This morning, we set out for the small town of Piha, located on the western coast. There, we hiked to the Kitekite Falls along one of the most beautiful trails I have ever had the pleasure of traversing. Our early start gave us sole access to the falls and basin below. Typically, the latter is full of people splashing about.

We then drove to North Piha Beach, where Jeanine soaked up some sun while I flew my drone.

Rinse and repeat for South Piha Beach.

We then made the 3-1/2 hour drive to Hot Water Beach, located on the eastern coast. Thus far, the roads have been well-maintained, as in a well-maintained roller coaster ride. A straight and flat section of roadway is as rare as the endangered Kiwi birds.

We are staying in what amounts to a tiny house without a bathroom. It is quite adorable, actually. It has a queen-sized bed, a tiny table with a pair of chairs, a dorm-size refrigerator, and not much else. Bathrooms and showers are located in a separate building. There is also a communal pool, food court, and play areas.

Jeanine and I arrived in Auckland at 5 AM this morning. We cleared customs quickly and then spent more than a short while configuring our phones with travel data plans. Unable to contact our rental car agency for pickup, our first hike in New Zealand was to the rental car agency in the rain. Fortunately, it was only a 15-minute walk and we packed light. Our first destination was Mount Eden (Maungawhau), a volcanic peak with hiking and jogging trails leading to views over the Hauraki Gulf. Despite a slight drizzle and heavy cloud cover it was a great way to wake up our legs as we hiked up to and around the ancient caldera. Afterwards, we treated ourselves to coffee and pasteries at a French bakery that Jeanine described as the real deal.

In light of the rain, we decided that our next stop would be indoors and chose the Auckland Aquarium. I was most captivated by the jellyfish displays, although I could have easily spent the entire day watching the penguins in their very realistic habitat.

By noon, the rain stopped, and the skies cleared, so we set out for Waitipu Beach on the western coast, about an hour’s drive from the capital. We practically had the entire black sand beach to ourselves but opted not to go into the water after Jeanine discovered dozens of Portuguese man o’ war washed up on the sand. Their sting will not kill you, but are said to be excruciatingly painful.

Jeanine opted for shore combing while I put up the drone for some aerial photography.

We arrived back in Auckland by 3 PM and visited Auckland University before checking into our downtown hotel.

Jeanine found a lovely Italian restaurant within walking distance, and we enjoyed a stroll there that afforded us a nice view of the Sky Tower.

Jeanine and I arrived in San Francisco yesterday evening after our 7-hour flight, where we boarded this New Zealand Air flight for Auckland. Fortunately, we had strong tailwinds, which cut the normal flight time from 12 hours to 11. For the first time in my life, I was able to sleep comfortably on an airplane. I credit this to a new neck pillow that I purchased and a pair of compressions socks. I can only hope the return flight will be as comfortable.

Jeanine and I leave on a 5-week adventure today. We will spend a month in New Zealand and a week in Sydney, Australia. While we are away, Nico will be house-sitting for us.

This has been a much-anticipated trip for us, and we are happy that all the planning and preparation is behind us and that we are ready to embark on our journey. I decided to review some of my photographs from past adventures to places of natural beauty and can only hope that I return with as much bounty on this trip.

Pictured above is Mount Fitz Roy on the border between Argentina and Chile taken with my drone when I traveled there with Nico. Below is the village of Gasadalur on the Faroe Islands.

Unified basketball is a sport that combines students with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team to promote friendship and understanding.  Nico and Brian Scalabrine were celebrity referees for today’s game at the Concord Middle School. Brian is a current television analyst and former player for the Boston Celtics. They are pictured here with Justin Cameron, the CMS Principal, before the start of the game.

Maya and Nicolai joined us for brunch this morning. Kyle is still traveling in Columbia. Jeanine prepared Japanese pancakes for the first time, and they were a huge hit. In the afternoon, we spotted a Bald Eagle perched right outside the kitchen window. Unfortunately, a tree branch prevented me from capturing a better image.

Jeanine and I completed packing for our upcoming trip to New Zealand and Australia. My two bags are pictured above. They contain clothing for 5-weeks, including rain gear, a camera and three lenses, a drone and controller, a tripod, trekking poles, and a laptop. If not for the fact that trekking poles are not permitted in carry-on, checking bags would not have been necessary. On this trip, I have allowed myself a few luxury items; a pair of slippers, an inflatable neck pillow, and a windshield mounting kit for my phone to facilitate navigation while driving.

Our niece’s daughter, Charly, celebrated her birthday with what must be her favorite meal: mac and cheese, tacos, and fruit. If I had to guess, fruit may not have been on the wishlist. I have yet to meet Charly, a situation that must be rectified before her next birthday.

Jeanine and I agreed that the landing between our main floor and basement would be ideal for displaying a dozen family photos taken over the years. I completed the project this evening, and we are both very pleased with the outcome. They are perfectly located to draw the eye when traversing our main hallway. Because they are most closely observed while going up and down the stairs, any given photo can be viewed at eye level, depending on which tread you are standing. It will probably take as long to furnish the house with art as it did to build, but it feels good to have started the process.

Recent snow, freezing rain, and sleet have left most driveways in our neighborhood covered in thick, bumpy ice. I am pleased to report that our drive is in excellent shape and to share the reason why. Our most recent precipitation event took the form of 4″ of dry snow followed by an inch or so of sleet and freezing rain. The trick was to snow-blow the snow the moment it started switching to sleet (4 AM) and then to snow-blow and shovel again when the sleet stopped and before temperatures dropped below freezing (8 AM).

I have spent the better part of the last three days editing over 3000 individual posts on this blog to remove advertising content that was inserted by a malicious attack. Ice-covered streets and sub-zero wind chill temperatures have made it easy to focus on the task. The last repaired entry included the image shown here which I thought I would repost. Has there ever been a more angelic child?

Left to my own devices, I buy over-salted soup in a can. Fortunately, I had the good sense to marry Jeanine, who creates masterpieces from healthy ingredients. Yummy.

Occasionally, it is fun to look back in time. Today, we venture to February 2005, when the family was on vacation in Florida. As I recall, I had to twist a few arms to convince the kids they would enjoy a visit to the Kennedy Space Center, given their strong preference to remain at Disney World for an extra day. When we see the kids (Maya and Nico; Kyle is still in South America) next weekend, I will inquire as to what they remember of the visit.

Never have I seen a more compliant dog while being groomed. This photo is from Kyle, who is working from Medellin.