April 19, 2026 – These past few days have not been easy – fever this morning, yet we pressed on through downtown Auckland, strolling the marina, climbing the Sky Tower, letting the city unfold beneath us.
Auckland holds a special place in my heart. My dear older brother – not by blood, but in every way that matters – once lived here. I didn’t know our gathering in California in 2018 would be the last time I’d see him. Cancer came in 2020. He was gone by 2021.
Today I stood before his resting place and the tears came without restraint. His wife WW had driven David and me through pouring rain to get there. I quietly prayed the sun would break through by the time we arrived. It did. In that moment, I felt George beside me – looking down, wearing that smile he always had.
He was a big brother to me in every sense. Movies, ice cream, small ordinary things that over the years became something far greater. He was family.
Afterward, WW showed us the real estate projects she and their older daughter JY are now managing together. Their younger daughter KY is finishing college, headed toward graduate study in cello. Seeing them flourish brought its own quiet comfort.
Visiting George today closed a chapter that had stayed open too long. I know I will return to Auckland. And I know I will see him again.
Rotorua to Auckland
April 18, 2026 – On our way back to Auckland, we stopped at the Agrodome — a highlight of the journey. We caught a lively farm show, toured the property on a tractor-drawn trailer, visited a kiwi hatchery, and foraged for fallen feijoas (pineapple guavas) along the way. The show’s standout moment came when David was called up on stage to milk a cow. He even walked away with a “Certificate of Udderance” — though it was plain to see he hadn’t exactly warmed up to the task!
Tauranga, Rotorua & Taupo
April 15, 2026 – Eight days and 890 miles later, we said goodbye to the South Island and touched down in Auckland. A 2.5-hour drive brought us to Tauranga — and a peaceful lakefront apartment that felt like exactly the right place to stop.
April 16, 2026 – Rolled out of our lakefront apartment and straight to a kiwifruit farm — though the harvest was already done and dusted. We still snagged a dozen freebies, unripe but free is free. Okere Falls delivered stunning waterfalls and daredevil rafters for our viewing pleasure, followed by the most obscenely generous plate of ribs I’ve ever faced. Kiwis don’t mess around with portions.
Okere Falls
Te Puia was the highlight of the afternoon — a living hub of Māori arts where the next generation learns to carve and weave using centuries-old and modern techniques. The motto on the wall said it best: “Where there is artistic excellence, there is human dignity.“ And as a bonus, the grounds treated us to a spectacular geyser eruption. Rotorua’s geothermal drama, front and center. Chills — of the non-volcanic kind.
We ended the day in a darkened room cooing over kiwi birds — a 15-month-old chick stole every heart in the room. Honestly, it’s no surprise someone looked at that little fluffball and inspired a stroke of marketing genius: renaming the humble Chinese Gooseberry after this adorable bird (in the late 1950s). Best rebrand ever.
Who doesn’t love a kiwi — bird or fruit?
April 17, 2026 – A day built for simple pleasures – hikes, waterfalls, lake-side stroll and the quiet indulgence of thermal pools.
In Waikite Valley Thermal Pools, we melted into open-air baths warmed to a dreamy 41°C, steam curling lazily into the air as the rest of the world got on without us.
I found myself hoping, perhaps a bit optimistically, that the mineral waters might calm the sandfly bites on my hands—the one small blemish on an otherwise beautiful journey.
