Top of the Morning...

Am off to one of my favourite countries in the world - Ireland - for a 12-day coach tour for a story. Am most excited about channelling my Downtown Abbey fantasties at the glorious Ashford Castle  and having a go at falconry.

Oh and then flying to Hamburg for three nights at the end to see a mate.

See you on the other side.

   
(Pic of Dublin from The Telegraph)

Beijing

Haven't even finished writing the stories from the recent North & South America famils but tomorrow I am off to Beijing for work for a week. This is kind how crazy life has been this year. Oh well, something to do on the three plane rides there and then back, I guess.

See you on the other side.

   

(Pic credit: Time Out Beijing)

Chile & Argentina: A Sweet South American Adventure

So I've been and gone to South America, and been and gone to North America.

Here's the first of my South American pieces which ran last month (click here to read).

And some images from that media trip.

   

Sleepless in Seattle

And Portland. Tomorrow I fly to the US for a 10 day media road trip which will be fun (if I can manage to shake this horrible cold I brought back from South America, that is). Defo looking forward to some sunshine, though.

See you on the other side.

(Pic credit: Google Images)

48 Hours in Hong Kong

My story from last month's Kia Ora Magazine (Air NZ inflight magazine) is here if anyone's planning a trip to this fascinating place.

Hola Chile and Argentina

I'm not quite sure how I've managed to swerve around these countries to date (actually, I do know: a few years ago, I was invited on a media trip to Chile but had to be in Oman instead!)

Anyway, tomorrow I head off on a 14-day media famil which I'm seriously looking forward to (apart from anything else, because I've been working like a dog to finish stuff before going and my head is about to explode if I don't see some different walls soon!)

See you on the other side.

     

(Pic credit: Google Images)

Twin Peaks

My story on this fabulous Queenstown new build is one of two I have in the May issue of Your Home & Garden Magazine (click here to read).

Under the Ōtaki Sun

Six months ago, we sold our inner-city home and moved to a 16 acre lifestyle block in Otaki, in the shadow of the Tararua Ranges.

Were we mad? Quite possibly. But we always wanted some land, to live with more grass than asphalt, far from annoyingly noisy neighbours. So we did. And we bloody love it.

I wrote about our new home town in the May issue of North & South Magazine. And for my efforts got my pic in the front bit of the mag (I hate having my photo taken, so persuaded the neighbour's cows to join me). Link to story here.

         

How Kiwis Live in 2019

I'm sitting in the blogging equivalent of the naughty corner; 2019 has gotten off to an intensely busy start and I'm constantly playing catch up.

But just before March plays itself out, here's my cover story of this month's issue of North & South Magazine - about the various social, financial and cultural factors that influence the way those of us on these two small islands live in 2019 (click here to read).

      

Sunshine Coast

Packing the sunhat and swimsuit because I'm off to Australia's Sunshine Coast tomorrow for six nights on a media trip and the interweb tells me its 32+ degrees there. Eeek! My comfort zone usually hovers around the 28 degree mark.

Oh well, time to put on my big girl pants (and a tonne of sunscreen) and suck it up. See you on the other side.

(Pic: Queensland.com)

Hong Kong

The travel gods do love me, afterall! Am off to Hong Kong, one of my favourite places on the planet, tomorrow for a quick media trip.

Hello exquisite dumplings, shopping and the best subway system on the planet.
See you on the other side.

 
(Pic Credit: Google)

Happy 2019

So the big fat geezer in the red suit has come and gone - and we've done another orbit around the sun. Here's to an even better year than last year.

It started off well for me: my story on three key Bali regions - Uluwatu, Jimbaran and Canggu - was published in the January 2019 issue of Kia Ora, Air New Zealand's inflight magazine. Read it here.