Wow Place #195: Hot Water Beach, Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand
“Be loyal to those who are loyal to you. And respect everyone, even your enemies and competition.” —–John Cena As I stand there on the beach, tiny shovel in hand, I’m having trouble respecting my competition. I mean, why are all these people getting in my space? I’m just trying to stake out my spot. […]
Wow Place #194: Temple of Dendur, New York Met
“If you do not expect the unexpected you will not find it, for it is not to be reached by search or trail.” –Heraclitus Can you really “expect the unexpected”? I think you can be “open” to new experience. You can cultivate a flexibility toward change. But isn’t the “unexpected,” by definition, about surprise, about […]
Wow Place #193: Gannet Safari, Te Awanga, New Zealand
I wonder when it happened that I became an old person – or at least, a person who enjoys “old people” activities. I’ll admit it: Of late, I’ve come to appreciate the pleasures of sitting on a comfy couch, sipping hot tea and solving crossword puzzles. I’ve come to admire a well-planned garden. And apparently, […]
Wow Place #192: Big Shot Tower Drop, Stratosphere, Las Vegas, Nevada
“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” –F. Scott Fitzgerald If you watch any congressional hearing, at some point you’ll inevitably hear a congressman ask the person on the stand, “What’s your answer sir, Yes […]
Wow Place #191: Te Mata Peak, Hastings, New Zealand
“Ardently do today what must be done. Who knows? Tomorrow, death comes.” –The Buddha Quite an upbeat fellow, that Buddha guy. Not that he’s wrong, mind you. As Donica and I are climbing ardently up Te Mata peak on the North Island of New Zealand, death is definitely on my mind—and not just tomorrow. I’m […]
Wow Place #190: Waiariki Spa, Rotorua, New Zealand
I like Godzilla movies and 49ers football. Donica likes massages and spas. What can I say? We’re very different people. As you can imagine, when my wife asks me if I want to visit this high-end spa facility with her while in Rotorua, New Zealand, I’m a wee bit skeptical. “It seems kind of expensive, […]
Wow Place #189: Zorbing, Rotorua, New Zealand
Zorbing looked SO fun when we booked it online from the safe confines of our living room couch. My wife and I figured, while traveling in New Zealand, the land that invented adventure sports, what could be more audacious, more “Kiwi” than climbing into a giant, inflatable, plastic ball and rolling down a hillside! Weeks […]
Wow Place #188: Hobbiton, Matamata, New Zealand
Hey everyone. Well, I’m back from 3 fantastic weeks on the North Island of New Zealand, with lots of stories to tell. Given the demands of work and life in general, I suspect I won’t be able to keep up with my daily posts, but I’ll definitely be writing as much as I can, up […]
Auckland New Zealand Downtown
A fun place to hold a team building activity in Auckland, NZ Event Description: During this fun treasure hunt adventure, you’ll roam the streets of Downtown Auckland enjoying public art and historical signage around nearly every turn. Location History: On March 20, 1840, the paramount chief of the Ngati Whatua Maori iwi (tribe) signed the […]
Wow Place 187: Wimbledon, England
[This is my last daily post for a little bit as I wing off to New Zealand tomorrow in search of fresh new Wow Places. 187 posts down…178 more to go to reach my goal of 365! 😊 I’ll be back writing again in the new year. See ya in 2024 folks, and thanks for […]