In 2002 my wife and I embarked on a the most joyous 5½ month period of our entire lives. We travelled around the world enjoying the flora and fauna and studying the many endangered species we encountered. On our return I completed a book. Written in diary form, it details all the numerous, wonderful wildlife locations visited. That we found so much of the best wildlife in some of the most beautiful locations imaginable should perhaps come as no surprise. So far I have been unable to interest a publisher and hence the reason for sharing my experience in this way. My book details our travels through the Cook Islands, the Fijian Islands, New Zealand and down the eastern side of Australia, finally returning via Singapore. Our time in Australia also encompassed trips to Magnetic Island, The Whitsundays, Lord Howe Island, and Tasmania, including the magnificent Maria Island. While many of the locations visited will come as no surprise to many seasoned travellers, there will be some gems they may never have seen, such as some on the Mornington Peninsular near Melbourne. I believe that although my trip was planned with wildlife locations in mind, anyone planning a trip to the other side of the world will find my book of interest. Not only does it set out a terrific itinerary, but it tells of two outstandingly good, but reasonably priced, meals we had, the first on Rarotonga and the second in the northern suburbs of Cairns in Australia. Indeed, the meal I had on Rarotonga ranks as one of the best meals I have ever eaten. I also explain just how easy it is to back-pack around New Zealand, staying in hostels, small B&Bs and, where absolutely necessary, motels and small hotels and why this is infinitely better than going on an organised tour or driving yourself around in a camper van. Meeting the local people was such a memorable experience. The friendliest people we have ever met anywhere in the world have been the native Fijians. Mind you, the New Zealanders we met ran them quite a close second. They never failed to acknowledge and greet us and always seemed genuinely interested in us and what we were doing. My all time favourite place, however, was Lord Howe Island, the most magical location imaginable and a wildlife paradise. In parts of the world where the word paradise tends to be greatly over-used, LHI ranks very high. I am attaching a link here to an extract of my book detailing some of the time spent on Lord Howe Island in the hope that it will whet your appetite to go there! I shall be happy to receive any feedback on Lord Howe Island and I will be even happier to email a digital file containing my book for a small donation to my two favourite charities. Please see About me and Contact for further details.
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