In November, it’s “dog weather” in the French capital. — It rains a lot in Paris in November. Not the gentle spring rains that make this city seem so romantic. No, for this foul weather, the French don’t mince their metaphors: Il pleut des hallebardes/cordes — “it’s raining spears/ropes” (we would say, “It’s raining cats and dogs”). Pleuvoir comme vache…

We too were charmed by this jewel of the Normandy coast —

The streets of Paris are full of surprises — A message of love and beauty filled a crack in the pavement. I almost tripped over it. This was in central Paris, near the Opera Garnier. I watched for a while as other pedestrians stepped right over the brightly patterned tile mosaic on the sidewalk, unaware of what they were…

Signposts to New Zealand’s future — How the heck did we ever get back to Auckland? Oh, sure, you could say it was a five-hour drive from Taranaki, that’s how we got here. But that’s not what I mean. I mean, how did three months pass during which we drove from the north end of New…

The riddle of the homonymous bird, fruit and people of New Zealand — Which kiwi came first? The fruit (egg-shaped, fuzzy, brown on the outside and green on the inside), the bird (flightless, brown and feisty) or the people? (friendly, well-traveled, and available in many colors). The answer will surprise you, so please take a guess before the big reveal!

There may be more than one ghost in Larnach Castle — As Teresa and I entered Constance’s bedroom on the second floor of Larnach Castle, our eyes were immediately drawn to the ceiling, where a woman with dark hair and bluish skin hovered in the air, wearing nothing but her Victorian-era undergarments… From time to time as we traveled New Zealand…

…My new book is popular throughout the galaxy — Although I’ve written eleven books, and have flogged them at festivals and book fairs for thirty-three years, I have never before made it to Frankfurt for the biggest book festival in the world. This year, however, I happened to be in Paris in October, and told my publisher I would…

Wellington’s innovative Te Papa Museum — Lambdon Quay, in the heart of Wellington, is an odd name for a street that is 250 meters from the water’s edge. A quay is a dock area. It’s supposed to be on the shoreline. But in 1855 an massive earthquake uplifted the land beneath New Zealand’s new capital city…

The Highlight of New Zealand’s Wild West Coast. — One of the best things about being a flâneur — a person dedicated to slow travel — is that you give yourself permission to take the road less travelled, the road that leads to who knows where? The typical route down New Zealand’s South Island follows the east coast along…