Travel Archives - Kel me about it

52-in-52 Roundup: The final stretch

My planner reminded me that we’re in week 45 of 2026, which blew my mind. I can notice all the Christmas decorations and discussions around the end of the year, but remain blissfully ignorant that 2027 is fast approaching, right?

I didn’t think so.

If you’re new to my blog (hello NaBloPoMo folks), every year I write a list of 52 things to do in 52 weeks, creatively called my 52-in-52 list. There’s not a rule that says I have to get them all done, the point is to just have some cool stuff to do during the year. I’ve only ever finished the list once that I can recall, so for 2026 I decided I wanted to try and achieve them all for a second time.…

NZ Cruise Diaries – Day 6 (Auckland)

We awoke this morning to an absolutely spectacular sunrise and clear skies. The seas felt a lot flatter, and most excitingly, the sun felt warm through the window.

Sunrise over the sea seen from the cruise ship

We had another buffet breakfast (urgh), then at 8.30 am walked off the ship and into the city of Auckland.

Compared to Tauranga, the docks at Auckland are smack bang in the middle of the city. You literally walk straight across the street (passing through some gorgeous wrought-iron gates, I might add) into the CBD.

Wrought-iron gates at the Auckland cruise port

We hadn’t done a lot of research prior to our holiday, thinking we would just wing it. So all we knew at this point was that we wanted to visit the local markets and a coffee shop/roastery that D had researched.…

NZ Cruise Diaries – Day 5 (Tauranga)

This morning we woke up early to the most glorious sight: land! We quickly ran out onto the balcony, spotting all the lights of the buildings in the distance, and some tugboats chugging alongside the ship, guiding us in.

To our side was Mount Maunganui, a beautiful mountain that you can hike, but is closed at the moment. Unfortunately, there was a horrible landslide there earlier in the year, where 6 people passed away when the landslide hit the caravan park at its base.

At breakfast, we met up at the restaurant (yay, not the buffet!!) with the rest of the family, so that we could celebrate L’s birthday. We ate a yummy breakfast (seriously, so much better) before we separated from the rest of the group and made our way off the ship.…

NZ Cruise Ship Diaries – Day 4 (day at sea)

I’m back home from our 10-day cruise aboard the Carnival Splendor! I wrote these posts along the way, usually at night before going to bed, so they’re written as though I’m still on the ship. I’m just a little behind on actually posting them, since we had limited internet while we were away. If you missed them, you can catch up starting with Day 1.

Land ahoy!!! Oh, wait. Not quite yet.

This morning we woke up hoping to see land as we neared the tip of New Zealand, but it was not to be. When I looked out the window, I was greeted with choppy seas again. But most excitingly, a patch of blue sky! Woohoo!

For breakfast we were back in the buffet, but the boys buttered me up with a coffee from the cafe, which we took back to the cabin.…

Kel me about it
15/10/2026

NZ Cruise Ship Diaries – Day 3 (day at sea)

I’m back home from our 10-day cruise aboard the Carnival Splendor! I wrote these posts along the way, usually at night before going to bed, so they’re written as though I’m still on the ship. I’m just a little behind on actually posting them, since we had limited internet while we were away. If you missed them, you can catch up on Day 1 and Day 2.

This morning I woke up with a monster sugar hangover: headache, puffy eyes, the works. My immune system gets angry at me when I’ve eaten too much sugar, so normally I try to keep my intake low (a bit hard when you have a binge eating disorder combined with the addictive nature of sugar).…