Where two next?

2009-02-02T03:12:00.000+13:00

It's been that long since I started this post that I cannot remember the details anymore so here is a very pic orientated post of more of our holidays in Galway.

View taken along the Connemara loop.

Pics taken at Kylemore Abbey on a very bad day weather wise.

There is a very dramatic scenic route called the sky road which is not to be missed, here's some pics.

At this rate my next post should be in 2010.

Cathal

Rohan's first tramp

2008-09-27T17:40:00.001+12:00

We went on our holidays last week to the West of Ireland. The west of Ireland in terms of sightseeing is the equivalent to NZ's South Island. It's not that there isn't lots to see and do in the North Island of NZ or indeed the East coast of Ireland it's just that there's more in the South & West of the respective countries. By coincidence the weather is the same also i.e. it gets pretty wild in the West of Ireland. We went to a place called Connemara in County Galway and below is a map which shows where we were. We actually stayed in Galway city too but I have decided to do this post first as it is easier. There's a good link to a web site here.

In Connemara there is a national park and within the park there are four tramps which are actually one big tramp broken down into four parts. As it happens the weather was relatively good the day we arrived, however, we decided not to do the longest tramp to the top of the mountain on the advice of the tourist centre. Too windy and dangerous for Rohan. Here's the entrance and a close up of the sign. I don't think you would have to be a native Irish speaker to understand the sign even if it is in Gaelic! Be warned it's not all as easy as that though!

After you pass through the entrance pavilion you descend to the tourist centre which is adjacent to a lake, from here you set out on a 4 km loop to the top of Diamond Hill.

Rohan being carried by his dad on his first ever tramp.

Mam & Dad and part of Rohan's head oops...

Some views along the tramp.

A view up the branch off for the full tramp up the mountain. You basically walk to the top where the views are meant to be very dramatic.

Some views along our decent.

Back at the tourist centre for a well earned bowl of soup.

Rohan at 5 Months

2008-09-21T16:01:00.001+12:00

We are just back from a weeks holidays in the West of Ireland (more on that in the next few posts) and while we were away Rohan had his 5 month birthday. So here he is ready for bed...

....... and the following morning.

Cathal

Weeks 17-20

2008-09-01T19:50:00.001+12:00

Some more pics of Rohan. This one would have been truely fab if we had managed to get his whole head. In my defense I was holding Rohan with my left hand and trying to take the pic with my right.

Rohan checks out who is holding him while chewing his hands.

Rohan sporting a baseball cap.

Rohan showing off some of Sharon's knitwear.

Rohan showing off some of his Granny G's knitwear also.

So Rohan will be five months old soon but since the last post he has really found his voice. He has also found his tongue and has started licking everything. He has also starting making "razzing" noises which are hilarious to listen to.

Cathal

Rohan at 4 Months

2008-08-15T14:48:00.002+12:00

We mentioned in the last post how Rohan had starting turning from his back onto his belly. Here's a few pics of Rohan on his 4 month birthday showing us his new trick.

The doting father.

Rohan back to his old tricks.

Rohan has also found his tongue recently and tries to lick most things that come his way.

Cathal

Rohan 13-16 Weeks

2008-08-04T19:29:00.002+12:00

So Rohan will be 4 months on the 8th August '08 and I thought I had better do an interim post. Rohan in the last few weeks has managed to roll completely over by himself from his back onto his belly. The only catch is he can't roll back so after a few minutes of frustration he starts to cry and mam or dad have to fix it for him. A cuddle or two later and he's back to himself.

Here's Rohan with his favourite teddy that his Auntie Annette got him.

Here's Rohan at three months old.

We decided that Rohan was too big for his moses basket a few weeks ago so he now sleeps in a cot. The picture below shows just how cramped the basket was getting.

Some more pics of Rohan with his teddy or should that be monkey. The first one is taken in his new cot, loads of space!

Rohan has also found his hands and can sit there staring at them for minutes on end (notice I said minutes not hours). He has also realised that his arm is connected to his hands which is kinda funny too.

Anyway more pics when he turns four months.

Cathal

Rohan weeks 8-12

2008-07-20T07:39:00.000+12:00

Rohan was 12 weeks old a few weeks ago and it is hard to believe how quickly time is passing. So what has Rohan learned in the last few weeks? Well for a start he has found that sucking his fingers is fun.

Here's Rohan loosing his hair, that makes two of us!

Holding hands is a neat trick.

Having a chat which includes some laughing type noises is good fun too.
Acting surprised.....

and general enthusiasm .....

It's wasn't Hollywood but he enjoyed making a plaster cast of his hand nonetheless.

Rohan has also started turning from his back to his side. It's only a matter of time before he falls flat on his face and it won't be the last time either I suspect.

Cathal

Disused Shed in Co. Wexford

2008-06-13T22:20:00.000+12:00

Rohan was born in Co. Wexford in the South East of Ireland and I found this poem some years ago which happens to refer to his home county.

Disused Shed in Co. Wexford by Derek Mahon

Let them not forget us, the weak souls among
the asphodels -
Seferis, Mythistorema

For J.G. Farrell

Even now there are places where a thought might grow -
Peruvian mines, worked out and abandoned
To a slow clock of condensation,
An echo trapped forever, and a flutter
Of wildflowers in the lift-shaft,
Indian compounds where the wind dances
And a door bangs with diminished confidence,
Lime crevices behind rippling rainbarrels,
Dog corners for bone burials;
And a disused shed in Co. Wexford,

Deep in the grounds of a burnt-out hotel,
Among the bathtubs and the washbasins
A thousand mushrooms crowd to a keyhole.
This is the one star in their firmament
Or frames a star within a star.
What should they do there but desire?
So many days beyond the rhododendrons
With the world waltzing in its bowl of cloud,
They have learnt patience and silence
Listening to the rooks querulous in the high wood.

They have been waiting for us in a foetor
Of vegetable sweat since civil war days,
Since the gravel-crunching, interminable departure
of the expropriated mycologist.
He never came back, and light since then
Is a keyhole rusting gently after rain.
Spiders have spun, flies dusted to mildew
And once a day, perhaps, they have heard something -
A trickle of masonry, a shout from the blue
Or a lorry changing gear at the end of the lane.

There have been deaths, the pale flesh flaking
Into the earth that nourished it;
And nightmares, born of these and the grim
Dominion of stale air and rank moisture.
Those nearest the door growing strong -
'Elbow room! Elbow room!'
The rest, dim in a twilight of crumbling
Utensils and broken flower-pots, groaning
For their deliverance, have been so long
Expectant that there is left only the posture.

A half century, without visitors, in the dark -
Poor preparation for the cracking lock
And creak of hinges. Magi, moonmen,
Powdery prisoners of the old regime,
Web-throated, stalked like triffids, racked by drought
And insomnia, only the ghost of a scream
At the flashbulb firing squad we wake them with
Shows there is life yet in their feverish forms.
Grown beyond nature now, soft food for worms,
They lift frail heads in gravity and good faith.

They are begging us, you see, in their wordless way,
To do something, to speak on their behalf
Or at least not to close the door again.
Lost people of Treblinka and Pompeii!
'Save us, save us,' they seem to say,
'Let the god not abandon us
Who have come so far in darkness and in pain.
We too had our lives to live.
You with your light meter and relaxed itinerary,
Let not our naive labours have been in vain!.

With all the natural disasters recently seems kind of fitting.

Cathal

Rohan Weeks 5-7

2008-05-29T07:09:00.003+12:00

So as if there wasn't enough photos of Rohan here's some more and if you think this is turning into a Rohan appeciation blog - you'd be right!

A present from a knitting buddy of Sharon's. Who says that we don't feature knitting on this blog.

Its a really special feeling when Rohan curls up and falls asleep on your chest, especially after feeding as he is so content.

Rohan was 7 weeks old yesterday and was 12 lbs 3 ozs last Friday (when he was 6 weeks four days old) so he is really beginning to pack on the pounds!

Cathal

Rohan at one month

2008-05-17T22:19:00.006+12:00

Ok Rohan is in his basket and not very happy so this will be a quick post.

Here's Rohan at four weeks old. See the right hand is still up.

And this is Rohan at one month old.

This is Rohan last weekend.

And finally with his cousin.

So since the last post Rohan has started loosing his hair and also started cooing! The cooing is magic, watching him trying to communicate is just a wonderful thing. More pics soon I hope.

Cathal

Rohan goes to Johnstown Castle

2008-04-27T20:00:00.000+12:00

Rohan lives in the south east of Ireland in County Wexford. Wexford boasts some really nice places to visit, one of these being Johnstown Castle. Here's Rohan is his pram sporting a hand knit hat his Granny G knit him.

The front of the Castle.

The back of the castle.

New parents breaking new ground i.e. getting out of the house!

More pics around the grounds of the castle.

There's swans and peacocks in the park. We only got to see the swans today.

Johnstown castle is a brilliant place to bring kids. There's all sorts of things to see and plenty of space to run around. There's even a walled garden with a glass house, but we didn't manage to get to it today. Maybe next time.......

Cathal

Riders of Rohan

2008-04-20T21:57:00.011+12:00

There has been a bit of speculation regarding the name Rohan. Rohan is an Irish name meaning red head (not that he has red hair) and it is also an Indian name meaning ascending. Rohan is pronounced Rowan and can be spelt this way also. We decided not to spell his name the same way as "Rowan" wool as people might think that Sharon's interest in knitting had gone too far!

Some people also thought his name might have some reference to the Lord of the Rings and the Riders of Rohan, although the connection to NZ is more than appropriate, it's not why we picked his name. Any way some more pics.

Here's Rohan in his Moses basket.

Here's Sharon with Rohan outside in the back yard.

When Rohan was born he tried to bring his right hand out at the same time as his head! You can see his propensity to adopt such a position in the pic below!

The following pics are taken today. Rohan is 13 days old.

I go back to work tomorrow, it will be hard leaving the little man.

