Goddess Ixchel Temple -- Mexico

Temple ruins At the southeastern-most tip of Isla Mujeres there is one stood a Mayan Temple to the Goddess Ixchel - goddess of midwifery and medicine in the Maya culture and the guardian of childbirth. What is left now is little more than a pile of crumbling rocks (severely damaged by a hurricane in 1988), but the fantastic feminine energy of the spot remains. My visit to the island would not...

Read More

Isla Mujeres - Mexico

The view from the ferry A small group of ladies and I took advantage of some free time today to slip off to Isla Mujeres (Island of the Woman). It seemed fitting, as it was womanhood that brought us to Mexico in the first place. We took a bus from our hotel to the ferry terminal, then boarded a ferry for the island. It was 35 pesos each direction. (Tip: The bus cost 8.5 pesos to get pretty much...

Read More

Dinner in Piste, Mexico

On our way back from Chichen Itza, we realized we were famished from a long day in the hot July sun, and asked our cab driver to stop for food. He brought us to Piste, a tiny village near the ruins, and stopped in front of an open-air cafe filled with Mexican families enjoying an evening meal. In large part, that meal was the first time we felt as though we had been in Mexico. Far from the hotel...

Read More

Chichen Itza

When I looked at my Cancun conference schedule, I saw two openings, and knew immediately I would have to find my way to Chichen Itza during one of them. It didn't matter if I was going alone! Luckily I was not the only one who felt that missing the Mayan ruins in 2012 was not an option when we were so close, and once our sessions wrapped up at midday, I was meeting our taxi driver with Joe Valley...

Read More

Cancun - The Food at Casa Magna

Nothing stood out about my trip to Cancun quite like the food. The eats at the Casa Magna Marriott were the sort of thing the Travel Channel might flit down to highlight. Day after day we were presented with plates that pleased all the senses. Who wouldn't fall in love with mouth-watering dish after mouth-watering dish, complete with absolute impeccable presentation. Day after day, we enjoyed...

Read More

Finding accommodations in New Zealand

Planning a trip to New Zealand, but not sure where to stay? Online resources abound. Check these sites out for ideas. Rent a House Book-a-bach was recommended to us by family, and we used it to find lodging for most of our most recent trip. We scheduled houses for 2-6 nights and were overall very pleased with the experience. We stayed at Somer_Villa at Stanmore Bay to book end to our trip (for a few days upon arrival and then a few days at the end of our time in New Zealand). In...

Read More

309 Road, Kauri Grove, Coromandel, Firth of Thames

After we rinsed the sand off at Hot Water Beach, we moved along, picking up the 309 Road, a windy, partially dirt road that took us from the east side of the peninsula to the west side. Along the way we stopped at the kauri forest, and hiked along a trail (which said it was 10 minutes long) to a grove of super old kauri trees. We lost Cameron for a while, but all in all it was a fun hike. Not far along the road from there was Coromandel, where we had rented an eclectic and interesting house for...

Read More

Beach day - Whangamata and Hot Water Beach

We were on the road at about 10, and stopped for lunch in the cute little burg of Whangamata. We got goodies from a little bakery and took them down to the gorgeous beach. After lunch and some time in the sand (Cameron tried his hand at flying his kite and took a dip in the surf), we were on the road again. Up the road a bit we came to Hot Water Beach, where we all had a great time. We hired a couple...

Read More

Omokoroa Thermal Holiday Park - Tauranga

Our stop at this little holiday park near Tauranga was quite the pleasant surprise. The rest of our trip was spent at bach homes, but when we couldn't find one that fit our needs for this leg of the tour, we "settled" for the holiday park. We were very glad we did. On the way in for the evening we stopped at a lovely little fish and chips shop and picked up four yummy smelling packages of newspaper....

Read More

Kiwi 360

 Our next stop was at Te Puke for Kiwi 360. We had lunch in the cafe -- most of us trying interesting kiwi fare. Cameron and I had the kiwi hotcakes, and Maia and Cameron sampled the kiwi juice. After lunch, we loaded up for a tour of the kiwifruit farm. It was interesting to learn how several local farmers started working on variations of the Chinese Gooseberry independently and at about the...

