This turned up in my emails, sometime in January, in Malaysia.......dont remember much about this evening, wonder why
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Monday, December 05, 2005
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Fun on a Brown River (Steve) 18/19/20th November
No, we're not back in India, but 12 of us decided to rent a huge houseboat on the Murray River last weekend, for the meesly sum of a three hour drive and $100 or so dollars each we headed to Echuca to pick up our stupidly big boat.
Its fair to say that you would expect a decent level of instruction on how to drive the thing, especially given our collective lack of boat driving experience. But, within 5 minutes of the 'instructor' climbing aboard he was off, leaving Adrian, Dave and myself (at this point the girls didnt fancy a go, Sian and Emma Peel later drove superbly) to negotiate the fairly fast flowing Murray. Later that night, the others joined us making a happy twelve-some. Most of us had a go at driving the boat, Adrian and Emma P proving to be some of the more 'trust-worthy' hands. Thats all I'll say about driving the boat, a few near misses, and one tree later we needed to pay an extra charge for 'structural re-alignment' of the front of the boat, aforementioned tree being to blame, silly place to put a tree really, a riverbank.........what were they thinking....
The rest of the time we were busy jumping in the river, drinking, BBQ-ing and more drinking, oh, and sunburning a bit, intermingled with being bitten by mosquitos, apart from Sian who seems to be imune to the flying critters.
Photos will be on soon, when I can, and definately one of the best weekends we've had in Oz so far, doing it again in February hopefully......
Its fair to say that you would expect a decent level of instruction on how to drive the thing, especially given our collective lack of boat driving experience. But, within 5 minutes of the 'instructor' climbing aboard he was off, leaving Adrian, Dave and myself (at this point the girls didnt fancy a go, Sian and Emma Peel later drove superbly) to negotiate the fairly fast flowing Murray. Later that night, the others joined us making a happy twelve-some. Most of us had a go at driving the boat, Adrian and Emma P proving to be some of the more 'trust-worthy' hands. Thats all I'll say about driving the boat, a few near misses, and one tree later we needed to pay an extra charge for 'structural re-alignment' of the front of the boat, aforementioned tree being to blame, silly place to put a tree really, a riverbank.........what were they thinking....
The rest of the time we were busy jumping in the river, drinking, BBQ-ing and more drinking, oh, and sunburning a bit, intermingled with being bitten by mosquitos, apart from Sian who seems to be imune to the flying critters.
Photos will be on soon, when I can, and definately one of the best weekends we've had in Oz so far, doing it again in February hopefully......
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Nelson, Ferrys and smelly places (Steve)
After the pleasant hostel in Greymouth, we headed north to Nelson, before getting the Interislander ferry from Picton to Wellington. Nearly two weeks later, as I write this, I cant remember anything that great about Nelson, other than the fact that it has the geographical centre of New Zealand, conveniently placed on top of a hill, who'd have thought it!
The next day we drive to Picton where we manage to kill 3 hours (it seemed) over a coffee whilst we hung out aimlessly untill the ferry was due to arrive. When it did we took our last glimpses of the South Island and looked forward to the Volcanic North. The South island is absolutely stunning and everyone should visit if they can.
Arriving in Wellington we have accidently booked a hostel just 1 km away from the ferry terminal, right near central Wellington. We stayed in a converted hotel that the Queen stayed in in ......1954, it has slid a bit by now, still, it had art-deco character. Our plans for the next day were nearly hampered by us choosing to be in town of one of only TWO days a YEAR that they close the cable car, so a steep walk later saw us get to the Carter Observatory to look at the sun through thier special telescope, only it had clouded over and wasn't exactly as open as we had hoped. Still, foe all that good luck Wellington is a nice place to stop in, sadly none of its reputed 11 fault lines rumbled so we are still to experience an earthquake on our travels, one day.....
The next day we drive to Picton where we manage to kill 3 hours (it seemed) over a coffee whilst we hung out aimlessly untill the ferry was due to arrive. When it did we took our last glimpses of the South Island and looked forward to the Volcanic North. The South island is absolutely stunning and everyone should visit if they can.
Arriving in Wellington we have accidently booked a hostel just 1 km away from the ferry terminal, right near central Wellington. We stayed in a converted hotel that the Queen stayed in in ......1954, it has slid a bit by now, still, it had art-deco character. Our plans for the next day were nearly hampered by us choosing to be in town of one of only TWO days a YEAR that they close the cable car, so a steep walk later saw us get to the Carter Observatory to look at the sun through thier special telescope, only it had clouded over and wasn't exactly as open as we had hoped. Still, foe all that good luck Wellington is a nice place to stop in, sadly none of its reputed 11 fault lines rumbled so we are still to experience an earthquake on our travels, one day.....
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Wellington (Sian)
We arrived in Wellington at about 9pm so didn't get a chance to do much that evening but our 1930's hostel was great. Apparently the Queen stayed there in 1954 although it is not really fit for a Queen now.