Cathal

Happy Birthday Rohan

2008-04-20T20:30:00.000+12:00

Rohan was one week old a few days ago, and what a week it was! Day one was all about getting the little fella out of his mammy's tummy and adjusting to the emotions that such an experience brings. The day he was born there was 18 other babies born in the hospital the same day!

Day 2 & 3 he spent in hospital with Sharon. Dad came and visited often though!

Day 4 saw the family return home, this time though with Rohan on the outside!

Day 5 saw us bring Rohan back to the hospital for his heel prick test. (Also his grand aunt Carmel passed away. She was Sharon's godmother.)

Day 6 he got a visit from the district nurse and he went and got his BCG. He was very brave and didn't cry for very long.

Day 6/ 7 Sharon got an infection and the new family had to spend two days in the hospital. (more on that saga another time perhaps.) On this day Sharon's mam was also ill in A&E in a hospital in Dublin and her sister was in another hospital in Dublin.

All in all a huge rollercoaster ride of a first week for our new family and extended families.

Cathal

Kiwi time!

2008-04-14T21:20:00.010+12:00

I spent a certain portion of last night dancing with Rohan! He seems to find music soothing and forgets he is trying to keep awake. So I cuddle him up in my arms, turn off the lights, and we strut our stuff.

We are convinced that he is on Kiwi time as he only seems to wake up when we want to sleep, or perhaps that's all newborns! (As I write it is 10.30 am and Rohan is fast asleep.)

At least, in my opinion, he has good taste in music. He fell asleep last night to Beth Orton! I might try something different tonight, maybe some Sufjan Stevens.......

Cathal

Big Hands, Big Feet

2008-04-12T20:26:00.000+12:00

Rohan turned four (days) today and being the doting father I have decided to post some pics. Sharon was given every opportunity to feature heavily in this post but understandably declined.

Rohan with his dad in the delivery room just one hour old!

The happy family on day 2.

Rohan with his long nails managed to scratch the face off himself.

Though we didn't know the sex of the baby until he was born we bought an All Blacks babygrow in NZ just before we left. I think black is his colour!

Rohan shows off some of his mother's hand knits on his way home yesterday.

Baby Rohan in his new abode, opening his lungs. It hasn't all been plain sailing!

Kiwibabe

2008-04-10T20:28:00.004+12:00

I was in a reflective mood the other day, wondering what I had achieved in life. I even googled my name. Then I had an epiphany of what happened last Tuesday @ 11.37am.

Sharon, after a very hard labour (is there an easy one?) gave birth to our baby boy Rohan. He was 8 lbs 7 ozs when he was born. Mammy and baby are well and dad is doing as well as could be expected!

So here it is my greatest achievement; our greatest achievement.

Best of Wellington

2008-03-10T20:00:00.001+13:00

It's been that long since I blogged I have almost forgotten how. Decided there was one last post that needed to be posted before we began to blog about our lives here in Ireland. By the way all is good here and Sharon and Bump are in good form.

Considering we almost lived in the capital for a year I decided some time ago to do a best of Wellington. It's the most southerly capital in the world and was voted the fourth best capital city in the world. Again I keep meaning to add to the post but can't seem to get the time. So here it is the best of Wellington.

Best Public Art Galleries: City Gallery and NZ Academy of Fine Arts

Best Bar: Matterhorn, Cuba Street.

Best Beaches: Scorching Bay & Oriental Bay

Best Breakfast: Floriditas (Best organic eggs on the planet)

Best Bus Route: No. 14 although I can't say I have been on them all.

Best Cafes: Astorias, Ernestos and Chocolate Fish

Best Drink: Any Pinot Noir in my opinion!

Best Restaurants: Pravda, Matterhorn, Olive

Best Public Park: Karori Wildlife Sanctuary

Best Theatre: Downstage

Best Cinema: Embassy

Best Live Entertainment Venue: San Fransisco Bath House

Best Supermarket: Moore Wilson's

Best Local Bar: The Realm Hataitai (Slightly biased!)

Best things to do: Cable Car to Botanic Gardens, Botanic Gardens, Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, Te Papa Museum, Coffee in a cafe on a sunny day.

Best Tennis Club: Kilbernie Tennis Club (Again completely bias!)

Best Relaxed Walk: Oriental Bay

Best Night Course: An Introduction to Wine (OK I only did the one but I really enjoyed it!)

Best Neighbourhood: Hataitai (Pronounced Hi-tie-tie, this was our neighbourhood so again we are being biased!)

If you are caught between living in the Capital or Auckland and you are worried about the weather in the windy city remember the phrase "If Wellington Blows, Auckland Sucks!"

Best of New Zealand

2007-12-04T20:23:00.000+13:00

I wrote most of this in NZ just before we left and keep wanting to add more and more to it now that we are home. I guess we had so many good experiences I can't seem to get to the bottom of it. I have decided to post it now and if I do think of something I forgot I can always add to the post at a later date. So here it is the best of NZ......

We didn't quite travel from Cape Reinga to Bluff but we came pretty close. Here in our opinion are the best things we did in NZ. (Note: there are the best we did, that's not to say there isn't better things we didn't do!)

Best Accommodation: Believe it or not for the sheer experience and convenience of it all it would have to be a camper van.

Best Activity: We are a bit conservative in this department but tramping generally would have to be up there along with a heli hike of the Franz Josef or Fox Glaciers. We did the Fox!

Best Art Gallery (Public): City Gallery, Civic Square, Wellington.

Best Bar: Well it's one of the top ten bars in the world so choosing the Matterhorn here in the capital is easy!

Best Beach: So many to choose from but I think it would have to be one either in the Coromandel Peninsula or Northland (Sorry can't be more specific than that as there were to many to choose from).

Best Boat Trip: Has to be the interislander from Welly to Picton. We will never forget how beautiful it was coming into Picton.

Best Cafe for Coffee: In the whole of NZ now that's hard! For coffee we like Ernestos on Cuba St. in Wellington and for food it would probably have to be Olive or Floriditas on Cuba too. Chocolate fish is really nice also although it's days seem to be numbered. Seems only fair that the capital should come out tops in this department. Cafe Vedu in Queenstown was one that still stands out from the crowd!

Best City: Emm I don't think I realised how difficult a task I set myself! Wellington would have to feature on our list as we have lived here for the year, but if I was a tourist in the more conventional sense I think it would have to be Queenstown! (Although I am not sure how much I would have liked it had we been there during the high season). Christchurch would be third on my list.

Best Restaurant: Fleurs Place in Moreakai Village, The Bunker in Queenstown and Pravda in Welly.

Best Tramp: Didn't do many unfortunately. We really enjoyed the Queen Charlotte Track and I really liked the Tongariro Crossing. Would have liked to do the Milford Trek but maybe another time!

Best Place: Again a tough one for obvious reasons. High up on the list would have to be Milford Sound but for the shear experience of it all Mount Cook wins by a short head. Lake Tekapo near Mount Cook is fabulous also.

Best Park (Public): Kaori Wildlife Sanctuary

Best Thermal Park: We didn't do all the parks in Rotorua but we did one or two. Surprisingly enough though its the Oreki Thermal Park near Toupo that was our favourite.

Best Movie: The best NZ movie about NZ would have to be Once Were Warriors although it's not for the faint hearted! We also really enjoyed This is New Zealand which was made for the 1970 World Trade Expo.

Best Scenic Drive: Again a hard one but for us it has to be the Desert Road (SH1 south of Lake Taupo.)

Best Live Performance: The Case of Katherine Mansfield in the Downstage.

Best Town: Nelson. Not sure if it is a town and I wasn't there but Sharon says it's really nice!

Best knitting shop: Somewhere in Nelson, no wonder Sharon liked it so much!

Best Night Out: Matterhorn on New Years Eve.

Best unexpected treat: Tennis competition in Havelock North.

Best Kiwi stereotype : They are really into their rugby!

Best sporting event: We didn't get to the Westpac but the "craic" around Welly for the "7"'s was superb!

Best Picture: The one below taken on the Tongariro Crossing in September.

If you ever wondered if you should go to NZ the answer I hope is spelt out above, although words and pictures can hardly do it justice. You just have to go and see it for yourself!

Cathal

Memory of Old Roses

2007-11-19T19:43:00.000+13:00

We visited the botanical gardens in Wellington not long after we had arrived in New Zealand and came upon a book called Memory of Old Roses by Trevor Griffiths. We bought the book for my parents as they are keen gardeners and it came highly recommended from the bookshop. The layout was superbly designed and we thought it would be worthy of any gardener's book collection.
Now that we are home I decided to actually read the book and was so moved by it I felt it warranted a post. It's the sort of book you could read in a day and although I am not particularly interested in roses found the book hugely pleasurable. It is an autobiography of Trevor Griffith's life and "evokes innocent times when people worked long and hard to reach their goals." It is a gem of a book in my opinion and my only regret is that I didn't read it before posting it home.

Trevor Griffiths nursery was based in Timaru in the south island and although he is retired there is a public rose garden in the town that might be worthy of a visit provided that the old roses, that bloom only once a year, are in full flower.

For me this book is not so much about roses but a different way of life. The humility, matter-of-factness and simplicity of the writing echoing the times it describes.

Just in case you are wondering, my parents liked it too.

Cathal

Kiwi babe

2007-11-11T17:55:00.000+13:00

Apologies for the lack of posts over the last while but we have been a bit distracted of late. This post will be short and sweet as I have been trying to find the time to write a decent post but can’t seem to manage the time. We got the best of news while we were in New Zealand and although it meant changing our plans and staying here in Ireland, instead of returning to New Zealand for the last two months of our visa, I think the rational behind our decision not to go back will become apparent with the following pic!

Yes we are expecting a baby, and although it will have an Irish passport we like to think of it as our little Kiwi! Perhaps we should change the blog title to Where three next!

Cathal

Tongariro Crossing Part 2

2007-09-26T15:17:00.000+12:00

I did a post about the Tongariro Crossing the other day. While we were doing the walk the guide said that Mount Ruapehu was due to erupt soon. I didn't realise he meant within the week! It erupted last night with less than a minutes notice and one man staying in a hut on the mountain is in a serious condition, hopefully he will make a full recovery. To find out more click here.

