Exclusive Tours

24/05/2026

Hello and greetings from New Zealand!
The clear blue sky days and temperatures at the hotest time of the day close to 20C continue here in Auckland. All a bit weird given that it is Autumn and it is usually colder and cloudy than the current weather. It is perfect weather for walking and enjoying the autumnal colours.
In my spare time I attempt to find people for people. People such as birth parents, long lost siblings etc. Along with discovering family mysteries and also connections to enthnic groups that people had no idea that they had. I recommend that people get their DNA tested with Ancestry.com The DNA results can either quickly identify the people that I am looking for or provide me with clues, family trees etc that I can work with to find the answers that people are looking for. For me the digging and delving is like working on huge jigsaw puzzle...... And when everything falls into place and I find the person I am looking for I sometimes get quite overwhelmed. If you or anyone you know has someone they would like to find then feel free to send me a private message.Have a great week everyone.
Kind regards - Sharron in New Zealand.

18/05/2026

Hello and greetings from New Zealand!
We have had a week of stunning clear blue skies, crisp early morning temperatures followed by temperatures at about 60F during each day. The fabulous autumnal colours on the trees are stunning. Such a beautiful time of the year.
Today I am sharing some of the photographs that I have taken recently.
First photograph is of autumnal trees reflecting in the shimmering water at a pond with a fountain in the pond. The water coming out of the fountain makes the water shimmer.
Second photograph is of Cass Railway Station in the South Alps.
Third photograph is of autumnal trees and the lake at McLaren Falls Park near Tauranga. McLaren Falls Park always looks stunning in the Autumn.
Have a fabulous week everyone.
Kind regards
Sharron - Your tour guide friend and tour planner in New Zealand

12/05/2026

For any tour guides who travel with guests who are interested in horticulture here is a very unique experience!
12,000 fruit bearing banana plants (goal is 40,000) on a farm at Glenbrook, Auckland! The largest banana farm in New Zealand! Who would have known? Tucked away at Glenbrook in South Auckland you will find banana grower. With lots of sunshine, shelter and tender loving care they grow some the best tasting, nutritious bananas in New Zealand. Some of the varieties you will find at this boutique farm include Ladyfinger varieties, Honduran hybrids, Misi Luki, Gold Fingers, Red Bananas, Cavendish, Pisang Awak and Plantain. “Kiwi Bananas” owner - Peter Li immigrated to New Zealand with his parents when he was 14 years old. His parents were farmers in China mainly growing bananas, so the family has always had a special passion for bananas. When they finally had the ability to by land in rural South Auckland their one goal was to see whether they could successfully grow high quality bananas in Auckland. As early as 1997 Peter’s father had already started experimenting with growing bananas in the backyard of their suburban house. At that time the bananas they grew were not good enough to eat. So they continued researching and improving over the years. After many years of hard work and dedication, they finally managed to improve both the quality and yield of the bananas. Sadly Peter’s father passed away in early 2026 which has made Peter even more determined to protect and continue developing his banana farm because the farm carries so much of his fathers hard work and spirit within it. Peter is determined to turn the banana farm into a successful business (by 2028) so that his father’s dedication, passion and legacy can continue to live on and inspire others.Peter’s love for bananas has grown into an obsession. An obsession with growing great tasting fruit and the best varieties suitable for the farms microclimate. Emphasis is placed on quality over quantity, and he puts into the soil only what the plants need, resulting in healthy soil, plants and fruit. Also at the farm Peter is growing Persimmons, and he is trialling Pineapples and Dragon Fruit.
For further information please call or message Peter Li at 021907934.

