I have to be honest and admit that I was a wee bit nervous as we taxied to the runway. Jon had been learning to fly, but his training was interrupted by the responsibilities of fatherhood a couple of years back. Now, after some friendly encouragement from Classic Flights in Wanaka, Jon was back in the pilot seat with a huge grin on his face. I meanwhile was crammed into the back with beads of sweat running down my forehead.

The last time I was in a small plane like the Cherokee we were buffeted by high winds and I kept banging my head on the ceiling. Luckily on this occassion we had ex Royal Air Force pilot Andrew accompanying us. Previously flying Eurofighter Typhoons over Iraq and Afghanistan, Andrew now enjoys the quiet life, flying at 75 knots over the skies of Wanaka and the Southern Alps. It’s not a bad life either I came to discover as Jon calmly pulled back the throttle and we rolled down the runway, taking off at what seemed like a running pace and climbing steadily over Wanaka township.

Up ahead in the distance lay the gleaming white peak of Mount Aspiring, which at 3033 metres is one of the highest mountains in New Zealand. In order to make it up over the mountain tops we’d have to maintain a steady climb for about 20mins before veering west, out toward the coast and Milford Sound. While we continued slowly upward I began to relax, confident in the professionals up front. The views in every direction drew the breath away and any nerves were soon replaced with a child like excitement and frantic shutter snapping.

The highlight of the flight came as we skirted the western face of Mount Aspiring, the morning cloud cloaking the Bonar Glacier and the jagged ridgeline piercing the sky. The shot above was taken just seconds before we banked left and headed for the coast.

The coastal route towards Milford Sound was a little sketchy, with low cloud causing some concern, but we were in luck. The clouds parted just enough for us to make our way through sheer rock walls to Milford Sound airport. For the final descent co-pilot Andrew took the controls and we nose dived towards the tiny landing strip below. Needless to say the touchdown was flawless, but I was still happy once we were on solid ground and I could get out to stretch the legs. I’m sure Jon was relieved to do the same.

The return flight was just as epic, this time flying back via the Eastern face of Mount Aspiring. Jon made an absolutely expert grass landing at Wanaka airport (at first I panicked thinking we were missing the runway by miles!) and we watched as Andrew swifly transformed from trainer pilot into vintage Tigermoth pilot, complete with flying goggles. It’s a tough life for these ‘top guns’ but it sure makes a change from the 9-5 desk job I can tell you.

Bundoran, or ‘fundoran’ as I’ve heard it called may be past its heyday, suffering the fate of many tourist towns as the masses now head abroad each summer, but it’s still got a nice buzz about it. I was certainly made to feel right at home by Anne Marie’s family and friends and loved exploring the coast and little towns and villages of Donegal. We also managed a few nights dancing until the wee hours in some of Bundoran’s clubs (there are at least three!).

Mullaghmore in nearby County Sligo is a ‘picture postcard’ fishing village with a busy little harbour. The sun was shining, the seagulls were making a racket and the smell of the sea filled the air, everything I remember from childhood holidays. The only thing missing here was a gale force wind and the odd torrential rain shower. It must be the luck of the Irish.

The most dramatic part of the Donegal coast however has to be Slieve League, which boasts the highest sea cliffs in Ireland at a maximum height of 601m (that metre makes all the difference). It was a cracking day and we spent a few hours climbing around the cliff top rocks and taking in the views. Some of the drops certainly aren’t for the faint hearted, especially with a brisk wind blowing. The fishing boat in the picture below gives a sense of scale as to how high the cliffs are.

Further inland we spent a day in Glenveagh National Park, walking around the Glenveagh Castle gardens and surrounding trails. My overall impression of the landscape is not far from that of Scotland, which of course it physically isn’t, yet Ireland definitely has it’s own unique charm (spot the Leprechaun in the photo below!).

Whether it’s the winding country roads, rolling hills speckled with farmhouses, painted villages or the cherry cheeked faces of the locals, this is unmistakably Ireland. The sense of local pride and belonging that people have here was infectious and I soon found myself asking about family roots and my own great grandfather Sweeney who lived in Letterkenny. That story’s for another day, but needless to say I did check and no, Anne Marie and I are NOT related!