Better go and finish packing.

Cathal

Things you need to know. (Part 3)

2007-09-25T13:43:00.000+12:00

Another post celebrating the difference between our two great countries although this could be a post too far. I think I am really scraping the bottom of the barrel this time! Here goes nothing...

The chip shops close before the pubs!!!!! Why? In Ireland chippers only open around closing time!

Kiwi's say pardon. The Irish say Wha? (Short for what?)

Kiwi's insist that ketchup and chichen pies go well together! Not to mention the fact that there are pie shops here! Just a thought but if ketchup was an essential part of a chicken pie don't you think it would be included in the sauce?

Kiwi's say lollies, we say sweets, you say chips we say crisps, you say capsicums we say peppers, you say eggplant we say aubergine the list goes on.......

Kiwi's say tramping everybody else says hiking, hill walking or trekking. I guess with tramps as good as these we can hardly make a big issue of it!

Kiwi's can drive a car at 15 but can't vote or drink until they are 18.

In New Zealand you can only parallel park facing the same direction as the adjacent traffic i.e. you can't cross the road to parallel park if it means you are facing the on coming traffic. (I learned it the other day from a very informative traffic warden. I put on the old Oirish and threw in a few beggorahs and got away with it!)

Know that when you read an apartment being advertised with a northern aspect it's actually a good thing in this hemisphere! Apparently some of the early settlers actually built their houses facing south. Given those southerlies and the suns actual path they sooned learned the errors of their ways.

Know that in Wellington anything less than a gale force wind is regarded as a breeze!

Know that there is a big hole in the Ozone and it's right over NZ. Although admittedly it is getting a lot smaller you really need to slap on the sun factor now that spring is here! Won't be long now before the Cicadas start marking an almighty racket!

Know that Kiwi's have small noses or the men use hankies. Well something has to explain why you cannot get man size tissues in NZ!

Know that on the UV counter on the paper the scale goes from 0-10 but you will often see a UV reading of 13-14? I guess that's the Kiwi's giving it 110% again!

Finally and most importantly know that the Kiwi's did indeed invent the Pavlova not the Australian's. Click here for proof!

Well we are more or less packed and ready for our trip home. We leave on Thursday at 9.30am and arrive in Ireland, taking the time difference into account, on Friday around midday (hopefully!). We have to get four flights and will be in the air approx. 27 hours in total. I think we will both be copying the pope and kissing the Irish sod when we get off our final flight!

Cathal

The Hutt

2007-09-22T20:19:00.000+12:00

The Hutt is an area in the suburbs of Wellington and they have been advertising it's many advantages over the last year to entice people out to their little piece of paradise. Here's just some of the clever ideas they came up with. I hope you enjoy them as much as Sharon does!

I am afraid it would have taken more than a few posters to make us move from Hataitai!

Cathal

Firns, Fronds & Friands

2007-09-22T18:24:00.000+12:00

I always find it interesting to come across new words or animals etc. I had never heard of before so I decided to amuse myself the other day and write down all the words that I have learned since we started traveling. (Well we don't have a TV!) I thought it might be informative in some way although I am not so sure how!

Here is a random list of words and names of animals etc. (animal names and wine varieties begin with a capital letter) I have learned in the last year.

Cassowary, lahar, friand, neve, Tuatara, Weta, tramping, rock/ glacial flour, hoar frost, coffee rock, Feijoa, Korfball, firn, Kauri trees, petrified (as in forests), Kaka, Kea, snapper, Pukeko, Baramundi, paw paw, trichloroanisole (TCA), tartaric acid, Voignier, Petit Verdot, Gewurztraminer, Muller Thurgau, Clarets, sulphide reduction.

And out of curiosity here are some Maori words I have learned.

Haka, waka, utu, iwi, mana, poi, tikanga, wahine, tapu, aroha, ea, noa, hakari, hongi, hangi, pa, kapa haka, whare, kumara, marae, moko, powhiri, roto, rua, rahui, take, tekoteko, tiki, wero, whakapapa, whanau, kaka, pakeha, haere mai and of course the kiwi!

I am sure there are others but thats all I can think of for now.

I wonder which words can be used in scrabble. I know pa, a Maori fortified village, is allowable!

Cathal

Murals

2007-09-21T19:10:00.000+12:00

I personally don't have a lot of time for murals of any description so when I kept on passing one that I actually liked I decided it was worth a closer look. The following set of murals are on the boundary wall to Clyde School on Elizabeth St. here in Welly.

Maybe the simple fact that this set of murals hasn't been defaced is a testament to the quality of the work? I know they brighten my day.

Cathal

City Gallery Wellington

2007-09-20T20:16:00.000+12:00

I have probably broken numerous copy right laws by doing this post but felt it was probably worth incarceration. I went into one of our favourite art galleries today, the City Gallery, in Civic Square here in Welly. The Maori are well known for their facial moko (tattoos) and the big poster of the Maori chief pictured below caught my eye.

The exhibition is absolutely wonderful and I was enthralled. This coming from a "modernist" is high praise indeed. Apart from the beauty of the paintings themselves the really interesting thing for me, and the purpose of the exhibition, is to view the paintings as a commentary on the introduction of Europeans into NZ and the subsequent affect on society in general. The exhibition is Te Huringa/ Turning point and there is a link to the Fletcher Trust website here.

A good example of the historical context of the paintings is the painting of Te Uira above. Te Uira was the daughter of Te Heuheu Tukino V of Tuwharetoa. Her grandfather, Te HeuHeu Tukino VI, who was also painted by the same artist, gifted Tongariro, Ngarauahoe and Ruapehu to the nation in 1887. This you might think means nothing to you, but if you happened to read my post the other day on the Tongariro Crossing you will see that it was quite a generous gift! Here's a portrait of the chief completed by Atkinson, note the difference in clothing to that of his grand daughter.

Here's some more pics to give you a better idea of the cross section of paintings dating from 1826 to today.

The exhibition is free and closes on the 4th November. If you live in Welly it is a "must see" in my opinion. If you don't live in Welly find out if it's coming your way!

Cathal

Tongariro Crossing

2007-09-19T13:38:00.000+12:00

The 17km Tongariro Crossing, according to National Geographic, is one of the top ten one day hikes in the world and for once I think I will let the pics do the talking!

The pic above is probably my favourite of all the pics I have taken on our travels. Need I say more?!

Cathal

Rarotonga (Part 2)

2007-09-15T15:25:00.000+12:00

As well as the sandy beaches there's also the interior of the island which has it's own beauty. Here's some pics taken along the main road that circles the island.

One thing that strikes you about the interior of the island is the many graves sites that are in people's gardens. I didn't take a pic but some of them are quite elaborate. The Cook Islander's have a similar, if not the same, belief system when it comes to land as the Maori's. They believe the land is not theirs to sell and belongs to the family. Our guide in Aitutaki explained that this was one of the main reasons the islands are largely underdeveloped as the land is not for sale. This tradition also means that the land is constantly getting subdivided with each new generation and as a consequence family's individual "holdings" (if that's the right word) are getting smaller and smaller. The deceased have to be buried on the families land so there are no central grave yards like we are used to.

I have just finished reading a book called Tikanga Maori (Living by Maori Values) by Hirini Moko Mead and in it he quotes the following to describe the Maori's view on land "land was not something that could be owned or traded. Maoris did not seek to own or possess anything, but to belong. One belonged to a family, that belonged to a hapu (sub tribe), that belonged to a tribe. One did not own the land. One belonged to the land"

Another amazing things about the Cook Islands is the multitude of flowers and associated scents. Here's a few pics of some of the local flora.

The last day I crossed over to one of the islands in Muri Beach lagoon called Oneroa and took a few pics from there looking back towards the mainland. The first pic gives you a good idea how hilly the country is which is not stereotypical of south pacific islands generally especially the likes of troubled Tuvalu.

The boat above was solar powered and belonged to the hotel we were staying at. I don't know who owns the dog but he was very fond of the boat to the point where anybody renting it had to put up with his company for the day!

We had a lovely time in the Cook Islands although the weather was very mixed. We had rain a lot of days but luckily the main storms seemed to pass over us at night. According to an old lonely planet book I found at the hotel it rains quite a bit in Raro and recommends you bring clothes suitable for the odd bout of precipitation! Although I think it is referring to showers you would associate with a tropical climate and high humidity. The week previous the weather was really nice and the weather forecast for the week after the same. So it would seem that we were unlucky! If you want to know the weather forecast all you need to do is stroll down Muri Beach to Tai's weather rock pictured below!

We had some great meals on the island. The best places for evening meals were probably the Paw Paw Patch at the Moana Sands Hotel (they dropped us home when I enquired about a taxi which was very nice), Sails restaurant in Muri Beach and Tamarind House just outside the capital Avarau. There's a lot of sea food which is great but also a lot of deep fat fried food! When you get sick of the ubiquitous french fries try out the Maire Nui Cafe & Gardens near the Moana Sands. It is only open during the day and specialises in organic food and in particular salads, breads and deserts. There is literally nothing else so if you don't like rabbit food stay away! You also need to bring cash as they do not accept credit cards.

The Lonely Planet Blue list suggests that everyone should visit the south pacific islands while they can and in particular places like Tuvalu which is in dire straits due to the affects of global warming. With the rise in sea levels and the increasing number of cyclones, to which the islands are prone, there is not much hope for some of the islands. I am not sure how the likes of Rarotonga and Aituaki will fair in the long run but at least Raro has some mountains associated with it's volcanic past.

The Cook Islander's speak Maori and the currency is the NZ dollar even though it is an independent country. It has strong connections with NZ due to its history and the fact that the Polynesian explorers that discovered Aotearoa (NZ) all set off from Rarotonga at some point.

