Podcast appearances and mentions of mike yardley

Mike Yardley's on an adventure in London, experiencing luxury hotels and five star dining experiences. He joined Jack Tame to delve into some of his top destination dining picks. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Budapest has long been a punching bag for invading powers and battled over by a litany of imperial bullies. But the legacy is a city stacked with historic layer upon layer of intrigue and faded glory, some layers still decaying while others have been ambitiously restored. I was back in the Hungarian capital with Trafalgar, one of the headline stops on their splendidly curated 10-day Imperial Europe tour." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Few cities in the world enjoy the stature of being a music mecca quite like Salzburg. It's one of my favourite European destinations and I recently ventured back to this Austrian jewel with Trafalgar, as part of their magnificent 10-day Imperial Europe tour. It's like a tasting plate of some of Central Europe's most glittering destinations, steeped in history and spilling with scenic finery. And it's all spectacularly brought to life with specialist local guides who live and breathe these destinations, with unbridled passion and pride." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"You could spill vast rivers of blue Danube ink try to encapsulate the enduring brilliance of Vienna and all that it has lavished on the world. It's the city that vaulted Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Strauss and his waltz into the world's consciousness. The city that unleashed the genius of Freud, published the world's first newspaper, conceived the delicious Torte, and was the powerbase for the imperial Hapsburgs. Vienna remains a city of culture, class and beauty; of churches, castles and concert halls." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"As spring began to bud and bloom in Munich, I embraced the season of renewal by joining Trafalgar on their riveting 10 day Imperial Europe guided coach tour, which strings together a necklace of enchanting destinations. It's a cracking introduction to the richness of Central Europe – kind of like a glorified greatest hits tour." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The great Swiss city of Zurich is one of the more picturesque, pixel-burning European gateway destinations. Within minutes of exiting Zurich Airport, armed with my trusty Eurail Pass, I was blissfully whizzing into the city centre on a 10 minute train ride. Strolling across the cobbles of this time-honoured city in the crisp spring air, there's so much urban eye-candy to lift the spirit. I sized up the largest clock face in Europe, on the edge of the Limmat River. It's bigger than Big Ben. Riding the skyline, the historic tower of St Peter Church is imbued with a trusty timepiece, as are the oh-so punctual church bells that loudly reverberate across the Old Town from the four historic churches, including mighty Grossmunster Cathedral. No wonder everything runs to time in Switzerland. According to legend, Zurich's 13th-century landmark cathedral was founded by Charlemagne, built on the graves of the city's patron saints, Felix and Regula. It was also the starting place of the Protestant Reformation in Zurich. Culture is writ large in Zurich's Old Town, where the narrow-cobbled streets gave rise to the Dada art movement just over a century ago. I popped into Cabaret Voltaire, at Spiegelgasse 1, which was the birthplace of Dada and the avant-garde artistic movement in 1916. Absinthe is the drink of choice here, among Dada's ghosts. Strolling along Bahnhofstrasse, flanked by chic designer boutiques and swanky department stores, Café Sprungli deserves a pit-stop. This prized Zurich institution is rightly lauded for its heavenly macaroons and hand-crafted chocolates. They are like exquisite works of art – as were the Easter chocolate displays. It's like a bespoke art gallery in chocolate. Don't mind if I do. Further down the street, if feeling a little decadent, make a date with Teuscher for its famed champagne truffles. In a city of water and stone bridges, a top vantage point to survey the elemental landscape, above the twisting lanes of the Old Town, is the Lindenhof. This was the site of a former Roman customs house and fourth-century fort, perched above the water. Alongside soaking up the city vistas, this elevated park with its Linden trees and giant chess sets is the pitch-perfect spot for a cheeky picnic. The vast assortment of guildhalls is core to Zurich's backstory, and they're great fun to explore. In 1336, Zurich's first independent mayor, Rudolf Brun, established the guild laws, effectively shifting power from the abbeys to the merchant nobility. The handsome guildhalls, with all their intricate decorative features, lend themselves to a leisurely inspection. I started at the bakers' guild, in Oberdorfstrasse, before heading over the river's east bank to Niederdorf, to admire the guilds of the carpenters, builders, the food and wine dealers, the textiles and spice merchants, all along Limmatquai. Then, on Munsterhof, you've got mansions of the weavers, saddlemakers, painters and winemakers. In German-speaking Zurich, the street food tradition of wurst remains wildly popular – particularly for lunch. In the Old Town, tuck into some great sausage at Wursteria by Hinz and Kunz. This part-butcher shop and part deli serves up super spicy bratwurst in a fluffy bun. So good! As its name suggests, Cafe Conditorei 1842, on Napfgasse, is an old-school establishment, chock-full of sweet indulgence. Spanning four floors, food lovers can enjoy patisserie, cakes and hot drinking chocolate – they claim to be Zurich's best. On the ground floor of this historic confectioner's store, impressively decorated in neo-baroque style, you'll struggle to find a finer array of patisserie, cakes and tarts. I could have stayed there all day. And yes – the steaming mug of hot chocolate with whipped cream was magnificent. Speaking of chocolate, the Lindt and Sprungli factory has called Zurich home, since 1899. Seven years in the making, Lindt Home of Chocolate, was designed to complement the historic building and serve as a beacon to chocolate lovers everywhere. From cultivation to production, the interactive museum does a sterling job telling the story of Swiss chocolate making, not only about Lindt, but its predecessors. While the maze of white, milk, and dark chocolates is impressive, the Lindt Home of Chocolate also boasts another record: the world's largest chocolate fountain. Standing at about 30 feet tall, even Willy Wonka would be impressed by this show-stopper. Zurich is home to FIFA's world headquarters and in a bid to stop pesky football fans from loitering in the lobby, the FIFA Museum was created nine years ago, in the heart of town. Spread over three floors and loaded with interactive exhibitions, the FIFA Museum examines all aspects of the global game and how it passionately stirs people's emotions. Football is the great equaliser. Along with the original FIFA World Cup Trophy, the museum displays over 1,000 items of exclusive memorabilia and apparel, including the national shirts of all FIFA member associations. The original trophy, which features a gold statuette of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, holding a cup, was permanently awarded to Brazil after they won the cup for the third time, in 1970. The current trophy contains 5kg of pure gold and its estimated value is over NZ$30m. A highlight amongst the interactive games gallery is the gigantic pinball machine, where you can test your own ball kicking skills. With the next World Cup just a year away and featuring the All Whites for just the third time, add this museum to your check-list. Creating quite a buzz in recent years, Zurich-West has been spectacularly transformed from a once scruffy industrial district. Emerging as a vibrant cultural quarter of trendy eateries and edgy art, factories have been repurposed as theatres and shipyards reimagined as art galleries. Viadukt is an exemplary example of the makeover, with a host of eateries, pop-up shops and art spaces housed inside the arches of the disused, 550-feet long railway viaduct. You'll also find Prime Tower here, a 35-storey skyscraper (Switzerland's tallest), serving up a panoramic treat across Zurich's rooftops, gleaming lake and snow-coated peaks beyond. Take in the sweeping scenery over a drink or two at Clouds Bar – and salute your return to Europe. The locals are very proud of the city's brilliant and bizarre festivals. In August Zurich hosts Street Parade, one of Europe's biggest celebrations of peace, love and electronic music, attended by millions of people. In a couple of weeks, the city grinds to a halt for Seschselauten. This annual April spectacle involves setting on fire a giant straw snowman called the Boogg. The time it takes for the Boogg's head to explode indicates whether it will be a good summer, apparently. The word is Zurich is in for a long, warm summer. Perfectly poised overlooking Paradeplatz, the city's most prestigious address, the Mandarin Oriental Savoy Hotel offers a stylish stay to remember, when in Zurich. Just steps from the city's iconic shopping sweep of Bahnhofstrasse, it's been just over a year since the Mandarin Oriental revitalised what has been Zurich's oldest grand hotel, reaching back to 1838. Elegantly and artfully refreshed, with a boutique hotel vibe, the 80 impeccably redesigned rooms and suites raise the bar on luxury and indulgence. There's four distinctive dining venues including the Michelin-starred Orsini, where the Italian fine dining experience is helmed by acclaimed two-Michelin starred Italian Consultant Chef Antonio Guida. Then there's 1838, the effervescent rooftop bar with its spell-binding panoramic vistas of the city, lake and serrated Swiss Alps. Plus Savoy Brasserie & Bar is a sure-bet for a stupendous breakfast, with an delightfully presented buffet selection, in addition to a la carte menu items. Accommodations take their design cues from the natural palette of Zurich, headlined by the artisanal hand-painted silk wallpapers, inspired by the aqua green and blue hues of the lake and sky, to the mist of the surrounding mountains. Meticulously crafted design elements and materials adorn the rooms. Accents of colour are also reflected in custom furniture and carpets. Principal materials include walnut as a common thread, touches of bronze and brass and enamelled lava together with the comfort of luxurious textiles. Throughout the hotel, I loved admiring the multitude of sculptural lighting fixtures and lamps. I stayed in the Munsterhof Suite, accentuating the sumptuous sense of comfort, glamour and space, loaded with indulgent touches. There's a personal cocktail bar, built-in headboards, sublime marble-clad bathrooms and expansive walk-in dressing areas. As is the case with all Mandarin Oriental properties, you'll soon get a sense of the strong local connection the hotel has with the city. Local artists are proudly showcased with numerous pieces of art to admire, throughout the hotel. Grab a peek at the storied meeting room on the second floor, which is still home to the Guild of Tanners and Shoemakers. These traditional Swiss craftsmen have been meeting here for over a century. Service personifies whip-smart Swiss efficiency and the charismatic staff are highly personable, outgoing and engaging. You'll struggle to find fault with this gorgeous hotel which has mastered the art of fusing contemporary comforts with timeless opulence and celebrating a deep respect for history, tradition and proud sense of place. www.mandarinoriental.com Grab a ticket to ride on the European railway network with a Eurail Pass. For over 65 years, Eurail Passes have enabled flexible borderless rail travel across Europe. 7000 Kiwis purchased such a pass last year, which gives you access to 30,000 destinations across 33 countries, allowing you to chart your own amazing rail adventure. On popular rail routes, it certainly pays to make a seat reservation in advance. Lock in your rail plans ahead of your trip, by booking tickets or a rail pass to suit with Eurail direct. The mobile pass is the way to go. The Eurail app is easy to navigate, packed with helpful information and benefits, network disruption notifications, and enabling you to check timetables, lock in bookings and seat reservations on the go, via your mobile. www.eurail.com Fly to Zurich with Cathay Pacific who operate ultra-contemporary A350-1000s, from Auckland via Hong Kong. The cabin air quality is decidedly better, the aircraft are noticeably quieter and I experienced minimal jet-lag. The extensive CX Entertainment system kept me suitably engaged with excellent movie and box-set selections, live news channels - all in vivid 4K, plus in-flight WiFi is available. www.cathaypacific.com Mike Yardley is our resident traveller and can be heard every Saturday with Jack Tame on Newstalk ZB. