Our next destination would be the nearby island of Itsukushima. It is more popularly known as Miyajima “Shrine Island” and is famous for its large Tori Gate Shrine – Itsukushima Shrine. To get there would involve a train, a boat and a walk to our Ryokan (a Japanese style Inn). It was decided that we […]
Bullet Club It was time for Karen and I to join the Japanese Bullet Club. We had been on Maglev trains in China but this time it was the real deal – The Nozomi (のぞみ, “Wish”) , the fastest train running on the Shinkansen Lines with top speeds over 300km/h. Getting all excited we made […]
Prologue We departed Hong Kong for our next destination. It would turn out to be a short hop across the East China Sea to the Land of the Rising Sun – Japan (Nippon in Kanji). Our port of departure was not on land but actually an artificial island in Osaka Bay – Kansai International Airport. […]
It had been three and a half years after our last trip to Hong Kong. Then it was a gateway to China where we stayed a month. This time it would be a stop-over on the way to Japan for Easter. The last trip involved meeting up with friends who were passing through. This time we […]
Our last full day on the South Island beckoned. We decided to do one last ‘big thing’ while here. It’s always so easy to bury the last day or two by staying put – chilling at the accommodation or strolling into whatever town we were nearby – pottering – as they say back home. Our […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
One random weekend we popped over to Auckland. Explored the city, ate really great food, even did a wine tour. We had a great weekend and it was a good first taste of New Zealand. But that is all it was – a taste, a morsel. We were left hungry for more. The months went […]
Not only did we get to spend time in Byron Bay with the Hamiltons, but we also got to show off our neighbourhood, the Lower North Shore and the greater Harbour district to them as well. Purple Rain Spring in the Southern Hemisphere begins in September lasting through to the end of November and the […]
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 […]
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 […]
