A charity gift guide: Unique, quirky and selfless

Christmas is becoming increasingly commercialised, but it’s also a time where people really do think of the kindnesses that they can pay forward. In that spirit, I’ve been writing charity gift guides since 2014 (which have also helped me buy meaningful presents for those friends and family who are notoriously hard to buy for as well…) as well as supporting great small businesses who are making a difference in the world. Blogger gift guides are… View Post

Christmas Afternoon Tea: The Intercontinental Hotel Park Lane

I grew up on the other side of the world, but that doesn’t stop me embracing the traditions of a winter Christmas – especially the sheer cosy joy of a Christmas afternoon tea. This year the Wellington Lounge of the Intercontinental Hotel on Park Lane has a fabulous twelve days of Christmas theme that will delight the senses of the most hardened grinch. Disclaimer: We were delighted to be a guest of IHG and afternoontea.co.uk… View Post

Top tips for chasing the Northern Lights – Tromso, Norway

A few years ago for my birthday, Mr Kiwi and I boarded a plane up into the Arctic Circle. Thanks to the joys of social media and bloggers, we had been tipped off that one of the best places in the world to see the Northern Lights was Tromso in Northern Norway. We were lucky enough to not only see their elusive shimmers but also spend time under a sky where we could just about touch… View Post

11 of my favourite Christmas Traditions

Every single year there are 11 of my favourite Christmas traditions that I insist we fulfil without fail. And if we can’t, I’ll find a workaround that somehow leverages them in, anyway – here’s looking at you 3-foot high neon green Christmas tree of ’15. London is one of my favourite cities to spend Christmas in. Whether it snows or dawns a clear blue sky there is something magical in cool December days spent under… View Post

Christmas Afternoon Tea at The Connaught Hotel

There is a special magic that falls over London at this time of year, a shimmer that only appears between late autumn twilights and inky early winter evenings. I’ve had a touch of the Grinch about me this year, but spending the afternoon enjoying the festive afternoon tea at the Connaught Hotel cast the Christmas spell over me, with a twinkle of fairy lights dancing between champagne bubbles. Disclaimer: We were invited guests of The… View Post