11/05/2026

Hello everyone and greetings from New Zealand!
Recently I listened to an interview, with Angela Wanhalla, on Radio New Zealand. Parts of the interview were of great interest to me because of the USA / NZ connections during WW2.
Between 1942 and 1944 over 100,000 US troops were stationed in New Zealand creating a "friendly invastion" that profoundly impacted New Zealand. As New Zealand men fought overseas, Americans—primarily Marines—arrived in Auckland and Wellington, transforming society with new coffee culture, nightlife, and lasting social, cultural, and romantic ties.
Key Aspects of the Friendly Invasion:
Arrival and Impact: The first troops arrived in June 1942 to secure the Pacific region against Japan. Their presence brought luxuries such as coffee houses, milk bars, Coca-Cola, and fresh food, which were new to local life.
"War Brides": Thousands of New Zealand women were swept off their feet by the well-dressed, charismatic Americans, resulting in over 1500 "war brides" marrying U.S. servicemen.
Camp Life and Training: Major camps were established around Wellington (such as Paekākāriki) for training before soldiers deployed to battles like Guadalcanal.Infrastructure and Economy: American troops, along with local labor, built vital infrastructure, including hospitals (e.g., [Middlemore], [Cornwall Park]) and airfields, while local businesses experienced a massive economic boom.
Cultural Exchange and Tension: While generally friendly, the interaction between cultures sometimes caused friction, resulting in events like the [Battle of Manners Street], a massive 1943 riot in Wellington.
If you would like to listen to the Radio New Zealand interview go to www.rnz.co.nz/tags/Angela%20Wanhalla Lachlan Paterson & Angela Wanhalla: Maori Home Front
Angela Wanhalla, a Kai Tahu historian and senior lecturer in history at Otago University, is the author of Matters of the Heart: A History of In*******al Marriage in New Zealand.
By the way did any of my American friends you have family members who were in New Zealand 1942 to 1944? If you did then I would love to hear from you and learn about your family members experiences in New Zealand.
Have a great week everyone.
Kind regards
Sharron - Your tour guide friend in New Zealand.

Paul Diamond reviews Aftermaths: Colonialism, Violence and Memory in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific edited by Angela Wanhalla, Lyndall Ryan and Camille Nurka, published by Otago University… Audio

04/05/2026

Hello and greetings from New Zealand!
I recently enjoyed a cruise on Doubtful Sound in the South Island. I have lost count of the number of times I have been to Doubtful Sound but I would have to say that my last visit was the wetist visit I have ever encoutnered. It rained all the time for 3 hour cruise and the westerly wind was so strong that some passengers were nearly blown off the vessel. What a day! And there were waterfalls everywhere. One of my travellers said that she saw about 50 waterfalls! The majority of the waterfalls are temporary waterfalls. Doubtful Sound / Patea is a fiord in Fiordland, in the far south west of New Zealand. It is located in the same region as the smaller but more famous and accessible Milford Sound / Piopiotahi. It took second place after Milford Sound as New Zealand's most famous tourism destination. At 40 kilometres (25 mi) long, Doubtful Sound / Patea is the second longest, and with a depth of up to 421 metres (1,381 ft) the deepest of the South Island's fiords. In comparison with Milford Sound, it is more widespread, with the cliffs not as dramatically tall and near vertical. However, the U-shaped profile of the fiord is obvious, in particular on the two innermost of the main fiord's arms and the hanging side valleys along the main fiord.Like most of Fiordland, Doubtful Sound receives a high amount of rainfall, ranging from an annual average of 3,000–6,000 millimetres (120–240 in). That is a lot of rain! The vegetation on the mountainous landscape surrounding the fiord is dense native rainforest. Doubtful Sound was named 'Doubtful Harbour' in 1770 by Captain Cook, who did not enter the inlet as he was uncertain whether it was navigable under sail. It was later renamed Doubtful Sound by whalers and sealers, although it is not technically a sound but a fiord.
Have a great week everyone.
Kind regards
Sharron - Your tour guide friend in New Zealand.

