The magic of Milford
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
Walter Peak station
Our day off in Queenstown was vewy vewy kwiet (Elmer Fudd voice). We’d been on the road for a while by now, with mostly very full days. Peter and I had done the gondola ride up to the lookout last … Continued
Across the Haast Pass
The morning dawned bright and relatively clear. Fresh snow had fallen on the mountains overnight and there was a chance the fliers would be able to go up to the glaciers. Unfortunately, the conditions have to be just right and … Continued
Happy New Year
“May you live in interesting times” is supposed to be a Chinese curse (it isn’t). But I’m ready to believe it. We’re certainly living in dangerous times. Covid hasn’t gone away, Putin still wants to destroy Ukraine and incorporate its … Continued
Crossing the Alps
We left Christchurch heading over the Southern Alps to the west coast via Arthur’s Pass. If we’d been in town on a different day we would have caught the famous Trans-Alpine train from a station in Christchurch, Linda would have … Continued
Christchurch – rising from the ruins
We waved goodbye to Kaikoura as we headed south toward the South Island’s largest town, Christchurch. As we drove through the beautiful countryside, Linda told us about the 2010/11 earthquakes which – you guessed it – devastated the city. I’ve … Continued
Season’s Greetings
Every year, around 21st June the Northern Hemisphere hands over the sun for us to look after until the time comes to give it back. That’s around 22nd December. Here it is, Northern Hemisphere. The Yule angel has looked after … Continued
Heading South
It was time to catch the inter island ferry. Linda dropped us off at the terminal, gave us our tickets, and went to load the bus on the ship. It’s hardly necessary to say we weren’t the only ones waiting; … Continued
The Gallipoli exhibition
The Gallipoli exhibition at Wellington’s Te Papa gallery is hands down the best such presentation I have ever seen. Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) troops, along with British, Indian, and French soldiers, landed on beaches along the Dardanelles … Continued