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@nzbarry.bsky.social
110 followers 240 following 960 posts
Aesthete. Idler. Traveller. Eater. Drinker. Reader. Watcher. One-time lawyer. Dunedin, NZ

Travel related posts on @NZBarry@mastodon.nz
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It was raining when I came out of the library, forcing me into KinDee for a delicious massaman curry. They've acquired a liquor licence since I was last here, forcing me to try a Tiger.
February 19, 2026 at 7:01 AM
Reposted
davidslack.bsky.social
The Trump years were dark. But in little NZ they never lost hope. For NZ had a leader of rare and inspiring character.
In the face of endless climate disaster and economic implosion, he always had just the right uplifting words:
"Welcome to IKEA"
"Welcome to State of Origin"
"Check out my Spotify"
February 15, 2026 at 9:10 PM
I have no interest in table tennis, so really wasn't going to watch Marty Supreme until I started reading about how well made and acted the film is. I'm very glad I went along - there's so much fun, dedication and energy and even a bit of love.

#filmsky #martysupreme

letterboxd.com/nzbarry/film...
A ★★★★½ review of Marty Supreme (2025)
I very nearly did't see this movie, as I lack interest in ping pong, but I'm so glad I did, and even came to enjoy the grudge match towards the end of the movie. Marty is quite the character - I would...
letterboxd.com
February 15, 2026 at 12:09 AM
This review of the reviews of the #Melania movie is brilliant - calling it "a fragrance ad that forgot to sell anything. It is a meditation app dressed in couture. It is a long, slow, beautifully lit shrug."

#filmsky

southernpunk.substack.com/p/melania-a-...
Melania: A Documentary So Quiet the Reviews Had to Do the Talking
A Review of the Reviews of Melania’s Movie, Because I’m Not Sitting Through That Myself
southernpunk.substack.com
February 14, 2026 at 10:10 PM
In the 70's, I was obsessed with watching the #OnedinLine - I haven't seen it since, until now. It's on Youtube, and the first episode is a cracker!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=F13C...
The Onedin Line S1E1
www.youtube.com
February 13, 2026 at 3:03 AM
Season 2 of #TraitorsNZ is possibly the best of all the Traitors versions I've seen - because of the strong Pasifika brotherhood that developed, and their recognition that one of their number was probably a traitor. The ultimate winner was a great player.

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...
The Traitors NZ - Series 2: Episode 1
Twenty-two everyday New Zealanders join Paul Henry at Claremont Manor at the foot of Mount Horrible in the hope of winning up to $100,000.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 13, 2026 at 2:58 AM
Sarah Caudwell's Thus was Adonis Murdered was a lot of fun. Julia Larwood, a junior tax barrister and rather incompetent human goes off to Venice to pursue "erotic satisfaction", but is detained when her male companion is found dead, with her copy of the tax legislation nearby.
February 12, 2026 at 9:38 PM
I go for a drive to try out a new coffee shop, find another one I didn't know about, then explore some of the gold-related history of the Otago area.

asbarrywanders.substack.com/p/coffee-and...
Coffee and Gold
Some local travel
asbarrywanders.substack.com
February 9, 2026 at 4:43 AM
I've enjoyed the first season of financial thriller #Blinded on #SBS - Bea is a dedicated economics reporter who discovers that Sweden's major bank has been cooking its books. Revealing the truth comes at considerable cost, to her and others.

www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-...
Watch Blinded
Watch Blinded for free with SBS On Demand, your ultimate destination for diverse entertainment. Stream now!
www.sbs.com.au
February 8, 2026 at 4:52 AM
I have finally seen #Breathless by #Godard - it's technical innovations have become commonplace, the story is on its face quite simple (an aspirant gangster comes to Paris to find out if he loves a woman he met elsewhere, things go a little bit wrong) but I enjoyed it.
letterboxd.com/nzbarry/film...
February 8, 2026 at 4:17 AM
I've enjoyed two novels by #RFKuang but #Katabasis not so much, mainly because Hell is less fraught than expected (perhaps to make the point that Cambridge is worse?). I did like the conceit that Dante and Virgil provided travel guides to Hell. Not convinced by the love story. #booksky
February 7, 2026 at 2:33 AM
My most recent post is an account of my journey home, a brief health update, and since I have no travel to write about, a review of Charlotte Wood's Stone Yard Devotional.

open.substack.com/pub/asbarryw...
Coming Home
Plus a small health update and a book review
open.substack.com
February 1, 2026 at 6:00 AM
A lot of people have really loved #Hamnet, found it moving: I am not one of them. Sure he's a cute kid, but the plague killed millions, and I don't really buy that hamlet is Shakespeare's way of processing his death.

