The man behind the desk at the rental company swivelled his computer screen to show me a photograph of a car with its roof crumpled like tissue paper. “That’s one of ours,” he said. “They didn’t have insurance.” He… Read More ›
New Zealand: South Island
A crazy chef served me a beef doughnut and I ate it all
It never rains but it pours they say and this week it’s raining doughnut stories. First, the bakery owned by my friends Carla and Randall Perkins, the Blackbird Bakery, was crowned best bakery in the state of Virginia by popular vote. That’s… Read More ›
Messing about in boats in the Marlborough Sounds
It’s a weekly ritual that has been going on for almost a century. Some row out in their tiny dinghies, others arrive on horseback along the beach or appear as if by magic from the thick green bush. Dogs wait patiently because… Read More ›
Less is more
I realised that the driver of the expensive 4 x 4 wasn’t going to stop just before I stepped off the kerb onto a narrow inner city street lined with other shiny 4 x 4s and renovated villas. Perhaps I should… Read More ›
Getting to know Marlborough: 1
After 3 months, I am still very much in the honeymoon phase in my relationship with Marlborough. I am delighted with every new discovery I make, beguiled by the charm of life outside the big city and prepared to overlook any disappointments that my new… Read More ›
Finding inspiration in Kaiteriteri
There is no limit to what can be achieved when determined minds come together. And if it happens in a beautiful place, the results can be extraordinary. I can see how true that is right now. I’m in Kaiteriteri, a… Read More ›
Leaving Lawrence
It took me a minute to realise that the man behind the desk in the Information Centre was flirting with me. All I wanted was a road map but he really wanted to talk. Within 5 minutes we’d discovered our… Read More ›
