Why did I get up at 5.30am to be at Narita at 7.30? Because I’m going to Hong Kong for a few days. I’m expecting it to be just as hot as Tokyo, but this week is my week off work, so better make the most of it. Not sure if i’ll blog while I’m… Continue reading Summer holidays
Category: Travel
Expectations of Adelaide
I’ve had my expectations of Adelaide uplifted this last weekend. I spent a weekend enjoying the fine weather, the excellent food and wandering around looking at grand old buildings.
Kragerø
Kragerø is a town in Norway, to the south of Oslo, where my great-great-grandfather was born. It’s a good story – Rudolf Andersen was apparently 12 when he joined the merchant fleet, became a sailor and left Kragerø to see the world.
Whiling away some time in Wellington
On my trip home from Tongariro at the beginning of February, I spent 24 hours in Wellington. What I thought might be a fairly staid small-town capital full of New Zealand bureaucrats turned out to be a great little city.
Waihohonu to Whakapapa – Day 4 on the Tongariro Northern Circuit
The Waihohonu Traverse is the name of the stretch of track between Waihohonu Hut and Whakapapa Village. Yes, I know, Whakapapa sounds a bit rude, but it has a big chateau, so it’s really okay to say it out loud.
Oturere to Waihohonu – Day 3 on the Tongariro Northern Circuit
Day 3 on the Tongariro Northern Circuit (which I think was 31 Jan) was a much shorter day than the first two, of only a few hours’ walk. Now that we’d left the main Tongariro Crossing track behind, there were less people around, and everyone we met was out tramping for several days. Even then,… Continue reading Oturere to Waihohonu – Day 3 on the Tongariro Northern Circuit
Ketetahi to Oturere – Day 2 on the Tongariro Northern Circuit
Day 2 on the Tongariro Northern Circuit took us from Ketetahi Hut, and the very northern end of the Tongariro Cross, backwards to the top of the Devil’s Staircase, up to the summit of 2,287m Mt Ngauruhoe, then retracing our steps to the Emerald Lakes before dropping down to Oturere Hut.
Lockley’s Pylon
I was in the Blue Mountains for a conference, and the Saturday afternoon was free time. Instead of taking the official “organised bushwalk” option, a group of us put together our own plan out to Lockley’s Pylon, borrowed a colleague’s car, and drove up Mt Hay Road out of town.
Mangatepopo to Ketetahi – Day 1 on the Tongariro Northern Circuit
The Tongariro Northern Circuit circles around Mt Tongariro and Mt Ngauruhoe, right in the middle of the North Island of New Zealand. It’s a three or four day tramp (Kiwese for hike), depending on how quickly you walk. The Tongariro Northern Circuit is an extension of the Tongariro Crossing, which is billed as being one… Continue reading Mangatepopo to Ketetahi – Day 1 on the Tongariro Northern Circuit
Namdaemun, Seoul
In 2001, I was lucky enough to have a few days in Seoul. I was in Japan for Eriko’s wedding, and whist she and Aa-san were on their honeymoon, I ducked across to South Korea for a look. I really liked Seoul – I found it an energetic and bustling city with interesting things to see as a… Continue reading Namdaemun, Seoul