This week I went back to work, so I’ve been slow to finish off the travel diaries from my recent trip! But better later than never, right? Copenhagen Be still my beating heart… As Denmark’s cool Capital city, Copenhagen is my idea of perfection; gorgeous and green, clean air, lovely old buildings, an effective transport…
Tag: nature
Travel Diaries: Cruising the Greek Islands
If you only have a short amount of travel time but want to explore some of the amazing Greek islands, then I highly recommend going on a cruise ship. Cruising makes it easier to access different islands without the hassle of flying and having to organise multiple connections and transfers. Along with my partner and…
Travel Diaries: Athens
Kalimera! Oh how I loved hearing this vivacious greeting each morning in beautiful Greece, where the food is divine, the weather wonderfully Mediterranean, and the people relaxed and laid-back. As we drove from the airport into the city of Athens, I couldn’t help but notice and the hills and abundance of olive and fruit trees. …
Travel Diaries: London
I recently came back from a holiday with lots of content and ideas in my head. I hope you don’t mind (bugger it, I’m going to do it anyway) but over the coming week you will see lots of travel writing in ‘Coffee and Career Chat’. Enjoy as you sip on your flat white or…
Today is World Suicide Prevention Day
Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. Today is about remembering those who have passed away. Today is about acknowledging the importance of connection. Today I remember my friend Heather. Heather was the type of person you couldn’t help but like. She was effervescent, engaging, kind, and pretty cool. The year was 2004 and we were…
Why did the chicken cross the road?
Why did the chicken cross the road? To help you reflect and ponder your existence. Okay… more on that later. Last Saturday I took my mum and partner to Ngā Tohu o Uenuku (Mangere Arts Centre) to see the fantastic new play Still Life with Chickens by Samoan writer D.F. Mamea. The slice-of-life story focuses on…
March Madness
The beginning of March is arguably the busiest time of the year… people are back (albeit reluctantly) at work, school kids are parading around in crisp new uniforms, uni students are frantically flocking to lectures, trains and buses are packing in people like sardines, and roads are clogged like a blocked drain. Yup, March Madness…
A ship named Pearl
Last year I blogged about my experience cruising through the Pacific Ocean. What I totally forgot about was the poem I wrote during my cruise and I stumbled across it today. I wrote a limerick containing 20(!) verses, all describing the cruise ship journey. It was amazing to see how easy and natural it…
Pacific pride in Aotearoa
As a child of Pacific heritage growing up in 1980s/90s New Zealand, I can honestly say that a diverse range of Pacific role-models was not obvious or well-known. High profile role models tended to come from the sporting arena; Michael Jones, Jimmy ‘Thunder’ Peau, Rita Fatialofa, Olo Brown, Ana Noovao, Pat Lam to name a…
Welcome back to work!
Today is my first day back at work, which also coincides with the predicted weather bomb set to hit New Zealand. When I peer outside the skies are a dull concrete colour and the rain is lashing the pavements. I notice people scuttling past with their umbrellas screaming as they bend in the wind. Cars…
Career Coffee Chats 