Geo: -16.4993, -151.74It's the ultimate honeymoon destination, or so that's what travel agents would have you believe about Bora Bora, the final destination of our trip. In an attempt to save the perceived best for last, we placed Bora Bora smack dab at the end, because if the tales are true, the place is so unbelievably beautiful that everything else would surely disappoint in comparison. Apparently, Bora Bora has the magical ability to render even the most beautiful spot in the world, downright ugly during a side-by-side comparison. Deep down, we hoped that the myth of Bora Bora was true, as our departure from Fare Vai Nui left us both saddened, having to leave such a wonderfully hospitable place. The only possible cure for the depths of this malaise would be the depths of the brilliant ... read more

Geo: -16.8229, -151.447The weeks of good eats up to this point have been very kind to our stomachs and hearts, but not so great for our waistlines! That's always the challenge of traveling, resisting all of that restaurant food, something that is even more difficult in a place with the incredible variety of good eats like NZ, and to a much lesser extent, even French Polynesia. Luckily for us, the high prices of French Polynesia are a bit of a deterrent, but we've still managed to stuff ourselves during the first week here.There are two primary causes of overstuffing ourselves in French Polynesia, the first being staying only a few nights in each place, so buying groceries for breakfast has been a challenge - invariably, we end up buying just a little bit too much, and ... read more

Geo: -17.5327, -149.838Moorea is known as being one of the most beautiful islands in all of French Polynesia - well, we wouldn't really know, because it pissed rain for most of the three days that we were here! You could argue that travel experiences can often be all about the timing, so you could blame our luck for this poor weather, but we did make a conscious decision to visit French Polynesia during the rainy season, so there isn't really anyone to blame but ourselves.Despite the grey and rain, we were still able to see what all the hype was about, especially when we did the obligatory lagoon tour, and getting to see some of the beautiful motus that dot this part of the South Pacific, tiny little private islands that are straight out of a ... read more

Geo: -36.8474, 174.766How was the Manchurian Candidate brainwashed? We developed a working theory today over lunch at Everest Dine, just down the street from our furnished apartment in Parnell - they probably brainwashed him with their Vegetable Manchurian, a dish so tasty that it would make anyone do anything you would want! Of course, maybe the brainwash protocol wasn't limited to just the Vegetable Manchurian, as all of their food was fantastic.Nepalese food has always held a certain attraction for me, since we have a pretty tasty Nepalese restaurant in Calgary, the Himalayan. Their coconut naan is especially good, a delicious, buttery bread that blurs the line between dessert and an accompaniment for savoury dishes. It's just sweet enough that it could be eaten on its own, at the end of a meal, but not overly ... read more

Geo: -34.4277, 172.68Burning thighs - that's not typically what you would want while on holiday, but that's what we experienced today, plenty of it, in fact. That's what we got for deciding to try our hand at sand boarding, at the massive sand dunes known as Giant Te Paki. See, the problem is not actually going down the sand dune, but having to hike up - definitely not an easy task, especially on a hot, sunny day, and when the incline is so pronounced that for every two steps of progress made, you seemingly lose one.I don't think it would be possible to do more than a handful of runs, and in fact, we are so out of shape that we barely even did that many! While somewhat entertaining, it was hardly worth the burn required ... read more