Well I've been through the locations and added maps and a few more comments on where we were and travelled to now ..
Its pretty hard to distinguish one experience from another ... they were so many different types of experiences ...
However ...here are some links to some highlights ..
"The drive to Masterton over the mountains was unexpectedly one of the most epic of the whole trip ... apparently when the wind blows on these mountains the trains get blown off the tracks ...." see link here and or click map caption :-
Masterton |
Then of course there was Napier the Art Deco city rebuilt in two years in the depression to an extraordinary standard in the Art Deco style ..click here or click caption below
Napier |
Stopped for a coffee and saw what was probably several $m of vintage cars by a cafe on their way to the Napier Art Deco weekend which was happening just as we were leaving ;-( .... here
We drove round the Corramandel Peninsula all the way to Auckland ... quite a spectacular drive link here
The SS Missouri Memorial at Pearl Harbour was impressive link here
The Volcano Park at Hawaii was impressive ... the fact that you could stay in a hotel 1 mile from an active though rather sleepy volcano link here
In Hawaii the effects of the volcanoes was impressive if rather scary
Golf in picturesque Hawaii
Helicopter ride over 'Jurassic Park' !
In San Luis Obsipo this hotel was rather wonderful and run by some pretty amazing people .. if you are passing do stay there ...link
Hurst Castle was an unexpectedly impressive masterpiece of architecture here
Then the stay at Monterey with its association with John Steinbeck
And last by no means least a big thank you to Gill for planning organising and paying for it all !!!!!
I keep looking back at this so please do as well ... at present I seem to be correcting the spelling mistakes ... but maybe a few more thoughts later ...