D’Urville Island/Rangitoto ki te Tonga in the Marlborough Sounds is the kind of place you visit to connect with nature, and you live there because you prize solitude and independence. About 50 people live there permanently, but there is a steady stream of visitors, fishing charters from Wellington and beyond, the historically curious, and nature lovers like our party of … [Read more...] about D’Urville Island: Paradise with amenities
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Why there’s never been a better time to check out the charms of Central Otago
Central Otago in summer is hot, relaxing, historically interesting, wonderfully scenic and full of activities, and most of those features continue into autumn. Queenstown was lively over the summer months, but nothing like its heady days when the place was packed with international visitors and Kiwis felt alienated by the crowds and the high prices. Autumn is when … [Read more...] about Why there’s never been a better time to check out the charms of Central Otago
Stewart Island is something special
A man called String Ballantyne exemplifies the spirit of what makes Stewart Island a different kind of place from the rest of New Zealand. He was a larger-than-life figure, a legend in the Bluff, Foveaux Strait and Stewart Island area, a fisherman who was a pioneer in the crayfishing industry, and who built the southernmost house in New Zealand on a promontory on the south … [Read more...] about Stewart Island is something special
Memphis: City of two kings
Memphis, the biggest city in Tennessee, epitomises the old and new South of the United States. Once a major slave-trading centre, in the 1960s it was the focus of civil rights action. Dr Martin Luther King was assassinated there, and the National Civil Rights Museum in the city is his memorial. It has always been, and still is, a major musical centre for blues, country, jazz … [Read more...] about Memphis: City of two kings
Kindness of strangers
Travelling’s easier when people go out of their way to help. Three incidents during my latest travels in the United States have reaffirmed my faith in the essential decency of human beings. I was travelling from Memphis to Nashville by Greyhound bus. I duly arrived at the terminal, handed over my suitcase to the loader and got on the bus with a shoulder bag and a laptop … [Read more...] about Kindness of strangers
Time out in Victoria
All roads to the Great Ocean Road pass through Geelong, once a bustling port and now an attractive retirement town. At Geelong, travellers can head due west on the inland road or take the more common route south west to the Victorian Riviera. We took some friends’ advice and went inland to avoid the holiday crush. It turned out to be good advice. The first part of our … [Read more...] about Time out in Victoria
Lyon: a culinary gem amid a violent history
Lyon is a gem of a city. Set on a hilly site, it's where the Rhône and Saône rivers meet – making it a it a natural military and commercial and an attractive location in its own right. Its long history dates back to Roman times when it was called Lugdunum and was the capital of Roman Gaul. By 1032 it was part of the Holy Roman Empire but was annexed to France in 1312. It … [Read more...] about Lyon: a culinary gem amid a violent history
Abby’s tale
When I first saw her she was huddled in a near tearful conversation with another young woman of about her age, seeking comfort, information and reassurance, but clearly getting none of those. The first girl – I’ll call her Abby, although throughout our brief encounter I never knew her name – was clearly distressed about something. The second was listening politely in that … [Read more...] about Abby’s tale