Australia’s Gold Coast boasts an endless playground for families and has become a mecca for theme-park addicts.  If you’re looking to brave some of the world’s tallest & fastest rides, interact with nature’s finest animals or simply looking for some aquatic adventure, you won’t be disappointed. Australia’s theme park capital boasts the Southern Hemisphere’s largest and most varied selection of...

“Mine’s the orange one” Cerys demands with a mischievous cheeky smile.“I’ll have the lilac one” adds Cerys’ friend Laura. The remaining choice hangs in the balance and my wife Karen saves me some embarrassment as she grabs the “hot-pink” ball and leaves me with the more masculine mustard yellow one. King Tutt’s Putt Putt is in bustling Surfers Paradise...

Our mission was simple.  I would lead a small task force of seafood lovers and infiltrate Huka Prawn Park to snatch as many prawns as we could in 3 hours and return to base. Codenamed “Operation Huka Prawn Park Hunt” we knew the risks.  We’d strike deep into the world’s only geo-thermal prawn park and use all of our stealth...

Travelling in Asia will never be complete if you have not visited the beautiful city of Singapore. Don’t be fooled by its size because although this country may be small, it is the most advanced metropolis in Southeast Asia. In fact, the capital city (also named Singapore) comprises one-third of the mainland making it almost the whole country in...

Updated: November 2018 The Bay of Islands has been a favourite holiday spot for generations of Kiwi families.  At its heart, lies the picturesque seaside village of Paihia, which offers a relaxed pace for locals and tourists alike. During summer, visitors use it as a base to explore the area’s enchanting 144 islands and experience its rich history. Needing to wind-down from...

Many whale-watching excursions result in nothing more than sunburn, disappointment and a wasted day.  My recent whale-watching trip with Auckland's Whale & Dolphin Safari certainly dispelled that myth. With 6 weeks of Rugby World Cup 2011 ending 6 days ago, Auckland has returned to a cosmopolitan lifestyle city offering more than just rugby.  With a Sunday ahead with no sport,...

    I was recently asked what my favourite city was.  What a tough question!  I've been privileged to travel to many places. To me, the beauty of travelling is seeing new places for the first time and experiencing different cultures. Experiences like those will be influenced by many things: The people, the weather, the stage of life you've reached and much...

Updated October 2011 No trip to Singapore would be complete without having a Singapore Sling in the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel.  What I had forgotten was the exorbitant price tag that comes with it! One Singapore Sling (for Rhys), one Tiger Beer (for yours truly) and 3 mini-burgers blew an already large hole in my pocket at S$64!! (about NZ$68). ...

Updated October 2021 As today was ANZAC day, we caught the extremely efficient train (MRT) to Kranji and then walked the short distance to the War Cemetery to mark our respects. As this was our only full day in Singapore, we decided on a whistle stop walk around the city to see as many sites as our weary legs would allow.   Sentosa...

Updated October 2011 I was looking forward to Singapore.  I feel a strong connection with her as I was born there and have been fortunate to visit several times since. We left Mumbai at 10:05 this morning and the flight to Singapore was full and not the best flight I’d ever had!  We landed in Singapore at 17:00. Getting to our hotel...