2017

  • Mount Kinabalu National Park

    Luckily, it seems those two days we spent in Singapore have helped with the jet lag.  We are no longer waking up in the middle of the night and are able to get through the day with minimal yawning! We started the day with an expansive breakfast buffet at the Shanghai-La hotel. Kris was treated…

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  • Kota Kinabalu

    Our Air Asia flight to Kota Kinabalu was supposed to leave just after noon. However as anyone who has traveled recently knows, airlines often have other ideas. We were able to rebook onto Scoot, the low cost airline of Singapore Airlines for their 630pm flight. Ironically the original flight we booked months ago with Scoot…

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  • Singapore Day 2

    We ventured out on the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) network again today.  The metro in Singapore is quite comprehensive but easy to manage.  Not surprisingly, smoking, eating and drinking are not allowed on the metros.  A little more surprising is you are not allowed to bring durian on board. Quite a stinky fruit, durian is…

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  • Singapore Day 1

    Well, this was not an auspicious start! We arrived in Singapore really early this morning in a lightning storm with some pretty serious rain and wind. The flight was fine but we had to circle a bit to find a hole in the weather to land. The baggage handlers apparently don’t work in the rain…

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  • Adventure time again. Singapore here we come.

    We are celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary this year.  Instead of Europe, Dave wanted to go somewhere unusual and exciting.  It is a big anniversary after all. So, we are on our way to the island of Borneo, more specifically the two Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak.  But, because you can’t get there from here,…

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  • Marahau to Nelson and Home

    It was a short drive from Marahau to Nelson and we had some time to kill before our flights. The Center of New Zealand monument sits at the top of Botanic Hill, although the ‘true’ geographical center of the country is actually several kilometers southwest of Nelson in Golden Downs. The top of Botanical Hill…

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  • 6 Hour Cruise

    We saw Abel Tasman National Park from the water today on a 6-hour boat cruise with AB Charters. It was a 20 minute drive into the neighbouring town of Kaiteriteri and about another 10 to find parking at the end of Stephens Bay Road! ‘Kaiteri’ was hosting a Waka Race (in Maori canoes) and the…

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  • Labyrinth Rocks and Takaka Hill

    If they build straight roads in New Zealand, we haven’t found them yet. Today we headed up to the north end of Abel Tasman Park on another crazy twisty road. This whole peninsula is made up of limestone karst with caves, sinkholes and canyons to explore! And, of course, the geology comes with a Māori…

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  • Split Apple Rock

    We both woke up pretty sore from our crazy long hike yesterday, so we have decided for a low key day today. We took a quick drive through Kaiteriteri, the neighboring resort town. There are some very big, beautiful homes nestled into the hills above town with some amazing views. From the lookout at the…

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  • Abel Tasman Coastal Track

    The Abel Tasman Coastal Track is called one of New Zealand’s Great Walks. The total trail is 60km & takes 3-5 days from Marahau to Totaranui with tent camping spots and a few sleeping huts along the way. We have decided to only do a day hike. We tramped almost 13km from Marahau to Anchorage…

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