is included with your purchase. Get them on our website.