Central Volcanic Plateau, North Island, New Zealand

  Again this morning, rain spilled down onto King Country, shrouding conical volcanic hills and serrated ridges. Mist rose from copses of trees, and the Whanganui River ran higher and browner tha...

Ohinetonga Scenic Reserve, North Island, New Zealand

After a brief  morning soak in the hot pools at the Opal Hot Springs campground, Vilis and I travelled south from Matamata, our destination Owhango and the rainforest of the Ohinetonga Scenic Reserve...

South of Auckland, New Zealand

This morning, Vilis and I revelled in the blessed coolness of 18°C in Auckland, the weather a far cry from the circa 30°C temperatures and high humidity we had experienced in Townsville, North Queen...

Australian War Memorial and Mount Ainslie, Canberra

While rain pounded down onto Canberra, I spent the morning working at Novotel before checking out of the hotel just before 11 a.m. Sun and cloud vied for dominance in the skies over the city as I stro...