BACK IN THE HOT SEAT
- Annemarie Rawson
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
You’ve probably forgotten me as it’s been so long since I posted. My apologies! Real life gets in the way at times but I’m determined to be at my desk and connect more this year.
I hope all is well with you and yours and 2026 is looking good for you.
Already, January 2026 has been busy with my beautiful family from Australia coming to stay, as well as our London son. There was ‘no room at the inn’ and our London son had to sleep in our neighbour’s campervan, which we can see from our kitchen window. He was perfectly comfortable and at least could sleep in and not be disturbed by a raucous five and three year old! Sadly, I’m not allowed to show you photos of my beautiful grandchildren but believe me, they are growing into gorgeous little people and I loved having them here.
It was sad to wave them off but we’re booked to head over to Oz in April so the time will pass quickly before I see them all again. It’s a different story with the London son as we’re not getting there this year, deciding not to do a big trip after a huge (expensive) 2025.
Several trips to Adelaide happened last year where I managed to see a fabulous Chihuly (glass) exhibition on at the botanical gardens. I’ve loved his work since I first saw the chandelier he created in the V&A in London, which hangs over the Information Desk in the vast atrium.
Another highlight of the year was a attending the Auckland Readers & Writers Festival with some girlfriends. We’d booked a fabulous Airbnb for the four of us, within walking distance of the Aotea Centre, downtown Auckland, making it easy to get there and back. Sometimes using Uber late afternoon/evening.
I loved everything we’d booked - about 10 sessions - we came away stunned and sometimes overwhelmed with the stories behind these authors and writers. So much so, that we’ve booked again for this year and so looking forward to it. Each session was so engaging and uplifting listening to Trent Dalton, Ruth Shaw, Damien Wilkins, Hanna Orstavik, Jude Dobson (telling the story of Pippa Latour - The Last Secret Agent), Harriet Walter, Lars Mytting, David Nicholls, Philippe Sands, Jacqueline Bublitz and Chris Whitaker.
While in Auckland, we treated ourselves out to a delicious French dinner at Le Garde Manger - I had a favourite dish of mine, Confit Duck which fell off the bone and melted in my mouth. So good. The restaurant feels homely and is made cosy and welcoming with simple red-checkered tablecloths and excellent staff.
It was an easy walk too, to have breakfast at the renowned Ripe Deli in Richmond. Their food is world-class. So good in fact, we bought a ready-made seasonal salad and delicious courgette, spinach and feta lasagna for our second night at the Airbnb. All of us were too caught up in the Readers & Writers Festival to have to think about what we’d have for dinner.
Here’s a link to a great recipe from Ripe Deli - Cucumber with Roasted Nectarine and Smokey Paprika Almonds Salad. Perfect for these summer days ‘down under’. You could adapt it, I’m sure using different stone fruit and nuts.
By the way, I am not receiving any kickbacks from either Ripe Deli or Le Garde Manger, or any other place I mention. I just like to share good food and a great experience with others.
But of all the great things I got to see and do last year the highlight has to be our luxurious safari in Botswana. Magical, amazing and many other superlatives.
Starting with four fabulous days exploring Cape Town and further afield, we then flew to the first of our safari camps - Moremi. This game park is situated in the eastern Okavango Delta. This describes Moremi very well:
“Camp Moremi is a premier, eco-friendly luxury safari lodge located on the edge of the Xakanaxa Lagoon in Botswana’s Moremi Game Reserve, within the Okavango Delta. It offers 12 East African-style, thatched, and raised safari tents on wooden decks, featuring a main lodge area with a cocktail bar, library, swimming pool, and an outdoor boma for dining. The camp focuses on both land and water activities, including 4x4 game drives to view lions and leopards, as well as boat safaris, delivering a classic, intimate, and year-round safari experience.”
Adding to this beautiful and special place is the people working there. They too are special and made our experience unforgettable. Each night they danced and sang us to the dinner table. The women ululate (it’s a sharp, high-pitched trilling sound) while singing - it expresses their immense joy, celebration and honor and adds to the whole experience. The men dance alongside them, clapping as encouragement.
Moving on to Camp Okavango we experienced exactly the same. Superb! Going on safari would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience - for me. It is incredibly luxurious and hence, expensive but our guides were passionate, knowledgeable and caring. Each group of four or six were assigned a guide for the duration and at every meal, they joined our table for part of it.
With only 24 people accommodated at these two camps, the experience was more intimate,
I felt, than the one we had at Chobe. There, our accommodation was a hotel and housed 80 people. Very lovely, but just not the same. Many companies offer safaris and but the one we booked through in New Zealand was World Journeys - professional, informative with excellent communication from start to finish. Again, I do not receive kickbacks. Just so you know!
We managed to see four of the Top Five - buffalo, elephants, leopard and lions. The animal life was incredible. Sharing it with friends, Carolyn and Len added to the experience.
There’s so much more to tell - after the safari, Steve went to Morocco, I went to the UK for a week exploring small towns and coastal villages, then Steve joined me for a fabulous week in Paris - and so it went on.
I’ve included below, links to my Facebook safari posts. There is so much more detail in these. You do not need a Facebook account, your details won’t be recorded, you can just tap on each link and get an in-depth understanding and look at our amazing safari.
Not long after we returned NZ, we flew to Australia to see the family for 10 days. Christmas was back in New Zealand at Omaha beach (north of Auckland) to enjoy the day with my sister and some of her family. I had a list of what I was to make and this amazing Prue Leith Chocolate Roulade was one of them. Very easy and so delicious. We’ve got Canadians (who come down to NZ every summer) coming for dinner Thursday night so this is on the menu.
Message me if you’d like the recipe. Email: annemarierawson@gmail.com
Time to go and get dinner sorted! I’m doing lots of vegetarian meals at the moment and loving the tastes.
Speak soon!
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