Still in New Zealand

Valentine in Downtown Sydney, Australia

I wish all my readers a very Happy Valentine Day.

Traveling to the Southern hemisphere is interesting but a bit confusing. While flying to Auckland our plane captain announced that we not only crossed the Equator but also the International Time Line which put us a full day ahead of the USA, (time difference 18 h). Which meant for us travelers that we lost a day somewhere since we took off on Sunday, flew for ten hours and arrived on Tuesday. Don’t ask me to do the math!

As a result, a pastor who came with a group from his church forgot to do the Sunday service because he thought it was Saturday and many people aboard were constantly asking what day it was. Day One of the cruise the local TV channel announced diplomatically.

Our first stop was in Taurango, NZ. We booked a guided tour to visit the island. We were warned not to take any food, fruits, bread or snack into New Zealand territory.

Notice the smart and so cute doggy sniffing and catching a ‘felon’ who was smuggling an apple into Tauranga territory. The security officers took the apple and fined him$500. You don’t joke with the law in NZ.

After a 30-minute scenic drive from the port we visited a local Maori village and we soaked for two hours New Zealand’s heritage.

The tour included a demonstration of their traditional and religious music, an afternoon tea and a colorful Maori folklore performance.

If you like to travel and love to read, come and enjoy my international romances. Around the world through stories that simmer with emotion and sizzle with passion.