When our bags came off the plane in Auckland, one of them had a putrid smelling Korean sauce with the consistency of jelly spilled on it. The brown sauce covered about six square inches with a spicy-smelling stain. It stank, and we had no idea where it came from. People aren’t supposed to bring food into New Zealand; it’s a huge deal. If the food isn’t declared or disposed of, you could face a $400 NZ fine. We got rid of our food in Seoul.
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New Zealand on a Budget: Land of the Freebies!
If you’re planning a trip to New Zealand, you need to make sure that you budget for the trip of a lifetime. You don’t want to miss something just because you don’t have the money to go see it. That means you should take advantage of some of the best free things to do in the country.
Continue readingNew Zealand: The Dunedin Railways’ Taieri Gorge Train Trip
We went to the iSite in town to make sure that we hadn’t missed any penguin experiences. In Dunedin, there is the Royal Albatross Center and its nightly return of the little blue penguins, and there’s the Penguin Place with the rarest of penguins: the yellow-eyed penguins. We were told that we had pretty much done everything penguin related, so we needed to find something else to do. We chose the Taieri Gorge train trip with Dunedin Railways.
Continue readingNew Zealand: Is It Possible to Eat Cheaply in New Zealand?
If you change your definition , you might be able to eat cheaply in New Zealand. Unfortunately, it will require some sacrifice on your part and a change in expectations, most likely. While you may be able to eat cheaply, the other question you have to ask yourself is if you really want to.
Continue readingMy Granddad’s Trial
Everyone was in the hall, and I mean, everyone. It made sense for them to all be there. Most of the people were writers, painters, musicians, and teachers. Those who weren’t volunteered to do jobs they enjoyed for the society they lived in. Most of the mundane jobs were handle by automatons. People got to choose whatever they wanted to do. From childhood, everyone was exposed to every possibility, and they gravitated toward what they liked best. A kid in the city could grow up to be a farmer if that is what he or she wanted. It didn’t take a parent to show the way anymore though many children did follow their parents’ professions.
Continue readingSpeakers’ Club Dec. 2019: New Zealand and Other Stuff
New Zealand: The Wellington Museum Does More than Te Papa with Less
Te Papa is the 800-lb gorilla of museums in New Zealand. Its reputation is so good that people from other communities recommend seeing it. Te Papa is the national museum after all. The Wellington Museum’s ad seems to take advantage of that fact with a “Getting mistaken for Te Papa since 1999” slogan. While this might smack of the “we try harder” advertisements of a second place rental car company, it may also speak to the excellence with which the Wellington Museum’s storytelling style brings out the curiosity and focused joy of children visiting a place they remember.
Continue readingSalem Holiday Market 2019 Preview: Cacao Kingdom, Booth JD-8
With over 250 vendors at Salem Holiday Market 2019, there are a lot of people to see and gifts to choose from. Nathan Rogers of Cacao Kingdom took some time out of his busy holiday schedule to answer our questions about his business’ participation in the Salem Holiday Market.
Continue readingPenguins Available for Adoption at Salem Holiday Market 2019
All of our penguins are handmade and unique. So, if you like one, you need to contact us and let us know or get to Salem Holiday Market 2019 between Dec. 13 and 15. You can get a coupon off entry, and if you join our Patreon, you get $1 off every $10 you spend!
Sally Penguin 
Sally Penguin Back 
McQueen Penguin 
Partridge Penguin 
Scrooge McPenguin 
Hazel Penguin 
CranBeret Penguin 
Black Currant Penguin 
RazzBeret Penguin 
Peppermint Penguin 
CherryBeret Pie Penguin 
Mikey Otto Penguin 
Espresso Penguin 
Steve Penguin 
Lotta Penguin w/Scarf 
Steve Penguin 
Espresso Penguin 
CherryBeret Pie Penguin 
Mikey Otto Penguin 
Lotta Penguin w/Scarf 
Ragetti Penguin 
Ragetti Penguin 
Scarlett Penguin 
Scarlett Penguin 
May Penguin 
May Penguin 
April Penguin 
April Penguin 
December Penguin 
December Penguin 
June Penguin 
June Penguin 
Apple Penguin 
Apple Penguin 
Preston Penguin 
Preston Penguin 
Parker Penguin 
Parker Penguin 
Playful Penguin 
Playful Penguin 
Queenie Penguin 
Penelope Penguin 
Penelope Penguin 
Paul and Paula Penguin 
Paul and Paula Penguin 
Blue Penguin 
Blue Penguin 
Penguin Cottontail
Salem Holiday Market 2019 Preview The Short Straw (JD-2)
The Salem Holiday Market 2019 is so large it fills two buildings and features over 250 vendors! We thought we would highlight some of the great items available. Shannon Biamonte of The Short Straw took some time away from her market preparations to answer some of our questions:
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