The minute you get off the plane in Raro you start to relax, it is a unique island and the people are very friendly- apart from the odd narky bus driver! The pic above is the garden associated with the international departure area. There might not be a lot of shops but there's plenty of space to relax. I think that goes for the entire island!

Cathal

Aitutaki

2007-09-14T10:38:00.000+12:00

If you are staying in Rarotonga you really have to do the day trip to Aitutaki it is wonderful and incredibly beautiful.

The picture above was taken in Raro airport and it might not seem particularly relevant at first glance but apart from the fact that there are chickens running around the airport the lady at the check in desk might help to explain some of Aitutaki's beauty. I presumed the lady was a model going out to the island for a photo shoot but in fact she was the latest member of the TV series Survivor! Both Shipwreck and Survivor are filmed on some of the islands in Aitutaki's extensive lagoon! Here's a map of the island to give you an idea of the extent of the lagoon.

And here's a pic of the lagoon taken from the airplane on a very dull day by Aitutaki's high standards!

The day trip from Raro includes the flights, a short bus tour of the island and a boat cruise of the lagoon which stops off at a few of the islands and also in the lagoon for some snorkeling. You spend about six hours in the lagoon and it is amazing. Apparently it never rains in Aitutaki but it did the day we were there but it was still the highlight of the trip.

The second island we stopped off at was called Tapuaetai or One Foot Island and there is a lovely story about a father and son who went to the island to avoid being killed by an angry tribe. The father made sure to walk in the sons foot steps and gave himself up when the mob finally arrived. The mob presumed he was alone due to the fact that there was only one set of footprints. The boy eventually found his way back to the mainland by walking along the reef edge that encircles the lagoon and was taken in by an elderly lady. The boy later became a powerful chief and gave the island it's current name.

There's even a post office on the island and you can get your passport stamped there. The stamp is actually a foot with a date in the middle and although it was all a bit touristy we couldn't resist and got a stamp each.

If you thought Raro's airport was small here's a pic of Aitutaki's.

Some pics taken around the lagoon including the boat we were on.

The pic below is of a baby palm tree sprouting from a coconut. According to our guide it is a good idea to avoid sitting under palm trees with brown coconuts otherwise you might end up with a sore head!

You get fed on the boat. There was barbecued game fish, baked black banana marinated in coconut milk and paw paw among other things. They cut down some of the local palm leaves and made baskets for the food as per the pic below. The crew also got out their guitars and gave us a few songs along the way. Here a pic of the food.

Even though it rained it was still a really great experience and a must do in my opinion. If you can split your holiday up and stay on both islands for a few days or weeks all the better!

If you decide to go on the trip we would recommend the barbecued banana, it was delicious!

Cathal

Rarotonga

2007-09-12T18:01:00.000+12:00

As the pic above states, Kia Orana to the Cook Islands and more specifically Rarotonga. As you might have gathered from the number plate (there's only four numbers) Rarotonga and in fact the Cook Islands are not very big. If you wanted to buy a car on the island I don't think you would be overly concerned about its mileage as the total circumference of the island is only 31km and takes less than half an hour to navigate!

Rarotonga is home to the Cook Islands capital Avarau and only 9,000 inhabitants. If you want to learn a little bit more about the islands I found a very nice web site here. To emphasis how small it is here's a pic of the capitals international airport terminal!

Once you arrive into the airport terminal you are greeted with a garland of flowers as per the ones pictured below. (We had no willing models for the blog!)

The hotel we were due to stay in was overbooked so we got upgraded to a hotel on Muri Beach which is in the southeast and the most picturesque part of the island in my opinion. The whole of the island has a reef around it which protects it from the south pacific. The reef makes the water very shallow and very warm as well as giving it this amazing turquoise colour. Whats makes Muri Beach so special is the extent of the lagoon and the four islands along it's outer edge which makes the views far more interesting. Here's some pics taken on Muri Beach.

Surprisingly enough there is lots to see and do on the island and the local experts on trip advisor recommend that you do the following.

Go snorkeling, snorkeling and then do a bit more snorkeling
Go to the Saturday markets in the capital Avarua
Go to Aitutaki which is another one of the Cook Islands
Go to a Sunday Service, whether you are religious or not!
Go on a hike across the island with Pa the local guide.
Go to an island night to see the locals strutting their stuff.
Go to the west side of the island to experience the magnificent Raro sunset.

We only got to do the first three but we were not disappointed. The first thing we did was the market on Saturday and here's a few pics to give you a better idea of what it is like.
After the market, which is worth going to, we took a stroll around Avarau the capital. I didn't take many pics, in fact only one, but here it is none the less. London it ain't!

The island has more of less one road and it circles the exterior of the island. There are buses than run every hour both clockwise and anti clockwise so getting around it never an issue. Here's a pic taken on the bus we took back to our hotel after the market.

When we got back to Muri Beach we decided to catch a few rays and sample the local beer!

The island might be small but they can at least boast their own beer!

Cathal

An Introduction to Wine

2007-09-09T08:31:00.000+12:00

I mentioned on a previous post that I have been taking an introduction to wine course in Wellington High School for the last few weeks. What follows is a random list of things I found interesting over the eight weeks.

All wine competitions use the same standard XL5/ ISO glasses to help make the competition results more consistent. There are surprisingly small but designed to funnel the smell of the wine towards the nose.

Wine judges are not supposed to wear perfume or aftershave at a competition. Well you don't want the judge describing his or her buddies "CK One" instead of the wine!

Sometimes when you open a bottle of wine with a cork closure there will be crystals or wine diamonds on the bottom of the cork. This is due to tartaric acid and is completely harmless. It does not mean that the wine is corked.

Sometime in the 18th century American grape plants were introduced into Europe. Unknowingly there was a parasite that lived on the American grape plant roots and it was introduced also. Within a very short period of time most of the European grape plants were killed by the parasite as they were not immune to it. However the Europeans noticed that the American grapes were immune so they grafted the European grapes onto American roots. The majority of grape plants in Europe therefore have American roots!

If you open a bottle of wine and do not plan on drinking it all the best thing to do is keep a half sized empty bottle of wine in the kitchen. When you open the standard size bottle pour half the contents into the half sized bottle almost to the top and reseal. This will help keep the wine as less oxygen can get at it. Pumps and putting the lid back onto a half empty bottle of wine doesn't work!

The next trendy white wine in NZ will be Viognier and has been trendy for some time in other countries. Get it while it's still cheap here!

Contrary to popular belief Blue Nun, Black Tower and Liebfraumilch are not Rieslings but Muller Thurgau! A German came to NZ a long time ago and sold the idea of Muller Thurgau to the masses as it is the first grape to ripen. Apparently what he forgot to mention was that it makes awful wine!

Next time you see a medal on a bottle of wine remember it might not be a good thing. Some competitions are run over a week and the judges can be asked to judge 100 bottles of wine in one hour! After the first few they can't really taste the subtleties anymore so the winners are usually "in your face" kind of wines. After the competition the wineries note which one won and why and make there wines even more "in your face" than the winner for next years competition! This is obviously not necessarily a good thing for wines! A judge once said that he awarded a gold medal to a wine but when he tried the same wine a week later he couldn't drink it!

Pinot Gris is a Pinot Noir Grape that has reverted. For no apparent reason you can plant Pinot Noir and walk out one day and some of the plants will have become Pinot Gris. Not only that but they can revert back to Pinot Noir again at a later stage!

There are two types of red wine drinkers generally. Those that like red wines with red fruit berries and those who like their reds with black fruit berries. If you tend to like Pinot Noirs and Grenache then you like your red berries. If you like Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrahs then you tend to like your blackberries. Merlot and Malbec tend to fall somewhere in the middle and depending on the wine could fall into either category.

Red wine varieties ripen in the following order. Pinot Noir, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.

White wines ripen in the following order. Muller Thurgau, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. (Can't remember where Rieslings fit in!)

Shiraz is what the Australians call Syrah.

If you want to spice up your baked beans add in the dregs from your bottle of wine apparently it makes them taste yummy!

"Clarets" is the general name given to the red wines of Bordeaux. Bordeaux is not the hottest of areas and the French have managed over the centuries to perfect the art of blending grape varieties to produce some excellent wines. The reason for this is that in any given year a specific variety might fail due to the weather. The climate is very similar to NZ and it is suggested that therefore NZ could be the New World equivalent of Bordeaux!

If you buy a wine in a shop or order one at a bar or restaurant and it has either cork or screw cap taint you should bring it back to the shop or ask for a different bottle in a restaurant. The shops and restaurants return the defective bottles to the wineries i.e. they do not suffer any loss. They estimate that around 5% of wines sealed with a cork have cork taint or as it is more commonly referred to as "corked". Corked wine is also know as TCA and you can find out a bit more about it on the link. It basically smells like wet cardboard.

The supermarkets are more or less responsible for the growing use of screw cap bottles as they decided a number of years back to charge the wineries for a 5% loss due to cork taint whether the bottles were returned or not. Some clever Aussies and Kiwi's came up with the solution of the screw cap and the Supermarkets agreed to drop the 5% on wines sealed in this fashion. No one at the time foresaw any difficulty.

There has been a lot of debate over the problems with corked wines and the salvation that screw caps have supposedly brought to the industry. I googled cork and screw cap taint and was amazed at how many contrary opinions are out there on the subject. Our teacher firmly believes that screw cap taint is a real problem especially in wines that are over a year old. He went as far as to suggest that almost 20% of screw capped wines have a problem with sulphide reduction and that no one in the wine industry was prepared to accept that there is a problem because of the obvious consequences. He also suggested that since the cork industry has become more regulated and quality control has greatly improved the number of wines with cork taint has reduced to as little as 1-2%.

We tasted a number of wines during the course, up to 14 per night, and a significant amount of screw capped wines had problems with sulphide reduction. The basic test is if there is a smell of struck matches or flint when you open the bottle and if there is a metallic astringent after taste to the wine i.e. it doesn't end subtly. I am no expert but have definitely tasted screw cap tainted wines and they are not nice.

