It’s 7:30am on a Sunday Morning, Sunday 17th of March 2019 in New Zealand. Two days after an Australian White Supremacist terrorist murdered 49 innocent people in a Christchurch Mosque. Another has died from their wounds this morning, after I started writing this. 50 people murdered and 50 more wounded in a few minutes, in suburban […]
Read More…It’s 4pm on a sunny Tuesday, January 1st 2019. Amazing to think just a few short years ago, or nearly twenty years in fact, yesterday, we were all concerned about aeroplanes falling out of the sky when the clock struck midnight. As it turned out, almost none of the things the doomsayers had predicted would happen […]
Read More…Let’s talk about New Zealand again! My wife and I love a road trip, we have just finished one around the central South Island, a short 4-day epic. There are images from that journey on my other, photographic, blog site. I’ll put a link to it at the end of this; let’s not distract you […]
Read More…The title is ironic, if you really did need therapy for anything in New Zealand; one of the worst things you could do is go shopping. I was watching the television news recently when the usual advertising messages came along all too often as they do here. I was being shouted at to buy some […]
Read More…There’s an awful lot of, mostly awful, advertising on New Zealand television. Much of it the sort of thing you’d see on QVC in other countries. One of the most common phrases uttered on TV in New Zealand must be ‘But wait there’s more”… I tend to just zone out or play with my smarter […]
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If I had a dream job, it would be working with words and pictures, improbably as a roving blogger and photographer for Tourism New Zealand. I’m not greedy; they could just pay me say $90,000 a year and give me a Ute and some petrol money. I’d travel the length and breadth of the country, […]
Read More…It’s been a while since I was here, I had other things to do. While I remembered I had a blog of course, I’d just neglected the writing. Actually I had decided taking photos was more rewarding. Here’s the thing though, I started a book a few years ago. I’ve talked about the story a […]
Read More…This should probably go on my photography blog, but there is a bit more explaining to do than on the usual photography post so I’ll wheel out the words blog for this one. It’s been a while, Sandysview was getting dusty, plus now you can see the new look blog as you probably hadn’t visited […]
Read More…It seems an awful lot more people are visiting, or moving to New Zealand these days. Either because of Brexit, or Trump, or cheap airfares and new aeroplanes, which can fly further. Whatever the reason, New Zealand has more people sharing the roads with the locals than ever before. I’ve touched on the topic of […]
Read More…We have an iconic New Zealand comic character from the 1970’s called Fred Dagg. We were big fans in my home when I was growing up. Fred Dagg was an archetypal Kiwi farmer sort of character, blunt, plain speaking, dry wit and observational humour. He also sang a few modified and original songs. One of […]
Read More…This can be a travel post of sorts. Well it’s not even of sorts; it’s a travel post. I went for a drive. I know I don’t write much anymore. Not sure why, it’s not like I’m short of things to say. I mostly spend my spare time taking photos these days. You’ll probably know […]
Read More…I’ll get straight to the point for once. I said once upon a time that only two towns in New Zealand were worth making a special trip for. Russell and Queenstown. I’d like to revise that outdated advice. Some New Zealand towns have been giving themselves a bit of a makeover since we realised people […]
Read More…This is a bit of a travel post. I’m going to talk about a place plenty of people on their New Zealand holidays travel through, but not many travel to. I’d venture that most New Zealanders would struggle to point the region out on a map. So this can serve as a mini travel guide […]
Read More…Look, it’s me again! I’m like a bus, or something. A British bus, not a New Zealand one. The adage in London is that buses don’t appear at all for a while and then 3 come along at once. I know, hilarious, but surprisingly true all too often. Much news this morning about some significant […]
Read More…I’m not a poet, I don’t write poetry, well hardly ever. It’s outside my comfort zone so I don’t go there, much. However this is quite a cool little story about a poem, an Island in the Indian Ocean most have never heard of and my Dad. There is also a poem so stick around. […]
Read More…This is a tale that goes nowhere, what’s the point then you may wonder, why does there have to be one? I might respond. It’s kind of like an open discussion, designed to give pause for thought and reflection. I have the platform of this blog, the luxury of time and the inclination to ponder […]
Read More…So here’s a thing. well two things. This is about us, not our nature, but our nature. I’m also going to put a couple of images of the incredible New Zealand scenery among the comments. Silly not to really, it’s not like I’m short of them, all you have to is go outside and point […]
Read More…G’day Deano and the crew. This is from us back home. You’ll be having some strategy meeting. Knocking around a few ideas. Hell, you might even be asleep. Us at home? We’re doing that too. You’ll have your eye on the big picture, the San Francisco bay weather, the clouds, the rules, what the Americans […]
Read More…I’ve been back in New Zealand for just over a month now. For three weeks of that month I went for a bit of a drive, just to have a look around, as one does. I drove about 3,500 Kilometres or 2,100 miles in old money. I didn’t see all that many other road users, […]
