A post-Covid return to lots of travel, comparable to 2018 and 2019. I did five trips within New Zealand, and spent four months visiting 14 countries in the Middle East and Europe. I found my travel limit again, being quite happy to stay put for a while now…

Foxton & Whanganui, January
An enjoyable long weekend away from Wellington despite mostly awful weather. Foxton was worth a stop to visit the De Molen windmill and Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom (National Dutch Museum), while Whanganui had plenty to fill the weekend. It has some lovely gardens, interesting museums (particularly for the creative arts like ceramics and glass), and good views from the top the historic Durie Hill Elevator.

Wairarapa, February
Another long weekend away from Wellington for a reasonably comprehensive trip around the Wairarapa, taking in Masterton, Featherston, Greytown, Carterton, Mt Bruce, and Castlepoint. There was plenty of natural beauty to enjoy and heritage sites to visit, including the better than expected The Wool Shed – National Museum Of Sheep & Shearing.

WOMAD & New Plymouth, March
My first visit to the WOMAD festival, enjoying the good weather and eclectic line up, particularly the French group San Salvador. Before and after the festival each day I went exploring New Plymouth on foot, along the extensive waterfront paths.

Taupo, April
I spent a few days resting in Taupo after an epic six day hike around the entirety of Tongariro National Park. I’d been through Taupo many times but never spent much time there, till now. I found it more enjoyable than expected, particularly the colourful geothermal sights.

UK, May to August
My base for the four months I spent travelling through fourteen countries, spending time with family and resting between three month long trips to the Middle East, Balkans, and Scandinavia and the Baltics. I did various day trips and spent a week on the South Coast in East Wittering.

Egypt, May
Oddly Egypt was never that high on my travel bucket list but turned out to be one of the highlights. The ancient history and sights are simply incredible, as good as anywhere that I’ve visited. The sheer quantity and quality of remains from many thousands of years ago are quite astonishing.

Jordan, May
Jordan is home to incredible sights (Wadi Rum, Jerash, Petra, Red Sea, Dead Sea) but despite travelling the length of the country I didn’t feel like I got to understand it as well as Egypt or Israel.

Israel, May
A fascinating country, there is a huge contrast between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. There weren’t many sights, other than Jerusalem, to rival the best of Egypt or Jordan, but something about Israel stuck with me long after I visited. It was also home to probably the best food of the trip.

Croatia, June
A week spent visiting Split, Hvar, Trogir, and Dubrovnik, all beautiful historic coastal settlements with old towns, city walls, and sparkling waters. Croatia is now a well known tourist spot though so it was an experience shared with many others.

Montenegro, June
One of my favourite countries visited on this trip, with a coastline to rival anything in Croatia, with relatively fewer people, and a mountainous interior ideal for hiking. Montenegro is a small country that punches well above its size in terms of sights. A day off in Plav was a highlight, with a beautiful lake and interesting mosques to visit.

Albania, June
A welcome return to one of my favourite countries in Europe, to spend a fortnight in the Accursed Mountains walking the Peaks of the Balkans trail through Albania, Montenegro, and Kosovo. I enjoyed time in Shkoder, there’s something about visiting a place for a second time, it can be easier to enjoy in some ways with a sense of familiarity.

Kosovo, June
A return to one of the loveliest countries in the Balkans, spent in the Accursed Mountains hiking the Peaks of the Balkans.

Norway, July
My third visit to Norway, but first time exploring outside of Oslo. It was great to finally see the Norwegian Fjords (similar but different in more ways than expected to New Zealand’s), Bergen was wet but delightful, and Lillehammer was a lovely place.

Sweden, July
Also my third time in Sweden, enjoying Stockholm as much as ever, and exploring the photogenic Swedish lakes region around Mora. Sailing through the thousands of islands in the Stockholm archipelago on my way to Finland was a highlight.

Finland, July
I spent a couple of days in Helsinki so I only got a taster of Finland, but I liked the low-key atmosphere and sights of the capital.

Estonia, August
I only went to Tallinn but enjoyed exploring the old town and visiting two of the best museums in the Baltics, the wonderful Lennusadam maritime museum, and the Estonian History Museum in Maarjamäe Castle.

Latvia, August
Riga was a bit of a shock after Tallinn, it is a much larger and grungier city, but was home to impactful museums on the Soviet Occupation and Holocaust. As with all the Baltics it is mostly a flat, wooded country, with not that much of interest to see while travelling across it.

Lithuania, August
I wasn’t that excited by Curonian Spit National Park or Klaipeda but Aukstaitija National Park with it’s many lakes and streams was lovely, and as a fan of a good church Vilnius delivered in spades. In retrospect starting with the Baltics and finishing with the Middle East would have been a better order, as they were a little anti-climatic after everything else I’d seen to that point.

West Coast, September
A week long trip once home taking advantage of free time before returning to work. Made me appreciate how New Zealand is as good a place to visit as anywhere in the world. At the start of the spring the West Coast was near empty of tourists, the weather was ideal, and the scenery spectacular.