In this episode we take a deep dive into creativity and environmental sustainability in contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand. 

NZ took the Covid-19 pandemic very seriously in early 2020, locking its borders and foregoing international tourism to protect its people. After two years, and a mass vaccine roll-out, this beautiful island nation on the edge of the Pacific is once again open to international visitors.

Stoke your wanderlust, and learn a bit more about what makes New Zealanders tick in this dive into the local culture and concerns of Aotearoa.

02.15  Love Letter to New Plymouth, New Zealand by a recovering addict, advocate, author and artist Rawiri James. 

08.20 Creative cultures with Peter Dragicevich, a food & travel journalist, and director at Ockham Collective, a charitable trust supporting creativity and education in New Zealand. 

14.10  Sustainability in New Zealand with Elloise Strang. The former editor of ideolog magazine, Elly is currently creating content for sustainable packaging company no issue, and hosted the podcast Conscious Commerce.

LINKS & RESOURCES

Rawiri mentions the Wind Wand in New Plymouth, and the ancestral mountain Taranaki.

Peter mentions New Zealand’s I-site visitor centres, the Toi Tū Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art at the Auckland Art Gallery in 2021, and No. 8 Wire.

Elly mentions Chia Sisters solar powered, zero carbon juicery; no issue sustainable packaging company; Flight of the Conchords; Taikia Waititi and the spiritual perspective on nature of New Zealand’s Māori population captured in the Visit Auckland: Papatūānuku (our earth mother) is Breathing.

Producer: Tasmin Waby
Presenters: Tasmin Waby &  Doug Murray
Sound editing: Ali Lemer & Doug Murray
Theme Music: Instant by Nettson
Thanks also to Belinda Dixon & Kate Armstrong & Simon Richmond

In this episode, we're off to Myanmar. Also known as Burma, this southeast Asian country offers scenic beauty, cultural riches and deep spirituality. Sadly, it is also a place that has endured the world’s longest running civil war and successive military coups including one in 2021 that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government. 

Before the latest military take over, British expat Dominic Horner was teaching English in Yangon and writing for local publications as well as filing stories for Lonely Planet and the Independent. He's a passionate advocate for wild swimming and in his love letter, recorded before he left Myanmar in 2021, Dominic shares some of his adventures as he sought out some of the Golden Land's best water holes. Also in this episode we hear from award-winning, Yangon-based blogger Su Wai Phyo; journalist, author and Myanmar expert Jessica Mudditt; and Tony Wheeler, founder of Lonely Planet Publications whose travels in Myanmar span five decades.

01.48 – A Love Letter to Wild Swimming in Myanmar by Dominic Horner.

10.08 – Su Wai Phyo, lifestyle and travel blogger based in Yangon.

19.25 – Jessica Mudditt is a journalist who lived in Myanmar between 2012 and 2016 and is the author of Our Home in Myanmar, Four Years in Yangon.

28.38 – Tony Wheeler, founder, along with his wife Maureen, of Lonely Planet Publications. After selling the company in 2011, they set up the charitable foundation Planet Wheeler which supports various projects in Myanmar.

Episode producer: Simon Richmond

Presenters: Belinda Dixon & Simon Richmond

Sound editing: Doug Murray

Co-producers: Kate Armstrong, Doug Murray & Tasmin Waby

Theme Music Instant by Nettson

Feeling that wanderlust? Longing to hear more Love Letters from locals? Please subscribe and give your rating for our podcast, it makes an enormous difference to our listenership. Follow us for travel updates on Instagram and Facebook.

In this episode we’re off to Alentejo, Portugal’s largest and one of its most beautiful regions. Located in the country’s southern half, its landscapes vary from rugged coastal cliffs and cork tree covered plains to vineyards bursting with grapes. This is the place for slow travel; it’s the perfect place for walking. We explore Alentejo’s historic villages, landscapes and the region’s local culture with Ana Palma, its walking trails and sustainable travel options with Ana Carla Cabrita, and get some top tips for travelling responsibly around the region with João Ministro.

01.52 - A Love Letter to Alentejo by local Ana Palma

11.02 - Insider insights into exploring Alentejo with Ana Carla Cabrita

22:03 - Tips on experiencing Alentejo yourself, from sustainable tour operator João Ministro

Resources & Links

Ana Palma

Ana Carla Cabrita Walkin’ Sagres

João Ministro Proactivetur

Episode producer Kate Armstrong

Presenters Kate Armstrong & Simon Richmond

Sound editing Belinda Dixon

Thanks to co-producers Doug Murray & Tasmin Waby

Theme Music Instant by Nettson

In this episode we take you on a journey through London from three very different perspectives. You'll benefit from the insider travel tips from celebrated Blue Badge guide Katie Wignell from Look Up London, explore London by bike with American expat and long-time Londoner, Martin T Sherman, and find out about the fascinating subculture on London's canals. Riverboat dweller, John Kenton tells us about the history and lifestyle of London’s canal barge community.

