late afternoon at Cape Kidnappers

Shark Tooth Cliffs at Cape Kidnappers (c) 2019 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

I have a backlog of photos from New Zealand that I'd like to share, each photograph bringing back a wonderful memory. This moment represents one of the highlights of my stay at The Farm at Cape Kidnappers.

We flew from Kerikeri to Napier (with a connection in Auckland) and drove through the art deco town of Napier on our way to Elephant Hill. One of New Zealand's outstanding wineries, we enjoyed a wine tasting followed by an excellent light luncheon. I most remember the oysters! After lunch, we headed up the hill to Cape Kidnappers, the second of three Robertson Lodges that hosted us. We arrived in the afternoon and, after dropping our luggage off in our suites, we met at the main lodge for a site inspection, a tour of the farm, and a 4x4 ride out to the late afternoon setting pictured above.

The red glow of the setting sun beautifully illuminated the white walls of the Shark Tooth Cliffs, and we also observed the Gannet colony. Cape Kidnappers offers luxury accommodations in the Hawke's Bay region with great wine, superb food, and championship golf. If I could only have stayed for more than one night!

copyright (c) 2019 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

New Zealand | don't know where to begin?

Sally Forth comic strip, March 31, 2018

Sally Forth is one of a handful of comic strips that I read regularly. In today's episode, Sally asks her family, "What is the one thing you'd like us to do together as a family?" After a moment's pause, Hillary answers, "New Zealand." Ted is immediately turned on by the idea of visiting the beautiful place where the three Hobbit movies (An Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug, and The Battle of the Five Armies) were filmed. Sally responds with two practical concerns, the cost of air and where to begin.

"I don't know where to begin" is not infrequently the first hurdle encountered when contemplating our bucket list. Start with Google? 46 million websites come up when searching New Zealand, 3.6 million responses for New Zealand travel, 2.68 million options for New Zealand tours, and 1.79 million answers for New Zealand tourism.

How can anyone evaluate so many options? My answer to the Forth family ... find a travel advisor with experience planning travel to New Zealand, who has relationships with multiple destination management companies there. Instead of starting with millions of choices, I'll begin planning your trip with a half dozen vendors curated in terms of their expertise and reliability. Once I know your budget and the kinds of experiences you want to have, I'll know exactly where to begin.

A knowledgable travel advisor will save you time and money. New Zealand has some of the most gorgeous lodges in the world, and you can benefit from Virtuoso amenities that will provide added value during your stay. Even if your budget is more modest, our on-the-ground partners will know the best moderately priced options for your stay — as well as providing assistance if needed with looking for "bulk" air.

black sand beach (c) 2018 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

New Zealand is one of the two most gorgeous places I've ever been, Norway being the other. To whet your appetite, here are some articles I wrote about my April/May 2009 trip with Swain Destinations.

Kauri Cliffs | New Zealand golf and beach luxury
what to do in Queenstown, New Zealand
Napier, New Zealand | the Art Deco city
morning mist at Huka Lodge
black sand beach near Auckland
New Zealand | incredible scenic beauty
Virginia Fischer | New Zealand luxury lodges
more New Zealand Luxury Lodges

copyright (c) 2018 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

Napier, New Zealand | the Art Deco city

We decided to make an impromptu side trip today to Napier, New Zealand. (We are staying at the Farm at Cape Kidnappers, about 30 minutes to the south). Napier is a small beach town on New Zealand's North Island, known as the Art Deco city. Dropped off at the local tourism office, we learned that we had just missed the regularly scheduled daily walking tour of Napier. We made arrangements for a private walking tour after lunch, then went off on our own.

At 1:30 p.m., we met up with our guide and began our tour. The town of Napier suffered a strong earthquake in 1931 that devastated the town. The 7.8 magnitude quake shook the town for two-and-one-half minutes, destroying everything that wasn't constructed of reinforced concrete. The leaders of Napier decided to rebuild the town using an Art Deco design motif for the new buildings of the town. Our guide talked about the reasons for that decision, described various design elements of Art Deco, and then took us around town. She pointed out the external architectural features of the buildings, noted some of the decisions made by the city planners (underground utilities, splayed corners, street names on the sidewalk), and took us into a number of buildings with extremely attractive interiors. It was a fascinating hour.

I was struck by the difference between the first 3 hours spent exploring on our own and the final hour walking around Napier with our knowledgeable guide. While everything she showed us was obviously there for anyone to see ... with our untrained eyes, we had missed it all. Napier had not seemed like much of a destination, but now through the trained eyes of an expert guide, we could appreciate that Napier was a very special place with a unique story. I highly recommend spending a morning or an afternoon, and be sure to sign up for the daily scheduled tour!

More information on Napier, New Zealand, contact the Art Deco Trust or your travel consultant.

Napier, New Zealand (search here on Google)


copyright (c) 2009 by David J. Ourisman. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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