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Te Paki Coastal Track, New Zealand
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‘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…
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Driving around New Zealand
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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…
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There’s only one way of life and that’s your own
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I have often felt that I don’t really fit in. Whether this is true or a neurosis I’m not sure. But I often just feel a little bit on the outer. Travelling as a single, middle-aged bloke is unusual, at least that’s what I’ve found on my world tour of…
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Identity
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‘Can you tell me who I am?’ When I was young I couldn’t understand the question, but I was sure of the answer. Nowadays the question is clear but the answer is not.
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The Wreck of the Gairloch, New Zealand
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‘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…
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Searching for Kiwis
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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…
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Classics Museum, New Zealand
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‘Sunday, Monday, Happy Days…’ One thing the Kiwis do very well is preserve their past. The Rainy Isles contain many world class museums, including a number helping to preserve New Zealand’s motoring heritage. I’m a bit partial to looking at old vehicles, and recently visited the Classics Museum in Hamilton,…
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Spencer P. Jones
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The other sound of Te Awamutu, New Zealand A google search for ‘famous musicians from Te Awamutu’ comes up with predictable results: it’s all about a couple of brothers that had a successful vaudeville pop band in the late 70s/early 80s. And about the younger brother’s subsequent band that sold…
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Rotorua, New Zealand
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Sun and sulphur For more on Rotorua click here If you liked this post, you may also enjoy Mt Taranaki National Park, Stromboli and Etna
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Gumboots
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Form and function, New Zealand The intensity and volume of rainfall in New Zealand is biblical, and calls for serious waterproof gear. That’s why the slap slap of summer jandals turns to the plod plod of gumboots as winter closes in. In New Zealand, gumboots are not just for the…