I love the kea. This parrot, the only alpine parrot in the world, is cheeky and intelligent. They wreak mischevious havoc in the Southern Alps, having been known to completely strip the rubber off left vehicles. Now they’ve been found to be able to plan their moves ahead of time, especially when it comes to acquiring food. A researcher at Japan’s Kyoto University presented some birds with boxes of food secured with up to three bolts. The bird managed to handily unlock all of them. To complicate the task, the researcher arranged the locks so one need to be opened before the second would release. He found that the birds could solve this challenge faster if they could see and study the arrangement before being allowed to tackle it. He said this suggested they are able to plan their movs, rather than grappling with problems in a haphazard fashion as was earlier believed. Personally, I think the nickname for the people of New Zealand should be changed from the shy and nocturnal Kiwi bird, to the impish and always entertaining Kea.

There are wonderful wildlife volunteering vacations available. You can spend 2 weeks at the Sweetwater Research Centre in Kenya measuring the condition of plants the endangered black rhino depends upon for sustenance. You’ll be out in the bush using a GPS. It’s like being on safari but much more intense. Or go to the tiny island of Utila, off the coast of Honduras, to the Conservation Project Utila Iguana, set up to protect the nearly extinct Utila iguana and other endangered lizards threatened by the development of the mangroves and beaches where the females bury their eggs. Many species of tropical birds live on the island as well as families of monkeys, whitetail deer, wild boards and raccoons.

The drive between Montego Bay and Negril is now only a couple of hours on a good, new road. There was still a bit of construction but its supposed to be finished soon. It’s an interesting drive through villages and with the ocean peeking through the vegetation. We were there late afternoon and there were lots of uniformed kids just getting out of school and walking home. Lots of people were walking everywhere, especially in the villages. You could tell they were running errands and taking care of business before going home for the day. As we got closer to Negril, the ocean was more prominent and each turn of the road produced another spectacular view. The beaches are Negril are so beautiful. Hard to believe they were only discovered not that long ago. While in Negril, we visited the RIU Palace Tropical Bay, Sunset at the Palms and Couples Swept AWay. The RIU Palace is gorgeous…very deluxe. Sunset at the Palms is across the road from the beach but they have their own beach access. The accommodations are on stilts and it was peaceful and quiet. What a great getaway from it all! It rained on us at the end of our Couples inspection. A real downpour, but it only lasted half an hour or so. Later that evening we returned there for a lovely dinner. Negril is beautiful, with calm waters and lovely beaches. I can see myself back at Negril someday….I can dream, can’t i?

Just got back from Jamaica. Negril has the most beautiful beaches and water. Stayed at Breezes Grand in an ocean front junior suite. Just had to walk out of the room, across a grassy, manicured lawn and onto this beautiful beach in a calm Caribbean sea. Or walk down the public beaches and pick up shells. The Breezes has a small spa with a great staff, and two pools, one of which is clothing optional, and many different room types. Rick’s Cafe in the town of Negril is the best place to watch the sunset.

The Classic New Zealand Wine Trail extends from Hawke’s Bay on the North Island, across the Cook Strait, to the Marlborough region at the top of the South Island. It starts in Napier, the most perfectly preserved Art Deco city in the world. Napier was destroyed by an earthquake in 1931 and rebuilt in Art Deco style and that style has persevered. A wonderful way to see the Art Deco buildings is to take a walking tour. The day I took the tour we had a girl from Amsterdam, a couple from South Africa and a couple of Brits. As we were walking, the tour guide just casually mentioned that one of the All Blacks had just opened a sandwich shop for his mum in Napier and he was there that day making sandwiches! Needless to say, that’s where I had my sandwich that day, courtesy of Tane Randall! Cape Kidnappers, the wonderful resort and golf course is also in this area. You can fly to Napier and they will pick you up at the airport. Driving from Auckland to Cape Kidnappers is about 6 hours. You can also take a helicopter from their sister property Kauri Cliffs in just under 3 hours. This is one of the best golf courses in the world! …to be continued…much more on the Classic New Zealand Wine Trail. Check it out at www.classicwinetrail.co.nz

New Zealand has some spectacular train trips. One of the best is the Overlander. I took this a few years ago from Auckland to Wellington and that was the day that I changed my mind forever about the beauty of the North Island. You travel through the ski towns of National Park and Okahune, and continue on through farmlands and stunning river gorges. The best part was something I didn’t even know about…the famous Raurimu Spiral, an engineering wonder through a beautiful gorge. Something I will never forget. If you want more information, go to www.tranzscenic.co.nz for more information. The trip to Wellington took a whole day, but it was a day well spent. With the added bonus of ending up in Wellington, one of my favorite cities in New Zealand. More about Wellington later.

If you need someone to take care of your pets, bring in your mail and in general look after your house while you’re traveling, call Deb Brightstar at 520-490-2221. You can visit her website at www.doggiedivapetcare.com. Isn’t Doggie Diva a great name? Deb’s motto is “We take care of your pets and home as if they were our own”, and she means it.

There are several ways to see Milford. Most people do a day trip from Queenstown but it’s a very long day. The best way is to fly both ways, but at least to fly back. The weather is so unpredictable though, you just never know if you’ll be able to fly back. I usually recommend you reserve the flight back and then, if it’s raining, you can always drive back. That makes for about a 12 or 13 hour day though! But one good thing about if you get rained out of flying back is the waterfalls! They are amazing and everywhere. Once at the Sound, you take a boat around the sound to look at the wildlife and scenery. You can also spend the night on a boat in the sound, which is a wonderful experience. One company that does tours to Milford Sound is Real Journeys. www.realjourneys.co.nz Check it out.

New Zealand Exploration is happy to announce a wine tour to New Zealand from February 16 to February 28th. February is a wonderful time of year to visit New Zealand, and we’re seeing the best of the South Island. The tour starts in Christchurch, we go to Kaikoura for some whale watching on our way to Blenheim, the heart of the Marlborough wine region. From Blenheim, we go to Nelson for 2 nights at the Rutherford Hotel and a day trip to Abel Tasman National Park where we’ll have the opportunity to do some sea kayaking and seeing magnificent scenery. From Nelson, we head down the West Coast, having a lovely lunch overlooking the ocean, before spending the night at Fox Glacier. In the morning, we’ll do some glacier walking before taking off for Queenstown. In Queenstown, we visit more wineries and get to experience some of the wonderful activities only Queenstown offers. We fly back out of Queenstown to Auckland and back to LAX, but you can stay and see more of New Zealand if you’d like! Call Nancy at 520-322-6527 for a full itinerary and pricing.

A great way to see Arthur’s Pass if you’re not going all the way to the West Coast is to do a one-day trip from Christchurch. You’ll leave Christchurch by bus, then get on the train to Arthur’s Pass. After a brief stop for lunch, you’re back on a bus with a stop to do some exciting jetboating. We also stopped at a sheep station for afternoon tea and a tour of the barns and a sheep shearing demonstration. They were a lovely family that we got to get to know a bit. Their daughter was 12 and playing rugby, so it was a thrill for me to meet and talk to her. I think she was equally excited to talk to someone from America about women’s rugby.