Author Archives: Sarah N

New Zealand’s luxury lodges …

I’M spending the night in a treehouse. I grant you it’s not technically a treehouse balanced in the branches of a forest giant, but this suite is perched high above a rough copse of tall New Zealand fauna on a bucolic block between the snow-capped peaks of the Kaikoura Range and the Pacific Ocean onContinue reading “New Zealand’s luxury lodges …”

On the run in New York …

WELL before dawn on November 1, 2015, a team of New York police and city officials will quietly close the Queensboro Bridge. On any other day of the year this famous span, stretching 2.27km across the East River to connect Manhattan’s urban canyons with the suburban streets in Queens, is busy with vehicles moving betweenContinue reading “On the run in New York …”

Escape the tourist trail …

LOCATION’S away from the tourist trail are proving popular in 2015. The Escape team has glanced across the globe – assessing everything from trends and anniversaries to new air routes and the latest hotels – to come up with 20 spots set to become this year’s hottest travel destinations. Philippines THERE’S been a 25 perContinue reading “Escape the tourist trail …”

More than an airport …

AKIKO Ishibashi has seen great change since moving to Narita City in 1972. When the young bride arrived in the Japanese settlement to join new husband Kikutaro, and work in his family’s famous restaurant, the destination was a sleepy rural settlement with a modest main street and a few residential roads surrounded by vast hectaresContinue reading “More than an airport …”

Out of the ashes …

→ Take a sneak peek at the hotel rising from the ashes of Black Saturdday … I ENJOYED a sneak peek at the new Vibe Hotel Marysville a few days after it opened in February. Marysville, which is surrounded by the Yarra Ranges National Park a couple of hours from Melbourne, was all-but destroyed duringContinue reading “Out of the ashes …”

Streets paved with gold …

  IT was not so long ago when View St was one of Bendigo’s most decrepit corners. In the early-1990s this historic avenue decayed into such a state of disrepair that neighbourhood children were told to take another route should their journey between school and home take them near View St. The wide verandas andContinue reading “Streets paved with gold …”

Melbourne’s Langham …

Where …  A function room at The Langham in Melbourne When …  Thursday, February 5, 2015 What …  The view across the Yarra River to the Melbourne skyline was the vistas I had to gaze at during today’s Visit Britain media briefing at The Langham on Melbourne’s South Bank. Visit The Langham Melbourne website …Continue reading “Melbourne’s Langham …”

Shades of green …

I HAVE never seen so many shades of green. The bucolic vista filling my window has more tones than the green portion of a paint chart, with every hue from emerald and jade to mint, khaki and lime combining in a scene that deserves to be captured in a whimsical watercolour. I’m so close toContinue reading “Shades of green …”

Capital of contradiction …

IN Japan the locals I meet are reluctant to talk about private matters such as marital status and offspring yet they’re completely at ease getting naked to soak in a pool of scalding spring water with assorted associates and neighbours. This is a land where it’s considered rude to chatter on a mobile phone whileContinue reading “Capital of contradiction …”

Roll up for penguin parade …

PAULA Wasiak is ready to work so she pulls on a grey glove that covers her arm almost to her shoulder, settles into the long grass, and reaches into a burrow below a leafy green shrub. It seems like a precarious activity on a hot Victorian day, when slithering creatures tend to linger just outContinue reading “Roll up for penguin parade …”

Emperor’s silent protectors …

WHEN I was growing up, there were two miniature terracotta warriors standing on the chest of drawers in my parents’ bedroom. Mum bought the tiny statues – not much larger than a TV remote control – when she took my brother and I to see an exhibition of ancient Chinese artefacts touring Melbourne in theContinue reading “Emperor’s silent protectors …”

Small town esprit de corps …

MELBOURNE is awash with significant streets. Metropolitan avenues boasting swanky restaurants and quirky cafes, trendy bars and hip boutiques, and a swag of shops selling everything from the sophisticated to the shabby chic are dotted around the Victorian capital’s busy urban neighbourhoods. There’s Acland Street in St Kilda and Clarendon Street in South Melbourne, Prahran’sContinue reading “Small town esprit de corps …”

Karrat Fjord …

Where …  Karrat Fjord, on Greenland’s west coast When …  August 22, 2012 What … Baby icebergs, that have just been calved from glaciers inside the Arctic Circle, float in the still water of Karrat Fjord before making their way into the Davis Strait and eventually south to the Atlantic Ocean. Visit the official GreenlandContinue reading “Karrat Fjord …”

