Author archive
24 June 2021
Above: We are driving to Cairns; taken about an hour into the 19h journey (if we were to do it without detours). Today was the long awaited day for Kim’s arrival. With possibility of Covid-19 outbreaks, there was always a chance that he wouldn’t make it to Australia leaving me here stranded by myself. The […]
23 June 2021
Above: People pay to walk on the Story Bridge; I captured them from the ferry below. The plan for the day was to explore the River City using the free ferry service called City Hopper. But I now realise that the route is largely what I had done on foot yesterday. It made sense for […]
22 June 2021
Today I explore Brisbane’s riverside walks by foot. After a simple breakfast of oats and fruit in my room, I headed out at around 0830. It was still cool in the shade but lovely in the sunshine. I crossed the river on the pedestrian bridge to South Bank. The area was a very delightful public […]
21 June 2021
Getting to North Stradbroke I had planned of making a trip to North Stradbroke Island this visit to Brisbane. I had toyed with the idea of diving but in the end decided it wouldn’t be warm enough for me. Having checked the weather forecast, I decided that my Stradbroke trip would be today because the […]
20 June 2021
Above: The Treasury casino in Brisbane. We touched down at Brisbane at our scheduled arrival time of 1055. We had to wait onboard seated for the Australian border force to give their announcement and then their clearance to disembark. It was just the normal immigration process upon arrival with no one checking the Australian or […]
20 June 2021
Above: Long wait for the caterers to enter the aircraft. Today I travel internationally for pleasure for the first time in about 17 months, with travel being difficult due to Covid-19. I had spent the last few days monitoring the situation in Australia, with outbreaks in Melbourne and Sydney that have led to partial suspension […]
20 April 2021
Above: My new Toyota Crown Hybrid. I flew back to Auckland on the 0930 flight this morning. Kim was meant to stay an extra two days but ended up coming back only a day after me. Picking him up from the airport, we called past a car dealer and settled on a Toyota Crown Hybrid […]
19 April 2021
Roy’s Peak Jo left yesterday and were replaced by Brent and Moira as our guests at the apartment. It was a big relaxing day in preparation for today. Today’s plan (for me) was to climb up to Roy’s Peak. Brent and Moira were keen to join us for part of the hike. The hike starts […]
17 April 2021
Yesterday, Kim had found a special offer for a cruise onboard TSS Earnslaw (an old steamship) to Walter Peak on the far side of Lake Wakatipu for afternoon tea and a farm tour. The special price was NZD55 per person, which was about half the normal rate. We walked down to the steamship for the […]
16 April 2021
We had a late start this morning and took a drive to Clyde to meet Jo’s friend Ash for brunch. After that, it was a relaxing day of driving around to enjoy the colours of autumn.