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Hello and greetings from New Zealand!
Here in Aotearoa - New Zealand we are celebrating the Matariki Festival 4th to 19th July 2026.
Matariki was officially celebrated as a national public holiday in Aotearoa for the very first time on 24th June 2022. This milestone marked the first time the country recognized Te Ao Māori (the Māori world) with a national holiday, dedicating the time to remembrance, celebrating the present, and looking forward to the future.
The modern resurgence of the holiday, however, has older roots:
The Revival: Large-scale traditional public celebrations dwindled in the 1940s but were successfully revived in the year 2000 by Ngāti Kahungunu in Hastings, drawing around 500 attendees.
The Legislative Path: Following a 2020 government pledge, the Te Kāhui o Matariki Public Holiday Act was passed in April 2022, cementing the winter star cluster's appearance as an annual statutory day off.
Because Māori utilize a lunar calendar based on the environmental indicators of the moon and stars, the holiday's date shifts every year.
Do check out this website to learn more about Matariki and to discover what events are on to celebrate Matariki 2026.
Have a great week everyone.
Kind regards
Sharron - Your tour guide friend in New Zealand.

Kāinga | Home Matariki is a time for remembrance, celebrating the present and looking to the future. Mānawatia a Matariki.

Hello and greetings from New Zealand!
And I have been super busy travelling, in the South Island, with 7 aspiring tour guides. Some of the highlights were:
Guided tour of Roger Mahan Heritage Centre near Geraldine. Oh my gosh! One of the buildings is 1 acre in size and home to an extensive collection of interesting vintage vehicles and machinery. And in a separate building there is The National Carriage Museum of New Zealand. This facility is specifically dedicated to preserving and housing historic horse-drawn carriages in their original condition. The carriages were AMAZING! www.rmheritagecentre.org.nz
Half a day in Abel Tasman National Park hosted a team member from Wilsons tour company. It was a perfect sunny winters day when we visited the national park. www.abeltasman.co.nz
And I introduced the aspiring tour guides to Christine Hafermalz-Wheeler who is one of the worlds top jewellers and lives, with her family, in Nelson. Below are photographs of Christine and some of her jewellery. She is well known for the divine double rings that she creates. www.goldsmith.co.nz
Have a fabulous week.
Kind regards
Your worn out tour guide in New Zealand. 🙂
Sharron

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.

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.

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.