New Zealand – Teddy & Me

Hong Kong Rugby Sevens – A must do – and we did!

I hadn’t meant to disappear off the face of the Earth however it has been a while since I posted an update on Teddy’s and my travel blog. After all, our trip up to Hong Kong and Japan just seems like weeks ago, but it’s been months. Friends have reminded me that it’s about time I put something out there.

So here goes…

It was back in April when Teddy and I took off from Auckland on our journey to Hong Kong and the 2018 HK Rugby Sevens.

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A Weekend At The NZ Rugby Sevens – 2018

Have you ever wondered why there is such a desire by folks go to a Rugby Sevens Tournament? It’s always been a mystery to me. After all, I’ve been to a few rugby games over the years and I’ve always found that the two or three hours pass and it’s just another game of rugby.

I’m now prepared to have a different view on this.

The Sevens have got their own unique buzz that can’t be found at any other time or place. These tournaments consist of two consecutive days of around ten hours where you’re mixing with crowds of punters – in varying stages of increasing inebriation, weird and wonderful costumes, expensive food and of course, the weather – be it rain, hail or sunshine. And to add to the pleasure, you spend hours each day moulding your bum into a numb moon-shaped human frisbee from those hard, unforgiving plastic seats.

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17 Images to Show Why We Love a Kiwi Christmas

Christmas isn’t all snow, hats and scarves. In some countries it’s warm tropical beaches, mountain hideaways, deserts and plains.

For centuries there has been different interpretations of what Christmas means to different people from different lands.

But there’s one theme that seems to run true to whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever you see as your idea of Christmas.

And that theme is the colors of red and green.

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6 Remote “Kiwi” Attractions to Explore this Summer

“Spring has Sprung, and the Grass has Riz”

…and that’s not the only thing going up.

The mercury’s inching up and that summer feeling is certainly in the air. And, the biggie…Christmas is just around the corner.

It’s time to brush off the barbie, lock in a stock of Christmas cheer and prepare to relegate 2017 to the rear view mirror.

It also means it’s time to climb on board the holiday travel train. To join the hordes of holiday makers heading to the beaches for their annual fix of summer sun.

Popular tourist hang-outs will be overrun with jandal-footed, scantily clad bodies. And the smell of a hundred SPF 50’s will clog your nostrils for weeks to come.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. And just maybe you don’t have any annual holidays left to let you escape for a week or two.

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To B&B or not to B&B? That is the Question.

Making the move from motel/hotel accommodation to a B&B was a decision I didn’t make lightly. But I did, and I am glad. Would I do it again? Definitely!!

Rain on the plane’s windows speckled the view of Nelson’s water-soaked tarmac. But Nelson is supposed to be sunny, I hear you say. Doesn’t it have the highest number of sunshine hours per year across New Zealand? That maybe so, but that’s not the welcome that greeted Teddy & Me today. Our plane was forced to circle for a few minutes while the a backlog of flights negotiated the misty conditions. We touched down with no drama and only a few minutes later than scheduled. And the rain persisted.

But it’s only water. And water will dampen the air but it takes more than a few raindrops to dampen our spirits. We didn’t come all the way from Auckland for the rugby just to be wussy about the weather. On the other hand however, I was still a tad tentative about my decision to book a B&B for our two-day stay.

Collingwood Manor – A Grand Old Lady

I discovered this B&B by accident as I was looking to book some weekend accommodation. We wanted something close to Nelson’s Trafalgar Park as that’s where the rugby was to be played. Collingwood Manor was the closest to the Park that offered excellent overnight rates. But I’d never stayed in a B&B before and I had no idea what to expect.

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