Otorohanga had left me thinking. The authors of the book I’d read in the town’s i-Site had included a poem by Denis Glover titled “Home Thoughts”: “I do not dream of Sussex downs or quaint old England’s quaint old towns — I think of what may yet be seen in Johnsonville or Geraldine.” Johnsonville, a … Read More
The world’s largest apple is reputedly located in Winchester, Virginia, fixed oddly on the lawn of a stately Civil War mansion as a symbol of its beloved local fruit industry. I’ve seen bigger. On a hillside just outside of Otorohanga, New Zealand, sits an apple so large it can’t not rival that of Winchester, perhaps … Read More
One warm March afternoon, I made my way further up the North Island. From the map on the seat beside me, I knew I would come first to Te Kuiti. The town was already on my radar, having seen it before from the viewing car of the Overlander train I’d taken from Wellington to Auckland in … Read More
“We are all worms. But I do believe I am a glowworm.” — Winston Churchill I’ve never been one much for Lord of the Rings. I’d give all the money in the world to be Lucy Pevensie and step through that fateful wardrobe, but for whatever reason, I’ve never felt particularly drawn to the world … Read More
My mother left this morning for St. Louis. She’ll be gone for just three days, attending a conference, meeting with editors, and pitching projects and proposals. But as she packed last night, folded two changes of clothes neatly into the space of her carry-on suitcase, and filled miniature bottles with two showers’ worth of shampoo … Read More
I woke up in New Plymouth with no particular inclination to spend more time there than needed. If the schedule had allowed, I perhaps would have ventured closer to Mount Taranaki, a 2,518-meter active volcano that appears on maps as an almost alarmingly perfect sphere. Like Mount Fuji, Taranaki – known also by its pakeha … Read More
Hometown, NZ. It’s a tall order for any small town to attempt to fill, but along an unassuming road just over a hundred kilometers north of Wellington, a little place called Foxton, population 2,700, dares to make such a claim. Maybe it was an instinctive desire to prove it wrong or just the obscurity of … Read More
A roadtrip invariably begins with expectations. Whether a caravan of campervans or a solo expedition, the decisions you make before setting out are what set you up for the journey ahead – who you’re with, where you’re going, just how you plan to get around. “To expect” comes from the Latin expectare – to await, to … Read More