Australia Day (26th January) has been and gone, with the usual nonsense that has surrounded that date over the last several years. It’s the day in 1788 when Captain/Governor Phillip established the first British settlement at what would become Sydney. … Continued
Well, well. It seems Saint Jacinda, current Prime Minister of New Zealand, is retiring. Five years is enough in the top job and the tank (sorry, battery) is empty. There’s a lot be said for ‘finishing on your own terms’ … Continued
If you’re wondering if I bought Henry Windsor’s much-anticipated book, the answer is no. Apart from anything else, by the time it was released in English, I’d already read and/or heard about most of it from the various newspapers, especially … Continued
All things must end, even good things. We had our final group dinner at the George, exchanged hugs and went off to get ready for the journey home. Flights leave for Australia from Christchurch at about 6am so we would … Continued
Aoraki wrapped his cloak tightly around him this morning, his form not even a whisper in the mist. We had our breakfast and hit the road. But as we drove away along the shores of Lake Pukaki, the shroud lifted … Continued
After our high tea at Lanarch Castle we set off back down to Dunedin and from there along the coast to Oamaru. Many of the town’s public buildings are built from the local Oamaru stone, a form of hard limestone … Continued
We Australians live in a continent of extremes. In New Zealand they have earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In Australia we have floods and fires and droughts. We all learnt Dorothea Mackellar’s famous poem at school. It’s called My Country. Read … Continued
I loved Milford Sound in the rain last time we visited but I confess I was hoping the weather would be a little kinder to us. And it was. Mind you, at Milford Sound they measure rainfall in metres – … Continued
