Before We Go

11/12/20112

Well, only a month to go until we start off to go round the world. This is the first entry to the blog, I don’t think we’ll put in entries every day we are away but the intention is to try to keep it relatively up to date and record impressions of where we are and what we do.

As a start I thought we would just give an itinerary so that you would know where we are going to be and when.  Overall the pattern of the trip is:

London – Hong Kong – New Zealand – Cook Islands (South Pacific) – California – London

Like Phileas  Fogg we will be going round the world, although in our case in about  58 days  rather than 80.

The Itinerary:

07/01/2012	London – Hong Kong	Air New Zealand
08/01/12 – 12/01/2012	Hong Kong	Hotel Metropark Kowloon
12/01/2012	Hong Kong - Auckland	Air New Zealand
13/01/2012 – 14/02/2012	New Zealand	Detailed Itinerary below
14/02/2012	Auckland – Rarotonga (Cook Islands)	Air New Zealand
14/02/2012 – 18/02/2012	Cook Islands	Kuras Kabanas
18/02/2012	Rarotonga – Los Angeles	Air New Zealand
19/02/2012	Los Angeles – San Francisco	American Airlines
19/02/2012 – 24/02/2012	California (Pacific Coast Highway)	Baldwin Hotel – San Francisco Merritt House Inn – Monterey Fogcatcher Inn – Cambria Inn By the Harbor – Santa Barbara
24/02/2012	Los Angeles - Heathrow	Air New Zealand
25/02/2012	Arrive UK	Boo Hoo!

Detailed New Zealand Itinerary:

Date                Itinerary

North Island

13/01/12          Heritage Auckland

Tower superior room, 2 nights 

15/01/12          Blue Pacific Quality Apartments, Paihia

Luxury studio, 3 nights 

18/01/12          Waves Motel, Orewa

Studio room, 1 night 

19/01/12          Mussel Bed B&B, Cooks Beach, Coromandel

Guest wing room, including breakfast, 2 nights

21/01/12          Regent of Rotorua

Studio suite, 2 nights

23/01/12          Mon Logis Bed and Breakfast, Napier

Ensuite room, including breakfast, 2 nights

25/01/12          Rydges Hotel Wellington

Superior room, including buffet breakfast, 2 nights 

27/01/12          Interislander Ferry – Wellington to Picton - 8.25am 

South Island

27/01/12          Pick-Up car at Budget Picton Depot, 11.45am

27/01/2012      Harbour View Motel, Picton, 2 Nights

29/01/2012      Nelson Area – possibly staying with Sue’s Soroptimist friends, 3 nights

01/02/12          Lemon Tree Lodge, Kaikoura

Ocean-view room, including continental breakfast, 1 night

02/02/12          Akaroa Village Inn

Bruce Apartments, 1 night 

03/02/12          Alpine Vista B&B, Lake Tekapo

King room, includes breakfast, 2 nights

05/02/12          The Rees Apartment Hotel, Queenstown

Rees lakeview room, 1 night

06/02/12          Blue Ridge Bed & Breakfast, Te Anau

Bellbird room, including breakfast, 3 nights

07/02/12          Doubtful Sound Cruise  - 9.30am

09/02/12          Maple Lodge, Wanaka

Deluxe suite, including breakfast, 1 night

10/02/12          The Westhaven, Fox Glacier

Studio unit, 2 nights

12/02/12          Punakaiki Resort, Punakaiki

Standard hotel room, 1 night 

13/02/12          Tranz Alpine Train - Greymouth to Christchurch

13/02/12          Chateau on the Park, Christchurch

Deluxe room, including buffet breakfast, 1 night

14/02/12          City Hotel to Airport shuttle transfer, Christchurch

A lot of this itinerary has been out together by Kirra Tours, a New Zealand based travel company who have been  incredibly helpful so far.