Anzac Day - Looking Back in New Zealand History

Anzac Day is remembered on the 25^th April each year as the anniversary of the landing of New Zealand and Australian soldiers on the Gallipoli Peninsula in 1915. This was situated in what is now Turkey. For eight months, these troops fought valiantly alongside soldiers from other countries before being evacuated from the area in December 1915.

By the time the campaign ended, more than 130,000 men had died including 2779 New Zealanders, 

Te Papa Museum in Wellington is currently running an exhibition by the name of Gallipoli: The Scale of our War. This is an incredible journey as seen through the lives of eight New Zealanders. Amazing life-like models that are 2.4 times the size of a man dominate the exhibition and the story is told through displays, audio and video as well as recreations of the trenches and latrines. It's a deeply moving experience.

Exploring Apia in Samoa

Palm trees, beautiful beaches and lovely island girls! Stereotypical but a true reflection of the Samoan islands. Apia is the capital of Samoa and is situated on the second largest island – Upolu. Although not geared to tourism as much as some nations, it has plenty to offer.  Lovely tropical weather, snorkelling, colourful local markets and beautiful scenery. The islanders are very welcoming and friendly and taxi drivers are good tour guides. Be warned that the taxis do not have meters and it’s best to negotiate a price and time frame up front. Apia has a population of approximately 37,000.

Bus in Apia central

Supermarket in Apia

Local Market

Pool at Traveller's Point Hotel

Beaches

Beautiful unspoilt beaches

View across the runway

Churches abound in Samoa

10 Odd Facts about Buenos Aires

On a recent trip to Buenos Aires, a number of things stood out to me. Here they are!

1) The city has a strong European influence.

2) Many of the beautiful old buildings are dirty and need restoration.

3) Air-conditioning units abound and drip water over unsuspecting pedestrians.

4) In many areas, paving stones are uneven, loose or missing.

5) Graffiti is scrawled on every surface imaginable.

6) A local version of buying freshly squeezed juice!

7) Dog walkers abound and I saw a group of them in a park without about 20 dogs between them.

8) I came away with a new concept of what a cemetery is.

9) The infrastructure is there but badly neglected. Think faded road paint, crumbling curbs, rail tracks overgrown with grass, marble monuments with weeds growing out of them.




10) There is litter everywhere!

Earthquake Tourism in Christchurch

I spent today observing Christchurch through tourist eyes - the earthquake damage, the rebuild, and also the artistic efforts to beautify a city in transition.

The tour took an hour and from the perspective of a double decker bus, the view was quite different to the one I'm accustomed to. I could see over walls and was eye to eye with the first floors of some buildings. The guide pointed out the ruined Christchurch Cathedral and explained how many buildings collapsed on the 22nd February 2011. The city centre is a mixture of new buildings, wide open spaces where structures have been demolished, and a large number of cordoned-off ruins. Many spaces have temporary "gap-fillers" which have been put in place to attract people into the CBD and also to add charm to the city.

Hassle-Free Tours operate the above and their guide was informative and engaged well with their passengers.

The Restart Mall

                                                                       The trams still run in the city centre

                                                   New Regent Street has been restored and the shops are open

                                                                   Christchurch Cathedral is still in ruins

                                                                          The Catholic Basilica is also ruined

                             185 white chairs stand  as a memorial to the 185 people who died in the earthquake

                                             The yellow sandy area is the site of the CTV building that collapsed in seconds