Badminton and bells …

→ Sightseeing and people watching in China’s biggest city … IT is only when someone starts reciting facts and figures that I begin to comprehend how vast Chinese cities are. Take the prosperous metropolis of Chongqing, which is roughly halfway between Shanghai and the Tibetan capital of Lhasa on the Yangtze River. I can tellContinue reading “Badminton and bells …”

Wet-season Darwin …

Where …  Darwin Harbour When …  Saturday, November 29, 2014 What …  Whispy wet-season clouds gather over Darwin Harbour, with this early-evening photo snapped from Stokes Hill Wharf which was the site of devastation after the first Japanese raid on the top-end city in 1941. Visit the official NT Tourism website … posted Saturday, NovemberContinue reading “Wet-season Darwin …”

Darwin’s waterfront …

Where …  My room at the Adina Hotel on the Darwin Waterfront When …  Thursday, November 27, 2014 What …  The view across Darwin’s wave pool to historic Stokes Wharf, which was the scene of such devastation when the first Japanese bombs fell on Darwin during the Second World War, to the gathering clouds ofContinue reading “Darwin’s waterfront …”

Darwin’s waterfront digs …

→ An apartment hotel on Darwin’s waterfront offers a comfortable place to stay in Australia’s steamy Top End … WHEN it comes to location, travellers can’t go past the Adina Apartment Hotel Darwin Waterfront. The apartment hotel sits between the city’s CBD and Stokes Hill Wharf, beside a wave pool and close to the protectedContinue reading “Darwin’s waterfront digs …”

Bay of Many Coves …

Where …  Bay of Many Coves, New Zealand When …  Friday, November 20, 2014 What …  The view from the sitting room in my suite at the Bay of Many Coves Lodge, sitting in a quiet corner of Queen Charlotte Sound at the top of New Zealand’s South Island, as day descends into evening. VisitContinue reading “Bay of Many Coves …”

Queen Charlotte Sound …

Where …  Queen Charlotte Sound, the water feature crowning New Zealand’s South Island. When …  Saturday, November 22, 2014. What …  The wild water of Queen Charlotte Sounds disappears behind the Interislander ferry Kaitaki as it cruises from Picton To Wellington across the Cook Strait on a stormy New Zealand afternoon. Visit the Interislander websiteContinue reading “Queen Charlotte Sound …”

Montreal charm in Christchurch …

→ The recovering city welcomes a stylish new hotel … THE Hotel Montreal, which sits in Montreal Street on one side of Cramner Square, is the newest luxury hotel to open in central Christchurch. The 27-room property joins the nearby Hotel George as the only two five-star hotels in the South Island city which isContinue reading “Montreal charm in Christchurch …”

Coastal Pacific …

  Where …  The coast between Kaikoura and Blenheim When …  Friday, November 21, 2014 What …  The view from my window seat on the Coastal Explorer, the scenic train that runs between Christchurch and Picton on New Zealand’s South Island, as we follow the coast around a bay on the north side of Kaikoura.Continue reading “Coastal Pacific …”

Akaroa​ Harbour …

Where …  Akaroa Harbour, New Zealand When …  Tuesday, November 18, 2014 What …  A volcanic eruption that happened six million years created Akaroa Harbour, by blowing the side of the caldera and letting the water in to create the bay, with the steep slopes behind the town reminding all of this pretty destination’s violentContinue reading “Akaroa​ Harbour …”

Woolamai Beach …

Where …  Flying above Victoria’s Phillip Island. When …  Wednesday, November 12, 2014 at 10.13am. What …  Looking down at Bass Strait breakers crashing against Woolamai Beach, on Phillip Island’s rugged southern shore, while taking a spin aloft with Phillip Island Helicopters. Visit the Phillip Island website … posted November 14, 2014 Posted with BlogsyContinue reading “Woolamai Beach …”

Tradition rules …

→ There are hidden enclaves within the burgeoning city limits of China’s capital that are still hanging to an ancient way of life … I AM standing in the middle of a city that has a population greater than Australia’s. Yes, that’s right, every Australian – and almost every New Zealander – could fit withinContinue reading “Tradition rules …”

Imperial War Museum …

ON this day, 100 years ago, the first shots of the Great War had already been fired. German soldiers had crossed the Belgian and French borders to occupy settlements from Brussels to Bapaume, ships and submarines from fleets on both sides of the conflict were sitting on the sea bed, and the first Australians hadContinue reading “Imperial War Museum …”