This weekend sees the biggest festival celebrating Maori culture in New Zealand – the kapa haka championships, known as Te Matatini, take place in the town of Tauranga on the North Island in the Bay of Plenty. New Zealand was originally known to the Maori as Aotearoa, or the Land of the Long White Cloud, and [...]

The BBC recently reported on the case of a street sweeper in Peru who, despite being dismissed for being drunk at work years ago, has recently won an appeal in the Peruvian High Court to be reinstated. You can read the story here. Many people in Peru drink a homemade beer called chicha – it is [...]

The happy isle of St Lucia has revealed some new branding aimed to strengthen international awareness and to bring more investment and tourism to the island. The new brand is “based on the world famous Piton mountains, the colours of the national flag and  the warmth and pride of the citizens”, and was launched recently at [...]

It seems we are still in winter’s icy grip, with angry motorists crashing out in their cars – if not actually crashing them – and others having to be rescued by the army as a foot of snow swamped the salt starved roads of the southern counties of the UK in the last 24 hours.

With all the cold and snow about at the moment, it makes a pleasant change to contemplate the new wheeze to promote Queensland, dreamed up by Anthony Hayes, Chief Executive of Queensland Tourism in Australia.

Headwater clients who have enjoyed our holidays on Madeira will know the Quinta Da Bela Vista well. Set high above the atmospheric capital of  Funchal with wonderful views out to sea it is a treat in every way. It isn’t just Headwater clients who think so – in the latest Tripadvisor awards published recently, the Quinta [...]

 As many Headwater clients will testify, our Drakensberg and Zululand tour is a truly spectacular experience, made even more special because of Dave’s exceptional skill and dedication as our guide. You can learn about previous Headwater tours he has led on his website www.bergfree.co.za where his vivid newsletter accounts of the walks and experiences along [...]

When creating a travel programme called ‘Explore’ on a particular destination, it would seem important to make it spectacular and interesting, and a bit of exploring probably wouldn’t go amiss. When the BBC Explore series launched last Sunday night, I had high hopes for it, but perhaps the title of ‘Fleeting Mish Mash of Wonderful Argentine [...]