Author archive
6 June 2022
Morning walk Despite sleeping around 2300 last night, I woke at 0530 and went out for a walk around 0645. The sun was out but the forecast was for cloud and showers so I had to make the most of the weather. I found an elevated platform on a hillside where I had hoped to […]
5 June 2022
Killing time in Seoul I woke at 0530 and finished the little bit of muesli I had brought along with coffee. I have the morning to take in a few more of Seoul’s sights but nothing appealed to me. Also, things don’t really open that early in the morning here. So instead, I hit the […]
4 June 2022
Hanok Bukchon I woke at 0515 after last night’s early rest and was out at 0715 on the metro for Anguk to explore Hanok Bukchon, the traditional village area. I was hoping to get a breakfast of steamed dumplings from somewhere close to where I stayed last time. Unfortunately, at around 0800, nothing was open. […]
3 June 2022
Despite our delayed departure, we landed at Incheon on time at 1855. It’s my second visit to South Korea, having visited 11 years ago and loving it. It was a long walk from the aircraft to the health checkpoint and then immigration. I got the feeling that the Air New Zealand staff had been overzealous […]
3 June 2022
Stressful lead-up It had been a stressful few weeks before my departure today. Due to recent reopening of borders after (?) the Covid-19 pandemic, flights to Singapore were fully booked for about 2 months. It would be risky for me to use airline staff standby tickets to get there and onwards to Malaysia. There weren’t […]
7 April 2022
I flew back from Queenstown to Auckland today after a great Kiwi vacation. Quite unusually, I was able to use the Priority Pass lounge at Queenstown Airport. It’s normally reserved for international travellers but as the international departure area is not in use, domestic flights have taken over the area. It was nice to have […]
6 April 2022
Helicopter Scenic Flight Kim’s sister Jo left us yesterday and we gained Russell and Marilyn as our guests. After two relaxing days, it’s time for some excitement for me. I had booked a 25 min helicopter scenic ride with an alpine landing for NZD138, discounted from the regular NZD280 (pre-Covid) and then NZD199 (while international […]
3 April 2022
Getting to Milford Sound Today is a long day. We start in Te Anau and head to Milford Sound for a cruise before back-tracking and finishing up in Queenstown for our stay there. Despite the country reverting to standard time (end of daylight saving), we slept in. The sun rises late her and it was […]
2 April 2022
Today we moved on from Miller’s Flat to Te Anau, a journey of about 2h30 driving. We left our hosts at 1100 making for a leisurely start, stopping for lunch at Lumsden. We arrived at Te Anau around 1430, staying at the Amber Court motel. While our room was ready, the owners suggested we wait […]
1 April 2022
Above: Our friends’ cafe is located in the building that was once the town’s grocery store. We spent the day with our hosts at home then visited them at their business, Fagan’s Café. The café is located in the building that was once the town’s grocery store. So, it a significant place in the town’s […]