David Heyman

New Zealand Trip: Additional End Notes With a few more days behind us from the end of our trip, a couple more things occurred to me to add to my endnotes. Pedestrians As kind and welcoming as New Zealanders are, one habit surprised us. Drivers often fail to yield to pedestrians. Whether you are in a crosswalk or waiting at the curb, the norm seems to be that cars keep moving and people on foot wait for a clear break.

New Zealand Trip: Additional End Notes

New Zealand: End Notes As we wrap up this trip, a few things stood out and stayed with us. First is the people. Everywhere we went, people were genuinely friendly. They asked questions, wanted to know where we were from and seemed to actually care about the answers. It made us feel welcome as people, not just tourists. We also noticed how seriously the country takes its environment.

New Zealand: End Notes

New Zealand: Quiz Time! Thanks to everyone who read along, liked, commented or otherwise participated in following our journey. Did you pay attention? Do you want to win a Whittaker candy bar? Take the quiz and post your response on Facebook or email it to me at dheyman1@gmail.com. All responses get an entry into the drawing. Perfect scores get two entries! Quiz!

New Zealand: Quiz Time!

New Zealand Day 14: Arrowtown and Our Last Night in Queenstown We took the 4 bus to Arrowtown and spent the morning exploring its historic main street and the excellent Lakes District Museum. After savory pies from Arrowtown Bakery we returned to Queenstown for a ride up the gondola and sweeping mountain views. I tried the Skyline luge thanks to Ellen’s encouragement, then we enjoyed gelato, a quiet walk through the Queenstown Cemetery and a drink at Little Blackwood. We ended the day with a terrific final dinner at Rata.

New Zealand Day 14: Arrowtown and Our Last Night in Queenstown

New Zealand Day 13: Tours We packed in a full day that started with a peaceful lake crossing to Walter Peak High Country Farm for high tea, a stroll among the animals and a sheep shearing demo, all set against incredible mountain views. After lunch at Saigon Kitchen and a sunny break, we joined an Altitude Tours beer and wine tasting with a lively group from around the world that only got friendlier as the afternoon went on. Three tasting stops, a local burger for dinner and a Cookie Time cookie to finish made for a long, fun and memorable day.

New Zealand Day 13: Tours

New Zealand Day 12: Queenstown, Last Stop A short flight brought us to Queenstown, the final stop on our New Zealand journey. Rain kept the day low-key, but we still explored the lakefront, wandered through shops, and enjoyed a relaxed afternoon break. The standout was dinner at Bluekanu, where every dish impressed. I also added reflections on Christchurch’s 2011 earthquake and how the city used the tragedy as an opening to reimagine its future.

New Zealand Day 12: Queenstown, Last Stop

New Zealand Day 11: Food & Culture Tour A day that started with little on the schedule turned into one filled with meaning. Our Kai Bites food and culture tour introduced us to Māori perspectives and a small group of fellow travelers who embraced the experience. The food was great, but the deeper gift was the focus on family, community and connection. Later, I visited the Al Noor Mosque to honor the lives lost in 2019 and reflect on its painful link to the Tree of Life shooting. We ended the day back in the city center with dinner at Riverside Market and a spontaneous stop for dessert at Sweet Soul Patisserie.

New Zealand Day 11: Food & Culture Tour

New Zealand Day 10: Christchurch We flew from Wellington to Christchurch this morning and settled into The George, pleased to find our room ready and guest laundry available. After lunch we visited the Christchurch Art Gallery, th…

New Zealand Day 10

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New Zealand Day 9: Weta workshop We spent the morning at Wētā Workshop, which was far more interesting than we expected for people who aren’t really their usual audience. Watching how they build makeup, costumes and props gave us …

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New Zealand Day 8: Parliament A full day in Wellington started with a fast-moving tour of Parliament, followed by a walk through the grounds and a quick sushi lunch. We rode the cable car up from Lambton Quay, spent some time in the museum at the top, then wrapped the day with two lively rounds of mini golf at Holey Moley and dinner at Burger Liquor.

New Zealand Day 8: Parliament

New Zealand Day 7: Rotorua to Wellington We traveled from Rotorua to Wellington and eased into the city with a quick lunch, a bus ride adventure and an afternoon at Te Papa, which gave us a much clearer picture of New Zealand’s history and culture. After settling into the Sofitel, we explored the area around the Cenotaph and ended the day with a great dinner at Master Kong. The highlight came when a waitress struck up a conversation that turned into one of those memorable travel moments where a simple chat reminds you why meeting people along the way can be the best part of a trip.

