In this episode of Trip Notes, we are taking a new approach to keeping your travel dreams alive, writes Juliette Sivertsen.
While New Zealand is in lockdown, our celebrity guests are unable to travel into our studio to record.
But the lockdown hasn't stopped us coming up with original ways to continue producing the content you know and love.
We already have an abundance of travel stories that have been published over the years, so we have decided to bring some of them back in a revamped edition of the Trip Notes podcast.
In this episode, I revisit a story written by Herald journalist Kirsty Johnston, about her experience in Niue.
Published in September 2019, 'Eclipse of the Heart' follows Johnston's efforts to view a partial eclipse from the tropical island, at a time when Niue was trying to be declared a 'Dark Sky Place' by the International Dark-Sky Association.
In March this year, Niue achieved its goal, becoming the first nation in the world to do so.
Johnston's story recounts what it was like to view a partial eclipse from the island, prior to Niue receiving the status of Dark Sky Place.
"As the time for the eclipse grows nearer, we are given special glasses with solar filters for our eyes. I put them on, and everything is black. I take them off again and look at the clouds. We wait. And wait. I drink all my champagne and feel my heart rate increase, so I have another to calm down. I know the time for the eclipse has begun, but no one says anything," she writes.
Sit back in your armchair, close your eyes and listen to the episode to hear the full story.
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Go to nzherald.co.nz/tripnotes to catch up on any episodes you might have missed.