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19

Jun

A Dog’s Tale of
Travel Adventure

by Joyce McGreevy on June 19, 2018

Mount Ruapehu, overlooking Ohakune, is the scene of many New Zealand travel adventures. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Halfway between Auckland and Wellington, Mt. Ruapehu is
the center point of New Zealand’s North Island.
© Joyce McGreevy

Lost and Found in
Ohakune, New Zealand

This is the tale of a little toy dog, a New Zealand forest, and the power of Kiwi kindness.

Once, a Traveler took a journey through New Zealand. While traveling south by train, she visited Ohakune.

Why Ohakune? asked a man from A Big City. The Traveler wasn’t sure. She only knew it would break up the 12-hour rail journey.

It’s the wrong season, said City Man. Ohakune is a ski town. Do you ski?  Read more...

 

Adventure Travel/Cultural Encounters/Life Lessons/New Zealand

11

Jun

Ultimate Paris Elegance: The Secret Dinner in White

by Meredith Mullins on June 11, 2018

Four happy Dîner en Blanc guests at the table, enjoying the cultural traditions of the Dinner in White in Paris. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

How do you keep a party of 17,000 secret?
© Meredith Mullins

Cultural Traditions of Dîner en Blanc

To the north, the Grand Palais glows in the twilight. To the south, the golden dome of Invalides dominates the sky. To the west, the Eiffel Tower peeks out above the trees. And, in a 360-degree panorama, everywhere there is a sea of white elegance.

Where are we?

We’re at the 2018 Paris Dîner en Blanc.  Read more...

 

Cultural Heritage & Traditions/France (Paris)

29

May

Walking New Zealand

by Joyce McGreevy on May 29, 2018

Glenorchy Pier prompts a visitor to New Zealand to consider the wordplay of pathways. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Glenorchy in New Zealand’s South Island is a gateway to many spectacular hiking trails. 
© Joyce McGreevy

The Wordplay of Pathways

Everyday English reflects the wordplay of pathways. We speak of “getting off track,” or taking “the path of least resistance.” We express disappointment as being “led up the primrose path.” We tell new friends, “I’m glad our paths crossed.”

Glenorchy’s wooden pathway lets walkers of all abilities explore New Zealand on foot. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Glenorchy’s boardwalk takes birdwatchers into the wetlands. 
© Joyce McGreevy

In New Zealand, a walker’s paradise, pathways crisscross language and the land like skeins of light.  Ancestors of the Maori walked the entirety of the country naming landforms and waterways. Today, walking is the Kiwi way, from short local bush walks to the 1,900-mile Te Araroa (“Long Pathway”).  Read more...

 

Language & Culture/Nature Discovery/New Zealand/On Foot

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