01.00 -  Learning London by bike Our love letter was written and delivered by actor, writer and inventor, Martin T. Sherman (with Bespoke Voices).

07.10 -  London's canal boats John Kenton is a singer-songwriter, a much loved London boater, and owner of the Thames Queen.

18.55 - Why London is best explored by foot Katie Wignell, Blue Badge London guide and owner of the award-winning walking tours outfit, Look Up London

Feeling that wanderlust? Longing to hear more Love Letters from locals? Please subscribe and give your rating for our podcast, it makes an enormous difference to our listenership. Follow us for travel updates on Instagram and Facebook.

Producer: Tasmin Waby
Presenters: Belinda Dixon & Simon Richmond
Sound editing: Belinda Dixon & Tasmin Waby
Thanks also to Doug Murray & Kate Armstrong
Theme Music: Instant by Nettson

Sound credits: Cycling and breathing, Creative Commons Piccadilly circus, talking, horns, siren, cars, Creative Commons Busy London cafe, Creative Commons Road sounds & Big Ben, Creative Commons Construction sounds (jackhammer), Creative Commons Nightclub and siren sound, Creative Commons Nightclub techno music, Creative Commons 8-bit Electro, Creative Commons Tube from Tower Hill to Aldgate East Tube sounds, recorded by Tasmin Waby 3 April 2021

In this episode we’re off to Dartmoor - a magical, mercurial, 368-square mile wilderness in south west England. Here undulating moorland is dotted with prehistoric sites, rocky outcrops and ancient woods crowded with moss-smothered trees. We’ll explore Dartmoor’s icy rivers with swimmer and writer Sophie Pierce, its hiking routes with travel publisher Hilary Bradt, and the moor’s adventure potential with guidebook author Daniel Start.

01.33 - A Love Letter to Dartmoor from writer & outdoor swimmer Sophie Pierce

07.58 - Insider insights into exploring Dartmoor from travel writer & publisher Hillary Bradt

16.09 - Tips on experiencing Dartmoor yourself, from Wild Things author Daniel Start

Resources & Links

Sophie Pierce Wild Swimming Walks Dartmoor & South Devon;

The Green Hill: Letters to a Son, about the loss of Sophie's son Felix and the role of the natural world in her mourning, will be published by Unbound in Spring 2023.

Hillary Bradt South Devon & Dartmoor - Slow Travel

Bradt Guides are offering listeners to This Place, This Story a 25% discount on Hilary Bradt and Janice Booth’s Slow Travel: South Devon & Dartmoor. To claim your discount, visit bradtguides.com and enter the code THISPLACE25 at checkout. The offer ends 30th June 2022 and can’t be used in conjunction with any other offers.

Daniel Start Wild Swimming Walks, Dartmoor & South Devon; The Wild Guide to the South West

Episode producer Belinda Dixon

Presenters Belinda Dixon & Simon Richmond

Sound editing Belinda Dixon
Thanks also to Doug Murray & Kate Armstrong

Theme Music: Instant by Nettson

In this episode we’re off to Penang, the fabled island off the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia.

Colonised by the British in the early 1700s, Penang today is one of Malaysia’s most ethnically diverse and cosmopolitan regions, a dynamic business hub as well as a repository of local cultural history. Its capital George Town is known for its Unesco World Heritage listed zone, but there is much more to discover on the island - as you’ll find out in this episode’s love letter, narrated by local journalist Marco Ferrarese, who leads us on a two-day hike from the north to the south of Penang via its mountainous, rainforest-clad interior.

Penangite Alan Tan, managing director of Habitat Penang Hill, shines a light on the island’s lush environment and its complex, fascinating mingling of cultures.

Rounding out the episode is Bettina Chua Abdullah, a local broadcaster, writer and passionate foodie, who waxes lyrical about Penang’s lip-smacking culinary scene, one of the best in Asia.  Bettina is also director of Hikayat, bookshop and events space in George Town.

Episode producer: Simon Richmond

Presenters: Belinda Dixon & Simon Richmond

Sound editing: Belinda Dixon

Co-producers: Kate Armstrong, Doug Murray & Tasmin Waby

Theme Music: Instant by Nettson

Music in episode: Buddha Beat