If the budget cuts haven’t hit too hard and a winter holiday is still on the cards, then here’s an idea that’s relatively close to home but still lets palm trees, soft white sand, sultry rainforest and balmy trade winds become a reality. Take a direct flight from Auckland to Cairns (it’s only 5 ½ […]
A wide curved verandah sweeps around, following the line of the bay and catching the feisty ocean breeze. Cool natural weave sofas in the colours of the sea and the sand, bright glassware and vibrant fabrics lighten the inner spaces. Very contemporary, the look on Lizard Island, 200 kms north of Cairns on the […]
Here’s one for the ladies – mostly. A fast-growing niche in the travel market is that of food travel – cooking tours, local foods, farmers’ markets, culinary cruises and chef master-classes. And they come with as little or as much of a focus on food as you want. There are well-known destinations like Italy […]
World-wide travel company, Exodus, is now selling its quality range of out-there travel experiences in New Zealand. In an arrangement with Adventure World, the Exodus range is available through good New Zealand travel agents – and the range is exciting. I was particularly excited to see trips like a cycle tour through southern […]
Volunteer travel is something very dear to my heart. It gives something back, whether you’re working in remote rural communities or in underprivileged urban areas. Some volunteer trips will take you to endangered habitats and still others to drop-dead gorgeous places where the problems lie hidden beneath the startling beauty of sandy beaches and […]
Summer is the time to head to Antarctica. There are a number of cruise and adventure tour companies taking ships down each year. Although some of the bigger cruise ships do head south it’s the smaller ones, around 80 to 100 metres long, that provide a much closer encounter with the big white land. […]
Cherating Beach Club Med is a Green Globe Resort in Malaysia Club Med has come a long way since their early beginnings, over 60 years ago. For a while they mainstreamed the concept of all-inclusive holidays when their opposition were still running holiday camp-style stays. Club Med’s first foray into eco-tourism looks […]
Take a Sightseeing Day Flight from Auckland over the Antarctic Continent with Qantas I don’t usually write about commercial trips on our blog but here is one trip that is too good to miss. On 3rd February next year Qantas is running a day trip scenic 747 flight from Auckland, over Antarctica, and back. It […]
Travel tips and news, thoughts and trends – something for everyone This newsletter is only just going to make it into September, but it’s been a busy month. And this month the place to be is the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. The days are warm, but not too hot, with just a hint of the […]
We smelt it before we saw it as the wafting aromas of woodsmoke, fresh coffee, tropical fruits and hot pastries led us along the Noosa river frontage to a small corner of the local footie field where tents and trailers were circled beneath the gum trees like a scene from the American west. But […]
Flying in, flying out, transiting, staying over. Brisbane is an easy visit if you just have a day, or part of one. Catch the Gold Coast Air Train in from the airport and stay on it through the central city, getting off at either South Brisbane or South Bank station. After Park Road the […]
I was wondering if it ever got any better than this as I lay under the luxurious vichy shower being gently washed by slowly rotating jets of warm water. Having already been scrubbed and rubbed, massaged and soothed with tropical oils and fragrant lotions I was lost in euphoric thoughts as the scent of […]