House of Travel Dunedin Travel Stories

Postcard from Jordan

Antony Boomer

We journeyed to Jordan and for my wife Katherine, an encounter with the Petra Desert Marathon.

We stayed at the iconic Pera Palace hotel, famed for its connection to the Orient Express, literary rock stars like Agatha Christie and Ernest Hemingway and perhaps of most interest to me a strong connection to the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Postcard from Vietnam

Antony Boomer

I had been wanting to take my boys somewhere extraordinary for ages. We have previously traveled as a family well worn routes through North America and Australia but now my wife and I thought it was time to challenge everything they thought they knew about the world. We decided on Vietnam in the hope it would provide a physical, emotional and sensory experience the boys would never forget. Our journey would take us firstly to Singapore for a gentle introduction to Asia then from the north of Vietnam near the Chinese border south to the Mekong Delta.

Postcard from South Africa

Rachel Carr

This was a trip of a lifetime and the experience enjoyed was difficult but words and pictures don't do it justice.

Postcard from Alaska

Rachel Carr

Alaska is an amazing destination if you love the outdoors (hiking, biking, canoeing, fishing) wildlife (bears, moose, whales, otters etc.) and of course the amazing scenic (fjords, glaciers, forest, mountains)...

Postcard from Japan

Rachel Carr

Japan surprised me in so many ways, it wasn't a destination I first thought about travelling to but that all changed. It is amazing how a country/culture can blend...

Postcard from California

Rachel Carr

This holiday isn't about what I did which of course included a visiting the port city of San Diego with it's museums, San Diego Zoo, and of course Legoland.

Postcard from Argentina

Rachel Carr

Argentina was an amazing place with some spectacular natural wonders (Iguazu Falls), interesting history, good food (a meat lovers paradise), great music and dance.

Postcard from India

Antony Boomer

I love India. It wasn't an instant love affair. First impressions after crossing the Nepali border in 1989 weren't great. Seventeen years on from that journey Kath and I now had the opportunity to revisit with our two boys Alex (13) and Liam (11) in tow. This time we would head south to the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Postcard from Vietnam

Stephanie McAuliffe

I flew with Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines to Vietnam via Singapore. We took advantage of the Singapore Airlines Stopover package. This package entitles you to a range of attractions for free, like the Gardens by the Bay including the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome.

Postcard from Rarotonga

Stephanie McAuliffe

Rarotonga.....

Arrived in Rarotonga and blasted with the heat as soon as my foot took that first step off the plane. Took a couple of minutes to get through immigration and 45 minutes waiting for our bags. A great welcome into Rarotonga airport with an elderly gentleman entertaining us with his guitar and voice which apparently has welcomed every flight into Rarotonga for the last 30 years.

Postcard from Thailand

Stephanie McAuliffe

Starting off in Phuket, home to many high-end seaside resorts, spas and restaurants. Phuket city, the capital has old shop houses and busy markets. Patong, the main resort town has many nightclubs and bars.

Postcard from Italy

Antony Boomer

Italy for most is a dream destination.

Postcard from Caribbean

Antony Boomer

I think travelling to the Caribbean from New Zealand used to be regarded as quite a difficult and expensive area of the world to get to. Happily this is no longer the case with several carriers opening up alternative routes across the US accessing the Caribbean is no more difficult than travelling to the US East Coast and similarly priced.