• Podcast Episode 12. Searching for Kiwis, New Zealand

    Podcast Episode 12. Searching for Kiwis, New Zealand

    I discovered that due to both luck and good management, the kiwi is relatively common in the forested hills behind the town of Whakatane. And when I say ‘relatively’, that’s in comparison to places that don’t have any at all.

  • Podcast Episode 1. Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand

    Podcast Episode 1. Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand

    New Zealand is pretty much made up of a whole bunch of volcanoes linked together by other volcanoes. Despite the risk of incineration, tourists like me flock to the Taupo Volcanic Zone to experience a little geothermal action.

  • The Sound of Lake Ngototo, New Zealand

    The Sound of Lake Ngototo, New Zealand

    Hearing kids nearby singing along to Chris Cornell had me reminiscing about seeing live music in the 1990s

  • Taupo Volcanic Zone

    Taupo Volcanic Zone

    New Zealand is pretty much made up of a whole bunch of volcanoes linked together by other volcanoes. Despite the risk of incineration, tourists like me flock to the Taupo Volcanic Zone to experience a little geothermal action.

  • Swallows and Amazons

    A chance discovery in New Zealand’s Bay of Islands Urupukapuka is the largest island in New Zealand’s aptly named Bay of Islands. During a recent kayak trip (see Paddling the Bay) I had the opportunity to explore Urupukapuka, and climbed the grassy walking track to the Island’s highest point. I was rewarded with an amazing…

  • Bay of Islands, New Zealand

    Paddling the Bay New Zealand’s Bay of Islands is located on the north-east coast of the North Island. Maori called the Bay Ipipiri, however Captain Cook re-named it the Bay of Islands in 1769 on account of it being a bay of islands. Paddling the Bay’s intricate coastline promised a unique perspective on this beautiful…

  • Te Paki Coastal Track, New Zealand

    ‘Round the Cape The Kiwis refer to Northland, the northernmost region in the north of the North Island, as ‘The Winterless North’. Now I’m here to tell you that winter in The Winterless North is still bloody cold, however it is just marginally warmer than the winter in The Wintermore South. Searching for every extra…

  • Driving around New Zealand

    The tardis nation New Zealand is a relatively small place. Covering only 268,021 square kilometres, this little nation is only 40,000 km2 bigger than the state of Victoria. In fact, if you were to add Tasmania to Victoria (I can hear the Victorians panicking from here…) New Zealand would fit in with 28,000 km2 of extra…

  • The Wreck of the Gairloch, New Zealand

    ‘Near hidden reefs we appear in the gloom, luring mariners to their doom…’ Although New Zealand is a relatively small country, what it lacks in area it certainly makes up for in coastline. Aotearoa has an impressive 15,000km of coast, much of which is wild and rugged. The early European mariners visiting the islands were…

  • Searching for Kiwis

    A quest to find New Zealand’s unofficial faunal emblem I’ve always found it interesting how many state and national faunal symbols are either extinct or on the brink thereof. The animals are often loved and revered today, after having been persecuted fervently in the past. And to be honest, if the species is still around,…

Midlife Crisis Odyssey