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're tripping your way around Europe independently, travelling by train is the incomparable transport mode of choice. It's the fast, efficient and faff-free way to travel, with the added bonus of depositing you in the absolute heart of dream European destinations. But across Europe, their grand and venerable railway stations also house some remarkable restaurant experiences – the real hidden treasures housed within these grand-scale transport hubs. So why settle for an underwhelming grab-and-go sandwich when Europe's busiest stations host some brilliant trackside brasseries and bistros? They're also a great way to herald your arrival or departure from some glittering destinations. More and more of these station restaurants have really upped their culinary game in recent years. So where should you go to sample some of the best in class? Starting in London, Booking Office 1869 is located within St. Pancras Station. As the name suggests, it was originally the vast ticket office for the station. Four years ago, the space was redesigned as a Victorian-style winter garden, with towering palm trees and plant-themed chandeliers. Each one of features 275 hand-cut brass leaves! Backed by exposed brickwork, a superb 22-metre-long bar, carved from marble and walnut. Dining? Expect British classics alongside nods to far-flung destinations. The Scottish charcuterie board is perfect for lunch. It's also a great spot for high tea. Paris? You cannot beat Le Train Bleu at Gare de Lyon. Dating back to 1901, this explosion of Belle Époque grandeur fast became a meeting place for artists, poets and playwrights, and the decor was inspired by the Mediterranean coast's most glamorous destinations. The walls are lined with priceless watercolour paintings, while chandeliers, gilt-framed mirrors, frescos and leather banquettes ramp up the luxury. Headlining the delectable menu, Provençal-style octopus stew and the roast leg of lamb, carved tableside. You may recall this is the restaurant from the Bean Movie, where Mr Bean had some trouble trying to swallow the king prawns. For a memorable first-class dining experience in Amsterdam, the Grand Café Restaurant 1e Klas is located by Platform 2 of the Centraal Station. It also embodies the timeless romance of rail travel, with the restaurant preserving its original look and elegant style of the 19th century. It was originally the first-class waiting hall. The extensive menu offers quick turnarounds, while the croquette and bitterbal tasting is very popular. True to the weird and eclectic Dutch sense of humour, a rather talkative cockatoo called Elvis, perched by the bar. Tripping to Spain? Estación Barcelona-Sants station is home to La Mundana. This recent Bib Gourmand recipient serves up masterful takes on Spanish, Japanese and French classics, tapas-style. Artistically plated, it's a stirring dining experience, but also sharply-priced and unpretentious. For steeply-priced posh nosh in Brussels, La Brasserie de la Gare Brussels Midi has earned the Michelin Guide's stamp of approval. But aside from the cuisine, it's the décor that is the big draw, with antique train lanterns, train timetables and railway workers' hats richly adorning the restaurant. For a bite that won't weigh too heavily on your wallet, whistle up some shrimp croquettes. If you're Itay-bound and find yourself at Stazione Centrale in Milan, check out All'AnticoVinaio. This exuberantly decorated eatery and its owner has become a Tik Tok sensation, with videos galore of him constructing his double-decker Italian subs. Made using the freshest schiacciata bread, sink your teeth into the ‘Favolosa' sandwich, which is stacked with salami, pecorino cheese, artichoke spread and spicy eggplants. If you're after a Golden Arches experience to blow your hair back, Nyugati Railway Station in Budapest, Hungary, is home to what is claimed to be the world's most beautiful McDonald's. It has just reopened after a tip-to-toe restoration to the 150 year old building. The antique lamps and painted stucco ceilings have been refreshed, keeping the vintage designs in place, including the huge glass windows that go around the entire building, as well as copper-covered light fixtures. Amid all the neo-Classical glory from the Hapsburg empire, the touch-screen ordering kiosks look curiously out of place. Finally, a newcomer to the star-factor scene of railway restaurants can be found in Athens at Rouf Station. Greek actress Tatiana Ligari founded Wagon Restaurant restoring several vintage train carriages - including the original dining car from the 1926 Simplon Orient Express. A century later, the carriage is a fabulous restaurant and bar once again. The evocative romance of rail lives on. Spending some time in some of these restaurants is virtually worth missing your train for. Grab a ticket to ride on the European railway network with a Eurail Pass. On popular rail routes, it certainly pays to make a seat reservation in advance. Lock in your rail plans ahead of your trip, by booking tickets or a rail pass to suit with Eurail direct. The mobile pass is the way to go. The Eurail app is easy to navigate, packed with helpful information and benefits, network disruption notifications, and enabling you to check timetables, lock-in and change bookings on the go, via your phone. www.eurail.com Mike Yardley is Newstalk ZB's resident traveller and can be heard every week on Saturday Mornings with Jack Tame.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"As much as hospitality can be a fluid and fickle industry with a lot of churn, it's fair to say that Wellington has been buffeted by some tough times lately. Business closures have been tough on the capital's self-confidence over the past 12 months, particularly when some legendary establishments have also ended up closing their doors. "But I was encouraged to detect a clear upswing in morale amongst a swag of bar and restaurant operators, as I struck out on an urban food safari recently. With over 400 restaurants competing for your affection, the treasury of culinary temptations is phenomenal." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"In a city awash with world-class hiking and biking trails, plus geothermal spectacles, it doesn't take long to work up an appetite amid the sizzle of Rotorua. There are dining temptations aplenty, but here's some tried-and-true belly-pleasers that I'd strongly suggest you reserve some stomach room for." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The wondrous Ruapehu region never ceases to amaze me at its capacity to stir all senses, from its expansive platter of leisurely outdoorsy pursuits. It easily ranks as one of my all-time favourite playgrounds in New Zealand and I have revelled in its glories via a multitude of modes in recent years. I have savoured exceptional mountain bike trails, jet boating, quad biking and world-class hiking. Not to mention skiing. But in the autumn months, why not head to the heart of Tongariro National Park and take a ride to the summit of Ruapehu from Whakapapa village? The radiant Sky Waka, New Zealand's longest gondola ride, fully warrants the stature as a signature Kiwi experience. I've always been in awe of the alpine engineering audacity of the Swiss – and the Sky Waka absolutely projects that same sense of spine-tingling prowess. Spanning 1.8km from the base station and zipping you up 390m, Whakapapa's dramatically serrated volcanic landscape sweeps you up, as you gawp in wonder out of the glasshouse-like cabin, luxuriously appointed with heated leather seating! Situated at 2,020m above sea level, the cherry on top is Whakapapa Ski Area's Knoll Ridge Chalet which is New Zealand's highest café. As you gush superlatives over the horizon-searching views, it's a novel perch to enjoy coffee from Pātaka, drinks in The Back Bar, or nosh in style while marvelling at the skyline from Knoll Ridge's giant floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking The Pinnacles. I highly recommend “Tea at 2020m”, Whakapapa's stirring take on traditional high tea. It's actually considered the highest high tea on the planet, with a delectable tiered stand of sandwiches, savouries and cakes to work your way through. It's currently available until the end of April, prior to the mountain's seasonal switch to winter activities. After feasting on far too many tasty morsels, the mountain trails were calling. There are over 10km of marked trails to strike out on, ranging from 20 minute strolls to 3 hours return alpine hikes. Without its snow-coat, it's a compelling way to admire the dramatic terrain and its mash-up of volcanic rock, pumice, scoria and sand. Close to Chateau Tongariro, there's a stack of tasty wee tracks. The Tawhai Falls walk is a heart-stealer, leading you through mountain toatoa and beech forest to a waterfall tumbling over the edge of an ancient lava flow. It's one of two waterfalls used in Lord of the Rings that depicted Gollum fishing, hence its nickname is Gollum's Pool. (Mangawhero Falls, very close to Waitonga Falls, is the other location that was cast as Gollum's Pool.) It was sad to see the sorry sight of the moth-balled Chateau Tongariro, although the local rumour mill suggests a wealthy Irish businessman is a hot prospect to breathe new life into the grand lady. Just behind the Chateau, Taranaki Falls is a return walk for even grander waterworks. Passing through a mix of tussock, alpine shrublands and beech forest, the track wraps around the lower slopes of Ruapehu, with vintage views of Ngauruhoe's symmetrical cone. A flock of native birds, including whiteheads and grey warblers, serenaded my stroll all the way to Taranaki Falls, tumbling 20 metres over the edge of a large andesite lava flow which erupted from Ruapehu 15,000 years ago. If you're up for a half-day advanced hike, I definitely recommend the Tupapakura Falls walk. It starts just out of National Park village, on Fishers Road. The track has been upgraded by the local community in partnership with the Department of Conservation. It begins with an easy 20 minute walk to the Taranaki Lookout, serving up panoramic wide-range perspectives of Mt Taranaki and Mt Ruapehu. Beyond this point, the trail becomes a back country adventure track, which will test your stamina in the Erua Forest. The track follows a ridge and then descends steeply to a stream. There are good stands of tawa, mature rimu, miro and totara to see along the way. Climbing from the stream, the track winds its way around bluffs to a sparkling lookout point with views of the long-drop falls. You'll need at least four hours to knock off this 11km long track. Refuel? Reward yourself with a thirst-quencher at Schnapps Bar & Restaurant in National Park Village. Heading south? Synonymous with Ohakune as much as carrots, the famed main-street Chocolate Éclair Shop is worth the trip alone. Sinking your teeth into one of their celebrated giant cream-filled, chocolate-topped pastries is one of life's great pleasures. Just north of town, a curious diversion is Horopito Motors. It's featured in two classic Kiwi flicks, Smash Palace and Goodbye Pork Pie. Nicknamed Smash Palace, for a gold coin donation, you can see some film memorabilia and have a look around the yard. It's quite a yard – more like a vast car graveyard because Smash Palace are the biggest vintage car dismantlers in Australasia. It's like an enormous op-shop for old cars. They sell parts around the world for cars made between the 1920s-1970s and also for some early models that were built before WW1. The on-site museum also includes owner Colin Fredricksen's favourite car restorations on display. Back in my Ezi Car Rental vehicle, I was bound for Taumarunui, but I also enjoyed a short layover in the pint-sized village of Owhango, to reacquaint myself with Ohinetonga Scenic Reserve. Just over a decade ago a group of passionate local residents banded together to bring the birdlife back to this unlogged native podocarp forest, mercifully spared from the ravages of historic milling. This glorious slice of wilderness is on the boundary of Tongariro Forest Park and is now one of our national kiwi sanctuaries. It's also home to a vast flock native bird species including the whio (blue duck), dabchick, whitehead, North Island robin and kereru. Take a stroll on the 3.8km loop track around the reserve for some seriously soothing forest-bathing. I gave a massive 600 year old totara tree a fresh hug, after first marvelling over this mighty specimen four years ago. Yes, I'm still a happy little tree-hugger. I romped my way around the Ruapehu region in a trusty hybrid Ford Puma, courtesy of Ezi Car Rental. I thoroughly enjoyed the Ezi experience, where excellent vehicles, super sharp prices and fast & friendly service are all part of the package. Ezi Car Rental operates an extensive network from 24 locations across the country. They're everywhere you want to be with vehicles to suit your specific needs. Head to www.ezicarrental.co.nz The drama and grandeur of Ruapehu is power-packed as a year-round wonderland for outdoorsy adventure. Crowned by the triple volcanoes of the central plateau and the majestic Tongariro National Park, make tracks to the wide open spaces and hospitality charms of Ruapehu. www.visitruapehu.com Mike Yardley is our Travel Correspondent on Jack Tame Saturday Mornings.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In all my travels, I've never encountered anything quite like it, particularly given its magnitude. Prising open the mighty King Country, Forgotten World Adventures (FWA) offers remarkable excursions, riding the rails of an abandoned railway line, stretching from the northern tip of the Ruapehu District to heartland Taranaki. It's not only an enduring totem to our guts-and-glory pioneering heritage but a more modern-day manifestation of gritty Kiwi ingenuity – and repurposing! Based in Taumarunui, FWA is an incredibly enterprising tourism venture boasting a compelling platter of soft adventure excursions, prising open the legends, heritage and unspoilt scenery of the hinterland. Forgotten World Adventures re-opened 142 kilometres of this decommissioned railway line in 2012, including 24 tunnels and 92 bridges – all built from hand. Founded by Ian Balme, this Waikato farmer dared to dream big, turning a mothballed rusting eyesore into a visionary business. For the past three years, FWA has been owned and operated by Grant Ross and Laura Wackett. They both have a fascinating backstory, principally in international television production, while Grant was also previously a professional rugby player in South Africa and France. Originally from Wellington, Grant is revelling in steering a homegrown enterprise, which was quite the baptism of fire given New Zealand was still wrestling with Covid when he purchased the business. He's very hands-on and highly engaging with guests. It was fascinating to chat to him about the challenges and rewards of the job – like when a massive storm buried the tunnel entrances in a pile of mud! The prohibitive costs of constant track maintenance underpinned KiwiRail's decision to pull the plug on the line's operation in 2010. Taking nearly 32 years to build, the Stratford – Okahukura Line (SOL) finally opened in 1932 and linked up with the main trunk line through Taumarunui to Auckland. Working gangs sawed and blasted their way through the bush-draped hinterland to lay the tracks of this steel artery. It cost 2.5 million pounds to build this line, equating to billions of dollars today – the most expensive