Leaving the Forgotten World Highway turns out to be a culture shock. This morning I was woken by the sound of a rooster crowing. The last time that happened was in Nong Khai – a year and half ago! It’s quiet at Whangamomona. The word means valley of […]
The Forgotten World Highway: Taumarunui to Whangamomona Highway 43 takes you through heartland New Zealand. It’s remote. There’s no petrol station, no shops. We allowed ourselves a day and a half for a drive that, without stops, should take around two and half hours. Kilometres travelled: 87 Time […]
In which the shearing capital of the world is bypassed and pride goes before a fall. Te Kuiti didn’t get much of a look-in today. We filled up there, petrol tank as well as stomachs, and moved on. The day was all about the Waitomo Caves. They are […]
The Gumboot Capital of The World to the Shearing Capital of The World via the Desert Road. That was the plan. Except we didn’t get as far as Te Kuiti. We got a bit distracted. And what distracted us was the iconic volcanoes, Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe; the two […]
Day One : Art Deco To Gumboot Capital of the World. Instead of going troppo we’ve gone over The Annie to the Gumboot Capital of The World. Why? Because we can. Because it’s off the beaten track. And, most importantly, it’s a road like no other. And […]
Our Family Roll of Honour Each one an ANZAC Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. – General George S. Patton Daniel Bodley, 21 years Shepherd Killed in Action, 15 September 1916, The Somme, WWI Son of Henry and Elizabeth Bodley, Te Pohue, […]
Last weekend, for the first time in nearly two years, our children were all together in our old family home. They are city dwellers. Currently, that means living in Wellington and Bangkok – although change is afoot, one way or another. So, what better to do than get […]
Or Jill Goes Political A month or so ago, after we left Wimbledon Tavern, we set off in search of a beach and an ice-cream. The sun still had the power to burn and I was clinging to summer like paua to rock. But the wind was from […]
Most people associate Wimbledon with tennis and some with wombles on the Common. Not many will think of the small, okay tiny, settlement in Southern Hawkes Bay. A bright spark, probably in an office somewhere in Wellington, has changed the boundaries and technically Wimbledon is now in the Tararua District. […]
Jill's Scene 
The korero