Just What is Going On?

We were happily ensconced in New Zealand when Bangkok made the news with its New Year's bombings. However, a whispered warning from our neighbour with "contacts" alerts us to the possibility of further attacks. Sure enough, this morning the hotel over the road and a nearby newspaper office are hit in a grenade attack. Still no clear idea who's behind any of these attacks. And why would they hit all the way out here in the pleasant Northern suburbs?...

The Opposite of Bangkok

Photogenic

My expectations of NZ are high; who hasn’t heard the hype regarding the beauty of the scenery? Sara and risk our first week heading down the West Coast. The risk factor is the weather; this side of the South Island can get 15m of rain annually. But we’re in luck, and fail to see a drop of rain; clearly the sun does shine on the righteous. As we saunter down the island, from the native bush and golden beaches of Abel Tasman National Park to the rainforest of the South, via the glaciers and remote peaks of the Southern Alps, we’re duly awestruck. It has to be said, it’s a stunning part of the world. Our experience is heightened by the fact that with its bracing winds, continually varying landscape and remarkable remoteness, this place is the antithesis of the heat and chaos of Bangkok.