rail line in our nation's history. They even built massive timber-trestle viaducts across the likes of the Mangatatoko Ravine, now overgrown in bush, because it would have been too difficult to maintain such a sky-high bridge. The engineering prowess was extraordinary. The line had been commissioned to transport products from the emerging farming, coal and logging industries. At its peak, there were 15 stations in operation on this line – now, concrete platforms serve as sobering memorial slabs to a bygone age. FWA operate six unique guided adventures, whether you're after a half-day excursion, full day or multi-day adventure. If you want to ride the entire 142km-long line to Stratford, that's a two-day affair, but I plumped for the full-day rail car ride to the self-declared Republic of Whangamōmona. You can do it one-way in either direction, with a night's stay in the irrepressible Whangamōmona Hotel. The historic hotel was built in 1912 and the area's proud history is lustily showcased on the pub walls. But full drama ensued in 1989when Whangamōmona threw a strop and declared its independence. It was prompted by local government reforms which carved up the boundaries of the Whangamōmona district, which resulted in half the district ending up in Manawatu-Whanganui, when most folk associate themselves with the Taranaki region. So they declared independence in the pub and continue celebrating Republic Day in January. You can even get your passport stamped at the pub counter. You'll love the ebullient spirit of the hotel and its patrons, with excellent meals and comfortable accommodation. Arriving into the main street, with its heritage shop facades, you'll feel like you've been transported into a Wild West movie set. It's utterly enthralling, and home to one of New Zealand's legendary watering holes. Meeting up with my FWA guide Ray, we set off from Whangamōmona, under bright blue skies, for our full-day ride back to Okahukura. Ray knows this wild region intimately, guiding since 2016 and prior to that delivering rural mail. He was an exceptional host on the rails, informative and effusively passionate about the region's rich heritage. This is certainly no train ride, but a unique self-drive rail journey in converted golf carts, where you're in charge of the pedals. Petrol powered and limited to a top speed of 22km an hour, these souped-up golf carts originate from Arizona, but given the lush and vivid greenness of the surrounding landscape, they certainly don't look out of place. I was half expecting a vast fairway to appear on the horizon. The weirdest initiation is feeling comfortable not steering the wheel, because you're firmly affixed to the rails. No turning required! The mining and milling heyday of the Forgotten World region may have long faded but the wrap-around scenery is deliriously drool-worthy, a blend of the bucolic, wistful, lonely and rustic. Animals vastly outnumber people in these parts, as we tootled by goats, deer, alpacas and happy herds of cows on elevated pastures, while a vast flock of freshly-sheared sheep skipped alongside the line, under the watchful eye of crowd-wrangling sheepdogs. Clattering along the tracks in our carts, curling through valleys and creased hills, we traversed lichen covered bridges spanning rivers, while more lichen streamed down from trees like confetti. We threaded our way through magnificent native forest, particularly around Tangarakau, where kiwi are being re-introduced to the bush. Towering papa cliffs rose up beside the railway line adding to the natural splendour. Reaching out on the eastern horizon, I snatched the occasional view of mighty Mt Ruapehu, piercing the skyline, by Tahora Saddle. The King Country's tightly folded steep-sided hills and starkly contrasting curvaceous hummocks, created by lahars from Taupo and Ruapehu eruptions, make for riveting topography. The Egyptians would be suitably impressed, because of all the pyramidal shapes that sharply point at the sky. The verdant countryside is sprinkled with clutches of ramshackle houses and dilapidated farm buildings, strutting the skyline as reminders of the region's boom times, when primary industries like timber-milling and coal-mining thrived. When in season, you can even pick wild blackberries, blueberries and apples from the railway line. It's sobering to reflect on how dramatically the population has changed in some of these settlements. A delicious buffet lunch awaited us in Tokirima, which FWA staff had prepared in advance of our arrival. We also stopped for scrumptious home-made snacks and a hot cuppa in the sleepy village of Matiere. It's still home to around 40 residents – and a thriving Cossie Club. At its peak, 85 years ago, Matiere had a population of 750, built on saw-milling and farmers breaking in land. This pioneering town once included a dairy factory, three general stores, two butchers, two drapers, a tailor, bank and post office. Information posts along the route, complete with historical photographs, illustrate how bustling many of these lineside communities used to be. But the undeniable highlight of riding these storied rails are the brick-lined tunnels laid by hand and the longest tunnel on the line, spanning 1500 metres. Apparently it comprises 3.5 million bricks and took eight years to build! Boring through these tunnels on our carts was absolutely thrilling. It certainly pays to wrap up warm. They can be bone-chillingly cold. The 1500 metre tunnel, known as the Okahukura Tunnel, is actually New Zealand's seventh longest rail tunnel. Adding to its ethereal theatre, a thick mist draped the middle of the tunnel, before we re-emerged from the darkness into spectacularly sunlit native bush. Rail travel has always exuded romanticism. The supreme sense of scenic intimacy is unmatched by road travel and the novelty of piloting your own passage along the tracks is an undeniable winner with the Kiwi DIY love affair. While in Taumarunui, my head hit the pillow at the Forgotten World Motel. My well-appointed unit was clean, quiet and toasty, the beds are cloud-comfortable and there's free Wi-Fi. The rail excursion season rolls on until May 10, before resuming again on October. Make tracks! For full details on the FWA product range, head to www.fwa.co.nz I romped my way around the Ruapehu region in a trusty hybrid Ford Puma, courtesy of Ezi Car Rental. I thoroughly enjoyed the Ezi experience, where excellent vehicles, super sharp prices and fast & friendly service are all part of the package. Ezi Car Rental operates an extensive network from 24 locations across the country. They're everywhere you want to be with vehicles to suit your specific needs. Head to www.ezicarrental.co.nz The drama and grandeur of Ruapehu is power-packed as a year-round wonderland for outdoorsy adventure. Crowned by the triple volcanoes of the central plateau and the majestic Tongariro National Park, make tracks to the wide open spaces and hospitality charms of Ruapehu. www.visitruapehu.com Mike Yardley is our Travel Correspondent on Jack Tame Saturday Mornings.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the alluring, unmistakable truths about Hanmer Springs is that the gorgeous alpine haven has stayed true to its roots. It's been a sanctuary for the weary and the leisure-seeking for centuries. With a long and storied legacy as a hot-spot for healing mind, body and soul, Hanmer Springs proudly remains a premium alpine spa destination, whether you're a loved-up couple looking for a weekend escape, treating the whole family to some elemental treats, or you're after some personal pampering. And it's just an easy90 minute drive from Christchurch Airport, through the bucolic North Canterbury hinterland. Nature is the unbeatable balm to sooth the soul and spark your spirits in this secluded high-country basin. My first stop was at the resort village's crowning glory, Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools & Spa. With a lustrous back-story, the hot springs were developed as a publicly-owned bathhouse in 1884, fortuitously chiming with that insatiable Victorian passion for geothermal water and its therapeutic qualities. Prior to that, pounamu-gathering Māori had used the area as a resting place for centuries, while returning soldiers were sent to Hanmer to recuperate, after both world wars. (It's great to see the historic old Soldiers' Block, next to the pools, is currently being restored and set to reopen on Anzac Day.) Hanmer Springs is my runaway favourite place to get into hot water. But before surrendering to the sweet sensation of this watery wonderland, my body was in need of some professional panel-beating, so I headed to The Spa Hanmer Springs. It's one of New Zealand's busiest day spas, so book in advance and take your pick from the slew of exquisite treatments, from facials and feet retreats to the full body affair. I was booked in for a Spa Signature Massage, which is a full body relaxation massage. But as I chatted to my charming therapist Sophie about my various aches and pains, she switched up the treatment into a deep tissue recovery massage. Spending copious hours on the keyboard and long-distance driving, plus several days of line-trimming my jungle-like garden into a presentable state had all taken its toll. Over the course of an hour, Sophie's skilful techniques dealt to all the knots in my lower back, and released the stress and strain from my muscles. It was a liberating, corrective massage and I floated out of the spa like a happy little cloud. Luring over half a million visitors annually, the adjoining thermal pools complex is a sizzling attraction, where you can hop-scotch between the 22-strong network of rockpools, aqua therapy pools and sulphur pools. The latter are completely natural, containing unfiltered mineral water, with a soft and silky feel and piping hot at 42-45C. You can also laze in the highly-sociable hexagonal pools, loll about in the freshwater lap pool and lazy river, or enjoy some high-action spills on the waterslides, headlined by the nation's biggest slide Conical Thrill, and the recently installed hydro slides, Violet Vortex and Waiau Winder. I lolloped around the pools on multiple occasions during my stay. They're just so good. https://hanmersprings.co.nz/ After enjoying some body therapy, I dabbled in some retail therapy from the eye-catching assortment of independent boutiques, homeware and gift stores clustered around the tree-lined main street. There's a host of temptations, but I'm a big fan of Homestead and the Ada Design Store, for beautiful gifts and artistic home décor. Sweet tooths? The kids go crazy at the Lolly Pot, while a perennial go-to for nearly 25 years is Fudgelato, for fresh and creamy fudge and gelato. (Great name!) Two-wheeled pursuits are a big draw in Hanmer and after far too much indulgence, I had excess calories to burn. Pop into Hanmer Adventure's main street store who will get you pedalling in paradise, with a full range of rental bikes to choose from, from e-bikes to basic hardtail. They'll get you geared up too, with helmets and gloves. There's nearly 20 mountain bike tracks around Hanmer Springs, spanning all levels of expertise and endurance. If you're up for a gentle introduction, Hanmer Forest Park's Camp Walk Loop is a cracker, under a vast canopy of mature trees, while Alligator Alley and Snakes & Ladders are excellent trails too for easy-riding. www.hanmeradventure.co.nz A family-favourite on foot in the Hanmer Heritage Forest, off Jollies Pass Road, is the Forest Amble Walk and the animal sculpture trail. These whimsical wooden sculptures were created by Christchurch sculptor, Andrew Lyons, crafted out of a felled Redwood. The sculptures include a friendly giant, a hawk, a dog, possum and orangutan. The 30-minute return walk follows a flat and easy track and it's very embracing - suitable for toddlers, buggies and the elderly. Where to dine? Fuel up for your day's adventures with a cranking breakfast at the Powerhouse Café. Located in a historic hydro power station which celebrates its centenary next year, you'll find an enticing menu of hearty fare, sensational coffee, boutique beers and splendid Waipara wines. I had a great chat to the café owner, Mary Holloway, who has been in charge of the Powerhouse for over 20 years and a mainstay of the village community. For breakfast, don't go past the chilli scrambled eggs. They're served on toasted sourdough with stir-fried greens and roast chilli. Delish! Spoil yourself with dinner at the hospitality winner, No. 31 Restaurant & Bar. Housed in a characterful main street cottage, No. 31 is lauded for its upmarket intimate dining. Joining many other discerning diners for dinner, I started with an entrée of beetroot arancini, plump with an almond & cheese filling. Despite the lavish selection of locally-sourced meat mains, I opted for the grilled calamari dish, marinated in parsley, lemon and olive oil and served on a bed of garden leaves. The desserts are deliriously good too, plumping for a warm sticky liquorice pudding with salted caramel sauce, candied walnuts and vanilla bean ice cream. As you'd expect from such a decorated establishment, the cocktail menu is just as creative. Order up a Mushroom Sour, a modern take on a whisky sour, infused with mushroom powder. It marries the earthy richness of fungi with the classic blend of whisky, lemon and a creamy egg white froth. It's a savory and citrusy hit. Where to stay? Amplify the sooth-factor by bedding down at Village Lake Luxury Apartments. Just a two minute walk from the thermal pools & spa off Jollies Pass Road, my expansive apartment was utterly idyllic. The balcony reached out to embrace the forest-draped vista of Conical Hill, Mt. Isobel and the sprawling Hanmer Range. But it's the wraparound sense of serenity at the end of day and in the morning calm that makes this property such a sweet oasis. Lavishly appointed with all the creature comforts, you'll have a designer kitchen to drool over, full laundry facilities, gas fire, underfloor heating, top-quality bedding and posh toiletries to ramp up the sense of indulgence..www.villagelake.co.nz If you're a forward-planner, here's something to lock into your diary. Hanmer Springs' Alpine Winter Festival will return mid-year, kicking off for a fortnight of seasonal frolics on June 28. Enjoy icy plunge pools, night light tree top climbing, dazzling light displays, kids' quizzes and glowing mini golf. And that's just the tip of the iceberg! Spoil yourself in Hanmer Springs. Mike Yardley is our resident traveller on Jack Tame Saturday Mornings.