Author Archives: John Rose
ArrowTown Racing
Located on the banks of the Arrow River (where it derives its name!) and is approximately 7.5 km off the main highway (nestled away). This picturesque leafy heritage town was a great place to visit. In Maori the River is called Haihainui (big scratches) and was named by Maori who would visit the area to […]
Para-para-Paradise…
When she was just a girl She expected the world But it flew away from her reach So she ran away in her sleep And dreamed of para-para-paradise On the Eastern Bank of the Dart River, north of Mount Alfred and Diamond Lake is an area called Paradise. It’s not just a clever name. […]
Glenorchy – The Great Outdoors
Located at the head of the Dart and Rees Rivers and nestled on the north shore of Lake Wakatipu is a small settlement named after a Scottish landmark in Argyll. It is one of the last stops before entering the Mount Aspiring National Park and acts as quartermaster for legions of hungry trampers about to […]
The Hills Are Alive With the Sound of Milford…
It was a bit weird to be driving back to the airport again so soon after arriving. The only solace we had was that this flight would not be going home 🙂 Break in the clouds We woke up that morning and no sooner had we rubbed the sleepy men from our eyes a phone […]
Mirror Image
Lake Hayes is a body of water that is bounded between Slope Hill to the West and State Highway 6 to the East and pretty much marks the border between Queenstown and the Gibbston Valley and Wine Country. It is called ‘the most photographed lake in New Zealand” so we just had to pay it […]
The Way It Should Be
After spending an afternoon snorkeling at Julian Rocks we had earned a drink. Of all the gin joints in all the world we would be walking into one shed in particular. Nestled in a corner of an industrial estate just off one of the main roads out of Byron Bay is the place where a […]
Hamiltons Down Under
2006: After spending a number of weeks on the well trodden backpacker trail south from Cairns, Karen and her pals – Sarah and Lori, made the decision to fly from Brisbane to Sydney. The bold move would cut out a good chunk of the New South Wales coastline but it would allow them to make […]
Sculptures By the Sea 4: Citizens on Patrol
October 2017 Welcome to our 4th annual report from the Eastern Suburbs. It’s October in Sydney and that means one thing. Sculptures by the Sea. We would once again be joined by our fellow Art Critic (and occasional Art purchaser) Adam. As always we would be taking the South to North route starting at Tamarama […]
Brisbane Family Gathering
It took us three years to realise that we had not paid Australia’s ‘third city’ a visit. Karen had passed through Brisbane back in ’06 during her gap year and I guess we just put it on the long finger. So 3 years had just past since we arrived on these Southern shores and with […]
Elton Gong
“Wow. Elton John is playing in New South Wales! Fancy going?” Looking up from his laptop, a silent acceptance formed on John’s face before he could utter the affirmative response. “Aye. Whereabouts is he playing?” Wollongong. Wollongong. Road Trip 82 Kilometres south of Sydney and sandwiched between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean is […]
Weekly Photo Challenge: Liquid
“Every pulse of your heartbeat is one liquid moment that flows through the veins of your being. Like a river of life flowing on since creation, approaching the sea with each new generation” – Don McLean –
The Stopover Who Loved Me
Some last minute logistics meant that Karen would fly home a different route from John back to Sydney. Karen’s Journey went smoothly. No delays, connections made, back before she knew what hit her. John’s Journey? Well that’s a little tale all in itself. EI-175 is one of Aer Lingus’s busier routes. It connect Dublin International […]