However I did manage to find one article that I believe is quite even handed in it's consideration of the problems associated with wine taint and you can read it here and judge for yourselves. There is obviously more than two ways to seal a wine and aswell as the rubber "corks" there's the likes of the Zork!

Perhaps we just have to accept that there is no ideal solution to the problem of tainted wines and come to terms with the fact that most of us never even know we are drinking one, myself included!

Cathal

Stepping back in time.

2007-08-30T20:53:00.000+12:00

The title of this post is probably quite apt because not only are we crossing the international date line but we are also stepping back in time. The time zone in this part of the world is unique and is known to the locals and travellers alike as "Raro time."

We leave tomorrow for a trip to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. In order to get to Raro you have to cross the international date line, so although we are leaving Welly on Friday we arrive in Raro on Thursday! We have been tantalising close to the international date line here in NZ for the last year and now we finally get to cross it!

We will be back in a week with news of our travels and I will try and do the post on screw caps v corks.

Cathal

Bay of Islands (3) Part 2

2007-08-29T18:39:00.000+12:00

We had ambitious plans for our trip to Northland which including a trip to Cape Reinga (30) , Ninety Mile Beach and the Waipoua Kauri Forests (23) . We got as far as Kerikeri! This was partly due to general laziness and mostly due to the weather.

We decided to stay relatively local to the Bay of Islands and visited Waitangi and Kerikeri instead.

We visited the Stone Store and the Mission House in Kerikeri which are the oldest stone and timber buildings in NZ and were built around the 1820's. They were both interesting and cleverly done and if you have any interest in knowing more about how people lived during that era then it is well worth a trip. Here's a pic from the car park at the other side of the Kerikeri River looking back towards the Store and the Mission House and a couple of pics of the individual buildings.

After Kerikeri we called into the Waitangi National Reserve (85) and visitor centre. The historical treaty between the Crown and the Maori people was signed here in 1840. On the way from the visitor centre to the Treaty House you pass by the 35m Maori War Canoe called Ngatokimatawhaorua which was built to mark the centenary of the 1840 treaty. It is named after the canoe in which the legendary Polynesian navigator Kupe discovered NZ. Here's some pics.

After the war canoe you reach the Treaty House and the whare runanga (meeting house). The meeting house was build to celebrate the centenary also. Here's some pics.

The remainder of our time in Northland was literally a wash out. Out of desperation for something to do I suggested we go visit a glow worm cave about one kilometre south of Kawakawa. I reckoned that you couldn't get wet in a cave and was very pleased with myself until we got there. Here's a few pics of the access lane to the caves.

Needless to say we didn't risk it and returned back to Russell.

Northland has experienced its own fair share of flooding recently and the weather for our last two days was appalling. Having said that the weather and the flooding is uncharacteristic for the area generally.

On a separate note, someone kindly let me know that there is a link to this blog site on the Bay of Islands Community Site. Knowing that I might have a few more readers with a particular interest in the area I made a mental note to keep any criticism I had to myself! However I have to say that the food experiences we had generally in Northland were poor. Poor to the point where the last two nights we just didn't bother going out but stayed in and cooked instead. I even got a mild case of food poisoning and to pre-empt any potentially smart comments, it was before we decided to eat in!

We had the worst, and I mean the worst, pizza ever in Paihia. Someone had the audacity to get a piece of cardboard cut it into a circular shape and put cheap, sickly sweet, processed pizza spread on top, call it a pizza and charge $15 for it. It was disgraceful and we just left it behind us more or less untouched. I was going to complain about it but decided that anyone who could serve something that bad obviously just doesn't care and it would have a been a waste of my time.

There were other memorable, but unfortunately not in a good way, restaurant experiences during our stay. I even checked the internet for places to eat. I got two hits for Russell and both places, which got pretty good reviews, were closed. I can only assume that things are better during the high season and what we experienced was as a result of the sheer lack of demand at this time of year. If there's some really nice restaurants, like Fleurs Place in Moeraki Village, that we kept missing someone might let us know!

Wellington might not get the weather that Northland can boast, but it can boast the better restaurants. We had a fabulous meal in Pravda the night of our return and it wasn't the first and will not be the last!

Coming up in the next posts. How Sharon and I are planning on travelling back in time and cork V screw cap wines, the truth revealed!
Cathal

Bay of Islands (3) Day 1

2007-08-28T09:25:00.000+12:00

The Bay of Islands (3) gets its name from the 144 islands that dot the bay. The two main towns to stay in and around the bay are Paihia and Russell.

Paihia is bigger and feels more like a resort. You can imagine at the height of the high season, there's an influx of camper vans and holiday makers, that frequent the bars and cafes spilling out towards the end of the night. In short a younger persons town.

If they are spilling out of the bars with their beers in Paihia then they are quietly sipping their Pinot's in Russell. Instead of listening to the latest chart entries it's the sound of the water as it ebbs and flows along the waters edge, with perhaps a hint of classical music in the background. Russell is marketed as "Romantic Russell" and it has an old world charm about it that I think would appeal to older holiday makers or people like us who were looking for somewhere quiet and, as the marketing experts boast, romantic.

I think the towns are quite different due to their location also. Paihia is easily accessible where as Russell is more remote and is best accessed by ferry from Opua, although you can get there without getting your feet wet so to speak! There are two ferries that run continuously so you are never waiting long. Here's a pic of the small marina at the ferry terminal in Opua.

The many cruises that take people around the islands pick you up at either Paihia or Russell so there is no disadvantage to staying in Russell in that respect. There is also pedestrian ferries that run back and fourth from Russell to Paihia so you can leave the car behind if you fancy a trip. The only disadvantage about Russell is that it is a little bit off the beaten track when it comes to exploring the rest of the bay or indeed the rest of Northland but as we have already said it is that remoteness that gives Russell a lot of it's charm. Here's some pics taken around Russell.

As we would say back at home "we fell on our feet" when it came to our choice of accommodation. We stayed in the Russell Bay Lodge which consists of two self contained apartments with fabulous views over the bay. Here's some pics from the terrace area outside the apartments.

The last picture is a true picture of the view from the bay suite apartment we were staying in. The owner, Dave, ran down to us the first evening we had arrived as his kids had spotted dolphins in the bay. We were invited up onto their own terrace and we each took turns with the binoculars to look at the four dolphins jumping out of the water. The owners of the apartments couldn't have planned it better!

The thing Northland has going for it above anything else is probably it's weather. It has the mildest climate in NZ being the most Northern region. They even suggest that they don't actually get a winter although the weather towards the end of our stay, though mild, was very wet! Either way it was the lemon tree outside the apartment that epitomised the local climate for us. Not something you would see very often walking around windy Wellington!

Even though the weather is better in this part of NZ we did travel in the equivalent of February back home and the weather forecast was bad for the second half of the week. We therefore decided to take a boat cruise the first afternoon we were there. There are numerous boat cruises to go on but the full day trips do not run in the winter time. That said, 4 hours in a boat is more than enough no matter how nice the views in my opinion.

We went with a company that concentrated on looking for dolphins aswell as going around the islands. They even let you swim with them if the dolphins are willing. If you do not see any dolphins on the trip they will give you a voucher to go on the trip again free of charge. One of the crew members said that a tourist turned up a few weeks back with an 11 year old voucher!

We were also informed that they had failed to see dolphins for the last two days but that that could change at anytime. Luckily for them and their vouchers it did. Although the dolphin experience paled in comparison to our encounter with them in Doubtful Sound and they were not remotely interested in letting us swim with them! Here's some pics around the islands.

The majority of the boat cruises go through the "hole in the rock" which unsurprisingly is a hole in a rock as pictured below.

The major disadvantage of traveling at this time of year for us was the sheer lack of life. As much as Russell's charm lies in it's remoteness you still want to go into a restaurant and not be the only people there all night! Due to the lack of holiday makers one of the main restaurants, and what looked like the best, was shut aswell as the local gallery.

As you might have gathered from some of our previous posts we like our food. We ate in a local restaurant the first night as it was literally the only one with people in it! Strength in numbers we thought and managed to get the last table. It was one of the more reasonably priced restaurants and I think that that might have impacted on the patrons choice. It was either that or we choose badly but either way we were not impressed and although it was busy again the following night we kept walking. In fairness we enjoyed the food at the restaurant we ate at the following night, although a bit of company wouldn't have gone astray.

The weather was absolutely fabulous for our first day but as predicted that was all due to change but more on that next post.

Cathal

Leigh to the Bay of Islands (3)

2007-08-26T11:53:00.000+12:00

According to the guide book there are three beaches worth seeing on your trip around Northland and Pakiri beach just 11 kilometres north of Leigh was one of them. I was expecting a nice romantic cove enclosed by cliffs. What I got was a 9km beach but is was beautiful none the less. Here's some pics.

After Pakiri beach we took a small detour towards Wellford for a bite to eat as it was the biggest town close by. There was nothing special about the town and the food we got in one of the local cafes was unfortunately nothing special either! After Wellford we headed towards Mangawhai but before we got there we passed Gandalf on the way. I think he acts as a marker for a LOTR set but that is pure speculation on my part, it might not even be Gandalf!

By the time we reached Mangawhai Sharon was asleep in the car so I decided to drive to the surf beach in the town for a look as you never know what you might be missing. Here's some pics of the beach.

After Mangawhai it was onto Bream Bay and the pretty coves of Lang and Waipu that precede the small village of Waipu itself. Here's some more pics we took along the way.

Sick of beaches yet? Well how about a few pictures of some public toilets then?

Our last stop before we reached the Bay of Islands was Kawakawa to see the Hunderwasser's Public Toilets. You can read about the Austrian born Architect here. Here's some pics of the toilets and a shop he designed across the road.

After Kawakawa it was a short spin to Opua to take the ferry over to Russell. More on Russell and the Bay of Islands (3) in the next post. There are 144 islands in the bay hence the name but don't worry I didn't photograph them all!