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Sandwiched by mountains on one side and the sprawling white-sands beach on the other, the urban jungle of Los Angeles seems to melt away on arrival in Santa Monica. This beloved beachside city bursts with personality, offering quintessential encounters with the Southern California coastal lifestyle." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"January's horrific wildfires in Los Angeles County have understandably raised questions about whether it's appropriate to visit destinations close to the fire grounds and the Pacific Coast Highway. But the clarion call from LA's tourism leaders is to remind the world, ‘we are open and would love to see you”. Over a million of the city's jobs rely on tourism. It's also worth bearing in mind that, while devastating, the wildfires have impacted less than 2% of Los Angeles County. Late last year, I tripped the LA coastline, lapping up the scenic beach scene in Malibu, nicknamed “Bu” by the locals and stretching across 40km of coastline. Eastern Malibu, particularly the stretch directly below Pacific Palisades, felt the force of the wildfires, with hundreds of beachfront homes reduced to ashes (Central and Western Malibu weren't affected)." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Far from being just a port town, Picton has blossomed into a fully-fledged holiday gem. Wrapped in forest-clad hills, the Picton foreshore is studded with a swag of hospo spots and heritage treasures like the Edwin Fox, in addition to being an alluring launch-pad for savouring Queen Charlotte Sound." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the summer break Mike Yardley took advantage of the gorgeous weather to take a trip to the South Island's Tasman Bay. He joined Jack Tame for a chat about his family holiday in the south, visiting sun-drenched spots like Kaiteriteri, Motueka, Mapua, and hitting the pedals on the Great Taste Trail. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Bracketed by the biscuit-brown Wither Hills and the lofty prongs of the Richmond Ranges, Blenheim's vast blanket of the Wairau Plain bursts with possibilities. When it comes to winery finery, few venues can hold a candle to the elemental elegance of Wither Hills Cellar Door & Restaurant. Exuding a mix of contemporary design and relaxed sophistication, coupled with soul-rinsing views from their four-storey tower; the Wither Hills Winery is pitch-perfect for a wine tasting and bite to eat." "Steve and I then headed over to Vines Village, which is homebase for Explore Marlborough's wine tours. They offer a great range of options, included guided or self-guided tours. Kitted out with a trusty e-bike, over the next few hours, we tootled our way around the vineyards, mostly on off-road trails, including the fabulous stopbank of the Wairau River, which serves up elevated views of the vast bucolic canvas." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Looking for something to do over the summer? Sail GP's long awaited Auckland debut will roar into the city in January 18th and 19th of Wynyard Point. Historic exhibit Dinosaurs of Patagonia will also take place in New Zealand. Down in Wellington Te Papa will exhibit the premiere of the global tour of Vivian Westwood. Mike Yardley discusses all this and more events across the country this summer. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 21 December 2024, kiwi chef extraordinaire Mark Gregory joins Francesca Rudkin to talk Christmas day entertainment, festive cooking, and how local charity DineAid is helping with food insecurity during the holiday season. Francesca celebrates Liam Lawson winning the Red Bull seat. The holidays are upon us and Chris Schulz delivers his top cinema picks to catch over the festive season - perfect for escaping the heat for a blast of AC. Mike Yardley rounds up signature events and exhibitions across the motu this summer. And, Nici Wickes shares a deliciously easy peach, raspberry & blueberry trifle cake - minimal effort for maximum effect this Christmas! Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Plan a summer escapade to the hot-tub of southern hospitality in irrepressible Dunedin. You'd struggle to find a comparably sized city that serves up such a spoil of fabulously distinctive visitor experiences. Fanning out from the city, the long, plumped and ranging finger of Otago Peninsula, fringed with beaches, scalloped by bays, carpeted in lush pastures, furnished in dry stone walls and studded in volcanic peaks is a world unto itself. Bountiful, bucolic, an urban escape-hatch. Richly blessed with flippered and feathered possibilities, the wildlife alone is a perennial banner attraction, but the peninsula and harbour also abound with invigorating trails." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Ōamaru is undeniably one of New Zealand's greatest towns, with its stately and seductive good looks, stirring local wildlife, astonishing heritage treasures, and alluring artisan verve. And it's all anchored with a striking sense of community pride and passion. Eye-catching sights and an embracing spirit are what Ōamaru is all about (don't miss a selfie with the beloved Humpty Dumpty statue in the stupendous public gardens). Whether you're travelling as a couple, or enjoying a happy family holiday, Ōamaru delivers ins spades with a wealth of enticing experiences." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Don't you love coming across something so unexpected and unusual, on a road-trip? That's how most visitors feel when they first clap eyes on the bewitching glory and striking landforms of the Paritea Clay Cliffs. It's one of the most popular geo-sites in the Waitaki Whitestone Geopark, just minutes from Ōmarama, on Henburn Road. It is absolutely worth the 15 minute diversion off the main road to savour this serrated geological wonder, complete with a slot canyon to shimmy through. Mike Yardley.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Yardley admits he's a child at heart, and believes that nothing can reawaken your inner child like the escapist innocence, magic, and sparkle of Disney. On his visit to LA recently, he decided to stop by the Disneyland Resort and swing through the parks. He joined Jack Tame to discuss the dos and don'ts for those eyeing up a Disney holiday. Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"In the heart of Orange County, Anaheim is a glittering hospitality hot spot, cultivating a red-hot reputation as a foodie destination, with all the Southern California feels. From fuss-free street snacks and quick bites to spectacular gourmet glories, you're seriously spoilt for choice. Underscoring Anaheim's epicurean stripes, the Anaheim area boasts over 30 Michelin-recommended eateries." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Beyond the undeniable dazzle of Disneyland, the Orange County city of Anaheim rewards the explorer with a slew of surprising experiences and eye-opening cultural encounters. With the 2024 White House race top of mind, get your fill of presidential prestige, by taking a jaunt through the Richard Nixon Presidential Library." "The historic heart of the city is known as Anaheim Colony, in deference to the original German settlement that took root in 1867, developing Anaheim as a wine production settlement. Anaheim takes its name from the Santa Ana river and the German word for home, ‘heim.”" Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"If you're heading to the West Coast via Lewis Pass, make a date with the starring town of Reefton. From Springs Junction, the highway threads through the verdant beech forest finery of Victoria Forest Park, New Zealand's largest conservation park of its type, spanning 180,000 hectares. There are gold mining and quartz mining relics in the area, with a variety of sublime hikes, from short strolls to epic, multi day tramps. But the hospitality beacon is Reefton, the Town of Light, where the glint of gold gave birth to its name courtesy of the vast quartz reef that spawned the 1870 gold rush." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Savouring Sri Lanka's Central Highlands is an adventure to relish. Swathed in lush jungle greens, pepper-potted with shapely hills and anchored by a gloriously soothing lake at its heart, the seduction is fast and sweet in the gateway city of Kandy. The very name Kandy conjures visions of splendour and mystique. It's a city that proudly keeps its legends, traditions and folklore alive." "Another huge highlight was visiting the storied Geragama Tea Factory. Located close to Kandy, this is one of your classic old-school tea factories, specialising in long leaf tea for over 120 years. They do a great job in chronicling the rise of Ceylon Tea and how the nation remains one of the world's top five tea producers." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"After savouring Sri Lanka's western coast, the nation's famed cultural triangle serves up a bevy of World Heritage ancient treasures in the heart of the island. Travelling with On the Go Tours, we farewelled the city buzz of Colombo and drove east for several hours to Dambulla, home to the spectacular Dambulla Rock Temple. Sri Lanka has a long history of the presence and practice of Buddhism and this sprawling cave complex is quite the treasure-chest. The Dambulla temple is not only one of the oldest sites for Buddhist monasticism, but it has served as a pilgrimage site for twenty-two centuries. The massive cave temple complex is unique in Southeast Asia because monks carved the caves out from rock, towering 160 metres above the surrounding plains. There's more than 80 caves across the site, but the major attractions are spread over five caves which contain statues and paintings of Buddha and his life." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Sri Lanka has loomed large on my bucket-list for quite some time. Nicknamed the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, I've just ventured to the teardrop-shaped island nation for the first time and it smashed my expectations. Over the course of a week, I savoured Sri Lanka's colourful cities, vibrant cuisine, ravishing landscapes, astonishing World Heritage treasures and glorious wildlife, which were all seamlessly stitched together by On the Go Tours and their Colombo, Caves and Kandy group tour." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 28 September 2024, frontman of legendary rock band The Veils, Finn Andrews joins Jack to chat new music, regrouping, and looking ahead to WOMAD 2025. Jack considers his take on working from home versus in the office. Film reviewer Francesca Rudkin offers her take on Brad Pitt and George Clooney's return to the big screen in Wolfs. Mike Yardley dishes on $5 Michelin-star offerings in Singapore. And Lianne Moriarty is back with a brand-new novel, Here One Moment, which book reviewer Catherine Raynes gives her thoughts on. Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Singapore is so much more than just a steamy stopover between flights. It's a sparkling melting pot of Southeast Asian culture, brimming with an ever-expanding arsenal of headline experiences. But alongside ticking off the likes of Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay Sands, the Lion City's biggest roar is reserved for the sizzling street food scene spilling forth in the hawker centre. Singapore's harmonious multiculturalism and all its culinary influences positively sing on the plate. Come nightfall, Lau Pa Sat in downtown Singapore transforms into Satay Street, where a riot of meat on skewers and peanut sauce hold court." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Don't you love it when you venture to new territory which knocks your expectations out of the park? I've just had such an experience when taking a cool change from North Queensland's tropical coastline for a highlands escape. Just over an hour's drive from Cairns, the Atherton Tablelands is a bucolic and woodsy delight, where elevated fertile farmland and ancient rainforests set the stage for rewarding outdoorsy exploration. As I made my way over the twists and turns of the Gillies Highway, a nonchalant Southern Cassowary briefly brought the road traffic to a grinding halt. These birds are not to messed with and I happily gave him the right of way as he intimately ambled past my gleaming rental car, casting an imperious glance my way, as if to say, “you're in my territory, now”. After that brief brush with the birdlife – and thankfully no rental car damage, the warm embrace of Yungaburra soon shuffled into view, 750 metres above sea level." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Colourful, playful, sun-splashed Cairns enjoys the unique distinction of being cradled in tropical wonder. The gateway city straddles two World Heritage-protected treasures: the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics rainforest. I took a daytrip to the family-favourite destination of Fitzroy Island. Just 45 minutes from Cairns on the Fitzroy Flyer, this barefoot island getaway serves up a flavourful dabble with the Great Barrier Reef. The island is designated a National Park, in deference to its spectacular walking trails, rainforest, beaches and abundant marine life, in the calm sheltered waters. It's jaw-dropping to think the island was previously connected to the mainland before the last Ice Age." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"After taking my fill of nature's feisty features at Volcanoes National Park, the sun, the sand and the coastal draws of the Big Island were calling. The Kona Coast is a 100km long sweep along Hawai'i's western coast, brimming with attractions and experiences that smashed my expectations. Lined with lava fields, coffee farms, and some of Hawaii's most beautiful coastline, I wish I'd set aside more time on the Big Island to delve into its numerous delights. There are charms at every turn. The beating heart of the tourist scene is Kailua-Kona, the colourful and bustling town a short distance from Kona Airport. It incorporates Kailua Village which once a sleepy fishing village and retreat for Hawaiian royalty." