Devonport Devonport’s historical importance to Auckland is largely defined by its strategic location at the mouth of the harbour. Initial fortifications were created to defend against potential Russian invasion in Victorian times, were bolstered by concerns over German (First World War) and then Japanese (Second World War) aggression. The presence[…]
The Argent Motor Lodge in Hamilton is located very near the hospital, but more importantly for us its walking distance to Lake Rotoroa – the venue for Balloons over Waikato‘s Sunday morning event. Given the early start we elected to stay nearby. The Argent was designed by Sekta and is very modern[…]
We were keen on seeing the Balloons over Waikato. This was an annual festival celebrating hot air ballooning in the area. Hamilton, the capital of the Waikato region, was the central point of a week’s worth of events. We headed down on the Mana bus – a cheap and cheerful[…]
I wanted to get Ange something special for Christmas and as she had never travelled business class, it seemed fitting to get the Dubai to Auckland leg of our trip home in Business Class. We’d been trying to minimise jetlag, hence the stopover in Dubai, and getting some sleep on[…]
I wanted a VR rig which could be put in a backpack for carry on luggage on flights. This would placate my paranoia about anything happening to it if checked in and allow me to show my family VR on the other side of the world. Laptop/NUC & eGPU/SFF? Laptop[…]
It’s important to compromise when you’re travelling with someone else, so when Ange suggested we break up our trip home to Auckland from London with some time in Dubai, I was all ears. I normally have one speed when travelling: trying to see as much as possible, but as we were[…]
Dubai is a large city, with collections of interesting places to visit separated by long stretches of motorway. One of the best ways to get around and enjoy the awe inspiring space age city is on the City Sightseeing Hop On Hop Off Bus. There are four bus routes servicing[…]
Arrival I went on a cruise around the Med. The experience was tainted a little by the cruise ship operator who had set everything up to try to get you to spend more money. From the first step onto the ship where they attempted to get you to upgrade to[…]
After an amusing conversation with a taxi driver where he repeatedly tried to pronounce styles as steelies, we headed off to the Ibis Styles Dragon Mart. It’s a bit of a trek from the main attractions in Dubai, situated on the edge of the desert out near International City. The area[…]
Arrival We try to check in early at the Park Regis Kris Kin and discover that due to a misspelling of my name that there is a slight delay in being able to gain access to the room. While we wait for the reservation to be sorted, we watch the bustle[…]