Easter break

Ophs, sorry bloggers, forgot to tell you I was taking a break. You guessed it, to Hawkes Bay. We returned to Cape South where we’ve been going every Easter since we came to NZ to live. Once again it didn’t disappoint. We dined at Craggy Range Winery (reported as one of the world’s best dining [...]

Cruising the coast

It was a beautiful day today – sun shining with temperatures in the high twenties. A perfect day for cruising what can otherwise be a bleak coastline of the South Wairarapa. It’s been a while since I visited Cape Palliser as the last time we were there it rained, my back was really hurting and [...]

Extremes of NZ

Seems one of my heroes, Ben Fogle of Castaway fame, has been to NZ and didn’t stop for tea. Still seems like he had a good time. You can read all about it! If you’re wondering, no I haven’t done the extreme route but my in-laws have done the Shotover!

The party is over

They say all good things come to an end. In the case of New Zealand legislation has just been passed to make “party pills” a class C drug (same as Cannabis) and in a fortnight’s time you’ll no longer be able to wander along Courtney Place and pop in to the local party pill store. [...]

Memories of summer

As the days get darker and the winds get stronger it’s nice to reflect on our summer this year. In particular the holiday we had in Golden Bay. Bob’s photoblogging shows Ligar Bay in all it’s glory and sums up the sun, the sand and the sangria (well beer and wine actually) we partook on [...]

“Queen Victoria Day”

Cruise ships are a regular sight in Wellington, usually so big to make the cake tin stadium look like a muffin case. The latest cruising attraction to arrive this weekend was the brand new $676 million, 90,000 tonne ship – the Queen Victoria – stopping off as part of its maiden voyage, a 15-week world [...]

Camping it up on a culinary Kiwi tour

For those people thinking of where to come when they visit New Zealand, here’s a few ideas from this week’s Observer. Many of these places are in striking distance of Domestic Executive HQ. ——————————————– From fine dining in Wellington to seafood shacks on the beach, Emma John takes a gastronomic road trip across New Zealand [...]

A nation mourns it’s hero

Today is the state funeral of Sir Edmund Hillary. There has been wall to wall media coverage since he died last week. An icon of New Zealand, a national hero, has brought 10′s of thousands to walk past his coffin in Auckland before the state funeral today. One of the greatest known explorers has had [...]

Holiday reports

I’d quite forgotten the impact of holiday time on how New Zealand operates. The fact that we’ve had to set the alarm for MT in the morning to catch his train on time has reminded me that during the holiday season much of National Radio (our favourite NZ channel) has gone on holiday too. Instead [...]

Political punch-ups

There have been plenty of fisticuffs in the last week. Literally, the Minister for Rugby World Cup (amongst other things) punched a member of the opposition outside Parliament because he was taunted for allegedly having an affair. There’s been plenty of comment on whether this was an appropriate thing to do (which it wasn’t) and [...]