This morning I woke up in the little country town of Tirau in southern Waikato and it was such a sparkling blue-skied morning that I couldn’t resist pulling out my camera and shooting a few snaps of the main street before getting on the road.
It’s a photogenic spot, that’s for sure. When you’ve got a [...]

Friday night 13 February saw Billy Connolly on stage at Christchurch’s Westpac Arena. I have for a long time now been a huge fan and Billy did not disappoint. The mix of completely un-PC comments, stories from long ago and jokes was perfect and had me laughing so hard that my sides still hurt three [...]

What a gorgeous afternoon at Mount Maunganui! The Bay of Plenty’s favourite beach resort, ‘The Mount’ features a perfect white sand beach, a landmark cone-shaped hill jutting skyward right alongside the apartment buildings, and a myriad of cafés, restaurants, bars and shops just one street back from the water. And, if this isn’t enough to [...]

At the foot of The Coromandel Peninsula on New Zealand’s Pacific Coast Highway is Waihi, a small town with a very rich history. If you’re travelling from Auckland to Tauranga you’ll pass through a series of fascinating towns in the southern Coromandel region and the western Bay of Plenty. There’s Paeroa, the home of New [...]

Driving up to Northland yesterday I tried out the Northern Gateway Toll Road for the first time. In other countries toll roads are pretty standard, but for us Kiwis it’s a bit of a novelty because this is the only public toll road in New Zealand. In fact, when the road first opened a couple [...]

For a person who’s not an avid bird watcher, I was hooked on watching the White Heron (Kotuku), when I visited the West Coast this month and took a tour to see these stunning birds in their natural habitat.
White Heron Sanctuary Tours in Whataroa (30 minutes from Franz Josef), gave me an opportunity to experience [...]

On my way back from Paihia in the Bay of Islands late this afternoon, I decided to take a little detour down to Opua before the drive back to Auckland. Opua is best known as the departure point for the car ferry to Russell and it’s a superbly casual arrangement that epitomises laid-back Northland. No [...]

Searching for a great coffee or lunch spot in central Rotorua? On my way out of town today I spotted local favourite Fat Dog Café on Arawa Street and headed in to check it out. With its wooden floor, mismatched chairs and tables, walls crowded with pop art and the Black Eyed Peas on the [...]

Rotorua in the Bay of Plenty is one of New Zealand’s most popular tourist destinations, well-known for offering a myriad of excellent cultural, geothermal and adventure attractions. What’s less well-known is that Rotorua is set in a beautiful natural environment offering plenty of relaxing pursuits that are easy on the budget!
After spending last night at BK’s [...]

Once again, New Zealand scenery is proving its star power! This time it’s the gorgeous wilderness of the Catlins region in Southland – a magical and remote area strung along the coast south of Dunedin City. English singer/songwriter Dido asked film directors in selected countries to contribute to the launch of her new album, Safe [...]