{"id":4198,"date":"2020-02-27T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-27T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=4198"},"modified":"2020-03-02T15:31:37","modified_gmt":"2020-03-02T20:31:37","slug":"need-a-vacation-i-sure-did","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/02\/27\/need-a-vacation-i-sure-did\/","title":{"rendered":"Need a vacation? I sure did."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I just got back from an 18-day trip to New Zealand. It was wonderful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, this was the view behind our first-night’s hotel, just outside Auckland:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
(Mangere, NZ)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It got better from there. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the next few days, I’ll post some notes and pix from the trip which I hope will ease any winter blahs you may be experiencing; and may prompt you to add a trip to New Zealand to your bucket list. It’s a pretty great place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ll also be glad to try to answer any questions you might have about what you see in the photos — locations, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More soon!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Permalink: https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=4198<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I just got back from an 18-day trip to New Zealand. It was wonderful. For example, this was the view behind our first-night’s hotel, just outside Auckland: It got better from there. \ud83d\ude42 Over the next few days, I’ll post some notes and pix from the trip which I hope will ease any winter blahs…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[21,36,37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-misc","category-new-zealand","category-travel"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paaiox-15I","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4630,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/27\/new-zealand-wrap-up\/","url_meta":{"origin":4198,"position":0},"title":"New Zealand: Wrap Up","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2020-03-27","format":false,"excerpt":"The previous New Zealand posts covered where we went and what we did --- a uniformly good trip throughout. Most of the logistic and mechanical elements of traveling in New Zealand were also positive. As mentioned previously, phone and data service was seamless for us --- no new SIMs, data\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Misc"","block_context":{"text":"Misc","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/misc\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/nz-map.jpg?fit=636%2C833&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/nz-map.jpg?fit=636%2C833&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/nz-map.jpg?fit=636%2C833&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4594,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/25\/new-zealand-christchurch-to-wellington-to-auckland\/","url_meta":{"origin":4198,"position":1},"title":"New Zealand: Christchurch to Wellington to Auckland","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2020-03-25","format":false,"excerpt":"If I were doing it again, I would have added an additional week to the trip. (See\u00a0previous New Zealand posts.)\u00a0But after the TranzAlpine train, due to both the distances and travel options available, it was time to begin the journey back. Points further south in New Zealand would have to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Misc"","block_context":{"text":"Misc","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/misc\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/cc-to-wellington.jpg?fit=420%2C888&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4617,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/26\/new-zealand-last-day-auckland\/","url_meta":{"origin":4198,"position":2},"title":"New Zealand: Last Day\/Auckland","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2020-03-26","format":false,"excerpt":"After a good night's sleep and breakfast at Naumi, (see\u00a0previous New Zealand posts), we checked out of the room, left our bags with the bell staff, and Uber'ed into Auckland for a day of pleasant, touristy sightseeing. We started at the Sky Tower, which offered sweeping 360-degree views from two\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Misc"","block_context":{"text":"Misc","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/misc\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/auckland3-scaled.jpg?fit=568%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/auckland3-scaled.jpg?fit=568%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/auckland3-scaled.jpg?fit=568%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4430,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/17\/new-zealand-taupo-to-wellington\/","url_meta":{"origin":4198,"position":3},"title":"New Zealand: Taupo to Wellington","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2020-03-17","format":false,"excerpt":"Yes, those are hobbit feet --- Bilbo Baggins', in fact. I'll explain in a moment. The final day of the North Island tour was a long ride down to Wellington (see previous New Zealand posts). Here's a very rough approximation of the full week's driving, with an estimated total time-in-transit.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Misc"","block_context":{"text":"Misc","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/misc\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bilbo Baggins prop feet","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/bilbo-feet.jpg?fit=699%2C937&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/bilbo-feet.jpg?fit=699%2C937&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/bilbo-feet.jpg?fit=699%2C937&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4558,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/24\/new-zealand-tranzalpine-train\/","url_meta":{"origin":4198,"position":4},"title":"New Zealand: TranzAlpine Train","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2020-03-24","format":false,"excerpt":"The next morning (see\u00a0previous New Zealand posts), we took the narrow-gauge TranzAlpine Train across the Southern Alps, from Christchurch to Greymouth, and back --- an all-day outing. Wikipedia: \"The\u00a0TranzAlpine\u00a0is a\u00a0passenger train\u00a0operated by\u00a0The Great Journeys of New Zealand\u00a0in the\u00a0South Island\u00a0of New Zealand over the\u00a0Midland Line; often regarded to be one of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Misc"","block_context":{"text":"Misc","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/misc\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/transalpine2.jpg?fit=1200%2C568&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/transalpine2.jpg?fit=1200%2C568&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/transalpine2.jpg?fit=1200%2C568&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/transalpine2.jpg?fit=1200%2C568&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/transalpine2.jpg?fit=1200%2C568&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4219,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/03\/new-zealand-auckland-to-coromandel\/","url_meta":{"origin":4198,"position":5},"title":"New Zealand: Auckland to Coromandel","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2020-03-03","format":false,"excerpt":"We'd signed up with Haka Tours for their \"North Island Adventure Tour;\" scheduled to originate at breakfast at a backpacker's hostel in Auckland. Early Sunday morning, we Uber-ed from our airport hotel to the hostel. (There's no Lyft in NZ, and I had trouble setting up the local rideshare company\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Misc"","block_context":{"text":"Misc","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/misc\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/drought.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/drought.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/drought.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/drought.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4198"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4205,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4198\/revisions\/4205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}