Cathal

Leigh by the Sea

2007-08-25T10:02:00.000+12:00

It takes about 6-7 hours to drive from Onemana in the Coromandel to the Bay of Islands in Northland. We therefore decided to break up our journey and stay in a small village called Leigh on Sunday night. We picked Leigh because it is the gateway to Goat Island and close to Pakiri Beach. We could also take our time traveling up along the coast the next day to the Bay of Islands as opposed to heading back onto the main SH1 route which is further inland and doesn't offer the same coastal views.

Before we got to Leigh however we had to cross the Auckland bridge which is fairly impressive in its own right and offers great views back to the city. The following pics were taken while we were driving but gives you some idea. You can also get an impression of the weather in the last pic with the grey rain clouds hovering over the city.

We arrived into Leigh in the afternoon and headed straight to our accommodation to get settled in. The price of accommodation in the low season is very reasonable and we managed to get a very nice self catering apartment. We stayed in Rowntrees Leigh Accommodation which is en route to Goat Island, about five minutes drive away.

We ate in the Sawmill Cafe that night, there is either the Sawmill, a Cafe or a Fish & Chip shop. I think it was the best option given the choice and the food, although nothing special, was about the best we would have during our entire stay in Northland, but more on that later!

We got up early the next morning and headed down to Goat Island. Goat Island is one of NZ's special places according to the guide book as it was the countries first marine reserve of 547 hectares. It is meant to be one of the top ten places in the world to snorkel and although we had no intention of actually snorkelling it was still worth a look. At low tide you can head off down to a channel to the right hand side of the beach, as you look out to sea, and from there you can see loads of different fish without getting your feet wet! Here's a few pics, the first is of Goat Island from the car park.

After the channel we took a quick stroll down the other end of the beach and here's some views from there looking back.

It was a fantastic morning, although we did have showers later, and as you can see by the footprints on the beach in the pic above we had the whole place to ourselves that morning. When we were finished exploring the area it was back into the car for the coastal drive to the Bay of Islands.

Next stop Pakiri beach but more on that in the next post.

Cathal

Coromandel Peninsula (65)

2007-08-24T16:55:00.000+12:00

We arrived into Auckland Airport early on Saturday morning and collected our hire car. It was called "El Cheapo" and had over 300,000 miles on the clock. I guess you get what you pay for!

We set off map in hand and Sean's directions to guide us on our way. Not before long though we needed a pit stop for a bite to eat. The choice of cafes was looking pretty grim until we came across a place that didn't look like it was frequented by people with the necessary constitution of an ox! I can only imagine health inspectors do not holiday in the Coromandel as they would surely get depressed en route! The Pukeko Cafe seemed a safe haven and the shear number of people there made one feel better about one's choice. It didn't disappoint and after some toasties and coffee we headed onwards. Here's a few pics of the cafe.

Sometime after the cafe we came across the "JAFFA" bridge. It's an infamous one lane bridge that causes no end of hardship to the denizens of Auckland when they travel en mass to the peninsula around Christmas time. (Christmas time here is the equivalent to June/ July back home when the schools are off.) JAFFA stands for Just Another F%*Ker From Auckland in case you are wondering. We have a similar phrase in Ireland for people from the county of Offaly, BIFFO (Big Ignorant F%*ker From Offaly). Here's a picture of the queue in the middle of winter.

When we finally arrived in Onemana we were struck by the magnificent views as we came into the small village. There are a number of islands along the coast, Slipper and Shoe Islands if memory serves me correctly, which add a great focal point. The striking thing about the beaches along the Coromandel is that the views out to sea have a three dimensional aspect. Or put another way the monotony of the horizontal views of beach- sea- sky are broken quite dramatically by the islands that just seem to jut up out of nowhere. I made the mistake of not taking a pic as we came into Onemana but the link above has a few pics in any event, although none do the view I have described any justice!

After a few light refreshments at the beach house we decided to head onto the neighbouring town of Whangamata and make the most of the day as the forecast was mixed for Sunday. It was late enough by the time we got there and the following pics are therefore taken as the light was beginning to fade although they do give you a better idea of the visual impact the off shore islands have.

While we were there Sean explained how the people pictured below were using a long line to fish. This consists of a long line- no prizes for guessing that one correctly- which has about twenty hooks on it. The long line we came across had a special motorised "torpedo" to bring it a few kilometres out to sea. After about an hour they use another motor, as per the pic below, to reel the line in. Unfortunately for the fishermen it was slim pickings, the only thing caught on this occasion being a lot of sea weed!

After our stroll on the beach we headed back and polished off what must have been a four stone bag of spuds, as only the Irish can, and some of NZ's finest. I refer here to the wine of course. We took it easy the next morning before heading off to our next destination, "Leigh by the Sea." The weather was as forecast but I did manage to take the following pics on our way back along route 25a which was over the scenic mountain range that divides the east and west coasts of the peninsula.

I have been trying for ages to capture the essential difference between the generic Irish and NZ landscapes, without much success and I must admit that I am disappointed with how the pics above turned out. I enlarged the pic below to try and better illustrate what I mean. Apart from the obvious topography of the landscapes which is uniquely different, NZ having a much higher percentage of hilly- very "hobbitesque"- country side compared to the likes of Ireland which is relatively flat comparatively speaking. The other thing that seems to be unique to NZ is, for want of a better description, the tiered affect. You can more or less make out from the the pic below the contours of the hills. I understand it has something to do with the way the hills were grassed/ reclaimed for farming. The other striking thing as a by product of this reclamation is the subsidence or minor landslides you see dotted along the hillsides also. The last difference seems to be the colour of the grass, it has this amazingly vibrant, almost luminous quality to it, that is even more striking due to the dark shadows that the contours throw across the hills. (The pic below doesn't do the colour justice.)

After taking the pics above the rain started to beat down, and we didn't take anymore until we hit Auckland, but more on that in the next post.

We had a great time with Sean, Anna and Niamh(who is nearly two) in the Coromadel and thanks to Niamh we have been singing a "wiggly-woo" ever since!

Cathal

Karori Wildlife Sanctuary

2007-08-23T18:50:00.000+12:00

You would be forgiven for thinking that you had just arrived at Jurassic Park when you walk up to the gates of Karori Wildlife Sanctuary. Unlike Jurassic Park, however they're not trying to keep the wildlife in, but the wildlife out! Here's a pic of the gates I borrowed from the web and one I took which shows the two metre high fence that surrounds the entire park.

If you arrive at the weekend or during the summer you have a choice of transportation, your feet or the electric boat that runs up and down the lower lake. The boat leaves from beside the old pump house more or less at the entrance. There are two distinct levels to the park consisting of the lower and upper lakes. Here's a pic of the pump house and the boat.

We made our way on foot, up to the second set of fences within the park where we took the following pics looking back along the lower lake.

The park is divided at its centre by a second temporary fence in order to keep the flightless birds such as the Weka within a certain area and protect vulnerable lizards and invertebrates. You might think that using Jurassic Park as a metaphor is a little far fetched, however it's the Tuatara pictured below that makes the comparison a little more plausible. Tuatara are from an order of reptiles that evolved around 220 million years ago and became extinct everywhere except NZ. There are some more interesting facts about the Tuatara's here.

The Tuatara are not that easy to see. The second pic below is a cropped version of the first. If you can't see the Tuatara in either not to worry as they have notice boards up at the beginning of the track where the public and guides can mark down where they have spotted them to help the less eagle eyed! You can test your eye sight on the pic directly below!

I mentioned in a previous post some time ago that the Kea was NZ's only parrot and rightly got a "slap on the wrist" from Loose Yarns & UFO's who reminded me of the Kaka! There are feeding stations in the park for these parrots and if you are lucky one or two might come and feed while you are there. We were lucky and got the following pics when we passed it on our way back from the upper reservoir. The last pic is the middle pic cropped.

We were lucky enough to see the Kaka both times we have been to the park. However this time we got to see it actually eating and drinking from the feeding station. The feeder is very clever and works on the fact that the Kaka are such large birds. They literally land on a perch/ lever and their weight acts as a counter weight to lift the lid of the feeder letting them access the contents and means that the smaller, lighter birds cannot take their food.

The pic below is taken from the dam at the upper reservoir looking back over the park.

We joined the growing membership of the park the last time we were at the park. Membership entitles you to free entry to the park at any time and you also get a discount for the guided night walks which we hope to do before we go home. On the night walk there is a chance you will get to see glow worms and the nocturnal Kiwi amongst other things.

If you only had a few days in Wellington and your time was limited I am not sure whether everyone would find the sanctuary a good use of their time. It is a great place to spend a sunny afternoon however and there are plenty of places to sit down and listen to the amazing sounds of all those NZ birds. The Bellbird I think is my favourite.

Cathal

PS I will start posting about our trip up north tomorrow just wanted to do this post while it was fresh in my head.

PPS You might have noticed the new counter that Sharon put onto the side bar. We are heading home on the 27th September 07 for two weddings and we, like the counter, are literally counting down the days!

Air New Zealand

2007-08-18T18:18:00.000+12:00

We got back yesterday and before I get into what we did up north I have decided to have a little rant. Before I begin I would like to say that we have taken several Air New Zealand flights since we arrived here and yesterday was the first time we have encountered a problem. My annoyance has as much to do with what appears to be a lack of regulated passenger rights as much as the air line in question.

We were due to get a 2.30pm flight yesterday, which would have had us back in Wellington at 3.30pm. We knew we had to drive for about four hours from the Bay of Islands to Auckland Airport and we would be tired after the drive and flight. We would therefore get home in plenty of time for a rest before heading out later that night for Sharon's birthday.

We got to the bag drop desk to be informed that our flight and another Air New Zealand flight had been cancelled due to mechanical problems. After the check in lady tapped at the key boards for a while she informed us that the first available flight would be 5.00 pm! Not part of the grand plan and certainly not the way Sharon wanted to spend her birthday!!!

We did the usual sulking and tutting but it was either accept the 5pm flight or stay in Auckland. Needless to say we decided to opt for the later. After we were finished Sharon enquired about compensation. We were informed that we could each get a voucher for a cup of coffee to the value of $6 each!!!!!!!!!!!