#filmsky

letterboxd.com/nzbarry/film...
A ★★★ review of Hamnet (2025)
I can't say I'm a great fan of this movie: it's well made, but I just wasn't taken by the story. The bubonic plague has killed tens of millions of people over the centuries, and was the cause of death...
letterboxd.com
February 1, 2026 at 12:48 AM
Since there won't be much travel for the foreseeable, it's back to movies, books and music for me. I might even aim to see 100 movies this year. First up was the biopic of #DonMcGlashan musical life - a nice mixture of interviews and clips from various shows. #filmsky

letterboxd.com/nzbarry/film...
A ★★★★½ review of Anchor Me - The Don McGlashan Story (2025)
I missed this at the NZIFF so was glad I was back in NZ in time to see it when it came on general release. It's almost entirely a straight run through of Don McGlashan as musician, starting with his e...
letterboxd.com
January 28, 2026 at 4:57 AM
#Outrageoesfortune Se3Ep11 is quite the weepie as Van hits rock bottom and finally starts to surface, helped by Sparkie! Many tender moments with him and Loretta, who worked out his intention. This was such a great show and has held up well.
January 25, 2026 at 7:51 AM
I was in the pub yesterday, we were talking about the first record we ever played. This is mine (it was the one record at my primary school).

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwTC...
Speedy Gonzales
YouTube video by Pat Boone - Topic
www.youtube.com
January 23, 2026 at 10:25 PM
So - I have a couple of days in Kota Kinabalu visiting fave cafes, then things come to a shuddering halt - thanks to my heart. It doesn't actually stop, but loses a couple of cylinders. I'll be home Tuesday.

asbarrywanders.substack.com/p/medical-ev...
Medical event ends trip
I have a couple more days to wander Kota Kinabalu, then I hope to actually catch the train down to Tenom: the Sabah Rail website is only in Malay, but the combination of Google translate and the Chine...
asbarrywanders.substack.com
January 19, 2026 at 1:36 AM
I have a couple of splendid trips up the Kinabatangan River which I enjoy very much, although I don't see much wildlife. I hang with some great people, before flying back to Kota Kinabalu for nice food and beer.

asbarrywanders.substack.com/p/any-wildli...
Any wildlife to be seen?
There’s a Borneo “Big Five” - five local wildlife species: the Orangutan, the Pygmy Elephant, the Proboscis Monkey, the Rhinoceros Hornbill and the Saltwater Crocodile.
asbarrywanders.substack.com
January 16, 2026 at 7:06 AM
I spend a night in Alor Setar, with a quick wander around the older town centre, have a delicious spicy beef noodle dish, then head to Penang Airport in the morning. The plane takes me to Kota Kinabalu (Borneo) where the train plan doesn't work - meaning a random bus to Sandakan.
January 14, 2026 at 5:53 AM
First proper coffee since Saturday (and that one wasn't very good) -, from Crack, Inc Kota Kinabalu. I don't know how long it is since I was last deprived for such a long period!
January 14, 2026 at 3:55 AM
New Year's Eve + Day in Georgetown, not really knowing how I will celebrate. I find that a nearby foodcourt has a big show on for the night, from where I see fireworks. Then I discover an interesting cultural space before heading to Alor Setar for coffee.

asbarrywanders.substack.com/p/new-years-...
New Year's in Georgetown
I have absolutely no idea how I’ll celebrate New Year’s Eve in Penang.
asbarrywanders.substack.com
January 12, 2026 at 6:11 AM
I visit the ghost town of Papan - a former tin minining town. I take so many phots that I've presented them as a video in my post (I think they're worth seeing). Than it is off to Penang, where I find I have made a terrible mistake but it all works out.

asbarrywanders.substack.com/p/a-ghost-to...
A ghost town, then Penang
So, there’s something a little bit different about this post: I hope you will bear with me.
asbarrywanders.substack.com
January 9, 2026 at 6:04 AM
A visit to the library turns into an extended wander around KL's historic centre, then to a fancy mall for an unsatisfying meal (they hid the foodcourt). Then it's up to Ipoh, the home of white coffee.

asbarrywanders.substack.com/p/historic-k...
Historic KL, then Ipoh
My last day in KL, I decide to check out the newly refurbished and re-opened library.
asbarrywanders.substack.com
January 5, 2026 at 5:52 AM
I visit the biggest bookshop in South East Asia, then because it's Christmas visit not one, not two, but three nice hotel bars and restaurants in KL. It might even have snowed at one point.

#SEAsiatravel #noplans #travelsky

asbarrywanders.substack.com/p/christmas-...
Christmas in KL
I read that the biggest bookshop in all of South East Asia has recently - like four days ago - opened in Kuala Lumpur.
asbarrywanders.substack.com
January 2, 2026 at 3:15 AM
I stay in Kuala Lumpur over Chrismas, but move to Chinatown for a few nights. This post gets us to lunchtime on Christmas Eve and features visits to A Place Where in Bangsar and the Zongshan Building.

asbarrywanders.substack.com/p/kuala-lump...

Happy New Year!
Kuala Lumpur - Chinatown
I lied: I’m not quite done with Chow Kit.
asbarrywanders.substack.com
December 31, 2025 at 5:40 AM