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"If you're planning a jaunt to the Big Island of Hawai'i, get in the hot seat. Immerse yourself in the might, power and wonder of nature's cauldron. I recently took my first foray to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. The sheer size of the park is staggering – nearly as big as the entire island of O'ahu. The park climbs from sea level to over 4000 metres and encompasses two volcanoes – Kīlauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes and Mauna Loa, the world's largest active volcanic mountain." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Enrobed by chiselled cliff tops, wild beaches and the serene Grey Valley, the West Coast's biggest town of Greymouth is so much more than just a gateway to the region. Explorer Thomas Brunner named the river in honour Governor George Edward Grey, which also gave rise to the town's name. The town centre is built on the site of the former Māori pa called Māwhera, which translates as 'wide spread river mouth'. The latest attraction in town that is the worth the trip alone is Pounamu Pathway – Māwhera." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Just imagine taking a jaunt to Calypso's Cave, where the nymph Calypso held Odysseus as a prisoner of love for seven years in Homer's epic Odyssey. How about taking to the waters in the Blue Lagoon or gazing in awe at the Crystal Caves of Comino? Malta's neighbouring islands of Gozo and Comino are full of history and wonder. I recently travelled to the Maltese islands with Insight Vacations, on their 6-day Easy Pace Malta premium guided tour. It offers the winning mix of guided sightseeing and flexi-time, allowing you to ample opportunity to personally discover and savour the destination's treats, at your own leisure." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"It's one of the most southerly European nations – so far south that it's parallel with Lebanon, Tunisia and Algeria. Malta has long been on my bucket-list and this relatively under-the-radar destination offers not only good-value for visitors, but it exudes astonishing scenery and historic treasures. I recently jaunted to Malta with Insight Vacations, who offer a fabulous introductory guided tour, spilling forth with Malta's greatest hits." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 3 August 2024, Francesca Rudkin fills in and chats to brothers Oli and Louis of Aussie indie rock sensation Lime Cordiale about their brand-new album and bringing their tour to NZ.  Francesca questions why the arts make things hard for themselves.  Horror is having a moment - Chris Schulz talks about an unexpected success in one of the best horror films of the year, Longlegs.  And, staying in the world of film, Mike Yardley takes us on a trip to Malta where the brand-new Gladiator 2 and classics like Murder on the Orient Express and Jurassic World were filmed.  Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"It astounds me that Malta isn't flashing on the tourist radar as a top-tier Mediterranean destination. I recently ventured to the Maltese islands with Insight Vacations, on their 6-day Easy Pace Malta premium guided tour. It offers the winning mix of guided sightseeing and flexi-time, allowing you to serendipitously unwrap the destination's treats, at your own leisure." "One of the best ways to get your bearings on Malta's watery lay-out is to jump on board one of the numerous sightseeing ferries in Sliema, zipping you from Marsamxett Harbour to Valletta's Grand Harbour. It's the best way to drink in the views of fortified Manoel Island and the butterscotch-hued walled city of Valletta, from all angles." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"It is the greenest of Greece's islands, lush and verdant with emerald mountains and breathlessly blue waters lapping rocky coves and sandy bays. This northeastern outpost of Greece lies across the Ionian Sea from Italy's heel, while Albania is just 3kms away. Corfu has long enticed conquerors, as much as holidaymakers. British and French influences can be seen in Corfu's atmospheric Old Town – however, it's obvious that the Venetians, who stayed around for 400 years, exerted and left behind the greatest legacy. Their calling card is everywhere, with an alluring mix of neoclassical villas, Venetian palazzo and pastel-painted hill towns." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"As you wander around the Peloponnese Peninsula, it's like myth and history just constantly overlap. For history buffs, there's just so much to blow the mind in Southern Greece. Western Peloponnese is home to the Valley of the Gods. I went to Epidaurus in the Peloponnese, and you get a real flavour ancient sporting conquests. The place is home to Asclepius, the God of medicine, and is where they staged many sporting contests. You can still see the ancient stadium and theatre, which seats about 14000 people, and a coin drop there could be crisply heard from the highest seats - you cannot beat old school acoustics! Read the full article here LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Athens' rich arsenal of antiquities needs little introduction. From the emblematic glories of the Acropolis to the ancient residential neighbourhood of Plaka, history hangs heavy in the Athenian air. As the ancient cradle of Western arts, culture and democracy, there is much to digest. But it's the Greek capital's culinary treasures that captured my attention on my latest swing through Athens. Epic finds await the curious foodie and an in-the-know walking tour through central Athens unlocks a treasury of tastes to savour." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Has a Greek Islands cruise been flirting with your imagination? Recently, I renewed my Greek Islands love affair, joining my sister on a week-long adventure cruising the Aegean Sea aboard Celestyal Journey. The flagship vessel for Celestyal Cruises is deployed on their most iconic cruise, Idyllic Aegean, which is a 7-day highlights reel of the region. It's like the Aegean's greatest hits, with port calls in Mykonos, Santorini, Crete, Kusadasi, Thessaloniki and Milos. From Ephesus —site of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World— to the cube houses and windmills of Mykonos and blue-domed churches of Santorini, the Aegean is as dreamy as reality gets." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

GUEST HOST: Peter Mcilvenna filling in for James Freeman.

"The Sunshine Coast's compact layout belies its bounty, richly necklaced with nature-based experiences in easy reach of each other. I hop-scotched about the place like a frisky roo, lapping up its elemental riches. The welcome mat is being thickly laid-out, with Air New Zealand direct services from Auckland to the Sunny Coast underway, and with Jetstar flying the route from later this year. "You've got 100 kilometres of glittering beaches at your disposal- no matter what shade of sand takes your fancy; world-class wildlife experiences; plus an enchanting hive of hinterland gems, from fabulous forest walks to characterful villages. But don't just throw your togs in the suitcase when heading to the Sunny Coast because there's some seriously scenic mountain trails worth packing your hiking boots for, too." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"In the pantheon of Australia's famous ‘big things', the biggest thing of all is the Sunshine Coast's Big Pineapple. This iconic king of Queensland kitsch has been resplendently restored and I happened to be in town for the reopening of this 16-metre-tall fibreglass landmark a few weeks ago. She's as old as me, first thrust into the world in 1971, principally as an agritourism attraction, swathed in pineapple plantations. Even Charles and Diana paid the icon a visit in 1983. Over the decades, capturing some family snaps at the Big Pineapple has been a cherished, cheesy visitor pastime, in addition to riding the plantation train and indulging in a pineapple parfait. And all these nostalgic novelties are being freshly reinstated for a new generation of travellers. It's all very grammable!" "But the gleaming rebirth of the Big Pineapple also underscores the Sunshine Coast's striking stature as Queensland's Sunshine Pantry, brimming with over 900 food and drink producers. Heartily dabbling from this powerhouse of premium local produce, noshing and sipping your way across the Sunshine Coast, is a sure-fire recipe for blissed-out holiday indulgence." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earlier this year, Princess Cruises launched their next-generation flagship, Sun Princess, the first of two planned Sphere-class vessels to enter the Princess fleet. (Star Princess is launched next year.)   With a capacity for 4300 guests and 1600 crew, and weighing in at 177,000 tons, she's a twinkling ocean beauty.  Mike Yardley recently hopped on board – he joined Jack Tame on Newstalk ZB Saturday Morning to discuss.  For more insights on sailing aboard Sun Princess, Mike's article is on the website. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"It's Italy in the extreme. She's rough and ready and in your face. Gritty, gripping, daunting and intimidating to the uninitiated, mighty Naples is a southern Italian classic beyond comparison. It can strike newcomers as a hot mess. I have to confess that on several prior occasions, I haven't ventured beyond the central train station in Naples, surrounded by Piazza Garibaldi. The ensuing piles of rubbish, swarms of beggars and general bad vibes on the streets outside the station proved to be potent turn-off – and I high-tailed it out of town bound for the Amalfi Coast. By train, it is the critical stepping-stone to reach Pompeii, Sorrento and beyond.   "But last month, I was determined to give Naples a fair shake, eager to get a proper flavour of what this heaving, high-density city had to offer. Overcoming my fear of being ripped off, mugged, gunned down by the Camorra, or run down in a city where red lights are merely decorations, my urban safari in Naples was certainly eye-opening but undeniably rewarding. I was in town as a port call aboard Princess Cruises' spectacular new flagship Sun Princess, so disembarking at the port terminal, Stazione Marittima, affords an effortless entrance into downtown Naples, on foot." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Show Notes and Transcript Mike Yardley joins Hearts of Oak to discuss his varied background, including military service and journalism, addressing censorship in contemporary Britain, particularly concerning vaccines and lockdowns. We examine the impact of censorship on free speech, social media algorithms, and the consequences of opposing mainstream narratives.  The conversation delves into declining democracy, globalist agendas, and the suppression of individual liberties.  Mike highlights concerns about powerful entities controlling public discourse and a lack of open debate on critical issues.  We end on political changes in Europe and the necessity of open discussions to tackle societal issues, particularly the significance of critical thinking, diverse perspectives, and unrestricted dialogue to shape a better future. Mike Yardley is well known as a sporting journalist, shooting instructor, and hunter and has written and broadcast extensively on all aspects of guns and their use. His articles (2000+) have appeared in many journals as well as in the national press. He has appeared as an expert witness in cases which relate to firearms and firearms safety. He is a founding fellow of the Association of Professional Shooting Instructors, and has formal instructing qualifications from a variety of other bodies. He is listed one of The Field's ‘Top Shots.' He retired from the press competition at the CLA Game Fair after winning it three times. As well as his shooting activities he has written books on other subjects including an account of the independent Polish trade union Solidarity, a biography of T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), and a history of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst itself. He is a contributing author and ‘Special Researcher' to the Oxford History of the British Army (in which he wrote the concluding chapter and essays on the army in Northern Ireland and the SAS). He is also a frequent broadcaster and has made and presented documentaries for the BBC. Mike has also been involved as a specialist ballistic consultant, and presenter, in many productions for various TV companies including the Discovery and History Channels. He has re-enacted on location worldwide the death of the Red Baron, the Trojan Horse incident from ancient history, and some of the most infamous assassinations, including those of JFK, RFK and Abe Lincoln. Michael has worked a photojournalist and war reporter in Syria, Lebanon, Albania/Kosovo, Africa, and Afghanistan. He was seized off the street in Beirut in 1982 (before Terry Waite and John McCarthy) but released shortly afterwards having befriended one of his captors. In 1986 he made 3 clandestine crossings into Afghanistan with the Mujahedin putting his cameras aside and working as a medic on one mission. In the late 1990s, he ran aid convoys to Kosovan Refugees in Albania and on the Albanian/Kosovo border. The charity he co-founded, ‘Just Help,' was honoured for this work which took 300 tons of relief to desperately needy people. Connect with Mike... X/TWITTER        twitter.com/YardleyShooting WEBSITE            positiveshooting.com Interview recorded 2.5.24 Connect with Hearts of Oak... X/TWITTER        x.com/HeartsofOakUK WEBSITE            heartsofoak.org/ PODCASTS        heartsofoak.podbean.com/ SOCIAL MEDIA  heartsofoak.org/connect/ SHOP                 heartsofoak.org/shop/ *Special thanks to Bosch Fawstin for recording our intro/outro on this podcast. Check out his art theboschfawstinstore.blogspot.com and follow him on X/Twitter twitter.com/TheBoschFawstin  (Hearts of Oak) Hello Hearts of Oak, thank you so much for joining us once again and I'm joined by someone who I've been enjoying watching on Twitter for the last couple of