To Do

A constantly evolving list (growing more than anything!) – sometimes specific, sometimes general. So much to see and do… My choice of destination is usually influenced by the following interests: historic sites, military history, natural wonders, wildlife in natural habitat, motorsport, sites of devastation, family connections, rail journeys, great places for road trips.

It is grouped by country/region in alphabetical order, with other experiences at the bottom. Some completed items predate this blog, though this isn’t a definitive list of all travel to date either.

Africa
See wildlife in the National Parks
Gorilla watching
See a sunrise and sunset in the desert (sorta did the sunset near Dubai, Sep 2010, but the sunrise failed miserably)
Maybe Kilimanjaro?

Antarctica

Asia
Cambodia: Angkor Wat, Killing Fields (planned Apr 2020)
Great Wall of China (Sep 2014)
Japan: Tokyo, Hiroshima, Iwo Jima, see cherry blossom
Vietnam (2009)

Austria

Australia
Bathurst 1000
Coastal highway Adelaide to Melbourne
Melbourne
Rail journeys
Tasmania
Uluru

Belgium
NZ sites of interest from WW1 (Sep 2010)
Bruges

Canada
Canadian Rockies (2004, 2016)
See bears (2004, 2016)
Yukon (2004)

Chile
Easter Island

France
NZ sites of interest from WW1 (Sep 2010)
Paris (Sep 2010)
Le Mans (24 hour race)
Normandy
Champagne (fleeting stop in Sep 2010, must go back)
Alps (Sep 2010)

Galapagos Islands

Germany
Berlin
Hamburg (departure point for ancestors leaving Poland) (Sep 2015)
Nurburgring
Drive the Autobahn, pref. in a German sports car (partially, in Sep 2010, though I don’t feel the diesel Renault counted)
Sites from WW2

Greece
Crete – NZ sites of interest from WW2

Isle of Man
For the TT races

Italy
Amalfi Coast
Florence
Rome
Tuscany
NZ sites of interest from WW2
Formula 1 grand prix at Monza (Sep 2010)
Venice (Sep 2010)

Middle East
Dubai (Sep 2010, Oct 2018)
Egypt (Oct 2018)
Israel (planned Nov 2018)
Jordan (Oct 2018)
Oman
Turkey (Gallipoli) (May 2012)

New Zealand
Southland: Catlins (Jan 2013), Bluff (Jan 2017)
Doubtful Sound (Jan 2013)
Steward Island (Jan 2017)
Mount Cook (Jan 2017)
West Coast (Dec 2012, Jan 2018, also planned again Feb 2019)
Tongariro Crossing (Jan 2015)
Rail journeys: Picton to Chch, Chch to Greymouth (Jun 2016); Wgtn to Akld (Nov 2014)
Chatham Islands

Pacific Islands
Aitutaki (or similar; one day it might be time to prioritise a pure relaxation holiday!)
Fiji (2000)
Rarotonga (Nov 2011)

Poland
See where family originated from – Gdansk area (Sep 2015)
Auschwitz (Sep 2015)

Russia
Moscow
Trans Siberian Railway

Scandinavia & around
Faroe Islands
Finland
Iceland
Norway
Svalbard
See the northern lights

Spain
Camino de Santiago
Costa Brava

Switzerland
See where part of the family originated from (Sep 2010)
Stay in the Alps (Sep 2010)
Rail journeys

Ukraine
Chernobyl (Sep 2015)

United Kingdom
Places where family originated from in Cornwall & Hampshire (May 2012)
London (Sep 2010, May 2012)
Edinburgh (May 2012)
Edinburgh Tattoo
Scottish highlands and islands

USA
Alaska
Arizona
Route 66
San Francisco – Alcatraz
Miami and Florida Keys (2013, not all the way down the Keys, but hey)
New Orleans (2013)
New York (1997, 2004, 2013)
Washington DC (1997, 2004, 2013)
Yellowstone
Hawaii
Big motorsport events: NASCAR @ Talladega Raceway (2013), Daytona 500, Indy 500, drag racing (2004)
Other big sporting events: NHL, baseball, football (sufficiently happy with efforts in 2013)
Have a NASCAR ride experience (2013, though need to now do the drive experience!)
Country & western culture

Other
Have a white Christmas
See a big airshow
Snowboarding in North America / Europe
Motorhome holiday
Try a cruise
Go to a spa retreat for a few days – Bali maybe…