OK, I’m a bit of a plane nerd. So instead of catching the highway bus from Auckland to Taupo, I had a bit of fun and caught a flight instead. The fare was quite reasonable, so I had a 40 minute ride on an Air New Zealand Link Beech 1900 – a 19 seat commuter plane.
24 hours in Auckland for Anniversary Weekend
On the way to Taupo and the Tongaririo Northern Circuit a few weeks ago, Mark, Jen & I overnighted in Auckland. We had no idea that dropping in on Auckland on a Sunday afternoon and Monday morning in late January would mean that our visit coincided with the Auckland Anniversary Day celebrations. The day celebrates… Continue reading 24 hours in Auckland for Anniversary Weekend
Descending the volcano – Mt Ngauruhoe
I just got back from a week in New Zealand, where I went tramping (Kiwese for bushwalking) on the Tongariro Northern Circuit. This is a four day walk around Mt Tongariro and Mt Ngauruhoe, with overnight stops in well-equipped Department of Conservation (DOC) huts. It’s an extension of the Tongariro Crossing, which is a day walk. … Continue reading Descending the volcano – Mt Ngauruhoe
Australia Day fireworks in Melbourne
My neighbours and I heard the fireworks this evening and headed out into our back yards to look over at the city skyline. I was invited up to their upstairs balcony to get a better view.
9 years since Micronesian Odyssey
This month marks the 9th anniversary of my escape to the mid-northern-Pacific Micronesian islands. I picked up a cheap ticket on Air Nauru, and took a 10 day trip to the islands of Guam, Rota (Northern Mariana Islands), Pohnpei (Federated States of Micronesia), with a 12 hour stopover on Nauru each way.
Off for a tramp in Tongariro
Instead of doing Australia Day holiday in Australia, where better to do it than in New Zealand, and then spend the week tramping around a North Island volcano? Instead of doing the Tongariro Crossing, which is a one-day hike that all of the tourists seem to do, we plan to spend four days doing the Tongariro Northern Circuit.
Yoyogi Park Wadaiko
This is a short video I took of a wadaiko performance that we came across in Yoyogi Park, Tokyo, in April 2006.
Kanda Matsuri
When I was in Tokyo two weeks ago for Kana’s wedding, I came across some festival activity for the Kanda Matsuri.
Swan River
I went to Perth for a weekend in January. It was stinking hot – on the Friday it was 41 degrees, 41 again on Saturday, and then 42 on Sunday.