It was a ten hour flight from Hong Kong to Fiji, but it was like travelling to a different planet. Well-organised, polite Hong Kong became totally laid-back, friendly Fiji. A new country for me and number 69 in my Countries Visited. I found it a bit frustrating at first expecting everything to be as planned […]
Early last year I posted an article Make Your Pounds Go Further. This advised how to make the most of your holiday money, following a fall in the value of the pound over the previous twelve months. The good news is that, compared with a year ago, your pounds do go much further now in most destinations, with […]
The scenery in New Zealand North Island may not be quite as spectacular as in the South Island, the previous stage of my Round the World tour. However, I was very much looking forward to seeing some of the backdrops to the film ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and visiting the geothermal areas. My route in the North Island took […]
New Zealand South Island looks very small on a map alongside Australia. Maybe that is why I only allowed eight days for touring the island. A big mistake; I could have done with at least twice as long. In fact the South Island is almost exactly the same size as England and Wales together, and I’ve often […]
The weather during my exploration of New South Wales had been, to say the least, rather inclement. So I was very much hoping that the Queensland stage of my Round the World Trip would live up to its billing as the ‘Sunshine State’. I must admit I knew very little about Queensland or its capital, Brisbane. But in three days travelling around the […]
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Auckland and Coromandel – Round the World in 30 Days
I’d visited Auckland five years earlier during my previous Round the World trip, but only saw the central part of the city and neighbouring Devonport. This time I had allowed a few days to see some of the scenic areas of North Auckland and the Coromandel Peninsula. Additionally I was keen to check out the […]