2021-06-29 19:51
Dear readers, Covid, lack of travel, and few opportunities to publish in print, means it’s time to hang up my travel writing pen. Although I wanted to be a writer as a child, I had no… Read More
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Heather Hapeta: real travel, real adventures, real stories, real photos
2021-06-18 00:28
The time has come for me to hang up my blogging pen and camera. With Covid-19 ruling the roost and very little or no international travel on the horizion, I’ve decided to stop blogging… Read More
2021-04-06 21:28
If so, where to? I wonder if I will ever again have a year like this letter home wrote about! Is there anything here you would like to do? Or would never do? Dear family and friends, over th… Read More
2021-01-14 19:57
During the school, summer holidays Christchurch was invaded by penguins. Each was designed by local artists, and numerous schools, to be displayed throughout the city as a pop-up pengu… Read More
2020-12-13 23:04
Cooking at Xmas can be an issue – especially if you are cooking for friends and family who don’t use alcohol. Alcohol Burn-off Chart: The following chart data comes from the U.S… Read More
2020-11-26 21:03
how to make your travel blog sing? Here are a few tips to help. It often helps to make a basic outline before you start writing. Talk to locals. How else will you learn about the place… Read More
2020-11-23 22:20
So you want to be a travel writer, you want some tips? Okay, first of all, after teaching travel writing over many years I can tell you most people never get published – sad but true… Read More
2020-11-16 20:15
If you want or need photos I’m now selling them on Picfair so, if you want to check them out use the link above (https://kiwitravwriter.picfair.com) I will be adding a couple of photos… Read More
2020-11-03 22:27
2020-10-24 18:56
Adding more photos as I continue to test my laptop and WordPress Read More
2020-10-23 23:49
I’ve been having problems with WP on my laptop … tells me I dont have the authority to post things. Hence the strange one photo blog which you got notified about as a “tes… Read More
2020-08-24 23:07
While searching for a document I found this email summary of 1999 which I’d sent as a Christmas letter. What a privileged life I’ve led, one I value and treasure it&r&hell…Read More
2020-06-25 21:24
Kia ora and welcome home fellow Kiwi – especially you Covid-19 refugees. Things have changed while you have been away, so thought I could help you get up to speed in our post-Covid liv… Read More
2020-05-31 22:56
In this time of Covid-19 (coronavirus) and racism and riots in the United States, it sometimes feels the world is going mad and we’re powerless to stop it. Only one thing is… Read More
2020-05-23 21:24
Scientific discovery and hands-on experimentation take centre stage at the state-of-the-art Rutherford’s Den in the Arts Centre, Christchurch, where New Zealand scientist Ernest, Lord… Read More
2020-05-09 20:38
“I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.” ― Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest I feel the same wa… Read More
2020-05-09 07:56
When will you start travelling once we have COVID-19 under control or at least contained? Check out the map below-the world is a huge place. If you’re a kiwi you’ll soon be… Read More
2020-05-04 19:06
The Yangtze is the lifeblood of China; a vital artery from the glaciers of the Tibetan Plateau to the spectacular East China Sea. It weaves among fertile agricultural lands, through to… Read More
2020-04-27 05:32
What can I say, there is no doubt I am a lockdown failure. I’d originally planned to do heaps of things during this time of being alone in my apartment. Here are… Read More
2020-04-10 20:12
Are people who do it ‘control freaks’ or are they just susceptible to the marketing practices of funeral directors or insurance companies? Do what? Arrange their own funeral, tha… Read More
2020-04-07 20:06
Do you travel with others or alone? What are the pros and cons? And once this virus is under ‘control’ how will you travel? Alone or with others? Which do you prefer – on a… Read More
2020-04-03 22:06
Despite coronavirus in cities and countries being locked down, I refuse to be locked in – just as all my ancestors did in the mid-1800s – fleeing Scottish clearances, Cornish tin… Read More
2020-03-23 02:41
What to do, what to do! How can I be a travel writer and stay at home? What will you do? (NZ goes into shutdown in 2 days) Well, the first few days in, and all is well. In fact, I have… Read More
2020-03-03 04:41
I’m passing thru Whanganui in a couple of days – heading further north – and we will stop to stretch our legs and have lunch. Here are some notes about the lovely little ci… Read More
2020-02-24 19:45
A circus in Siem Reap? Absolutely! And, it’s become one of the city’s biggest attractions – and has a positive social impact. Siem Reap, Cambodia, of course, has the… Read More