years and delighted that he can join us today and that's Mike Yardley. Mike, thank you so much for your time today. (Mike Yardley) Yeah, great to be here and thank you very much for asking me Peter. Not at all, thoroughly enjoyed. I thought I would But let our audience also enjoy your input. And we had a good chat on the phone the other week about all different issues. And people can find you @YardleyShooting, which introduces the question, Yardley Shooting. Maybe you want to give just a one or two minute introduction of your background. I know you've written. You have a deep passion and understanding of history, along with many other things. But maybe give the viewer just a little bit of your background. Well, I've had a wide and varied career. I studied psychology at university. I went to the army. Wasn't really, you know, content in the army. And I resigned my commission in 1980. But I was in the army at a very interesting time. Height of the Cold War. I was on what was then the West German and East German border watching the East Germans and Russians watching us. So an intriguing place. And I really left the army to become a war reporter, a photographer, particularly initially. And also I went to Poland. I was in Poland for the rise of solidarity. I brought an exhibition back to the UK, which opened at the National Theatre. And memorably with Peggy Ashcroft doing the honours at that event, and Sir John Gielgud as patron. And then I've sort of made my way as an author and as a freelance. And I've also had a parallel career as an arms specialist. I've written a, probably millions of words in that area, but I've also written the final chapter of the Oxford History of the British Army, essays within that, books on the history of Sandhurst and co-written with another ex-officer, a book about the army, lots of technical stuff, a number of technical books. And I'm very interested in mass communication. I have made in the deep and distant past, some documentaries for the BBC. I made one on the history of terrorism for the BBC World Service. I made another on the media and the monarchy for the BBC World Service. And I think they actually let me broadcast once on another subject I'm very interested in, which is doubt. So since then, I've made my living with my pen and my camera. I was in Lebanon in the the early 1980s, again, not a good place to be there. And I made several sneaky beaky trips into Afghanistan, not as a soldier, but as a journalist when the Russians were there. And that was a very interesting time too. And, you know, gave me some ideas that perhaps other people didn't have the advantage of that experience. So yeah, quite an interesting career. I'm still a columnist for one well-known field sports magazine, The Field. And I am still at it. I don't know how long I'm going to be at it for. But one of the interesting things, I suppose, for me has been the advent of social media. And I thought social media was going to give me a chance to see what other people were thinking. But as well as what other people were thinking, to give me a chance for unfettered expression. Because I think it would be fair to say that I do feel that you cannot really say what you think in modern Britain. It comes with all sorts of disadvantages. As you get older and maybe you don't need the income as much, then perhaps not as important. You know, you can harder to cancel you as you get older and you don't really care. But I do think that's an issue in modern Britain. I think since the whole advent of lockdown and all the propaganda that was associated with it, and indeed with the Ukraine war, although I'm a supporter of the Ukrainians, I was rather horrified by the extent of the propaganda campaign to get us involved, as I have been rather shocked by all the propaganda surrounding lockdown and COVID, et cetera. And one other key point of my background is that I got very badly injured after I had the vaccine. I collapsed the next day. I had the worst headache of my life. I was in bed for a month or six weeks. I got a thrombosis in my leg, tinnitus, all sorts of other shingles, all sorts of other horrible stuff. I couldn't really walk. And even as I speak to you now, I've got shingles. I've got this blessed tinnitus ringing in my head, which a lot of other people have had post-vaccination and constant headaches. So I just have to live with that now, which means that you're always having to go through that to talk to people and to get your point across. Well, I've got a feeling that we may have you on a number of times, Mike, because there's so much to unpack there. But maybe we can start with a comment you made on censorship. And certainly we've seen this over the last four years. I've noticed in different areas, but specifically since being in the media space, I think since 2020, I've certainly seen it, had seen a little bit back in my days with UKIP during the Brexit campaign also but we have the BBC in the UK I guess they are the gatekeepers of information or have been up until this point and I know they've just the BBC have just done a series on misinformation or extremism and they of someone they employ full-time to actually cover what they see as misinformation and that kind of re-galvanizes their position as gatekeepers. But what are your thoughts on censorship? And I guess where state media fit into that? Yeah, I've been listening to that BBC series, and there's quite a lot of BBC stuff in that area at the moment. I think the first thing I'd say is this. I used to be one of the main voices heard in the media talking about security and terrorism. I hardly ever broadcast now. I don't get the opportunity because I'm not on narrative. And I think that's often because I present a nuanced position. And that doesn't seem to be popular in the modern media. Is censorship a problem now? Yes, it is. It's a problem because I can't easily broadcast anymore, having spent many years broadcasting and making lots of stuff for all sorts of different programs, as well as making a few programs of my own. I can't do that anymore. I think I may have made half a dozen or seven Discovery shows as well, but the phone no longer rings. And I'm pretty sure it doesn't ring particularly because I took up a vaccine sceptical position. And this is where it starts to get, this is the stuff we should unpack because it's really interesting. I was just listening before we started broadcasting to a BBC program that was talking about Russian operations promoting the anti-vaccine position. Well, I get that. I can see that the Russians have been involved in that. And we can come back to my own Twitter account, where I see clearly that if I put up a comment that is in any way critical of the Russians, it gets no support at all. But it might get probably half a dozen or 10 times as much pro-Russian support. And I've been trying to work out what's going on with that. It's almost as if the Russians have some way of manipulating that particular platform. But on the other hand, coming back to this point about vaccine scepticism, it's not just the Russians who are promoting that. Maybe it was in their interest to do that. But there are people in the UK, myself included, who were genuinely injured by the vaccines and who want to talk about it and feel that their point of view has completely been suppressed by these big social media platforms and by the BBC. It is just a non-subject. They don't really talk about excess deaths. They don't talk about widespread vaccine injury. You hear occasionally about VITT thrombosis with young women who've had these terrible thrombosis in their brains, but you do not hear about quite widespread vaccine injury. Now, I put up a comment on Twitter, do you know of anyone who's had a vaccine injury? I had something like, well, I think two, it depends on how you count them, but something like two million views, but 6,000 replies, and listing a lot more than 6,000 injuries. Now, I'm sure you can't necessarily take that as absolute gospel, but it is indicative of the fact that many people think they have been damaged by the vaccines, but also they can't talk about it. Their doctors aren't interested in it. The BBC don't seem to be interested in it. What in a free country are we meant to do? Well, we do this. We try and get our message out by other means, but it shouldn't be like that. And this seems to be a trend, this big state authoritarianism with a much more controlled media, which is facilitated by all the digitization that's going on. That is a real issue in modern Britain? Certainly, we came across that with YouTube putting videos up, and you daren't put a video up on YouTube critiquing the vaccine narrative or the COVID narrative. But recently, there has been some change. I know that there is legal action against AstraZeneca. I think in the last two days, there have been reports of AstraZeneca admitting that it did in in a tiny amount of cases but they haven't mentioned this before there were side effects. It does seem as though either it's the chipping away of those who've been vaccine injured demanding a voice, either it's been MPs becoming a little bit more vocal, obviously Andrew Bridgen, or it's been maybe a change in Twitter and the information out. I mean how do you see that because it does seem as though the message is slowly getting out? Well, Facebook's interesting because they've changed their policy, obviously, because before I couldn't say anything, it had come up with a note. And I have in the past had blocks from both Facebook and from Twitter. And I've also had apologies from both. I've done my best, because I don't think I ever say anything that is inappropriate or improper. That still doesn't prevent you being censored today. But twice, once with Facebook and once with Twitter, I've managed to get an apology out of them and been reinstated. So this is very disturbing stuff. And we're talking about this small number of injuries that are being acknowledged are about these brain thrombosis, the VITT thrombosis, which is an extremely rare condition, to quote an Oxford medic friend of mine. You know, rare as hen's teeth, hardly affects anyone. But it seems that thrombosis more generally, DVT and pulmonary embolism, and other things like myocarditis are comparatively common, and the re-ignition of possibly dormant cancers, which Professor Angus Dalgleish has been talking about at great length. And these are subjects which should be debated freely. I mean, when you see Andrew Bridgen in the House of Commons talking about excess deaths and he's almost talking to an empty Commons chamber. Albeit you can hear some fairly vociferous shouting coming from or cheering coming from the gallery, which the Speaker or the Assistant Speaker tried to close down, but that is a bit worrying. What has happened to British democracy? What has happened to our birth right of free speech? I mean, it isn't what it used to be. In fact, not only is it not what it used to be, on many subjects, we are not free to speak anymore. Not just the ones I discussed, there are all sorts of other things which might fall within the boundaries of PC and woke, which you simply can't talk about. You might even get prosecuted in some circumstances. I mean, we're living in some sort of mad upside down world at the moment. We've watched in Scotland the SNP collapsing, not least because of some of their very wacky legislation, which has also been enormously expensive. Meantime, I'm of the opinion, and I'm not particularly right wing, but I am of the opinion that ordinary people, sometimes they just want to see the potholes mended. You know, they don't want this sort of bit of PC legislation or another. There are far greater national priorities. And I'm not saying that there aren't small groups in society that haven't been badly treated in the past. They have. I can see that. and there has been real prejudice. But I think we have very immediate problems now. And they were all exacerbated by the COVID calamity and the government's reaction to it. I mean, I'm not afraid to say, did we really do the right thing? Should we have locked down? Should we have gone ahead with the vaccines? Or would it have made more sense to have given everybody in Britain a supply of vitamin C and vitamin D and maybe just vaccinated some people? But we don't talk about these things openly. It's a very controlled environment. And I was talking to a close friend of mine who's across the water in Northern Ireland and who's a very wise and sensible guy and involved in quite a lot of official stuff there. And I said to him, what is it? What is going on now? And he said, well, if I was to sum it up simply, Michael, I'd say that I don't feel free anymore. Well, I don't feel particularly free anymore. Peter, do you feel particularly free anymore? Have you sensed a change in the last 25 years, 20 years? Certainly in the last 10 years, I have. Well, I've certainly sensed a change, and I think that some of us actually want to speak what we believe is true, in spite of what happens, and other people cower away. And I always wonder why some of us accepted the COVID narrative and some didn't. And I mean, in the UK, I've been intrigued with the, I guess, few high profile people who are willing to talk. So you've got Andrew Bridgen in politics, but in the U.S. you've got many politicians. Or in the U.K. you've got Professor Dalgleish, on with us a few weeks ago. In the U.S. you've got much higher profile people like Dr. McCullough or Dr. Malone. And even with the statisticians, you've got Professor Norman Fenton doing the stats. But in the U.S. you've got people like Steve Kirsch who are very high profile. And I'm kind of intrigued at why in the US, those who are opposing the narrative maybe get more free reign, but are lauded more, I think. And those in the UK seem to be really pushing up a brick wall every time. I don't know if you've seen that as well. Of course I have seen that, yes. And in some senses, the US is freer than the UK, and they do have a First Amendment, which means a bit. There is a lot of, America's a strange society and I went to school there so I know it quite well and although America is free on paper and although they do have a first amendment traditionally there has been something of a tyranny of