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 […]

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 […]

Sunday morning brought both sunshine and a change of scenery as we departed the urban jungle of the Brisbane CBD for the leafy suburbs. Fig Tree Pocket is the riverfront home to some of Queensland’s most expensive houses but it has another feature we would spend most of that day exploring. We took the boat […]

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 […]

“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 […]

“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 –  

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 […]