Kandy

 The second biggest city in Sri Lanka (after Colombo), and at least my second biggest disappointment of the trip (although I’m not actually sure of what was my biggest disappointment, so maybe it was my first). It was just underwhelming; definitely not somewhere where you would want to spend several days. The train trip to…

Jaipur

  About a four hour train ride from Agra, Jaipur (or the ‘Pink City’) is the capital of Rajasthan. It is famed for local artisans; ranging from jewellers, textiles (including block prints and carpets) and general thrift markets. It also plays host to the annual Jaipur Literature Festival (the largest free literature festival in the…

Review: Birdwoods Gallery

Birdwoods Gallery (298 Middle Road) Birdwoods Gallery is a cutesie little spot just outside of Havelock North. It is such a great spot to visit when you are showing off Havelock (and the greater HB region) to visitors as it just does everything right. It used to be just a sweet shop (think old school…

Hobbiton: Welcome to Middle Earth

Hobbiton Movie Set (501 Buckland Road, Matamata) Pretty much in the middle of nowhere (but somewhere in the region of Waikato) lies the Alexander family sheep farm, a farm that was spotted by Sir Peter Jackson and crew as they scoured the New Zealand country-side hunting for an ideal filming location. Well, here they found…

Devonport, Auckland

Only a short 20 minute ferry ride away from Auckland’s CBD, visiting the seaside village of Devonport can sometimes feel like a whole world away from Auckland. You can catch a ferry from Queen’s Wharf and it costs $12 for a return trip (although you can get a concession if you plan on making the…

Little & Friday

Little & Friday  Yum, this place is amazing! I have  now visited the cafes in both Ponsonby and Newmarket, and both are great – next time I’m in Auckland I’ll be sure to check out the others. Started almost ten years ago by a passionate, talented lady called Kim, it used to only be little,…