Read More…The 2nd of July 2013. 8:30 am on the 2nd of July, my dear friend Dawn, my colleague, the person who does what used to be my day job in another part of England dropped me off at London Heathrow Airport. Terminal 3 to be precise. Terminal 3 is for flights to and from what […]
Read More…This is the continuation, the next stage of what started as the giant eel story which is the opening of my novel. (There is no mention of eels in the rest of my novel. Actually yes there is, right at the end). If you missed that story, it’s here. You should read it first. Click […]
Read More…As you probably know, I’m off back to New Zealand in a month or so. When I say a month or so I mean I set off a month today. At the time of writing this, this time next month, I’ll hopefully be boarding my Singapore Airlines flight to New Zealand, by hopefully I mean […]
Read More…Momentous day today, it’s worth a note. Friday 17th of May 2013. Sounds non-descript, a day like many other days in mid-May. However, it’s my own May Day, nothing to do with whatever May Day is about, I don’t even know what May Day is for now that I think about it. Something to do […]
Read More…I was in the New Zealand Army for a while and take quite an interest in NZ military history. There are some very inspiring and interesting stories about what Kiwi servicemen and women got up to in the world’s great conflicts. Kiwi’s have a pretty incredible military history and I want to talk a bit […]
Read More…This is a fictional short story, it’s loosely, but not all that loosely, based on a true story. I’ve changed some names of course. But the situation is real, the eel was real, This could be a true story and sort of is. All I have done here is alter some minor aspects of reality, […]
Read More…This post is special. It’s about an amazing part of New Zealand. I wanted to get some proper images up of the location this story is about. It’s an incredible area and deserves to have some appropriate photography to show the place off properly, so I’ll pop a few among the words. There is a […]
Read More…I have friends who have boys. Young men, little chaps, whatever they call male children. It appears there is no consensus but little bastards seems a common description as well. My friends with boys often bemoan the amount of time boys spend on computer games or engrossed in an internet based interaction or a mobile […]
Read More…The 6th of February is Waitangi Day in New Zealand. Also known as New Zealand day. It’s sort of our little version of the American 4th of July but with an awful lot more controversy surrounding it over the years and not so much celebration, which is a shame. I worried about doing this post […]
Read More…If you have read my last post you will know I talked about the importance of recording your own corner of history, writing down what you’ve done for those that come after you, be they kids, friends, family, whatever. I talked about how my Dad only ever wrote one small snippet about his life before […]
Read More…A couple of simple numbers inspired me to write this particular post. They are the numbers 102 and 116. I’m writing it because it is nice to have a positive tale of this sort and also a large percentage of the people who read my stuff will be either unaware of this guy’s existence or just […]
Read More…If you come here a bit, you’ll know I am from New Zealand but live in England. People ask me about New Zealand a lot, so, now that I can write it down, I am going to save you reading a guide book. This is what you should or must do on your trip to […]
Read More…I’m going to enjoy writing this one. It’s a story I have told to so many people I can’t even count. I have yet to tell it to someone without getting a little teary at the end of the telling. You’ll know I am from New Zealand, if you’ve had a look about my blog […]
Read More…I had an amazing experience with Air NZ when my Dad died. I’m going to send this to http://www.verygoodservice.com. We had booked and paid for tickets (non flexible of course) for a holiday and first family reunion for 15 years in New Zealand.. Three weeks before we were due to fly my Dad died suddenly […]
Read More…I come from New ‘Zilind’. I reckon it’s beaut. There’s real spunks to perv at and live things to shoot. We’ve got pig dogs and boguns, The All Blacks and bro’s And V8 Monaro’s, I want one of those. I like to go driving, and get a cheap thrill. By trying to keep count of […]
Read More…It’s largely my fault the All Blacks have failed to win a world cup. I have had a hideous time when the RWC has been on or the All Blacks have been under performing. I have been in the wrong place at the wrong time since I left NZ back in 1991. Let’s look at […]
Read More…Hi guys, I am Sandy, just a member of the New Zealand public who has the opportunity to say a few words to you. You have your drills and tactics, you are fit and ready. There has been some pain in the past but every man in New Zealand would sell his soul to be […]
Read More…Following on from a discussion about how everyone thinks New Zealand is better than Britain. This isn’t exhaustive and isn’t meant to be biased as I am a hugely patriotic kiwi, but this will give a bit of an idea why I was quite happy living there. What I have done here is just compare […]
Read More…In the history Of New Zealand, only 6 men have played both Rugby and Cricket for NZ at international level. In NZ rugby history, one of the most controversial moments was Andy Hadens famous cheating dive from the line out to give NZ a chance of a penalty kick to win the test against Wales in 1978. At the […]
Read More…The following is what I read out at Dads funeral in 2009 I am Sandy, the middle son. I won’t know many of you in the room and there will be many who haven’t seen me since I was a kid . But thanks to you all for coming to see Dad off Dad would […]
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