The Annual Jaunt to the South Island

Glentanner Station, Mt Cook, New Zealand Every year I have the privilege of spending a few weeks down south at Glentanner Station. Owned by Ross and Helen, the station runs around ten thousand merino sheep and a few steers. It also encompasses Glentanner Park, a tourist centre with accommodation, and the Helicopter Line flights into the surrounding mountains. Driving up […]

A Weekend in Prague

Saturday 25 June 2016 Hotel Alchymist has etched into the door step 1517. With arched ceilings and gilded furniture it’s pretty nice. It has chandeliers in every room and in the basement is a bubbling pool and massage rooms. After a hearty breakfast we strolled around the corner and up the steps to the Prague Castle. The […]

Back to Barcelona

Tuesday/Wednesday 21 & 22 June 2016 With the unusual feeling that I had managed to everything done we were again off to the airport, this time with Sylvia’s son Nathaniel who happened to be departing around the same time for the US to further his PhD studies at UCLA. We are on the Emirates Boeing 777 200 […]

A Long Shot in Texas

Week Commencing Monday 30 May  Chris dropped me off at Tampa where I started the journey to Amarillo via Dallas. At Dallas there was a line-up of small E80 twin tail engine jets that feed the small cities. Arriving in Amarillo I discovered it is not only famous for the song, but is also the home town […]

A weekend in Tampa

27-30 May 2016. Landing early Friday evening out of Nashville, Chris picked us up at the airport.  Old mate Chris is over here from NZ doing a stint for the NZ Defense force with his wife Nadine and their two children Jacob and Lucy. Nadine prepared some fantastic evening snacks over which we chatted for some time. […]

A Big Park in Mexico

Sunday 22 May 2016 A comfortable 14h 40min flight landed us in San Francisco. US immigration recently introduced fast access with passport scanners like the ones we have had in NZ for several years. Sylvia slipped through with ease on her US passport. I was thinking maybe third time lucky but not so… my ticket gets the […]

A Couple of Days in Hong Kong

Monday 16 May Arriving at 7am after the 11.5 hour flight from London, Sylvia headed for the rather dingy Cathay arrivals lounge where she spent the day waiting for her connecting flight to NZ. I jumped the speedy airport express and in 30mins was in a taxi heading to long time friend Pat’s place. Taxis […]