New Zealand
So – it was my big six-0 and I wanted to celebrate in style. Found a Caribbean cruise that took in my birthday and showed hubby. Great he said – are England playing cricket out there (apparently it would of have been a shame to go all that way and not see a match!) Checked […]…
New Zealand
This was our second visit to New Zealand and this time we spent a lot of time off the beaten track, tiki touring ( going where the mood took us).Home was a small campervan from Wenderkeisen that was small enough to fit in a car parking space but big enough to house a shower and […]…
Rottnest Island
Rottnest Island is Western Australia’s very own Island getaway, featuring a casual atmosphere, picturesque scenery and some of the world’s finest beaches and bays, is located just 19 kilometres off the coast of Fremantle. It’s a special place for Western Australians and a popular destination for interstate and international visitors. Mediterranean-style climate and indigenous flora […]…
Windsor
I recently was staying outside Sydney NSW with friends who love on the beautiful Hawkesbury river which flows through Windsor NSW. It’s a pretty litttle town and worth a stop off if you are heading to the blue mountains. Lots of lovely little coffee shops and a few boutique shops. If you have time hire […]…
Hawkesbury River
The Hawkesbury river area of NSW is a hidden gem. I spent a long weekend there in January with friends who live in the river. To waken up in the morning and all you hear is birds and water skiers as they ski the river. It is a very peaceful area where you could rent […]…
Christchurch
I was shocked to see, some years on, just how much evidence remains of the major earthquake in 2011 which killed 185 people; the original cathedral is still a ruin surrounded by safety fencing and the shopping centre still consists largely of shipping containers pending the erection of a new centre – building was still […]…
Wellington
Our next port of call was the capital city of New Zealand, Wellington, a contrast to the small towns previously visited. We had a sight-seeing tour to orient ourselves first. The commentator knew Peter Jackson in his youth, and pointed out filming landmarks associated with him as well as the more obvious landmarks. The government […]…
Napier
There is a saying ‘be careful what you wish for – it might come true’. The people of Napier, New Zealand wished for more land between the sea and town, and started to build up the land level. Nature took a hand though in 1931 in the form on an earthquake. The good news was […]…
Auckland
Our cruise round New Zealand ended on Aukland. We had a day there before a late evening flight back to the UK. The visit was somewhat twinged with sadness as it was the end of our holiday. We had a coach trip round the city, to see the sights, the waterfront and a park were […]…
Sydney
Australia is so far away, that by the time we got there we had lost track of which day and what time it was! A couple of days in Sydney was insufficient to do it justice. The first afternoon was lost with a little nap to recover from jet lag, which lasted rather a long […]…
Dunedin
The first port of call on our New Zealand cruise was Dunedin. This is the countries oldest city, being settled by Maoris four centuries ago. In 1848 Scottish migrants established a settlement here and gave it the Celtic name for Edinburgh, which was Dunedin. In 1861 gold was discovered, bringing wealth to the city, which […]…
Akaroa
Now that we had reached New Zealand, the port calls came every day. Today it was Akaroa, a small township with a tranquil harbour which was evolved from an ancient volcano. It was the site of an early French attempt to colonise New Zealand, and it retains a charming French flavour. The cruise ship could […]…
