30 July 2021

New Zealand is beautiful, no doubts, no buts, it is a superb and stunning country. The landscapes and terrain, the people, and the wildlife, it’s just beautiful. October 2018 was my first trip back to NZ in 15 years, and a first visit for my travel companion, my Dad. This was our 4 week awesome road trip around NZ, a showcase of the best of both North and South islands. I try to incorporate several events or occasions into my trips, something unique to experience and remember. Whether planned or spontaneous, these are the experiences that create the moments that build amazing memories, even the embarrassing ones! The garden festival in early November is at the top of the South Island in the Marlborough area. Famous for the beautiful Marlborough Sounds, with its stunning coastline, superb walking and cycling tracks, water activities and seafood. Further inland are valleys of vines producing award winning Sauvignon Blanc wines, superb food, and amazing unique arts and crafts. The Garden Marlborough festival celebrates this stunning landscape in early summer, a magical time for any country. It showcases the very best the region has to offer with a range of garden tours, and events. I had booked us on the East Coast and Awatere Valley gardens tour. Boarding our bus early that morning it was a beautiful sunny warm day, and our travel companions some very enthusiastic and friendly Kiwis! Our first stop was Barewood Garden, a ‘cottage’ style garden. A mix of formal flower beds and perfect lawn with some other more relaxed planting structure. The best Wisteria you will ever see! But basically, it was just awesome! And very colourful! This was a rockstar of gardens! Our kiwi companions were in full chitter chatter flow as we travelled on to our next garden, Winterhome. Situated on the East Coast this property is the ultimate retirement dream, beautiful formal gardens with a mix of native and tropical plants. A fabulous house with all the usual toys (tennis court etc), looking out over some stunning coastline and the Pacific Ocean. Yep, this was very nice! The next garden was Paripuma, still on the coast this garden was very different to the previous two. Primarily native plants, with a few tropical plants thrown in, it had a Mediterranean feel to it. That sounds weird? But it worked, and it was pretty unique! The Kiwis had started to tire now, the bus was quiet as we made our way back to Blenheim, our last garden was in a beautiful valley. A modest but beautiful house sat in the middle of several acres of huge garden, consisting of perfect lawn and flower beds of roses and other beautiful plants, (I appreciate them, but I not good at knowing the names!). But what I remember the most was the many amazing mature trees and the prolific and diverse bird song. Amazing! And a great end to a superb day.

11 March 2023

Vancouver Island is located in Canada's Pacific Northwest and boasts the warmest climate in BC and Canada. I first visited this beautiful island 20 years ago and have revisited many times. It is an amazing place for wild landscapes, abundant wildlife, adventure and relaxation! There are several ferries across to the island, and this makes for a fantastic circular fly drive route together with mainland BC or USA. My most recent trip to the island started in Victoria before heading north to Pacific Rim NP and Tofino. Victoria, British Columbia’s capital is filled with gardens and seafront parks, stately hotels and museums, bohemian eateries, and craft brewers. A few days is well spent here, my favourite attraction being Butchart Gardens, which is about 30 mins drive north of Victoria. I had both my parents with me on this trip and the gardens were their favourite highlight. We visited in mid June which was perfect bloom time for the gardens. Butchart Gardens are an 118-year-old internationally-renowned 55-acre display garden located in Brentwood Bay. The garden has with five main gardens, stunning fountains, intriguing sculptures, trickling streams and explodes with wave upon wave of colour for much of the year. The Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is one of Canada’s most cherished natural treasures, renowned for its lush temperate forests, dramatic coastal scenery and long sandy beaches. Established in 1970 this is rugged, unspoilt wilderness at its very best. The ultimate natural outdoor playground you can hike for miles along the breath-taking coastline and through remarkable old-growth rainforest. Kayak in emerald waters among hundreds of tiny islands and bays. Marvel at the diverse wildlife and witness the incredible sight of migrating whales. Or stroll, paddle and relax to your heart’s content along expansive soft-sand beaches. We spent 2 full days in Tofino, a pretty fishing village on the west coast of the island. It is home to some of the best surfing in the country, as well as whale watching, hiking, bear watching. It also has the best fish and chips in North America! On our first day we took a whale watching cruise, dressed in beautiful orange insulated boiler suits there is no chance of going missing or feeling the cold! The highlight of this trip for my mum was the sea otters, the whales were also fabulous, but those furry little creatures are very entertaining! On our second day our small boat cruise hugged the western coast as we searched for bears and bird life, and we were not disappointed! 3 bear sightings and numerous bird species encountered! I highly recommend Vancouver Island as part of a Canada fly drive itinerary, or as a cheeky add to a inside passage cruise. Please contact me if you would like to know more!