2020-02-14 21:22
Just marking the occasion 💞🤗😎😀🤩 Read More
2020-02-11 22:21
When travelling, it’s always great when plans come to fruition. At our arranged meeting point I meet my friend whose LAX flight arrived 20 minutes before my New Zealand one. &nbs&hell…Read More
2020-02-03 19:49
‘Rats? I’m in Cambodia for the first time and you want me to go see rats?’ Reluctantly, dubiously, my friend gets into the tuk-tuk – we’re of… Read More
2020-01-31 20:27
Been searching – on some old CDs – of old pics taken and these took my fancy for no particular reason – except for the Peackok Fountain photo which I think is my best one o… Read More
2020-01-30 20:42
Looking through some old photos I came across these and like them … very evocative of Te Waipounamu, Aotearoa, so thought I post them along with a link to a blog about the only… Read More
2020-01-15 21:40
Intimidated by the fast one-way traffic in Chang Mai, (Northern Thailand) I ask a Canadian “How on earth do you cross the road? These drivers are crazy.” “No, they&r&hell…Read More
2019-12-03 21:14
Food is an important element to travel – it’s heaven for some – hell for others. I love the new, the different, the local delicacies, while others want to mostly, or even o… Read More
2019-11-25 18:20
PHOTO attribution: CathedralSquare 2402 By Gabriel Flickr Cathedral Square It’s some eight or nine years ago that Fodor commissioned me to write about my city – back then we loca… Read More
2019-11-21 22:44
It’s not often I get to bird watch in the centre of the city – of course, Christchurch has the Avon River which attracts native and introduced ducks and other birds, but these li… Read More
2019-11-17 03:18
Reposting https://kiwitravelwritertalksfoodtravelandtips.com/2016/03/22/is-there-an-elephant-in-the-room-christchurch-new-zealand/ Read More
2019-10-24 04:55
Boats pushing a shoving to get the best spot, despite it being a world heritage spot this trip was too crowded for me – most others loved it. Read More
2019-10-07 21:30
I could tell you a great big lie about why I have massages when I’m travelling. I could say it’s for research, or I could say it so I can write a blog, but neither of them… Read More
2019-10-01 23:30
I’ve been working with Amazon (thanks for your help and support to do this) and can now announce all these ebooks are now free. Reviews welcomed – 🙂 … Read More
2019-10-01 03:35
An unexpected road trip, with 2 local Taiwanese women, ended at a lantern village that, surprisingly, had rail tracks running through the middle of the settlement. Here, dail… Read More
2019-09-09 23:39
Borneo – the land of hornbills, head-hunters, orang-utans and ‘where adventure lives’ according to many travel brochures: it could also be called the land of paradoxes. For… Read More
2019-08-25 02:40
It’s 2 weeks since I flew out of Hong Kong. I’d been travelling for 5 weeks around the region, (Taiwan, Vietnam, and Cambodia) and, despite all the warnings about get… Read More
2019-08-20 23:28
Here are just some of the stories I will be blogging about over the next few months – these are about my recent 5 weeks travelling in Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Taiwan, but ther… Read More
2019-08-10 09:19
I’m not sure where the “thugs” some local and Mainland Chinese officials are talking about. There are certainly not here at the airport today(10th August 2019 11am. This is… Read More
2019-07-25 07:29
How do you decide who to follow on Instagram or other such media? When I have someone follow me, and Instagram suggests I follow them back, I have a quick look at their photos and almost ins… Read More
2019-07-09 07:03
How do you make contact with locals? Or maybe you prefer not to, or don’t care? I first noticed the use of mobile phones separating people from the places they were travelling in on a… Read More
2019-07-04 19:14
Packing for both business and pleasure is often seen as difficult – I solve the problem by using different packing cells for the 2 different parts. One for business, one for lei… Read More
2019-07-02 21:28
An umbrella lowers my temperature as I struggled up a hill in Cambodia. People struggling with the heatwaves in Europe right now would benefit from an umbrella too. Here is an excerpt… Read More
2019-07-01 01:02
My Monday morning walk today became less walk and more cultural and coffee as the temps are low! We visit the Academy of Fine Arts on the waterfront and Wellington’s Civic Gallery as w… Read More
2019-06-28 02:31
How to run away from home & reinvent yourself by travelling: a personal recipe Start as a child with a love of reading. For me, this involved hiding under the blankets reading of f… Read More
2019-06-23 21:33
Many of my peers are afraid of electric scooters on our city streets – or rather, the footpaths. As someone who lives in the inner city, in fact, at the top of Cuba Street, Welli… Read More
2019-06-17 22:41