Of course what trip to Ireland would be complete without a night out in Dublin? Our final night was spent touring Temple Bar and various surrounding watering holes, all serving as good preparation for the 38 hours of flights, waiting lounges and transfers ahead on the journey back to New Zealand.

I had a tight schedule crammed into about two weeks to get around all the people and places I had to see. Of course there was also a lot of square sausage, haggis and tattie scone to be eating so I was a busy man! The photography took a bit of a back seat during the trip, but there was the odd occassion where the camera absolutely had to come out, Glencoe being an obvious one.

For me it was interesting returning to the Scottish landscape with fresh eyes after being in the craggy Southern Alps of New Zealand for so long. The Scottish mountains definitely have a unique feel to them. These mountains are worn and oh so very old. There is a slighly eerie feeling as you stand listening to the wind around your ears and you can’t help but think, ‘if only these hills could talk’.

Anne Marie and I had a bit of an insight into what they might speak of at the tiny museum in Glencoe village where the full story of the Massacre of Glencoe was retold by a very enthusiastic wee, round woman. She nearly choked on her words when Anne Marie confessed to being a Campbell. There’s a sign on the local pub here that reads ‘No Hawkers or Campbells’.

The weather was surprisingly sunny for the majority of the trip (it doesn’t always rain in Scotland!) and we had a stunning day out in and around Stirling, walking to the top of Dumyat for views over the Forth Valley. We couldn’t leave without the obligatory visit to the Wallace Monument and Stirling Castle, which offer in Anne Marie’s wise words “the same view, just from the other side!”

All in all the trip back home was an incredible one. I’d almost forgotten (dare I say it) that Scotland has some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world and you’d be hard pressed to find anywhere with such a rich culture and history. Oh, and the pub grub ain’t too shabby either, I think I left about a stone heavier than when I arrived!

Scottish Holiday Highlights

1. It has to be the food! Morning rolls and square sausage, haggis, tattie scone and of course Mam’s home cooking.
2. Gale force wind, rain, hail and sunshine in St Andrews.
3. The drive north through the Trossachs to Glencoe.
4. Watching live music including Jack Butler at King Tut’s in Glasgow.
5. Visiting Laurel and Hardy at the Moulin Inn.
6. Touring the sights, bars and restaurants of Stirling.
7. How could I miss out the world famous ‘Wheel of Falkirk!’

I’ve just uploaded a brand new gallery of images taken on a recent roadtrip from Queenstown to Moeraki on the eastern New Zealand coast. The trip was certainly a very colourful one with stunning scenery aplenty. Check out the gallery here.

Heliworks pilot John Haora took me up in a R44, flying low over Lake Wakatipu and the Kawarau river to photograph the new Hilton resort complex. The key to the shot was getting in just the right position to include the lakefront, river and Remarkables mountain range to show off just how stunning the hotel’s location really is.

A group of us then took a tour in a larger Eurocopter Squirrel, piloted by Jason Laing who took us around The Remarkables, Lochy River, Cecil Peak and Earnslaw Burn with some jaw dropping views and mountain top precision landings that were just unbelievable. My hat goes off to Jason who displayed some amazing skills when controlling the chopper, at one point landing right at the top of one peak on a seemingly impossible ledge.

Mount Earnslaw and it’s glacier was very impressive the last time I visited by foot, but flying directly over the ice and down to the base of the valley was a whole new experience. I loved the hike, but in future I know which mode of transport I’ll be taking!

I cannot recommend Heliworks highly enough to anyone visiting Queenstown, check out their website here: www.heliworks.co.nz and for more images from this set see the Heliworks Facebook page.

While on the subject you should give this video of last year’s eruption a watch. Some really nice camera work accompanied by music from one of my favourite artists Jonsi.

I have to say Hoi An was probably one of my favourite spots in Vietnam. It had a perfect mix of old versus new; traditional streets and market stalls, boats flowing up and down the river and clubs on the beach for when you feel like going wild.

A highlight for me was hiring scooters with a few mates and driving out of town to explore the coast. Motorbikes are the favourite mode of transport in Vietnam, you simply can’t avoid them. They’re great fun to drive around too, dodging people, traffic and the odd farm animal while doing your best to avoid some pretty serious pot holes in the road!