public opinion, but the people that have spoken out, as far as the vaccine is concerned, and indeed about the war in Ukraine. And I think often they're saying the wrong thing on that, but we can come on to that later. But those people have been speaking out in a way that we haven't really seen in the UK, sadly. And you have to ask, what is going on? Why is that? I heard a comment by Ahmed Malik the other day. Do you know how many doctors there are in the UK, qualified medical doctors? I was stunned when I discovered how many, but I believe it's about 300,000. And I think it's something like 75,000 GPs, which is quite a lot. But do you know how many doctors have spoken up and gone counter-narrative? I believe the correct number is 10. I mean, that is extraordinary, isn't it? 10. And I mean, just from our own experience of social media. It's very, very few. And those doctors who risk it, risk everything. They risk being cancelled. They're on comfortable livings. They're on £100,000 a year plus in most cases, sometimes quite a lot more than that. If they speak out, they risk being struck off. They risk losing a comfortable lifestyle, the mortgage, possibly the family and whatever. And the result that hardly any at all have spoken out. But what we can assume is that there are many, like one particular friend I'm thinking of, who are very sceptical of what's been happening, very sceptical of the way the vaccine was launched, the lack of testing, all this stuff that we might draw attention to. And they're not necessarily anti-vaxxers. They're just people that are normally sceptical. But it seems that we're not allowed to be normally sceptical anymore. You have to follow this big state, Big Brother, 1984 line or watch out. And that really does disturb me. And I was listening, as I said, just before we came on with this program to a BBC thing on censorship, where the BBC is chastising the Russians and the Iranians, and, all sorts, the Chinese and talking about the billions that the Russians and the Chinese spread on info spend on information now, which they do. And much of it is mis and disinformation, but they do not talk about their own authoritarianism. And how they limited discussion on anything to do with COVID and indeed on the Ukraine war. And my own position, I'll just interject very briefly. I mean, I think that, Putin has to be stopped and I'm fully with the Ukraine people in what they're doing. But it's also a fact that Ukraine is one of the most corrupt countries in Europe, arguably more corrupt than Russia. And if we're giving them billions and billions and lots of military materiel, some of that is going to go missing. Some of that's going to go to the wrong places. And we never really discuss that. And it's not a particularly democratic place. And it's also the case that we probably pushed it politically in a particular direction because it was to our strategic interest, which is probably the right thing to do. But we can't discuss any of this anymore. And that does disturb me. Open discussion, open intellectual discussion on military matters, on health matters is becoming more and more difficult. And that's not a healthy sign, Peter. It certainly is. And actually, it's intriguing because my line would be, actually, these are, when I was younger, it would be interventionist. No, actually, it's, well, it's a separate country. They can do what they want. And if they want to have a war, they can have a war. But talking to people who have been very supportive, maybe more of the Ukraine side, talking to Krzysztof Bosak, MP in Poland yesterday. Yesterday and he was saying that Poland have given so much actually now Poland have very little to defend themselves and you look at the UK military, we didn't have much before and now it seems that we're short of munitions, short of many items and it seems that the west have poured so much into this without thinking of how to defend themselves. I mean, you understand the military side. What are your thoughts on that? Well, my thoughts at the moment, and it's been something I've been thinking about a lot recently, is that Britain is hopelessly under-defended. Our army is probably half the size it needs to be. Our navy is incapable of undertaking independent operations. It's probably just generally incapable. I think we're down to tiny numbers of jet fighters, tiny numbers of main asset ships. And we're saying, we're being told the army's around 72,000, something like that now. I think in real terms, it's actually smaller than that. And it's not big enough to meet the threat. And what's quite clear from what's going on in Ukraine is that you have to have a supply of ammunition, of missiles, of men. And this is worrying because if they came to a global conflict, it would go nuclear very quickly now, if it did go nuclear, because would our politicians actually ultimately press the button or not? I don't know. But it would have to go nuclear or something because we don't have the conventional resources. You know, they're just not there anymore. And most people have no idea of this. They have no experience of the military. But I would say that, they're talking about increasing defence spending to, you know, something under 3%. I would say that our defence spending at the moment should be probably at least 5% and maybe quite a lot more than that. This is a very, very unstable period in the history of the world. And we are not ready to meet the threat that exists. And of course, the Russians, I mean, they're routinely saying on their media that they're going to sink, you know, they'd sink Britain. They talk about sinking Britain specifically. And I don't think that they could do that. I don't think they would act on that. But we are incredibly vulnerable. We are essentially one big, you know, landing strip and It's not a good situation at all. And most people just block it. It's not that they're not worried about it, but they don't want to be worried about it. It's just one thing more and too much to think about. And they don't have any experience of the military anyway. But we're now looking to Ukraine and we're wondering, will the Ukrainians manage to hold off the Russians before the increased aid reaches them? I don't know. I don't know. No, I think the situation is not as positive for the Russians as some people might think. They do have problems. They can act at a small level. They can act operationally, but they can't necessarily act strategically. They don't have the resources to that, but they are building up resources. And I think something like, is it 30 or 40% of their available national resources are now going into defence, which is a remarkable figure. Now, they've lost a lot of men. we don't know really how many people have died in the Ukraine. It's certainly tens of thousands and maybe into the hundreds of thousands. It's a meat grinder. And the Russians, of course, just threw all their troops into this sort of first world war-like encounter. And they didn't really care about losses initially. It's not the Russian style, but also they were throwing people who'd been recruited from prisons, Pezhorin, the Wagner group, you know, many of those people were sacrificed, and I don't think anyone really cared about them in Russia very much. A dreadful situation. We won't go into the ethics and morality of that. Pretty scary, though. They will want to try and overwhelm those Ukrainian lines, and it's a huge front line. I mean, we're talking a front line, I think it's extending over a thousand kilometres or something. It's massive. They will try and overwhelm that line, and probably with the help of US and our own intelligence and a few other things, they'll probably stem the tide. But it's a 50-50. It's by no means a given. And that is worrying, because what would happen then? What would happen to the Poles? What indeed would happen to us? So yeah, good question. I was, it was fun watching the response from NATO members to Trump's call for them to actually pay the bills. Because I think it was, I remember watching Desert Storm and being just, consumed by it I guess as a young teenager and you've got the cameras following it all, now we come to whenever Britain sent tornadoes supposedly to help Israel and we were just told that's what happened, there was very little independent reporting, who knows if it happened or not. I think it was probably, it hit me, the reduction size of our military, whenever we bought, it was 67 apache attack helicopters, I think 67, wow, what are we going to do with those, I mean, half of them won't work half the time if they're in the desert with sand in their engines. But you realize that if the West do not have a strong military, then that deterrent basically is removed. And it means that other countries like Russia, who will spend more in defence, actually think, well, we can do what we like. They can do what they like because the West just aren't, one, aren't able to intervene, I guess, because of weakness in leadership, which we see in the EU, the US, Europe and in the UK, but also because of lack of military firepower. And I guess that's just a changing of the guard from the power of the West over to other centres of power. Well, I think the strategic implications of the weakness and the perceived weakness of our leadership are big. And, you know, that is in looking from Moscow. I mean, the farce we've seen in Westminster in recent years must be very encouraging to you where, you know, they have the strong, the classic Soviet era and now Russian era strongman. Putin is developing this aura as the strong man, which is a popular one in Russia. He has complete dominance of his home media, so he manages to mislead people as to what's actually going on elsewhere as well. He's looking for an external foe, an external threat, a long-time ploy of any authoritarian leader trying to make sure he stays in power. And of course, Putin doesn't have much choice, does he? If he doesn't succeed in staying in power, he's got a very scary future ahead of him. So that's another intriguing issue. The only good thing I would say, and this is, I don't think I'd like to fight the Poles or indeed the Ukrainians. They're both very, very tough nations. But where this now leads, and this is another critical question, we don't really know what's going on. When this conflict started, and I was a reporter in Lebanon, for Time, I was a photojournalist for Time in the Lebanon and we were sending stuff back that was really from the front line and it was really interesting and people, what I noticed when I went there, intriguingly to Lebanon in the 80s, was I was familiar with it all because i'd seen it all on the evening news. But I wasn't familiar with the feeling and the smell. Now, I can't say that with Ukraine, because for most of this conflict, I didn't know, and most people didn't know what the hell was going on. The quality of the reporting, I thought, was very, very poor. I've seen some better reporting since, but generally, I thought the reporting initially was awful. And there was also a tremendous amount of pro-war propaganda. I know somebody who went to the theatre in London and apparently, you know, when it came to the intermission or something, a huge Ukrainian flag came down and the whole audience were expected to cheer as we're all expected to cheer for the NHS or for all the vaccine stuff. I'm just temperamentally opposed to that sort of control, that sort of psychological manipulation. It concerns me that people should be made to support anything unthinkingly and that seems to be what's happening now and you've got Facebook for example, I mean they were at one stage I think advertising how they could turn opinion to potential advertisers and we've seen all the Cambridge Analytica stuff, we're incredibly vulnerable now to all this online stuff and the thing that bothers me if I go back to Twitter where I have something of a presence, is I can't really tell my stuff now because nobody sees it, there is some sort of censorship algorithm or something in place. I've got 77 000 followers there allegedly, I don't know how many of them are bots but sometimes it's clear that hardly anybody sees something that I put out particularly if it concerns the vaccines or if I'm making critical comment about Mr Putin. I think I blocked 2000 odd, what I thought were probably Russian accounts. But ironically, I'm actually getting taken down myself sometimes by the Twitter algorithms. I don't know who's controlling them. I don't know if they're controlled by Twitter Central or they're controlled somewhere else. But hey, I hope so. I think I'm one of the good guys. But you're not allowed to be a good guy. You've got to be a black and white guy now. That's the thing I think you see on social media, which is also meantime, in a very unhealthy way, polarizing people. It encourages the extremes. You can't be a traditional conservative very easily. You can't be a moderate very easily or a classical liberal very easily. You've got to go to one pole or the other pole. I think that's just very unhealthy. It's unhealthy apart from anything else as far as intellectual debate's concerned. Let me pick up on that with where we fit in and the ability to, I guess, speak your mind and have a position where you put your country first, which I thought was always a normal position, but now supposedly is an extremist position. But how, I mean, I'm curious watching what's happening in Europe which is me slightly separate, the European parliamentary elections and the wave of putting nations first and it's called nationalism. I think it's putting your country first which actually should be what a nation is about and the second thing is your neighbour and those around you, but we haven't really seen that in the UK. I mean do you think that will be a change of how your because Europe is really a declining force in the world, not only economically, but militarily. And of course, we haven't made the best of leaving the EU at all. We've cocked up big time on that. But then you look across to Europe and it is a declining power. And I'm wondering whether this new change, this opposition to unfair immigration. Opposition to control, central control from Brussels, wanting to put the nations first, whether that actually