Read More

Skyline Luge - Rotorua

Monday started with a super fun family activity -- Skyline Luge. The luge is a three-wheeled cart, which you ride down one of the three tracks with beautiful volcano and lake views. We bought a couple of family passes and the eight of us got into a gondola. They snapped a photo, and then we began our ascent of the mountain, looking out over the lake and the city from the side of the mountain. At...

Read More

Te Puia Maori Cultural Experience, Rotorua, New Zealand

After an afternoon at the Polynesian Spa, our night's festivities were an indigenous evening experience at Te Puia. We started in the gift shop, browsing around and waiting for the evening to start. Then our guide met us at the gate and led us back into the grounds. First came a greeting ceremony. The group gathered, and our guide chose a chief -- Grandad Wayne! Our chief was to represent all of...

Read More

Polynesian Spas - Rotorua

Our afternoon was spent at the Polynesian Spa in Rotorua. Do you hear that sound? I think it is the heavens opening to sing the praises of a long soak in a thermal heated pool. The spa capitalizes on the unique geothermal activity of the area, which has been touted for years for the healing properties of its soothing naturally warm waters. It was glorious, and a fun way to spend some time as a family, too. There are several choices within the spa (referred to by locals as the "Poly Pools"),...

Read More

The Redwoods - Whakarewarewa Forest

A beautiful, crisp morning for those who chose to get out of bed and enjoy it! The morning's plans are for a walk with Grandad Wayne and Jenny in the Redwood Forest. The forest was seeded from the redwoods in California, so it had a very homey and familiar feel, only with different and interesting birds you wouldn't find back home! The redwood grove was planted in 1901. The largest redwood in...

Read More

Te Urewera National Park

Everyone was up and through the (amazing) shower a little later than expected, but soon enough we were on the road. We poked around Hastings looking for a geocache, but were unsuccessful, so decided to move on. We drove along the Hawkes Bay Coast for a little way, then headed inland toward Te Urewera National Park. What a drive that was! We weren't far into the park when the pavement gave way to gravel roads, and other cars became fewer and farther between. Te Urewera is the largest national...

Read More

Baker Bungalow in Hastings

A drive through the mountains and we were on the east coast, moving through wine country and toward Hastings, which would be our stop for the evening. The house was far nicer (and bigger) than the name "Baker Bungalow" implied, and we were all very comfortable. The three older kids shared a room off the kitchen where Maia found two "protection gods" hanging over her bed. Once assured they didn't impact her Christianity, she seemed to enjoy the carvings. Uncle Garth had a pull-out bed in the living...

Read More

Waitomo Glowworm Caves and Huka Falls

Written by Justin, as I am not a caver, and chose to stay in the car with a copy of The Hunger Games... The morning brought us to the Waitomo Glowworm Caves, a system of caves first explored a hundred years ago. I was pleased to note that they have now paved the floor inside the caves. Wonderful formations of lime transform the smooth stone surfaces into amazing shapes including a full size elephant. Walking down the steel stairs into the lower caverns felt like descending into the Moria. The...

Read More

Turtles and Humpback Bridges

A nice breakfast with Auntie Sue, Trixie, and Bella, and we were off looking for more adventures. Gran had stayed at Nan's house, so we picked her up there, and Bria had a heyday checking out Nan's turtle collections. "There's more over there! There's more!" Nan gave her a tour and told her about the origins of many of them, blaming Uncle Mark for most! She then presented Bria with a turtle for her own collection, which she promptly named Sandy. Sandy is purple and sparkly, with an aqua blue tummy. As...

Read More

Auckland Museum

Other plans fell through today, so we made a spur of the moment decision to explore the Auckland War Memorial Museum. What a great choice that was. There was plenty to see and explore for days, but we saw a huge amount in the one day we had to check it out. Admission was very reasonable -- a $10 suggested donation for adults, and kids free. The museum is free for Aucklanders, which is a great little feature. (Especially for homeschooling parents!) Lunch was at the Atrium Cafe inside the...

Read More