Something happened last month when I went down to New Zealand. I fell in love. Again. It was Diane. I had known her in student days. She was bright, shy, that unexpected laugh, those unexpected …
July 20, 2022
South Pacific & Australia
South Pacific & Australia
New love found in New Zealand
Trax Bar & Cafe: rollicking towards Wellington Central
Purple gives way to pink gives way to blue. Dawn is cracking late here in the Southern Hemisphere. We’re at a tiny country railroad station at seven on this winter’s morning, waiting for the train. …
June 30, 2022
Fed Up Restaurant & Takeaway: more paua to you
“New Season First Grade Bluff Oysters! Here we go, mate,” says Russell. “This is the one. This place is da bomb.” We’re sitting beside a small sign: “Fed Up Restaurant & Takeaway,” here in Paraparaumu, …
June 16, 2022
Must-see Melbourne by neighborhood
Population-wise, Melbourne is Australia's second-biggest city after Sydney, with almost five million inhabitants. In the next few years, however, Melbourne is set to surpass Sydney as the city grows – visible in the construction of …
October 20, 2020
South Pacific's mythic Marquesas
The South Pacific’s remote, pristine Marquesas Islands make Hawaii look like Harlem. I can honestly say these South Seas sojourns to French Polynesia’s untrammeled atolls and isles have been the greatest excursions of my life. …
August 6, 2017
Soccer stadium investors deal hops from New Zealand farm
A San Diego–based investment group has taken a stake in New Zealand–grown hops. La Jolla's FS Investors bought a New Zealand hops farm last year for $9.8 million, more than $32,000 per acre for the …
April 13, 2017
Qamea, Fiji: paradise + misadventure
Nadi, Fiji, is a 10-hour direct flight from LAX. It’s ideal for travelers – especially ones who sleep soundly on planes, as I do. The flight leaves at 11:30 p.m. via Fiji Airways and arrives …
September 26, 2015
Bloody pleased with Stone in Australia
Back in 2010, Stone Brewing CEO Greg Koch described the problem of gray-market beer being sold to foreign markets during a video interview with Australia's Brews News website: "Unethical retailers or wholesalers here in the …
August 11, 2015
New Zealand’s otherworldly Tongariro Crossing
I have a mix of fear and respect for volcanoes. They are imposing, difficult to climb, and can erupt with little warning. However, when my husband and I visited New Zealand, our friends strongly recommended …
December 11, 2014
General Atomics opens big mine with big losses
The Four Mile uranium mine in South Australia officially opened last month. According to Australia media, the uranium will cost $40 a pound to produce while the market price is $28 a pound. The mine …
July 11, 2014
Papeete, Tahiti
Papeete is the capital city of Tahiti, in French Polynesia. Relatively easy to reach from the West Coast, it's an eight-hour nonstop flight from LAX. Upon arrival at Tahiti's Faaa Airport, we were greeted by …
May 20, 2014
Pago Pago, American Samoa
A thick drizzle soaked me one Saturday afternoon in Pago Pago, American Samoa. (Pronounced something like “Pango Pango.) But the drizzle was a welcome relief from the Deluge of Heaven that had just raced across …
February 18, 2014
Down under collaboration for Karl Strauss
Twenty-five years ago, Chris Cramer had an epiphany when he entered an Australian brewpub called Sail and Anchor and drank one of its house beers. The concept of brewing beer on-site blew him away, leading …
January 13, 2014
Drinking kava in Fiji
The Fiji Islands are known for their friendly natives, good-natured spirit and outgoingness of their people. Set in the South Pacific, Fiji is made up of over 300 islands, although most visitors touch base on …
October 30, 2013
Arrest warrant issued for Kristin Rossum’s Australian lover
Arrest warrant issued (quietly) for Michael Robertson, the former boss/lover of Kristin Rossum, the former San Diego toxicologist convicted of poisoning her husband in 2000.
September 18, 2013