Wellington is a windy city, and it was great to be blown around everywhere! Wellington also made me realise how new, New Zealand is... all of the old buildings were only just over a hundred years old. The best one was the old cathedral, not much from the outside but wonderful inside with Tudor looking decor and fabulous stained glass windows.
The city cable car was out of action during our visit so we had to climb all the way up to the top of the hill for a visit to the observatory and botanical gardens. The view from the top was great which made the hike to the top worth while.
Whilst in Wellington we also managed to see a modern jazz band play which was as interesting as it was good. Wellington have a brilliant Jazz festival we missed it by just 2 days!
Wellington was also great for shopping. Steve purchased a fab yellow tshirt and Heather bought me some twinkly shoes which I totally adore.
All too quickly we said goodbye to the big smoke and headed on our way to the volcanic regions...
Wellington is a windy city, and it was great to be blown around everywhere! Wellington also made me realise how new, New Zealand is... all of the old buildings were only just over a hundred years old. The best one was the old cathedral, not much from the outside but wonderful inside with Tudor looking decor and fabulous stained glass windows.
The city cable car was out of action during our visit so we had to climb all the way up to the top of the hill for a visit to the observatory and botanical gardens. The view from the top was great which made the hike to the top worth while.
Whilst in Wellington we also managed to see a modern jazz band play which was as interesting as it was good. Wellington have a brilliant Jazz festival we missed it by just 2 days!
Wellington was also great for shopping. Steve purchased a fab yellow tshirt and Heather bought me some twinkly shoes which I totally adore.
All too quickly we said goodbye to the big smoke and headed on our way to the volcanic regions...
The best Hostel (Sian)
So leaving the Glacier district we head to Greymouth for an over night stop. If anyone ever has to stay there go to The Global Village- It was the best Hostel ever!! It was all decorated in African memorabilia and paintings, it was spotlessly clean and played cool music. Our beds were lovely and comfy and the kitchen was well stocked and clean. We even managed to hire bikes for free but that's another story...
Before cycling off on the bikes we discussed if we need helmets but as we hadn't been told that we had to wear them we decided not too. We were cycling around the harbor having a great time with the wind blowing our hair around until the police stopped us and asked where our helmets were. Being a tourist was rather handy in this situation as I am sure we were about to be fined for not wearing a cycle helmet... Ooops. We then had to push the bikes for 45 minutes back to the hostel. BOO
Before cycling off on the bikes we discussed if we need helmets but as we hadn't been told that we had to wear them we decided not too. We were cycling around the harbor having a great time with the wind blowing our hair around until the police stopped us and asked where our helmets were. Being a tourist was rather handy in this situation as I am sure we were about to be fined for not wearing a cycle helmet... Ooops. We then had to push the bikes for 45 minutes back to the hostel. BOO
Monday, October 24, 2005
Fox's Glacier Mints (Sian)
Do Fox's Glacier Mints came from the Fox Glacier? I wonder if they are really tiny bits of the Glacier cut away for our delight. Doesn't explain Fox's Glacier fruits though...
The Road leaving Queenstown was interesting - loads of twisty roads leading to tops of mountains and then back down again. Needless to say the view was breathtaking - as we have come to expect from New Zealand so far.
Early afternoon we were following signs to Fox's Glacier, a really old Glacier that has been left since the last Ice age. It is now melting rather quickly and retreating at about a foot a day. It is still very impressive though, the valley that holds it is huge and very dangerous with rocks falling all the time. I didn't really appreciate the size of the Glacier until I saw some people right next to it who looked like the size of ants!!! The Glacier twists through the valley much like a frozen river. It has peaks and dips that are like a tide frozen on a canvass. Pretty amazing to see!
Today we are going to see another Glacier the Franz Joseph Glacier, it makes me think about the beginning of time and what the earth was like before humans invaded it!
The Road leaving Queenstown was interesting - loads of twisty roads leading to tops of mountains and then back down again. Needless to say the view was breathtaking - as we have come to expect from New Zealand so far.
Early afternoon we were following signs to Fox's Glacier, a really old Glacier that has been left since the last Ice age. It is now melting rather quickly and retreating at about a foot a day. It is still very impressive though, the valley that holds it is huge and very dangerous with rocks falling all the time. I didn't really appreciate the size of the Glacier until I saw some people right next to it who looked like the size of ants!!! The Glacier twists through the valley much like a frozen river. It has peaks and dips that are like a tide frozen on a canvass. Pretty amazing to see!
Today we are going to see another Glacier the Franz Joseph Glacier, it makes me think about the beginning of time and what the earth was like before humans invaded it!
Lakes, Queenstown, and jumping off mountains! (Steve)
Following our visit to Christchurch, we headed south towards Lake Tekapo and Mt Cook. The stunning scenery on the way made for a great drive and I am so pleased we came to New Zealand, the place is awesome in its beauty and I can see why its getting more popular every year.