27/04/2026

Hello and greetings from New Zealand.
I am away on tour with a lovely group of people. We stopped at Cass railway station, in the Southern Alps. "Cass" is one of the iconic images of 20th-century New Zealand painting. The work depicts Cass railway station in inland Canterbury, an area that Rita Angus (1908–70) visited in 1936 with fellow artist Louise Henderson (1902–94). While the title is specific, the image is general. This location has been chosen for its typicality and stands for numerous small communities. The seated figure at right in the composition is dwarfed by the surrounding landscape and accentuates feelings of isolation and remoteness. This work was finished in the studio after Angus had made studies outside. Each part was carefully planned to give order and clarity to the symbolic imagery. The work’s direct and unpretentious style is complemented by the strong ordering of the composition. Angus uses a pyramid form as its basis, with vertical divisions aiding the sense of structure. Other elements typical of Angus’s style, and regionalism in general, include the flattening of form by use of flat, unmodulated colour, strong outlines, and the use of simplified colour and form. When Cass was first exhibited in Christchurch in 1937, and later in Auckland in 1938, it received no comment in the press. At the time, Angus’s work seemed to be admired only by a discriminating group of friends. One of them, the musician Frederick Page, noticed how the artist drew with paint and likened her approach to that in Chinese art. In Angus’s Lake Wanaka, a 1938 watercolour, there is evidence of both the precise rhythms of Chinese landscape painting and the bright colours and bold outlines of Japanese woodcuts.
Below is the painting by Rita and three photographs that I took yesterday.
Have a great week everyone.
Kind regards
Sharron
Your tour guide friend in New Zealand.

21/04/2026

ANZAC Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia, New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and suffering of all those who have served". Observed on 25th April each year, ANZAC Day was originally devised to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who served in the Gallipoli campaign, their first engagement in the First World War (1914–1918).Dawn parades / services continue to be held, every year, all over Australia and New Zealand on 25th April. These events are becoming more and more popular.In Australia and New Zealand we wear poppies on ANZAC Day (25th April) to remember the sacrifice of Australian and New Zealand soldiers who died in war, particularly World War 1. The flower symbolizes the red blood shed on the battlefields, with the tradition inspired by the poem "In Flanders Fields," where poppies were the first to bloom in the churned-up soil of war zones. New Zealand's first "poppy day" was on 24th April 1922.A total of 245,059 small poppies and 15,157 larger versions were sold, earning £13,166 (equivalent to about $1.6 million). Of that amount, £3695 ($376,000) was sent to help war-ravaged areas of northern France; the remainder went to unemployed New Zealand returned soldiers and their families. The idea of selling artificial poppies to raise funds for veterans’ organisations was conceived by a French woman, Madame E. Guerin. Her plan was to have widows and orphans in northern France manufacture artificial poppies that could be sold to benefit veterans and destitute children. After Colonel Alfred S. Moffatt took the idea to the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association (NZRSA) in September 1921, an order for 350,000 small and 16,000 large silk poppies was placed with Madame Guerin’s French Children’s League. Unlike the practice in other countries, the NZRSA did not hold its inaugural Poppy Appeal in association with Armistice Day (11 November). The shipment arrived too late for Poppy Day to be properly promoted prior to Armistice Day, so the NZRSA decided to hold it on the day before ANZAC Day 1922. The first Poppy Day was a ‘brilliant success’. The annual Poppy Day Appeal – now usually held on the Friday before ANZAC Day – has become the NZRSA’s primary means of raising funds for the welfare of returned service personnel and their dependants."Lest we forget".........
Kind regards
Sharron - Your friend in New Zealand.

12/04/2026

Hello and greetings from New Zealand!
It's hard to believe that about 6 years ago I sent a message, to members of this page, asking what New Zealand things you would like to see (me to photograph) as the Covid situation began. I still remember the two most popular requests, from my American friends, were waterfalls and sheep....... I remember researching and finding that there were 6 waterfalls within about 20 minutes of where I live. And that there were, easily accessible, sheep in Cornwall Park in downtown Auckland. Walking in local forests and Cornwall Park photographing waterfalls and sheep became my sanity saving adventures. Experiencing forests and waterfalls rejuvenated my soul, connected me to nature and fired up a sense of adventure during the Covid pandemic. So I thank you to those of you who suggested waterfalls and sheep. :) And as you can see I made a commitment to share (once a week), with all of you, facets of New Zealand life, history along with some of my photographs.
Because of my forest and waterfall walks and talking to people about how relaxing these walks were someone told me about Shinrin-yoku Japanese forest bathing. It is a practice or process of therapeutic relaxation where one spends time in a forest or natural atmosphere, focusing on sensory engagement to connect with nature. https://www.fo-society.jp/en
Kind regards
Sharron - Your tour guide friend in New Zealand.