There are a number of things that really got to me about this.

1) It is obviously Air New Zealand's fault i.e. not an "act of god"
2) We had to ask for the compensation i.e. it was not offered.
3) We only got $6 each. (As the 5 pm flight was delayed! We didn't get into Welly until 6.30pm. Therefore the compensation works out as $ 2 per hour!!!!!!!!!!).
4) There does not seem to be any recourse left open to us in relation to items 1-3 above!

As I am sure you can appreciate we managed to spend a bit more than $12 by the time we got something to eat, bought a magazine- you get the idea- to try and combat the mind numbing boredom of having to wait in an airport for three hours ( I know it wasn't the end of the world and lots of people have much longer waits in airports over delayed flights but it was Sharon's birthday and anyone reading this who knows Sharon in real life will empathise with me!)

The EU brought in new passenger rights some time ago. There's an article on it here although it's not great. Basically the new passenger rights doesn't let airlines away with blue murder anymore and stops situations where airlines cancel flights for more cynical reasons! There are posters up in airports all over the EU making people aware of their rights along with freephone numbers and so fourth. Is there any similar passenger rights in NZ? Someone might point me in the right direction if there are.

Perhaps if the NZ government didn't own 80% of the company you might put it down to the usual exploits of big private companies. Although if the government didn't know that Air NZ were flying troops to Iraq (ish!), I doubt they are aware of the more trivial matters I have outlined above! (See caption borrowed from Stuff NZ below)

Don't get me wrong Ireland decided to remain neutral in relation to Iraq also, but lets the US air force refill in our airports. Rumour has it that some rendition flights have also refueled in Ireland bringing it's own share of controversy.

On a lighter note, as we waited in the departure lounge, the NZ Prime minister Helen Clarke was escorted past as she proceeded to get onto the 4.30 pm flight. I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if she was on the 2.30pm flight!

Cathal

North to Northland

2007-08-10T18:59:00.000+12:00

We are off to experience more of what NZ has to offer.

This time we are really going north to the Coromandel Peninsula and the Bay of Islands in Northland. We are flying to Auckland and will drive from there to the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula to a place called Onemana.

On Sunday we head onto Russell in the Bay of Islands, but not before breaking our journey with a stop over in Leigh. We hope to see the many wonders these places have to offer and pray the weather isn't too bad!

We return on the 17th August 07 which is a very special date indeed. Yes that's right it's Sharon's birthday! Rumour has it, that we could be going out that night in Welly? We'll have to wait and see, now where did I leave her present???????

Cathal

Winter in Wellington

2007-08-09T14:21:00.000+12:00

Winter is usually the time for night classes of some description or another and when Sharon signed up for a night course in Wellington High School to learn how to sew she encouraged me to take a course too. If you click on the link above you'll see the extensive list of courses available.

Not to be outdone I decided to take an Introduction to Wine course being taught by Paul White on a Wednesday night in the same school. This week is the third week and I am planning on doing a separate blog post about what I have learned so far in the coming weeks.

We also started going to ballroom dance classes. All I can say is that I must have been really bad in a former life as I am certainly being punished now! I think it would be fair to say that most men in the class have been dragged there, kicking and screaming, by their partners. I actually did ballroom dance classes years ago and it's not like "riding a bicycle" in that you forget the moves very quickly. So far we have done the quick step, rumba, foxtrot, rock'n'roll and last but not least the waltz. It's really well run, the ratio of teachers to pupils is very impressive, although at times I feel I could do with some private lessons!

On Monday nights while Sharon's out sewing I go and play Korfball. Korfball is a dutch game and is a cross between basketball and netball. If you click on the link here you will get a better idea about the game. It's quite a unique sport in that it is a mixed team sport with four men and four women on each team. There's also clubs in Christchurch and Auckland. I took some pictures one of the nights I was there, but they were pretty crap, so here's a few I borrowed from the web site I linked to above.

So that keeps us pretty busy during the week leaving the weekend free to take in some of the other highlights of Welly, such as the many festivals, cafes, art galleries and the like. There's really no end of things to do in the capital!

Cathal

NZ Bird Watching

2007-08-04T16:57:00.000+12:00

I go for a walk along Hataitai Rd towards Roseneath most days around lunch time. Coincidentally it's the same route the number 14 bus takes although I don't travel as far! I posted about the number 14 bus route here previously. (It's actually my favourite post out of all the posts I have done!) I have been walking the same route for a few months and kept meaning to bring my camera with me as there was these cute little birds in the bushes every time I past by. The other day I finally remembered and brought my camera and took the following snaps!

The first pic is one I borrowed from the post mentioned above. I find it fascinating how the car ports littered along the route have such great views. In Ireland we would have built houses on them by now. The second pic has a part of a car port in the foreground. Lucky cars!

The next pics are some general views that keep bringing me back on the same old route.

The pic above is a view towards Wellington CBD (Central Business District) with Oriental Bay and beach in the foreground. The next pic is of the bush that the birds I like feed in, I don't know the name of it though.

And finally the birds in question. It took me several attempts but I finally managed to get some good pics even if I do say so myself. I don't have a zoom lens so I cropped the photographs of the birds in the bushes. It is amazing how clear they still are although a few are admittedly a bit blurry.

They are primarily green but as you can see from the above pic have this striking contrasting colour around their eyes. It took me forever to find the name of the bird out. I looked up all kind of sites for NZ birds and I think there are called wet eye fantails? I think I am correct as one of the days as I was trying to take a pic a lady passing by mentioned the name also, at least I think she did!

They seem to be more elusive on the internet than they are in reality!

Cathal

Things you might need to know. (Part 2)

2007-08-03T10:19:00.000+12:00

The first post about things you need to know to impersonate a Kiwi got such a good reaction that I have decided to do a second. I meant to thank Sean in Hamilton in the last post as he gave us some good insights into the Kiwi's during our stay with them some time ago. Then again he should have some good insights as he's married to one!

So what else have we learned since our last post. Well some of them I knew before but forgot at the time but others we have come across since:

Know that if you are looking for beetroot it will be in a tin and not a glass jar. At home the beetroot is pickled to the point where it's hard to know whether you are eating beetroot or vinegar. No such problem here as the kiwi's realise that beetroot should taste like beetroot!

Know that Best Food's Real Mayonnaise is actually Hellman's.

Know that the Kiwi's wouldn't know what a decent sausage tastes like! And the bacon, aka rashers in Ireland, are not the best either!

Know that you can buy your mixed salad leaves loose i.e. they are not all pre packed. Handy when your husband refuses to eat rabbit food!

Know that if you can't get to the supermarket there's always the local dairy aka corner shop/ convenience store back home.

Know that in NZ if you get a section it's nothing to be ashamed off as it's what we would call a site. In Ireland if you got a "section" then it's off to a "loony bin" for a while!

Know that they drink their beer by the jug. I thought the Irish were bad!

Know that you don't have to bother standing for the national anthem but feel free to do so for the All Blacks haka! (not actually the case, but it does get a much bigger reaction).

Know that NZ does not seem to be a particularly religious country, unless of course you consider the worship of rugby a minority religion!

Know that if your house doesn't come with central heating you don't have to panic there will probably be a dehumidifier supplied instead. One way to dry your clothes I suppose if a little unorthodox!

Know that if you are a size medium in Ireland you are probably an extra small in NZ! I contemplated buying braces for my PJ's! I brought one set back and downsized but the other I had to wear as it was just too cold!

Know that if a Kiwi refers to their hottie, it's not necessarily their nearest and dearest but your other best friend in NZ. The hot water bottle.

Know that even on the coldest of days with the severest of southerlies you will still find Kiwi's walking around town in shorts and jandels. Are you mad?

Know that there is no point in throwing out your only pair of long johns, known as leggings here, before coming to NZ as, like me, you will just end up buying another pair here!

Know that rather than enter the bus at the front and exit at the back the Kiwi's will leave at the nearest available open door!

Know that if you don't understand the accent you can ask them to repeat something "ad infinitum" and it probably won't help. We were getting the bus to Kaori Wildlife Sanctuary and I asked the driver where we should get off. He replied "after the "blank?"" and as I was obviously none the wiser repeated it for my benefit. I tried to look like I understood, but he was no fool, and repeated it a third time as we walked down the aisle. We kept a careful watch during the trip and when I finally saw the tunnel it all made sense!

Know that if you want a good laugh ask a Kiwi to say peaches, ten etc. basically anything with an "e" in it! (Our equivalent would be "th").

Know that if your out for a meal with a group of friends you don't get the bill and divide it, conveniently, by the number of people there. Each person only pays for what they ate! I watched a group of women one night spend about half an hour discussing the bill and when they had finally reached, what proved to be a difficult and general consensus, one of the women returned and stated "I didn't have a glass of wine." There was consternation on the face of the woman, who obviously liked doing actuary in her spare time, as she went back at the calculations for the umpteenth time!

Know that the Kiwi's living on the South Island refer to it as the mainland. Apparently you haven't really been to NZ until you go south!

Know, according to Sharon & Annette, that if you want to buy clothes in the winter your OK provided the colour you are looking for is either black, grey or red.

Know that if the shop assistant asks you how you are today, they expect a reply. Know also that if you return the enquiry you better not be in a rush out the door! It's actually quite refreshing and really nice as in Ireland when we go into a shop we usually say "how are you" and they normally reply the same question. A bit odd really, but no one expects an answer! It's our equivalent of "hello!" It seems that the Kiwi's actually care!

Know that Kiwi's finish most sentences with "eh?"

Know that in NZ they have post boxes like you see on American TV

Know that even if you put "no circulars please" on your post box you will be still inundated with them. A Kiwi decided to stack the circulars in the corner of his living room for one year as an experiment. The stack was taller than him before the year was out and he was no hobbit!

Well the post I think has gotten long enough and that's all I can think of for now.

Not bad eh?