Are you a slow traveller? What is slow travel? I’m sure it means different things to different people. For me, slow travel means pacing my travel, not having every mom… Read More
2019-06-15 20:06
How can I take better photos you ask? Composition is everything, so use your camera settings to display the grid lines – remember the rule of thirds and focus the subject on one… Read More
2019-06-13 21:11
I sent this letter to the NZ Rugby Union Board 24th April 2019. The topic line said to the Rugby Union “Please forward to the Board Chair (Brent) and Crusaders (Grant) and all board me… Read More
2019-04-22 02:13
Only weeks away from 5 weeks of travel in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Cambodia, this morning saw me laughing at myself as I walked back home from my local Asian supermarket with a small b… Read More
2019-03-25 03:57
Today our regular U3A Monday morning walk continued on the terrorism and grief path when we visited a wall of love at Victoria University. these photos are in order of being taken, the… Read More
2019-03-22 00:32
The #worldsweakestman #cowardly #whiteSupremacist kills fifty innocent people -these 50 in New Zealand (pop. 4,792,409) are the equivalent about 3500 people dying in a country with the popul… Read More
2019-03-18 02:49
Terrorism will not defeat New Zealanders – we Kiwi will resist it all. Proud of our Prime Minister, Jacinda Adern, this speech will become the benchmark for other leaders to follow &nd&hell…Read More
2019-03-11 04:18
The Classic Villa has five stars, is eco-friendly and this historic, beautiful, bright pink villa has lived many lives! Starting in 1897 – just 4 years after all New Zealand women won… Read More
2019-03-04 20:07
We, a U3A social walking group took a bus up to Victoria University and then headed downhill via some city tracks. I believe the dog sign says ‘have a great day’. Read More
2019-02-21 23:53
The world’s largest celebration of Māori traditional performing arts is in the capital. Held every two years, Te Matatini is a whānau-friendly, alcohol-free and smo… Read More
2019-02-18 21:14
Every Monday I join a U3A group ( University of the third age) for a walk in Wellington. Sometimes we bus to one of the outer suburbs or beaches but often we prefer to wander the inner city… Read More
2019-02-15 20:20
Christchurch Art Gallery is a must-visit in Christchurch! Of course, I could be accused of being prejudiced – I lived opposite the gallery as it was built, so heard and felt every… Read More
2019-02-14 22:00
It’s only a week away and I’ll be at Te Matatini: the 2 yearly, highly competitive, the Olympics of kapa haka festival – la creme de la creme from Aotearoa New Zealand&rsqu&hell…Read More
2019-02-05 19:46
What is Theyyam I was asked when I posted a video of dancers on Facebook recently, and why is it at night time? At its most basic, it is a ritual dance glorifying the mother Goddess an… Read More
2019-02-01 20:33
On a recent trip to Christchurch, I again visited the Travis Wetlands. when I was a child we just called it ‘the swamp’ where my maternal grandfather grazed his cows and then sol… Read More
2019-01-31 23:09
The power of Gandhi’s words – despite him apparently having feet of clay, at times, like us – can still inspire us to change the world by changing ourselves. Here are… Read More
2019-01-28 00:44
Originally posted on Kiwi Travel Writer talks food, travel, and tips: I’m reposting this with new photos after my summer holiday trip to Kaikoura earlier this month. Here are the new p… Read More
2019-01-27 21:03
Early January 2019 I went to Kaikoura on a camping holiday-road trip from Wellington, NZ. It was my first trip there post the 2016, 7.8 earthquake – here are a few of the hundred… Read More
2018-12-10 19:59
Christchurch Otautahi was shaken, not stirred by its quakes and New Zealand’s ‘Garden City’ earned itself a hipper nickname after the earthquake’s devastation and the… Read More
2018-12-07 04:26
The Classic Villa has five stars, is eco-friendly – and this beautiful bright pink villa has lived many lives! it’s also been awarded many awards. From the home of an early minis… Read More
2018-11-29 02:28
Coffee is apparently the most legally traded commodity in the world: The World Bank estimates there are some 500 million people who are involved with the coffee trade and I help support that… Read More
2018-11-20 19:47
. . . during holidays such as Christmas, Halloween or an anniversary Each year we hear of the pressure’s families feel during December – stress from overspending, unr… Read More
2018-11-07 03:37
Posting these photos as I visited the area (near Whanganui ) a few days ago. I’d not been here before. I was married by a minister of this, Māori, religion – it was su… Read More
2018-10-16 21:37
Last weeks Monday morning walk at the beach on Lyall Bay Wellington Read More
2018-09-26 03:19
