Month: October 2013
ZB Travel – Papeete. Oct 26
Tahiti is regarded as an ultra-pricey Pacific destination. Is the perception well-founded? Well, if you’re looking for the bargain basement bolt hole of the South Pacific, you’ve come to the wrong place. In fact, on the cost of living index, Tahiti is the third most expensive place on the planet, after Japan and Switzerland. The… Read More ›
The Press-News column Oct 22
Visitor Tax full of bed bugs. I’m a little surprised that the great helmsman of Canterbury Tourism, Tim Hunter, is open to visitors being clobbered with a tourist tax, or bed tax, in a bid to help the city council assume ownership of the glittering new convention centre. The government has magnanimously committed to fully funding the… Read More ›
ZB Travel – Great Ocean Road.
This panoramic touring route was built by World War One veterans, right? Indeed. Originally, it was just a dusty narrow coastal track, but after the Great War, all manner of public works projects were commissioned to help Australia get through the tough economic times. And thousands of returning soldiers couldn’t find work. So, they were… Read More ›
The Press-News column Oct 15
Christchurch Council election results. The Garden City has just experienced its own, albeit orderly, version of the Arab Spring. Hurricane Broomstick has blasted through the city, spring-cleaning the council decks, wiping out the entrails of the A Team, re-setting the political pendulum and installing a radically different regime of representatives. When was the last time… Read More ›
ZB Travel – Macau Oct 12
Macau is easily reached from Hong Kong, right? Super easy. If you are Europe bound and dropping into Hong Kong, Macau is like a stopover within a stopover. Handily located less than an hour away by fast ferry, you can even get direct ferries to Macau from Hong Kong Airport. When did the Portuguese rock… Read More ›
The Press-News column Oct 8.
Election crystal-ball in Christchurch. I’ve been busy sizing up the local body election talent, in much the same way that undertakers look at old people. Invited to host a variety of well-attended candidates meetings, I’ve seen the best and worst of the hustlers on the hustings. But why is it that council elections are the… Read More ›
ZB Travel – Victoria Goldfields
Mike’s notes on Victoria’s Goldfields, from Newstalk ZB’s Jack Tame Show. How close to Melbourne is Goldfields country? Over the hills and not that far away. In fact, from Melbourne Airport, head west through the rolling pastoral countryside, and you’ll be in goldfields country in one hour. Born in the romance and turmoil of the… Read More ›
The Press-News column Oct 1
Drink-drive limit debate. As the police pile the pressure on the government to lower New Zealand’s drink-drive limit, Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee has retaliated in vintage form, essentially telling the police to butt out. Brownlee has brusquely reminded the police brass that their job is to enforce the law, not decide what the law should… Read More ›
Mike Yardley News and Travel 