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.

Didn't do very well this year...

I'll be the first to admit I was rubbish on the posting front in 2018.

But what with domestic and overseas work travels and selling and buying houses and undertaking a massive reno and getting over the (slight) culture shock of life in the country, it has been one hella busy year.

I'm working through the break so no time for a round-up of the year's highs and lows. Instead, here's my story from the December issue of North & South Magazine about happiness - you can't buy it but can you develop an algorithm to obtain it? Read the story here.

Happy New Year etc and I promise to try and be a better blogger next year.

Bonjour Bora Bora

So I've just come back from four nights of being cooked in the Gold Coast heat which wasn't always pleasant.

But while I recover, here's my story on Bora Bora's luxury resorts, one of three stories I have in the December issue of Kia Ora, Air NZ's inflight magazine (and this one is the cover story - insert happy dance!) 

Martinborough House

Earlier this year, I walked the Tora Track for a story for North & South Magazine.

That's when I meet one of the co-owners of the Tora Track, Kiri Elworthy, and got to nosy around her gorgeous house. The story of that house is in the December issue of NZ House & Garden Magazine. 

   

Oops

So I went to Bali for Kia Ora Magazine and came back, and then went to Oamaru also for Kia Ora Magazine and also came back.

In between, there has been a heap of deadlines and renovation of the new house and all the other usual twists and turns of life. Apologies to the three people who are still reading this blog.

But here are some pics of the Bali media trip where we stayed at the ever glorious Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay and then Alila Villas Uluwatu (both of which I stayed at last year for a story). This time we also ventured to Canguu where we stayed at the fantastic Hotel Tugu Bali, a traditional Balinese hotel which is charmingly old school, an oasis among the sometimes chaos of Batu Bolong Beach. If you're headed to Canguu, then I would definitely recommend it.

         

Bali bound

For the second time in just over a year, I will spend a week in Bali for a magazine. It was supposed to be Lombok but then the devastating quakes happened last month and, not surprisingly, that media trip was pulled.

But am looking forward to returning to Bali tomorrow - just hope the quakes there this week have also abated. Wish me luck!

Today's visual is of one of the gorgy resorts I will be staying at - Alila Villa Uluwatu. Be still, my beating heart.

    

Lesser known river cruise destinations

My story about his was in last Sunday's Sunday Star Times (click here to read).

Sadly, I haven't done all of these but hopefully soon...

 
Pic Credit: Stuff NZ)

Kapiti and Palmerston North

Kept it local for the October issue of Kia Ora Magazine, the Air NZ inflight magazine, with a story on my new hood, the Kapiti Coast (click here to read) and one on the best places to eat and drink in Palmy (click here to read).

San Francisco - an Edible Excursion

Playing catch up but this ran a week or so ago, my story of the food walking tour of SF's Ferry Building I did recently (click here to read).