This museum is in an old warehouse which used to belong to Carlo Gatti, who became famous first as an ice importer then as an ice cream maker.
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East End London
The area around Whitechapel is where immigrants to London often settle, probably because it has traditionally been one of the cheaper (ie: slum) areas to live. We started walking at Aldgate, where the Roman road to Colchester passed through the city wall.
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Grand Union Canal
I’ve been on my first English bike ride today; along the tow path of the Grand Union Canal. I have been a bit ambivalent about buying a bike, because the roads around West Hampstead are very narrow and busy, which is not my idea of a great riding environment. So I decided to try hiring a “Boris bike”.
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Gower Peninsula, Wales
We’ve just returned from a couple of days in Wales, where we stayed with retired British GP Julian Tudor Hart, who died in 2018.
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Londinium
Being from New Zealand, where “old” means 100 years or so, it’s exciting to be in a city that dates back to before Christ. Today we decided to check out Roman ruins in the old city area.
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Woolwich Arsenal
Now I know why there is a football team known as the Gunners. The Woolwich Arsenal is where many of the British Empire’s weapons were manufactured, and what started as a factory football team is now one of the English premier league clubs.
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Greenwich
Felicity and I have spent a rather hot day exploring Greenwich, a part of London that I have not been to before.
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Mt Lion bike trip
The rumour Kerry had heard about a section of ridable trail along the ridge at the top of Mt Lion at Whangarei Heads is not untrue; it has even been newly metaled. The only problem is that it is barely 40 metres long, and you have to carry your bike up about 800 steps to get there.
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Busby Head and Smugglers Cove
Having seen the inviting track leading out towards Busby Head a couple of days before, I didn’t need much persuasion to return.
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Whanui Track
The old coach road down to Pataua is one of the finest pieces of continuous downhill single-track in the country.
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Centrepoint Nursery block cleared
Driving up Gill’s Rd earlier this week, I noticed all the trees on the old CP nursery block have been cut down.
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Maraetai to Beachlands cycleway
Kerry and Audrey decided to ride the coastal trail leading north from Maraetai this morning, and they invited me to tag along.
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Tamaki Drive and Orakei Basin
Having just finished his exams, Kerry was keen to go on a long ride on Friday. The weather looked a bit dodgy, so we thought it best to find somewhere with shelter nearby.
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Kimptons Track
Kimpton’s career as a road surveyor was presumably not a successful one.
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Manutewhau Track
Just before you turn off the North Western motorway at Westgate there is a bright yellow steel pedestrian bridge crossing from near the shopping centre.
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Clevedon Scenic Reserve
We’ve been exploring “one of Manukau’s most stunning reserves”, according to the Auckland City Council, with one of the few areas of intact native forest in the area.
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Mutukaroa Hamlins Hill
Felicity and I spent a couple of hours exploring a couple of Auckland’s lesser known volcanoes.
I’ve looked many times at the mown track that you see on the side of the hill just near the Mt Wellington motorway turnoff. Continue reading Mutukaroa Hamlins Hill
Drury Creek
There have been many occasions when I’ve crossed the Drury Creek on the southern motorway and thought it would be nice to kayak there. Today I got my wish.
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Hump Ridge Track
Tonight Felicity and I are staying in the Okaka Lodge, about 800m above the south coast of NZ, on the edge of Fiordland National Park. This isn’t your average tramping hut; we’ve shared a hot shower (which cost us $10) and purchased a bottle of wine to drink with our dinner. There are even 12v electric lights!
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Kaiwaka No2 Island
Tonight we are camping on an island in the middle of the Waikato river. Felicity is cooking steak for dinner, and the rest of us are getting our gear sorted before it gets dark.
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