will be a change in Europe's fortunes. Bring me back to central control. But before we say anything else, just look at Norway. They had the wonderful resource of their oil reserves, and they spent it well. They created a sovereign national fund. And I think it means that everyone in Norway's got half a million quid or something like that. We, on the other hand, have squandered our national resources. And the country appears to be in tatters at the moment, and they can't even mend the potholes. Going to this business of Europe and the decline, yes, it's worrying that, Europe almost is losing the will to defend itself, or it seems to. But beyond that, if you look at Brexit, I mean, I was a Brexiteer, and I was a Brexiteer who could see some of the economic arguments for Remain. So again, I had a nuanced position on it. But overall, I wanted to preserve British sovereignty and democracy, and I thought it was disgraceful that we should be turning over that to some body in Brussels. But what we didn't realize, those of us who were pushing for Brexit, that the real threat wasn't Brussels, but the real threat probably was some globalist entity that we didn't even understand. And nobody was really much talking about globalism at that point. They weren't talking about Davos and all that sort of stuff. They were talking about the threat from Brussels but what we've seen since Brexit I think is an even greater threat from, I think what that Greek ex-foreign minister calls techno feudalism and the sort of, the onward march of somewhat Marxist influenced, capitalism facilitated by the whole digital deal, And you have WEF stuff where, you'll own nothing and you'll be happy, although they're withdrawing from that comment now. But who are these people? Did we elect them? We had a sort of interest in the people in Brussels, sort of, but as far as these globalist characters are concerned, they have no democratic mandate whatsoever. And that is pretty scary. Their only mandate is enormous wealth and a sort of arrogance that they know best for us, the peons, what our future should be. I do find that a bit terrifying, but I also, this is where it gets interesting, Peter, because I see where it came from. If you look at the era after the Second World War, the Americans and us, we were very worried about Soviet influencing operations. So we started to do stuff. And one of the things, the European community was perhaps one of those things, NATO was the most obvious, but there were also all sorts of influencing operations to counter the then very common, prolific, and increasingly dangerous Soviet influencing operations directed at Europe, directed at Latin America. So, for example, at Harvard, and I found this out from reading a biography of Henry Kissinger recently. At Harvard in the early 50s, they were running young leaders courses for foreign influencers. And it looked very much like the same sort of deal that the WEF was doing with everyone's Trudeau et al. They've all been a WEF young leader. Now, I would guess that that comes, that WEF stuff probably comes from Harvard or something like that via the State Department pushing into academia and then creating the WEF, maybe or having a hand in it as an influencing op. But this is where it gets really interesting. Has somebody penetrated that influencing op? Has it been turned? Whose interests does it actually operate in now? We know big money. Yeah, big money. But is it really in our individual interest as citizens of these countries and as customers of these massive corporations that seek to influence so much now and trespass onto the realm of politics and social engineering? By what right? You know, what happened to democracy? Aren't we meant to be deciding what's going on in our country, what our values are? It seems not. Democracy seems less important, I mean you look at Andrew Bridgen lecturing to an almost empty House of Commons on excess deaths and you think what on earth is going on there, what is this? I don't get it and I don't get why there is not free discussion on many other subjects in parliament now and it disturbs me. We developed this system, it's a pretty good system with faults as Churchill said, the problem with it is more the case that all the other systems are worse. And I think that's probably true. I mean, I'm a believer in democracy, but our democracy is in a pretty bad way. And it's not just our democracy, all over the Western world. We seem to have rolled over. And I do wonder to what extent the Russians, the Chinese and others have deliberately undermined us, captured our institutions, maybe captured our media. You know, these are things that one isn't allowed to say normally, but I'm saying them now. I mean, to what extent have we been captured and who by? If you saw the Yuri Bezmenov film from the 70s and 80s, have you seen that? Oh, you must, Yuri Bezmenov, about subversion and the long-term KGB operations to subvert the West. Very interesting, and it all seems to have come true. Yuri Bezmenov, you'll find it on YouTube. Yeah. What has happened to us? Our society is almost unrecognizable. Go back 20 years. I mean, think of the restrictions on driving in London, on smoking, let alone lockdown and vaccines, and thou shalt do this, and you must do that, and if you don't, we'll fine you, and you've got no power at all, and we've got complete control over your life, and it's a 200-pound fine for this and for whatever. We are so controlled and put down now. And again, I have an interesting theory and I don't get the chance to talk about it much, but I wonder if when you see a lot of crime and you see a lot of crime, particularly amongst young people, and you see a lot of strange, violent crime, I wonder if that is a consequence of too much central control. I wonder if that's a psychological and sociological consequence of a society which is becoming too controlled. And that's a subject I never hear discussed, but it's a very interesting one because I think a lot of us are concerned about crime, street crime, you know, mad people on the roads, which you see, I noticed personally, a lot more crazy driving than I was aware of maybe five or 10 years ago. But we don't discuss this stuff. We don't discuss the fact that the average person isn't really very happy now, that the average kid, this does get discussed a bit, is very anxious, maybe having treatment for this or that sort of psychological problem, that what used to be the normal tribulations of life now become things that you need to seek out treatment for. Well, maybe what you really need to do is seek out treatment for your society because your society is creating people that just aren't happy. And we should explore that. But again, that's another big subject. Well, I've been intrigued talking to friends growing up behind the Iron Curtain and talking about the Stasi or the state police reporting on people, turning everyone into informers, and then having Xi Van Fleet on the other day. And she was talking about the Red Guards, who were Mao's army, in effect, in communist China. And you realize that control whenever individuals are called out by the media because they go against the narrative. We've seen that under the COVID tyranny or seen that when Andrew Bridgen spoke the last time, the leader of the House, Penny Mordaunt, warned him to be very careful of the dangerous language he is using on social media. She meant that he is saying something which is different than government, and that's not accepted. And in effect, it's the same, I guess, control as you saw under communism that we are now seeing here, where people are called out for having a different opinion and being threatened that if they continue, there will be consequences. Would you have seen that sort of control 50 years ago or before the Second World War? I mean, you know, I'm no communist, but there used to be communist members of parliament. There used to be an extremely wide range of opinion represented in parliament. Now it seems we're entering the age of the monoculture and the mono-party, and alternative opinions just aren't acceptable anymore. There is one canonized text, and you've got to repeat that mantra, and if not, you're a non-person. I mean, where did that come from? That isn't our tradition. But is that the push of the woke agenda, is it the decline of Christianity, is it weak leadership, I mean you kind of look and I want to understand where this is coming from, because if you understand where it's coming from then you can begin to tackle it. But it does seem to be many different facets of it from different angles. I think, was it GK Chesterton 'once we stop believing in anything, we'll start believing in everything' I think that is part of it, I think people don't believe in very much so they just believe in their own selfish bubble and materialism and I think this actually goes back to Oxford, I think there is actually some school of philosophy that encouraged this idea that as the old authorities declined, whether that was the the monarchy or whatever it might be, a faith in authority that you would have to find a new way of controlling the public and that the simplest way to do that was by their material self-interest and this is what Thatcher and Reagan essentially appeared to do, well actually looking back at Reagan now I actually think he said some very sensible stuff, but it appears that we were manipulated by our material desires. That replaced the old world. But it's meant that we're living in a rather scary, chaotic, morally upside down and confused world now. And it's certainly not the world that you and I remember. And it must be very scary for kids. I mean, I was speaking to a young person the other day, and I was really surprised because they told me that they didn't watch the news and they were a bright kid. And they said, well, why? They said, well, I don't want to. I don't want to have anything to do with it. And I don't want to have anything to do with history either. And I thought to myself, my God, if you have a young person who was soon to be a voting age, who's not watching any news, who doesn't want to have anything to do with history, how are they going to be able to make the right decisions for our future? And what sort of world are they living in? You know, where's their thought space now? Yeah, I thought that was very worrying. But that's, I mean, to finish on that, that's really just part of the information war because now young people get, I don't know how to define young people, but they get their information, their worldview from TikTok. So you've got the Chinese government actually pushing that and forcing that. And it is concerning whenever, from a 60 second video someone can decide what the world is and how they fit into it and that's the depth of knowledge they're going to find and I think that shallowness is where we are with the next generation coming. Yeah I mean I've got to hope that there's some young people that aren't as shallow as that and I certainly do talk to to some who aren't, I mean I've got kids of my own, four kids, and generally speaking, they're pretty switched on. We don't have the same views, generally speaking, but they're pretty switched on. But it is scary that there's a whole generation of young people that, I mean, you see them, you wander down the street, you see every kid has got, there they are, they've got the mobile phone and they're like zombies looking at the mobile phone. And it's not just kids for that matter. It's, you see middle-aged people doing the same thing. You see them sitting at tables in a restaurant and they're still tapping at the screen. Whoever controls this controls you, controls your mind, controls what you think are your opinions, because many of your opinions are not really your opinions. They're things that have been implanted in you by these massively influential modern means. Now, television always did that to a degree. The newspapers always did it to a degree. But this seems to be a more direct route into people's heads, particularly young people's heads. And that is genuinely disturbing. Now, if you look to Europe, you mentioned Europe earlier. If you look at Europe, it seems to be swaying to the right. My guess is that, Britain will probably sway to the left until maybe there's a failure of the Starmer dream after probably, they might run for two terms. And then our future is very uncertain and again, rather scary. But what I don't see is enough discussion, enough activity. I don't see a dynamic middle. Hopefully, I mean, very intriguing, isn't it? Who is Starmer? What does he represent? Is he a Blairite? So is that some sort of globalist, centrist, capitalized position? I don't know. I tend to think it is. I tend to think that's where it's coming from. It's not the traditional left. But of course, Starmer has some history of being on the left, not to a great extreme. But it is worrying that the left could still creep into power via Starmer's government. It's also a bit frightening, and am I saying this, that what happens if Starmer's government fails? I mean, as it probably will. The economics are against it. Britain is not looking in a good place at all. But what I think we need, the one thing that will save us is open discussion, proper, unfettered, open discussion about politics, about health, about philosophy, about everything else. And I try in my life in a small way to start those conversations with people. And I do it across politics. I do it across religion. I talk to almost everyone I meet, if I can, and I think I get away with it, and start bringing up some of these difficult subjects. Mike, I really do appreciate coming on. As I said at the beginning, I've really enjoyed your Twitter handle. And I know we've touched on many things on censorship, military and politics. And I'm sure we will have you back on again soon. So thank you so much for your time today. Well, I've really enjoyed the opportunity. And I'll just say this in conclusion. I've actually managed this. I've had the tinnitus and this terrible migraine all through the interview, but we got through it, which is great. I do say to people out there, do take seriously the people who tell you they've been vaccine injured because it's a big deal if you have. God bless you Peter.