Australia has a few Scottish towns and influences of course (Perth for one, and Bothwell for another). But Maclean is in the north part of New South Wales and I popped in to see what was there. Advertising itself and promoting itself as “THE Scottish town in Australia”, tartan designs, bagpipes, murals, Scottish names and…
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Haven’t we been here before?? Hmmm…yes that’s right that place where something clicked and was once the place I described as my favourite place on earth. The city of Rotorua in New Zealand. From my visit there in 2007, I hadn’t actually meant to return to volcanic Rotorua and in fact did my best to…
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A Victorian town out of nowhere, the desolate old fashioned lifestyle is enough to enchant the casual passer by, or at least one with a hate of commercialism. I’ll tell you where it is – on the east coast of New Zealand’s south island. I strolled around town snap happy and dull amidst a slow…
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Picton makes Larne or Portavogie look like a big port. Picton is the gateway to the north island of New Zealand. For those who despise flying as much as me, this place is perfect for getting a boat from the south island to the north island, and vice versa. Plus it ain’t dear. The service,…
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After Palmerston North, it was time to check out the town of Taihape. Love the pronunciation of that one, it could be seen as “Die happy”, title of a Therapy? song back in 1998. Therapy? being a Northern Irish rock band. And so the bus pulled over next to The Gumboot Manor. The road out…
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I’ve been to a fair few capital cities and a fair few pubs in them as you’ll have gathered if you have followed DSL and in particular my Thirsty Thursday Feature. This one, New Zealand’s capital had to wait till I was aged thirty, and though it’s full of pubs, a pub crawl was not…
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OK I’m not just throwing old fashioned British names at you. But really I could be. No but these are two remote settlements on the south eastern part of New Zealand, both places which I thoroughly investigated all there was to see of (in my humble opinion) during another of those inspiring buses in New…
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Seems weird to have a Palmerston North, with no obvious place called Palmerston South. I didn’t even question that, but I did wonder why. (Answer for you below anyway). And is this really a suicide capital?? John Cleese, once of hit BBC Sitcom Fawlty Towers seems to think so…Palmerston North was once described by Basil…
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A warm single coloured tear flowed down my heart broken cheek in late October 2010. And the reason was obvious. Emotion, as ever had risen above everything else on this planet. Here I was back again in Taupo, or as I always will call the town, “Lake Taupo.” “I left some dreams in Taupo.…
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It sounds a bit weird but it’s only to be expected when partying it up on a Saturday night in New Zealand’s capital. I got to “run with the unicorns” but by total chance and thanks to three young ladies who provided me with this random tale to tell… I was due to leave Windy…
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