Published in A Maverick Traveller·4 days agoMember-onlyDublin, Part 2A long struggle to escape the past — AFTER Trinity and Georgian Dublin, you might wander south toward St Stephen’s Green, a comparatively new park by Dublin standards, formed in 1880 from a much older patch of commons. On my way to St Stephen’s Green, I came across this pink beauty parlour, which rather caught my fancy!Ireland12 min readIreland12 min read
Published in A Maverick Traveller·Mar 17Member-onlyDublin, Old and NewA colonial city that became the capital of a nation — AFTER Cork and Blarney Castle, I headed for Dublin, the capital of the Irish Republic and, before independence and partition a hundred years ago, the traditional capital of all Ireland. Like all of Ireland’s major cities, Dublin is on the coast. It sits at the mouth of a river called…Dublin11 min readDublin11 min read
Published in A Maverick Traveller·Mar 10Manchester, Cambridge, and Camden TownA journey through three different urban areas in England: from the cradle of the Industrial Revolution, through an old university town, to the cradle of the punks. — AFTER Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, I travelled south through Manchester and Cambridge to Camden Town in London before departing for the Irish city of Cork. This post is about that journey. Manchester: The Most Victorian City When I arrived in Manchester, it was decked out for the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.England9 min readEngland9 min read
Published in A Maverick Traveller·Mar 3The Rebel County: Cork and Blarney CastleIn a fabled region of the southwest, I began a short tour of the Irish Republic — AFTER touring Great Britain, I flew from London to Cork, the capital of a part of Ireland known as the Rebel County. The nickname partly descends from the Irish War of Independence, 1919–1922, during which Cork was devastated by the British.Ireland Travel11 min readIreland Travel11 min read
Published in A Maverick Traveller·Feb 24Member-onlyThe Historic Bay of IslandsBirthplace of Aotearoa New Zealand, and a holiday playground — ONE of my very first blog posts is called Cape Brett: Hiking to the Birthplace of Aotearoa. In it, I talk about how, by tradition, the oceangoing craft by which the Māori first settled Aotearoa New Zealand used to rendezvous at Cape Brett. …Maori10 min readMaori10 min read
Published in A Maverick Traveller·Feb 17Member-onlyLoch Lomond and the TrossachsThe most historic national park in Scotland — AFTER visiting the Outer Hebrides, I caught the ferry back to Skye, where I had parked my car, and drove to a town called Inveruglas on the banks of Loch Lomond. Loch Lomond is more than 30 km long and is the largest lake in Great Britain by surface area…Scottish7 min readScottish7 min read
Published in A Maverick Traveller·Feb 10Member-onlyHikurangi and the Tūtūkākā CoastTwo little towns north of Whangārei, New Zealand, are gateways to some of the best coastal experiences in the world — BETWEEN Auckland and Cape Rēinga, 320 km or 200 miles further northward, the North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand tapers into a subtropical peninsula known as Northland in English and, in Māori, Te Tai Tokerau, which means the north coast. In Māori lore the North Island is also likened, because…Northland9 min readNorthland9 min read
Published in A Maverick Traveller·Feb 3Member-onlyWhangārei Heads and the Te Whara TrackA wonderful wild peninsula right on the city’s doorstep — WHANGĀREI, the northernmost city in Aotearoa New Zealand, lies at the heart of three coasts, the Tūtūkākā Coast, the Whangārei Heads, and Bream Bay. Here is a map that I saw at the Whangārei iSite, on Otaika Road. There is an excellent PDF flier about Whangārei and the Whangārei Heads…New Zealand5 min readNew Zealand5 min read
Published in A Maverick Traveller·Jan 9Unseen Auckland (Part 2)My reveal of the Auckland Domain continues, and then I head for the magic of Parnell — This post carries on from Unseen Auckland. NEAR the Auckland Domain’s duck pond, there is a small monument, erected in 1967 to commemorate one hundred years of the efforts of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society, which ran part of the Domain from 1867 until partway through the 1880s. The Acclimatisation Society…New Zealand14 min readNew Zealand14 min read
Published in A Maverick Traveller·Jan 6Unseen AucklandSome inner-city attractions you may not know about, even if you have lived there for years. (The first instalment of a two-part post.) — AUCKLAND is the largest city in Aotearoa New Zealand, and also the most heavily criticised. It has grown massively in the age of the automobile, from about 330,000 in the early 1950s to 1.7 million today. Most of this new growth…New Zealand7 min readNew Zealand7 min read
