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Swakopmund, the Moon, Mars, Oasis and Seals, 12th-14th June

Here are the blog's youngest followers! Thank you to Caitlin who is sharing it with them. Now that I know they are interested I will include some fun facts for them. This is grand-nephews Saxon pointing, Conor behind him and cousin Freddie looking on.Last night we went to a talk at the Museum on 'Namibia - Hydrogen opportunity or not?' Nikola had  suggested we might enjoy it, and we did. (This was definitely not for young people.) ...

Windhoek and Swakopmund 7th -11th June

We saw that a Sunday market was 5 minutes from where we were staying. We chose to spend most of the morning there and enjoyed the stalls and the music. As well, we both worked at our fulfillments (Bill calls it work, I call it our inspiring commitments.)...

2026 travels begin - Let's Go To Windhoek 3rd-6th June

Can’t wait to share our African travels with everyone!Here we are again for another epic travel adventure. For those of you who have not read the blog before, Robin is the writer, and Bill is Ed (editor). Sometimes he will come in as Ed (but not very often, Ed.)We arrived in Johannesburg late on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 4. It felt a little strange to leave Auckland at 6am on June 4, and then arrive on the same day nearly 24hrs later.  The flight was 3 1/2 hours from Auckland to Sy...

Praia D'El Rey, Óbidos, and Peniche

We are off for 3 more nights at a golf resort north of Lisbon.  Because we have work to catch up on, and we need to hit some golf balls. ...

2025 Second Leg, the Algarve - As Cascatas Golf Resort, and Carvoeiro

We went from Lisbon to Vilamoura in the Algarve by bus - Rede Expressos, the Portugese national bus operator. ...

2025 Portugal - First Week, Lisbon and Sintra

We flew Emirates for the first time, because they had the just one stop to Lisbon route.  On the first leg from Auckland to Dubai, a 17 hour flight, Bill saw there was a deal going so we went Business Class. I have never flown Business Class before. I am not sure I could go back to Premium Economy!  In Business Class Emirates have a small lounge. The toilets are at the far end of the lounge. At the time I went, there was a queue.  The guy behind me gave me the best pick up line ev...

Day 3 and 4: Lake Como and travelling to Cinque Terre

Lachie and Chiara are planning. We are enjoying Lake Como.I wake up early and get croissants from our 'local'. This below is early morning 40m from our apartment....

Lachie and Chiara's Wedding in Italy: Day 1 & 2 - Auckland to Lake Como

We are going to Italy for two weeks for Lachie and Chiara's wedding on January 11th.  It will be in Chiara's home town of Reggio Emilia.  We are travelling with Daniel and Mahkaila, and Anna and Harry.  Lachie and Chiara will join us for our first few days at Lake Como.  Then we have a few days at Monterosso, one of the five villages in the Cinque Terre, then we go to Reggio Emilia for the wedding. The New Zealand crew leave Auckland....

Exploring Marine Magic, to Inspire Restoration/Conservation Leaders

I believe this topic can revolutionise our education system. Inspired by a global organization called the Foundation for Climate Restoration, I asked Peter Kaiser if I could trial a class in a created programme based on what the Foundation teaches.I was privileged to be given Room One and we have been engaged in a climate and self restoration program for 11 weeks. On the last day of those weeks we all did a day trip with Explore Ferry Group to see marine mammals and visit Rotoroa Island.  T...

Berlin City Bike Tour

We generally try to when we visit a city for the first time, go on a city bike tour. It is the first thing we do and so we did in  Berlin.  This tour is 6 hours, Nick is our guide. He is English and loves Berlin. I did history at school and learnt a drop in the ocean. After this tour I learnt  a few more drops. We met at the Fat Tires tour office, at Alexanderplatz, just under the TV Tower....

Santa Magdalena in the Dolomites, South Tyrol, Italy

Santa Magdalena is a small village (population 340) in the Dolomites of Italy.  Chiara's Ficarelli family have been here before and it is one of their favorite places, so they had recommended we all meet up and holiday together. Where is Santa Magdalena on the map?...

