New Zealand
Recent Articles
Chinese Settlement Site
Nestled above the historic town of Arrowtown along the banks of Bush Creek lies the partially restored Chinese Settlement, one of the reminders of the region’s gold rush history. Marty and I spend time walking through this small village, where these cottages and stone pathways tell the story of the Chinese miners and merchants who […]
Arrowtown
Arrowtown is one of those rare towns where history feels close to the surface. Tucked just outside Queenstown, it began as a gold mining settlement in the 1860s, during the rush that brought thousands into the region following discoveries along the Arrow River. The town quickly grew as miners, many of them European and later […]
Gibbston Valley
Attached to our time teaching in New Zealand, we took the time to explore a bit, making our way into Gibbston Valley, just outside Queenstown. The landscape there does not reveal itself all at once, it unfolds gradually, the path rising, the view widening, until the Kawarau River comes into sight, cutting its way through the valley below. […]
War Museum
Marty and I flew to Auckland to teach our Pediatric seminar, arriving a couple of days early so we can explore a bit of New Zealand’s North Island. Whenever we travel for teaching, we try to understand the place we’re in, not just the seminar room, but the history and culture that shape the people […]
Lake Wakatipu
Marty and I found ourselves on the South Island of New Zealand, walking along the edge of Lake Wakatipu, surrounded by breathtaking scenery. The air was crisp and clean, and the mountains, known as The Remarkables, rose sharply across the water as if they were placed for dramatic effect. We wandered the shoreline, drawn by the […]
Milford Sound
In 2018, while we were in New Zealand teaching on the North Island, we carved out time to cross to the South Island for a holiday. One destination was Milford Sound, set deep within the UNESCO World Heritage region known as Te Wahipounamu. Reaching it felt like an expedition in itself. The drive carried us through […]
