Rambling About

Finally, we find the Aurora

We’d just about resigned ourselves to not seeing the Aurora. Seven cold, late nights and not the slightest sign. And then at 5pm on our last night – there it is! We were quite philosophical about missing the Aurora because we’ve had a fabulous time in Lapland anyway. So this morning …

Landing on an active volcano can be dangerous

The Maori explanation for New Zealand’s volcanic activity is that a priest from the first canoe fought a monster and locked it beneath the earth. That volcanic activity has defined a great deal of local geography and history. White Island is an important part of that, being the only active …

Milford Track: Day 3 – McKinnon Pass

McKinnon Pass, that notoriously awful crossing between the surrounding peaks, turned out to be a beautiful and relatively easy trip thanks to our great good fortune with the weather. The day involves a 16km walk and going about 700m up and another 900m down in the course of a few …

A day that definitely didn’t jump the shark

A day that started with a plan to see a killer whale ended with us swimming with sharks. We had had a long-term plan to go to SeaWorld today. That plan came to a screeching halt this morning over breakfast when we slipped into a discussion of the ethics of …

The Valley of the Poison-Dart Frogs

Last night when Declan and I went spotlighting on the river the jungle was a dark lowering place. The trees were pitch-black walls, the clouded sky a dark grey and the river itself a fustian path leading ever onwards. The sounds of monkeys, birds and frogs seemed almost alarmingly close. …

The wonderful Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

The Inca Trail was a stupendous experience; absolutely brilliant. The boys managed the walk without a murmur of complaint. Declan wasn’t fazed by even the toughest parts of the Trail; Callum found some bits hard-going but gritted his teeth and dealt with them. The boys actually handled the highest point, …

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