It is a good time to be be Sir Barry Gibb. 74 years old, his first ever solo number album in the UK, the oldest person to top the Australian album charts, gigantic billboards in New York’s Times Square, a highly-acclaimed big-screen documentary generating awards buzz, and a biopic in the works from the same…
The Ultimate Bay Of Plenty Beachside Escape – The 5-Star, Barn-Style Luxury Of Paradise Beach
There are some places you really like but you don’t really have any real inclination to go back to. And then there are places like Paradise Beach in Papamoa. But twice in eight months? Even that felt too long between stays because after our first Paradise Beach experience back in March 2020, my wife and…
The 1st Anniversary Of The Whakaari / White Island Eruption – 12 Haunting Aerial Photos Of The Island
Today marks the first anniversary of New Zealand’s Whakaari / White Island eruption that killed 22 people and injured a further 25. Though merely saying “injured” doesn’t accurately describe the horrors both physical and emotional that those who lived had to endure that day and in the 52 weeks that have followed. I was recently…
Barry Gibb Announces Album Of Superstar Country Duets & It Makes Perfect Sense
If you reacted with surprise to the news the Bee Gees are getting the A-list country treatment via a Nashville-recorded album of superstar collaborations, then rest assured you’re probably not alone. But further rest be assured, chances are you’re also unaware of the wondrous twists and turns inside that massive back catalogue of Barry, Robin…
Is This The Most Beautiful Place In New Zealand? My Top 40 Fiordland Photos + My Latest NZ Herald Article
A couple of weeks ago the New Zealand Herald published an article of mine about Milford Sound in Fiordland – a place so naturally beautiful that none other than Mr Jungle Book himself, literary giant Rudyard Kipling, once described it as the 8th wonder of the world. And I wasn’t about to argue with Rudyard….
The New Bee Gees Doco Trailer Has Landed & It Is Very, Very Awesome
The trailer for the brand new documentary about the Bee Gees – How Can You Mend A Broken Heart – has landed and it’s a doozie. It should be too because irrespective of the subject matter, the people behind the doco have one of the most eye-popping resumes in the industry with production credits on…
Cliff Richard Turns 80 – His 20 Most Underrated Songs
This month the biggest British solo act in the history of the UK singles charts turned 80. I have zero shame in admitting my appreciation for the man who’s had more UK top 20 hits – upwards of 130 – than anybody else and no less than 68 top 10 hits – second only to…
The Dark Horse Contender As The Bee Gees’ Most Romantic Song
September 1st marked the 74th birthday of a man who just may be the second most successful popular songwriter of all time after Paul McCartney. Sure, these things can be a little hard to quantify, but songwriter of 16 different US #1 hits, 10 different UK #1 hits, 21 different US or UK #1 hits…
The Best Of Sri Lanka In Just 8 Days – From Beaches & National Parks, To Luxury Hotels & Historic Sites
10,000-kilometres from home (10,851 to be exact) and there I was, playing cricket by the sea with a bunch of locals and in that moment, life couldn’t have been much better. In a Sri Lankan holiday that included everything from seeing elephants in the wild to cycling through tea plantations to exploring ancient cave temples,…
In Search Of Giants – Wild Adventures In The Jungles Of The Solomon Islands
Legends and myths thrive in the Solomon Islands, but perhaps none so captivating as the stories of giants who live deep within the jungles of Guadalcanal. So the rumours tell, a race of giants as tall as 10-15ft inhabit the mountainous forests of the island’s interior, only occasionally leaving their homes by the cover of…
Walking On Water – Langkawi’s 6-Star St Regis Hotel
This article was originally published in Let’s Travel Magazine in 2017 and is reprinted with kind permission. Please see letstravelmag.com for more.
The 5 Unmissable Must-Do’s Of South Taranaki – My Latest NZ Herald Feature
Last Sunday the New Zealand Herald published an article of mine about the awesomeness of Taranaki, specifically the sights of South Taranaki. While I may not have used the word “awesomeness” in the feature, I hopefully gave a sense of why this province – and in particular its less-visited southern district – is so rewarding….