Palio June 29th - July 4th

Ciao! This is the Palio for the second time for us. This time we are with friends Richard and Pip Lawrence. We will have five days in Siena together.  Bill and I have a pact to do no comparisons with the first time. We arrive by Flix bus. Then we get a local bus up to the old city where we are staying. The Lawrences arrive by train a bit later....

Vienna June 23rd - 29th

This is Bill's photo - of Lachie and of Vienna. He went into the hills above Vienna with Lachie one evening on a drinks invitation from Lachie's Institute friends.  I stayed back in our Airbnb as I chose to do a course.  I didn't get the course time clear. I had a clash and tried to sleaze my way out of the course like a slippery eel after I registered.  I didn't tell Bill, I didn't get a time flat in plenty of time but then knew I wanted to do it. The course is all about having y...

To Vienna and time with Lachie - First three days 20th - 22nd June

We drive back to Charlotte then to get to Vienna, we fly to Munich on American Airlines and then to Vienna with Lufthansa....

US Golf Open at Pinehurst No. 2, North Carolina

25 years ago (in 1999) Payne Stewart won his iconic US Open victory, at Pinehurst No. 2. Golf Course in North Carolina.  It was redemption after he had lost a four-shot lead on Sunday at the 1998 US Open.  Stewart was a complicated figure, and his triumph at Pinehurst became all the more poignant when he died just 4 months later, at age 42, when everybody lost consciousness on his plane and it eventually crashed. His celebration on the 18th hole after his win is the image for this year...

US and Europe, June 12th to August 29th 2024 - Take off!

We weighed  in at the airport. It is not a competition and it is 😘 Which bag weighs more? Bill's or mine?...

Climate Restoration Pilot at Tirimoana School

Using Google slides, students spent the day going in and out of a mantle-inspired adventure:"An author had written a workbook called 'I am Humanity/Climate Restoration'.  She had taken it to a publishing company and wanted to see whether it was worth publishing. Students then went into the publishing company, called "New Earth".The students read the workbook leader by leader, did hands-on activities related to the leader's commitment, and reviewed the workbook as writers, illustrators and m...

Day 1 : Nieces and their Children go to Waiheke with Ranger Robin 22nd, 23rd and 24th April 2024

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The Magellan Explorer - First Three Days at Sea

This is the Magellan Explorer. It is a new and modern expedition vessel custom-built for Antarctic cruises, called a "small ship", capacity ~80 guests.[From the website:  "The ship features a glass-enclosed observation lounge and presentation room with state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment, a spacious and stylish dining room, a well-stocked bar, a library, a meeting room, a gym, a sauna, and a medical clinic. The forward-facing observation deck leads to the ship’s bow, which is accessi...

Punta Arenas

We fly from Bilbao to Madrid where we stay in an airport hotel for a night.  Then we fly from Madrid to Santiago in Chile, and then are going on to Punta Arenas in the far south of Chile, where we will meet up with the Antarctic Heritage group that we are heading to South Georgia Island with - aboard the Magellan Explorer.  This is super exciting. We signed up for this trip 3yrs ago, it was postponed for a year during the pandemic, but  now it is here.It is to honour Shackleton's ...

Guggenheim and Walking Tour of Bilbao

Guggenheim and Bilbao walking tours over our two days in Bilbao.  And we have to move hotels in the middle as the first night's is fully booked tonight.  Just a nice walk through a park to the new one. ...

Biking Day Five

Today is our last day biking - to Bilbao - and not a long day....

Biking Day Four

Today is not as long a day as yesterday happily - and the rain has gone. But the hills have been much longer and much higher than we do in Waiheke.  But not necessarily steeper, so we are able to do them ok....

Biking Day Three

And into the 3rd day. The weather doesn't look great today and Miguel had said we can get a ferry to shorten the day.  Look on the map next and we can cut out the big loop by catching a ferry at the bottom of the loop. I am up for this. Laida to Mundaka. It looks like we could blow up a dingy and row across.  It saves a lot of cycling and we don't miss much scenery.  (We do miss Gernika, which will mean something to some of you.)  Given we know it will be wet today, this is s...

Biking Day Two

At the end of this day we stayed in Lekeitio. Here was our first sighting.  Below was our journey to get there. ...