From the moment you step into a lush forest covered with dense vegetation and fragrant fresh soil, you can feel the surrounding life with your senses. We experience the therapeutic and relaxing power of the forest. The act of immersing in the forest to enjoy this effect is called "shinrin-yoku(fores...

06/04/2026

Hello and greetings from New Zealand!
I trust you have all had a relaxing Easter weekend.
I have found this quirky write up with an "American", sort of, connection to New Zealand..... :)
1st April 1773.
In an attempt to concoct a preventative against scurvy, Captain James Cook brewed a batch of beer on Resolution Island in Dusky Sound, using rimu branches and leaves. " We began to brew beer from the branches or leaves of a tree, which much resembles the American black-spruce. From the knowledge I had of this tree, and the similarity it bore to the spruce, I judged that, with the addition of inspissated [thickened] juice of wort and molasses, it would make a very wholesome beer, and supply the want of vegetables, which this place did not afford; and the event proved that I was not mistaken."
When the beverage was sampled four days later, Lieutenant Charles Clerke thought it ‘very palatable’ and observed that most of the crew ‘seem[ed] to drink pretty plentifully of it’.
The naturalist Anders Sparrman noted that with the addition of a little rum and some brown sugar, ‘this really pleasant, refreshing, and healthy drink … bubbled and tasted rather like champagne’. Despite these favourable reviews, an attempt by Lion Breweries to recreate Cook’s beer in the 1980s resulted in a brew that some called ‘awful’ and others ‘revolting’.
In 2020, Christchurch-based Wigram Brewing produces a spruce beer flavoured with rimu and manuka – ‘a nice malty drop with a slightly smoky character’ that pays homage to Cook without following his recipe exactly.Joel Po**ck founded New Zealand’s first commercial brewery at Kororāreka in 1835.
Check out Wigram Brewing beers!
www.wigrambrewing.co.nz/our-beers
Have a great week everyone.
Kind regards
Sharron - your tour guide friend in New Zealand.

30/03/2026

Hello and greetings from New Zealand!
Who remembers the movie "The piano"? The 1993 film, directed by Jane Campion, was filmed on New Zealand's North Island, primarily in the Auckland region. The iconic beach scenes were shot at Karekare Beach in the Waitakere Ranges, while bush scenes took place in Matakana Valley Road and Awakino. Underwater sequences were filmed in the Bay of Islands. On 21st March 1994 eleven-year-old Anna Paquin became the first New Zealander to win an Academy Award for acting when she was named best supporting actress for her role as Flora McGrath in the acclaimed historical drama, The piano. Paquin was the second youngest recipient of this award in Oscar history.Jane Campion, the film’s writer and director, chose the then nine-year-old Paquin from 5000 candidates who attended an open audition in New Zealand. Despite having no acting experience, Paquin impressed Campion with a monologue about Flora’s father.The film reached the pinnacle of success for cinema worldwide, winning the coveted Palme d’Or at Cannes and three Oscars at the 1994 awards. Campion won the award for best original screenplay, while American Holly Hunter won the best actress Oscar for her portrayal of Ada McGrath, Flora’s mother.In 2013 Campion revealed that she had originally intended Hunter’s character to die at the end of the film, but changed her mind during shooting.Has anyone, reading this write up, been to Karekare Beach? It is about a 1 hour drive from downtown Auckland and it is a beautiful, remote beach.Have a fabulous week everyone.
Kind regards
Sharron - your tour guide friend in New Zealand.