Lake Tekapo is an aqua blue lake surrounded by mountains of the Mt Cook range (NZ's highest peak at 3715 metres I think), with the bizarre Church Of The Good Shepherd on the edge of it all on its own, the view looking towards the alter is the mountains behind the lake, really cool. They also getting the southern Aurora about 6 times a year, we didnt see that but I stole a photo from a local photographer with it above the church (see below). We also drove up as near to Mt Cook as we could, but didnt have time to climb it, not sure we could've anyway......and the huge, 42km long Lake Pukaki makes Tekapo look small, they are so smooth that when the sun comes out they are like mirrors reflecting the mountains, photos dont really do it justice.
The next day we went on to Queenstown, the adrenaline capital of NZ, and purely designed for the tourists,the worlds first bungy site is here, along with many others, we opted for the easier option of a jump off a mountain attached to a paraglider and someone who knows what they are doing. We jumped through the clouds from Mt Coronet (about 1100 metres) and took off for a brilliant ride across 5kms of woods and hillsides, we managed to kick the tops of some trees in a truely environment-friendly way!! I even got to do some acrobatics as we desended. Shame we can't post movies on here as they are funny, but pictures are below. We wanted to go again but money was a tad tight. The rest of Queenstown wasn't nearly as exiting, we went up a near vertical cable car and had a go at the 'Luge' -like go-karting but downhill without an engine, which was cool. Oh, and some great views of Queenstown as well.
Lake Tekapo is an aqua blue lake surrounded by mountains of the Mt Cook range (NZ's highest peak at 3715 metres I think), with the bizarre Church Of The Good Shepherd on the edge of it all on its own, the view looking towards the alter is the mountains behind the lake, really cool. They also getting the southern Aurora about 6 times a year, we didnt see that but I stole a photo from a local photographer with it above the church (see below). We also drove up as near to Mt Cook as we could, but didnt have time to climb it, not sure we could've anyway......and the huge, 42km long Lake Pukaki makes Tekapo look small, they are so smooth that when the sun comes out they are like mirrors reflecting the mountains, photos dont really do it justice.
The next day we went on to Queenstown, the adrenaline capital of NZ, and purely designed for the tourists,the worlds first bungy site is here, along with many others, we opted for the easier option of a jump off a mountain attached to a paraglider and someone who knows what they are doing. We jumped through the clouds from Mt Coronet (about 1100 metres) and took off for a brilliant ride across 5kms of woods and hillsides, we managed to kick the tops of some trees in a truely environment-friendly way!! I even got to do some acrobatics as we desended. Shame we can't post movies on here as they are funny, but pictures are below. We wanted to go again but money was a tad tight. The rest of Queenstown wasn't nearly as exiting, we went up a near vertical cable car and had a go at the 'Luge' -like go-karting but downhill without an engine, which was cool. Oh, and some great views of Queenstown as well.
Christchurch (Sian)
The 3 hour flight to Christchurch was rather uneventful, after collecting our Golden Wonder car we headed to our accommodation - a backpackers that was a bit like a B&B!!!
Christchurch is a rather pretty city and the trees are all like England, I felt at home amongst the Oaks, Lime, Chestnut and Willows!
Wanting to see Kiwi Birds we headed to the nearest Wildlife park where Giraffes, Lions, Cheetahs and African Wild dogs could be found! We fed Giraffes, watched the Cheetahs play a ball game and some massive Lions were fed. The Kiwi bird was found in a dark room pecking away at the ground - it was cute but over shadowed by the African wildlife!
We climbed the 135 steps of the cathedral tower for a view of the town - although being rather flat the view was a bit non descript, especially as we were standing in the most impressive building to be found in Christchurch!
Leaving Christchurch over the Canterbury Plains was bizarre, I had heard about the amazing landscape of New Zealand but it took about 90 minutes before we were in the mountains. It was worth waiting for, taking a twist in the road to be greeted by snow capped mountains and lush forests was rather special.
Christchurch is a rather pretty city and the trees are all like England, I felt at home amongst the Oaks, Lime, Chestnut and Willows!
Wanting to see Kiwi Birds we headed to the nearest Wildlife park where Giraffes, Lions, Cheetahs and African Wild dogs could be found! We fed Giraffes, watched the Cheetahs play a ball game and some massive Lions were fed. The Kiwi bird was found in a dark room pecking away at the ground - it was cute but over shadowed by the African wildlife!
We climbed the 135 steps of the cathedral tower for a view of the town - although being rather flat the view was a bit non descript, especially as we were standing in the most impressive building to be found in Christchurch!
Leaving Christchurch over the Canterbury Plains was bizarre, I had heard about the amazing landscape of New Zealand but it took about 90 minutes before we were in the mountains. It was worth waiting for, taking a twist in the road to be greeted by snow capped mountains and lush forests was rather special.
Sunday, October 23, 2005
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