Illume Festival: Coromandel Town’s Winter Celebration Of Light

New Zealand Experiences5 Comments

“We all have different taste in women!” the girl exclaimed. Of the three swimsuit lanterns we’d each chosen a different one as our favourite. From nearby we heard the band start up, and we went off to check out the live music, complete with swirling lasers and smoke machine. This was the Illume Festival of Light, when on two of the cold, long nights of winter, the normally quiet Coromandel Town came to life, with lights, lanterns, music, dancing and food.

The Rakaia River surrounded by vegetation, with farmland and mountains behind, seen from the Rakaia Gorge Walkway.

New Zealand Walks for Wimps: Rakaia Gorge Walkway

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High above the river, the narrow path snaked along the rim of the gorge. The turbulent waters far below were an improbable shade of milky aquamarine, having come straight from glaciers. Trees clung precariously to the steep side of the cliff I was on, while on the opposite bank they lined the winding river, providing a barrier to the bright green fields lined with vibrant yellow flowers.

The Rob Roy Glacier hanging off the mountain.

New Zealand Walks for Wimps: Rob Roy Glacier Track

New Zealand, Walks for Wimps6 Comments

“After a tedious climb, we at last saw the head of the gorge, a wonderful sight on which not many eyes have gazed. It is closed by a semi-circle of cliffs, precipitous and black. And wedged, as it were, between three mountain peaks, lies an enormous glacier. Not a long river of ice but a mighty mass of ice, breaking off sharp at the top of the stupendous peaks.”

-A. Maud Moreland, 1911

The Road Beneath My Feet: Taking Time Out From Travel for Frank Turner

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“To the east, to the east, the road beneath my feet. To the west, to the west, I haven’t got there yet. To the north, to the north, never to be caught. To the south, to the south, my time is running out.”                                                                                  – Frank Turner, The Road     When…