Join me on a wander through parts of the botanic gardens – from native tree ferns to blossom to tulips – in New Zealand’s capital Wellington. Taken during my regular… Read More
2018-08-27 03:57
Some photos from today’s walk … many are funny signs that tickled my fancy! Hope you enjoy them too Read More
2018-08-20 23:06
Extract from Naked in Budapest: travels with a passionate nomad ‘Pssst! Want to change money? Opium? Marijuana?’ Women, standing on the steps of the 1901 building, mutter… Read More
2018-08-13 01:18
With New Zealand, and many other countries, reducing or banning the use of single use plastic bags I thought I’d photograph some of mine a hoping bags. I often get them as souvenirs wh… Read More
2018-08-01 22:33
How to be an ethical traveller is simple and your ethical choices will make a difference to the people you meet don’t slavishly follow a guidebook – when you do that you wil… Read More
2018-07-30 07:23
Caught a bus – using my free ‘gold card’ – and headed to a suburb that was originally settled by Greek fishermen and their families. Enjoy some photos from my walk wi… Read More
2018-07-17 02:56
Budapest is home to two million people and transport choices are confusing so I’m pleased an English guy who is at the same home-stay has shown me the way here. ‘Will we find our… Read More
2018-07-03 00:35
Enjoy my wanderings yesterday … my regular Monday morning walk … around my adopted city Read More
2018-06-28 20:01
With Mt Agung erupting again it seems appropriate to repeat the warming I was given when staying, for a month, on the lower slopes of the holy mountain some years ago, by reposting this. &ld&hell…Read More
2018-06-24 22:56
” ‘Why do you want to go to Zimbabwe?’ Even I thought it seemed a little silly, when I replied ,’Because I like the name.’ Zimbabwe sounded exotic and I just wa… Read More
2018-06-18 07:55
Last year I went to the Rain Forest World Music Festival in Kuching, Sarawak , Malaysian Borneo, for about the fourth time. My longtime friend, writer, and tour guide, Judy Shane, there for… Read More
2018-06-06 05:09
I’m in New Orléans for the first time – and I’m scared! Excerpt from Naked in Budapest : travels with a passionate nomad Over the past few days I’ve listened t… Read More
2018-05-28 22:49
Start as a child with a love of reading. For me this involved hiding under the blankets reading of far-away places that created a desire for travel: I was Anne Frank in her Amste… Read More
2018-05-21 22:56
Really busy right now so instead of words here is a photo-based blog of water from around the world – well not all over the world, just some that were already web-sized and still… Read More
2018-05-08 02:43
I wondered if the Taj was worth visiting – after all I’d been before. Yes, for me it was well worth visiting – but this remains my favourite photo from my first visit… Read More
2018-05-01 22:02
In India, architectural heritage is often linked to the major religions of the country: Buddhist stupas and monasteries; Hindu and Jain temples in many styles – many share struct… Read More
2018-04-24 23:34
When you travel to less developed countries, you might think that just by being there you’re helping give a better quality of life for the locals. Seems you, we, could be wrong… Read More
2018-04-17 23:52
The Kannur Beach House is a genuine homestay and owners Rosi and Nazir are your perfect homestay hosts: eating with their guests, at the communal long table, every morning and evening and wi… Read More
2018-04-11 00:31
‘Stir faster’ I’m told – it seems Indian cooking is not for sissies. Jacob, my tutor, said he’s not a good cook which didn’t sound promising… Read More
2018-04-03 01:44
Some people chase fire trucks, others follow typhoons to get the best photos, while war journalists or photographers, because of their job, are often in the most dangerous parts of the world… Read More
2018-03-27 04:07
Just some of the birds I enjoyed watching during my week at Kannur Beach House, with Thalassery Beach, a river, plus a brackish lagoon makes it ideal for birdwatchers Read More
2018-03-21 18:35
If you are wondering where to learn (hands-on not just watch) Indian cooking, I can recommend The Pimenta in Kerala, India. (Just over an hour inland from Cochin) and I will be blogging abou… Read More
2018-03-13 21:21
Are you a glass half-full, empty, or full-glass person when travelling? My glass is full all the time – although on occasional days, minutes, or hours I have had an empty glass i… Read More
2018-02-21 22:58
The 6th of February – Waitangi Day – is New Zealand’s most important national holiday and I have a hangi at the Wharewaka. It’s the day our founding docum… Read More
2018-02-14 03:05
These black and white photos are a few a took in New Delhi and Agra, India. Read More
2018-02-11 23:47
A Another lovely day for our (U3A) regular Monday morning walk. Enjoy these eclectic photos from today Read More
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