Ever felt you’d like to drive some real Big Boys’ Toys like a bulldozer, a front-end loader or a digger?  Just for the fun of it? Then take a road trip to Invercargill in New Zealand’s deep south.

At Dig This Invercargill you can have a go at feeling like a superhero in a 4 tonne front-end loader, stacking up to 20 tonnes of tyres.

Or dig a whole lot of dirt in the king of the gravel pit. Dump, dig and push your way around in a five-tonne digger. Guide your hulking piece of machinery through delicate twirls and spins that would seem at home in a ballet performance. Operate five tonnes of sheer power, in a machine that can master the most gentle of manoeuvres.

And if five tonnes isn’t enough heavy metal for you, have a go with a mega-monster, the 15 tonne version

But for the … Read more

The Leigh / Pakiri / Mangawhai / Waipu Road

If you are planning a road trip from Auckland, New Zealand, into Northland (the locals will try to kid you it’s ‘the winterless north’) why stick to boring and ultra-busy State Highway 1?

It’s a road trip for heaven’s sake. Do something different. Quit the highway. Go explore the byway.

This is a diversion from State Highway 1 in Northland that will take you through Matakana (a rapidly developing wine and food area), Leigh, Pakiri and the seaside resort village of Mangawhai back to SH1 at Waipu.

It’s a highly recommended detour if you have the day to spare – Goat Island Marine reserve is reason enough to go this way but so are the vineyard cafes in Matakana and the long sandy stretch of Pakiri Beach.

Even on it’s own as a road trip it’s a great exploration with a … Read more

Had a birthday party last night and in a chat with a friend I mentioned that the previous weekend I had been in Bluff, the southernmost town in New Zealand.

“Why the hell would you go there?” they asked.

So I thought about it.  Three reasons.

Oysters, sharks and geographical extremities.

Let’s deal with the extremities first.

Many travellers go to Bluff because Stirling Point, on the southern edge of the village, is often regarded as the southernmost point in the country.

It isn’t, of course, but that hasn’t stopped the signpost there being the most photographed road-sign in the country.

It’s an interesting debate about which is, in fact, the southernmost point, and that depends on which definition of “New Zealand” you choose. Stewart Island, further south across Foveaux Strait is most certainly part of “New Zealand” and therefore the island’s South Cape could, with some validity, claim the … Read more

There are hundreds of great and grand houses in the UK but Haddon Hall, near Bakewell in Derby, is unique among them.

It is 900 years old and has been in the same family all that time.  But that’s not what makes it all that special.

For 200 years during the reign of Queen Anne to the late 19^th century it was locked up. When the key was turned to close it the house was left in a state of suspended existence. Everything was left stock still . . . the tapestry on the walls, the furniture, the pewter in the cupboards. Everything, just waiting to be dusted off and lived in again.

Over the centuries it became known as the “Sleeping Beauty” house.

The owners preferred to live at Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire and Haddon Hall slumbered on.

Restoration begins

It wasn’t until early last century that the … Read more

Just finished a road trip through the Catlins area in New Zealand’s Southland.  Been a few years since  I rode that road . . . what an amazing place it is.

Wildlife – much of it threatened species – in luxuriant abundance, wild golden sanded beaches,  life-filled forests set to the music of waterfalls, historic lighthouses, and more walks than you could cover in a month.

Tie it all up with some particularly attractive accommodation options . . . no, there are no five star hotels, not even some fairly average hotels. The real gems are to be found on the farms and in the homes of the locals.

First, however, a few words of warning:  There are no ATMs between Balclutha and Invercargill, but many businesses are happy enough to give cash out with purchases.   There is minimal cellphone coverage in the area – some around Owaka but that’s … Read more