I could wait until once the Covid-19 lockdown has finished to publish this article, but the dream of travel is something I’m all about right now. If nobody on Planet Earth can holiday at this precise moment in history – and realistically, nobody can – we shouldn’t deny ourselves the pleasure of a bit of…
Kenny Rogers Dies Aged 81 – Half A Dozen Unbelievable Songs The Bee Gees Wrote For Him
It’s a testament to how a big a deal Kenny Rogers is that his death yesterday at the age of 81 has successfully snuck its way through all the Coronavirus-related headlines. And Kenny Rogers was – for over 50-years – a very, very big deal. This is a man who sold over 100-million records, who…
Forget Bradley Cooper, Here’s Who Should Play Barry Gibb In The Upcoming Bee Gees Biopic
OK, forgive me the headline because truth be told, if the rumours are correct and Bradley Cooper does end up playing Barry Gibb in the upcoming movie about the Bee Gees, I’ll be more than happy. He’s got the acting chops, looks and musical sensibilities, not to mention the necessary Gibb-like hirsuteness and Gibb-like tan-ability….
Road-Tripping New Zealand’s Pacific Coast Highway In A Luxury Motorhome – My Top 50 Papamoa To Gisborne Photos
It’s one year since my wife and I baby-mooned up a storm while driving roughly 600-kilometres in a Mighway Motorhome from Papamoa to Gisborne and back again. We took what’s known as the “Pacific Coast Highway” for leg one, before taking the more direct route through the Waioeka Gorge for the return leg home. Both…
Gig Review: A Remarkable, Ageless Gladys Knight At The Civic, Auckland
2 days on and I stand by my initial take on Gladys Knight live in the year 2020: there isn’t a greater soul singer alive, and nor is there a pop star I’ve seen in my 30 years of gig-going capable of a more flawless in-concert vocal performance. The fact all of this is delivered by someone aged…
USA For Africa: When Lindsey Buckingham Bumped Into Michael Jackson In The Bathroom
USA For Africa. It’s 35 years today since USA For Africa’s We Are The World was recorded. The perennially cool Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac) was part of the all-star chorus and I remember him telling me that one of his defining memories of that day was bumping into Michael Jackson in the bathroom. For the…
How The Bee Gees Got Me My Start In Radio (& Other Cracking Yarns) – Being Interviewed On Newstalk ZB’s ‘Real Life’
Last month I was interviewed on the Newstalk ZB show ‘Real Life With John Cowan’ where I got to indulge in my multiple obsessions with things like cricket, Malaysia and the Bee Gees. Specifically, how a childhood in Malaysia still shapes me as an adult, how cricket was crucial in making me love New Zealand, and how…
Don’t Know Where To Stay In Fiji? Check Out The Shangri-La’s $50m Refurb – My NZ Herald Review
Last week the NZ Herald published my ‘Room Check’ article about one of the oldest and largest luxury resorts in the South Pacific, Shangri-la’s Fijian Resort & Spa on the Coral Coast. Fresh from a US $50m refurb, the property – as located on its own causeway-linked private island – has everything from stunning white…
Riley Roxy’s First Trip Away! Cambridge’s Stunning Henley Hotel
Less than two-hours from Auckland lies a mansion in gorgeous Secret Garden-like surrounds with no less than six different locations you could choose for your wedding day. Or you could be like us and be in search of your first trip away as new parents and want somewhere awesome and special but also easy – oh…
A 5-Star Eco-Resort In Untouched Malaysian Jungle – Japamala On Tioman Island
I’ve lost count, but I’m pretty certain it’s rained all but three or four days in the past six weeks in Auckland. As the final month of an admittedly mild, but oh-so-wet winter limped to its depressing, soggy end, my mind’s been drifting back to the tropics and my favourite island in the world. Malaysia’s Tioman Island lies…
Flying A 600m Zip-Line Through Pristine New Zealand Rainforest – Rotorua Canopy Tours’ Latest Attraction
To be consistently ranked the number one outdoor activity in a city famous for exactly that is no mean feat. It’s even more impressive when you consider this is one of the most-touristed areas of one of the most bucket-list worthy destinations on the planet. So yes, it’s a big congratulations to Rotorua Canopy Tours…
See Inside The Top Suite At The Chateau Tongariro, + The Stunning Walks Surrounding The Hotel
There aren’t too many countries where you could quite safely and without too much debate name the absolute most famous hotel. Which is not to say there wouldn’t be some serious contenders. Perhaps the Ritz in London, maybe something like the Chateau Marmont in LA and certainly the Raffles in Singapore. But for every Ritz and Chateau Marmont…