New Zealand Day 7: Rotorua to Wellington

New Zealand Day 6: Arts and Spa We started the morning at the The Arts Village, a small but lively community market filled with local makers, taking classes and selling everything from ceramics to jewelry. For lunch, we stopped at Dak Jib Korean Fried Chicken, a casual spot that absolutely delivered. The chicken came out hot, crisp, and perfectly seasoned. The highlight of the day was the Restorative Journey at…

New Zealand Day 6: Arts and Spa

New Zealand Day 5: Māori We spent the morning at Te Puia learning about Māori culture, seeing kiwi birds up close and exploring the bubbling mud pools and geyser field that power the site’s geothermal cooking. A tram ride …

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New Zealand Day 4: Rotorua Today we went by private car for a three hour drive to Rorotua. This is a resort town near a lake, not sure how much blogging there will be. I wanted to share a bit of Auckland’s flavor. You can’t miss the British influence here—it’s everywhere you look. From the architecture to the parks to the statues, the city still carries that mark.

New Zealand Day 4: Rotorua

New Zealand Day 3: 🍷🍷🍷 Today, we had a simple agenda: a wine tour on Waiheke Island. To get there required a 40 minute ferry ride, We were met in Waiheke by our tour guide and joined a tour that totaled 16. We were an international group, from the UK, Germany, South Africa and LA/Phoenix/Hawaii/Pittsburgh. Our first stop was Cable Bay Vineyards, where the clouds lifted just enough to show the view back toward Auckland.

New Zealand Day 3: 🍷🍷🍷

Today, we had a simple agenda: a wine tour on Waiheke Island. To get there required a 40 minute ferry ride, We were met in Waiheke by our tour guide and joined a tour that totaled 16. We were an international group, from the UK, Germany, South Africa and…

New Zealand Day 1: Auckland Arrival It’s hard to figure out what your deal is when you take off from New York/JFK at 10 pm on Saturday, fly for almost 18 hours, and land at 9:30 am on Monday in Auckland, New Zealand. We flew Premium Economy, which meant our seats reclined a decent amount and we had legroom. We were fed dinner soon after we took off and breakfast many hours later, just before we landed.

New Zealand Day 1: Auckland Arrival

Crying for my hometown today. DC, you have always deserved better than taxation without representation, and especially not rule by a criminal authoritarian.

Why haven’t the Dems been calling it the debt explosion bill? Does no one have a marketing background?

I’m not going to tip if it this bill passes. I’m not using my aftertax dollars to give someone tax-free money. Their employer should pay them on the books and it should be taxable. #notaxontips

Budapest Pride Parade Was Bigger Than Ever, Despite Orban’s Ban

Budapest Pride Parade Was Bigger Than Ever, Despite Orban’s Ban www.nytimes.com/2025/06/28/w...

If there is no tax on tips, I will not tip. The employer should pay employees and they should pay taxes, like everyone else does.

Don’t be like the felon. Use EDT when we are on daylight time. Or to make it easier for the knowledge impaired, use ET year round.

Did you follow the news this week? - June 20, 2025 See how well you stack up with other Times readers.

I had a good week www.nytimes.com/shared/v2/ne...

The felon will make a decision on Iran in two weeks. 8 years ago, he said he will have a comprehensive health plan that is better and cheaper than Obamacare in two weeks. We’re doomed.

Highlights of 4 Days in Iceland North I joined Ellen for a 4 day mini-vacation in Iceland. Ellen had spent a week in Reykjavik before I arrived. To do something different, we drove to the north. We connected at the Silica Hotel, which is part of the Blue Lagoon. It has a private lagoon, which is much calmer than the main one. I didn’t sleep much on the flight, so it was nice to soak for a bit before starting the drive.

Highlights of 4 Days in Iceland North

I joined Ellen for a 4 day mini-vacation in Iceland. Ellen had spent a week in Reykjavik before I arrived. To do something different, we drove to the north. We connected at the Silica Hotel, which is part of the Blue Lagoon. It has a private lagoon, which is…

A Dangerous Disguise for Anti-Semitism The person charged with attacking an American Jewish gathering and killing two Israeli-embassy aides disingenuously invoked the Palestinian struggle as a pretext to harm Jews.

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Thanks to the felon, Camelbak is raising prices

Quick Seattle Trip: Day 2 Only 2 items in the agenda today: Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Seattle Art Museum. We’d been to the Chihuly museum during our visit in 2018, but were excited to visit again. Brilliant sunshine made the outdoor portions radiant. And in this picture, a reflection in a Chihuly “rock” shows Ellen & me, a Chihuly sculpture, the Space Needle and the brilliant sky.

Quick Seattle Trip: Day 2

Only 2 items in the agenda today: Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Seattle Art Museum. We’d been to the Chihuly museum during our visit in 2018, but were excited to visit again. Brilliant sunshine made the outdoor portions radiant. And in this picture, a reflection in a…

Trump tweets: 'Trade wars are good, and easy to win' A day after announcing steep tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted on Friday that "trade wars are good, and easy to win".

Sharing this golden oldie for no particular reason

No, but the felon said yesterday he will continue as president beyond his second term.