Cathal

This is New Zealand

2007-07-31T21:07:00.000+12:00

The New Zealand International Film Festival started its Wellington leg just over a week ago and Sharon and I were keen to take in a few movies. We went to see A Mighty Heart last Tuesday in the Embassy Theatre. I am not sure which we enjoyed more the theatre or the movie!

The Lord of the Rings had its debut in the Embassy and the theatre is a real throw back to the days when going to the cinema was seen as a "night out." The theatre seating is really generous, you don't have to stand up to let someone pass by, and the ergonomics are terrific. No slanting of the head in order to bypass someone else's. The real treat however is the leather seats in the centre of the theatre and if it's "free" seating you'll find people literally queueing up to get them! Here's a few pics which gives you an idea of the theatre.

However it was last Sundays three short movies that interested us the most. This is New Zealand, C'mon to New Zealand and This is Expo made up an hours worth of NZ promotional movies. C'mon to New Zealand was a twenty minute tourist promotional video made in 1969 and was aimed at luring the Aussies over to NZ. It was hilarious! Apart from the side burns, big lapels, flares etc. the airline food got the biggest reaction. There was no cheap flights in those days and if the film was anything to go by the meals were five courses and works of art! Air hostess with sweet trolleys offering the most sumptuous of deserts! Lobster laid out on silver platters to whet the appetite. In short food you would expect in some of the finer establishments around town. Along with the visual quirks of the movie the commentary didn't disappoint either. With the stereo typical "righty-ho chaps" English gent orating for our benefit.

However the film we really wanted to see was This is New Zealand. In 1969 Britain joined the Common Market which meant that NZ had to start promoting itself to the world in order to develop alternative markets for their goods. NZ decided to take part in the 1970 Expo in Osaka Japan. The star attraction of the event was a revolutionary twenty minute film that introduced viewers to New Zealand. It was shot over three screens as per the pic below and I assumed that it was done this way to be more creative. In reality NZ didn't have a 70mm camera so they were forced to use three 35mm cameras instead! Necessity is the mother of invention and what materialised was some amazing collages of images.

The film itself is not as funny as the first movie but what it lacks in jocularity it makes up for in camera work. Although both Sharon and I were surprised that the NZ landscape didn't feature more heavily. After This is New Zealand there was a short documentary about the people working at the NZ pavilion during the Expo.

The film festival goes on until the 5th August here in Wellington and you can check out the web site to see whats on in the coming days. We hope to see a few more movies before The End!

Cathal

Sailing the world

2007-07-29T11:31:00.000+12:00

Inspired by Loose Yarn & UFO's post about New Zealand poetry day, here's a poem that I will always associate with our decision to come to New Zealand for the year. I googled NZ poets looking for inspiration before we left and when the poem "Sailing the world" by a NZ poet named Kevin Ireland came up, I thought it was a real sign!

Sailing the world.

It was high time for him, at his great age,
to take stock of how things were
in the world and where he had got to,
and the course to take from here on in.

So he decided to shift his chair as he
thought about this and that, in the usual
way of it, and in only a moment or two
he heard the woodwork creak below him.

It became the heavy strain of a ship at sea —
the way the timbers rub like an old cat
against the waves and the hull begins
to scratch itself and wheeze and groan —

and he sailed on with no thought of where
he was going, though for a long while
he stood with one arm raised to the skies,
because experience had taught him

that storms, or the wrath of the gods,
or whatever worse thing it was,
usually came hurtling down on him
from that direction. It was no more

than a frail gesture, yet anyone looking
at him might well have guessed he was
pointing at the death of the sun, shadows
crossing the face of the waters, or the moon

holding its breath at the edge of the world.
A pity they missed his smile as at last
he settled back into the dark anchorage
of his chair just across the room.

Kevin Ireland

I thought at the time that the poem was about regret, perhaps that's what I wanted it to be about. But the more I read it and especially the last three lines, I think, perhaps, it is about the opposite which suits me just fine!

Cathal

All Black

2007-07-24T09:42:00.000+12:00

Our neighbour came down last Friday afternoon and said he had two spare corporate box tickets for the rugby match that evening between Auckland and Wellington as part of a pre season warm up. He said that there would be free food and booze also if we were interested!

After the briefest of discussions we confirmed that we would be delighted to go. The match was on in the local Westpac Stadium where we saw the two other rugby matches we have posted about previously. Hanging out in a corporate box was a first for me but something I could definitely get used to. As it was a pre season friendly, we more or less had the whole stadium to ourselves. All joking aside but there was nearly more people in our box than in the stands. Apparently it takes the promise of free food and booze to bring the Kiwi's out to a friendly!

Or maybe everyone was saving their money for Saturday nights match between the All Blacks and Australia in the final of the Tri Nations Cup. The All Blacks lost to Australia in Melbourne in the first leg so it was a case of winner takes all!

We headed down to our local, The Realm, for a few drinks and to sample the atmosphere. It's funny but I think the haka has replaced the national anthem, in that it seems to get a much bigger reaction! Speaking of hakas our hosts on Friday night said that they really liked the All Blacks haka, but it seemed that lately a haka had to be preformed at the opening of an envelope! As popular as the haka is, it seems to be reaching saturation point!

The All Blacks won after a better performance in the second half which apparently is good for NZ's economy as it takes a dip every time the All Blacks get knocked out of a major tournament. No pressure then for the World Cup!

When we were in the corporate box there was a game of basket ball on the TV. NZ were playing Venezuela and won by 26 points. If the All Blacks are the National Rugby Team then what are the basketball team known as? Yep the Tall Blacks! So along with the Black Caps Cricket team, black seems to be the colour of choice. The exception being the Silver Ferns (Women's netball team). My favourite however is the name temporarily given to the National Badminton Team, the Black Cocks. I can see why it was temporary!

Cathal

Thermo and Hottie

2007-07-21T11:07:00.000+12:00

We didn't tell anyone at the time, but the cold winter weather was getting to us a few months ago so we decided to get a companion. We christened him Thermo for the warmth we hoped he would bring to our lives. He's a bit bigger than what we wanted initially but incredibly warm.

Despite all the guarantees in relation to walking him though, it is me who ends up walking him every morning and every night. Admittedly they are short walks but no one likes going out into the cold!

A few weeks ago we felt that Thermo wasn't doing so well so we decided to get another companion for him. We christened her Hottie after Sharon's hot water bottle. She's smaller than Thermo and therefore not as strong but what she lacks in size she makes up for in neatness.

Having us all together on those cold winter nights has made the whole NZ winter experience all the more pleasant. Thermo and Hottie are great company for each other and at night when we have to separate them the living room is literally a colder place without them. We never imagined we would have such great companions in NZ and I definitely didn't imagine we would have one sleeping in our bedroom. (The other stays in my office so he's there to greet me in the morning.)

What will we do when we leave? Well as heart breaking as it sounds we will probably have to sell them. It will be hard to leave them behind but we will have some great memories.

Incidentally we did buy another one the time we got Thermo. He was a "puppy" compared to Thermo and though small, compact and relatively cute we just didn't warm to him. So as cruel as it sounds we sort of ignore him most of the time. Sometimes though I bring him into my office when Sharon wants the other two in the living room. Although I must admit that I prefer having one of the other two around. I guess we can't all be popular! Would you like to see some photo's?

Here's Thermo and Hottie playing in the sitting room.

And here's the three of them together. You can see how small the little one is. Waste of space if you ask me!

You might laugh at the affection we have towards them but our world would be a much colder place in their absence!

Cathal

PS As delighted I am to have finished posting about our holiday with Annette, at least it gave me some focus! Now you will have to put up with these sort of random thoughts!

Rotorua (47) Day 17/18

2007-07-19T18:03:00.000+12:00

Day 17 ended with a traditional Maori hangi in the Tamaki Maori Village. A hangi is a Māori word for a method of cooking in an outdoor pit oven. The night starts with a pick up from your hotel by a bus. The bus, metaphorically becomes a waka (canoe) as you take the 15 minute trip out to the marea (open space associated with their meeting house) or in our case a Maori village. Before you arrive at the village you have to elect a chief to represent the waka. Maori ancestors arrived by waka to New Zealand and each tribe is therefore metaphorically a descendant of a particular waka.

When you arrive at the village a te powhiri (welcoming ritual) is followed. As part of the powhiri the hosts complete a taki or wero, depending on the marae, which is a traditional Maori challenge used to establish the visitor's intent. At the end of the ceremony the hosts best warrior lays down a rautapu, a symbolic offering of peace usually in the form of a leaf, for one of the chiefs to pick up. Care should be taken to pick up the leaf with your right hand though, as picking it up with your left leaves your right hand free for combat and can be interpreted as an aggressive act!

The Maori's take this ceremony seriously and it is used to mark the start of various events. I remember watching it on TV being performed in Auckland at the opening ceremony for the NZ tennis open. On more than one occasion someone has not observed the correct protocol and had the warriors weapon broken over their head for their troubles! Which can bring it's own share of controversy!

You are not even meant to smile at the warrior during the performance as it is seen to be disrespectful. A friend of ours, Roy, was elected as a chief when he did it, and he says that it is actually really scary! On the upside though you do get a traditional Maori carving at the end for taking part. You also get to do a traditional hongi with some of the Maori's. A hongi should not be confused with a hangi as the former is a way of greeting another person by pressing noses. Care should be taken on the amount of pressing also as two presses is the norm with three interpreted as a marriage proposal. At least that was the case for this particular iwi (tribe).

Here's a pic of one of the four warriors that came out to greet us. The camera flash wasn't strong enough but you get the idea.

Here's a pic of the village itself which is set within a forest. Facial tattoos were very common among Maori at one time. The women used to only tattoo their chin and lip though while the men had tattoos on their entire face and sometimes on parts of their bodies also. The original tattoos would created using bone chisels, a mallet and blue pigment. The tattoos in the following pics are not real.

The next pic is of one of the Maori warriors completing their tribes haka. Each iwi having it's own version of the haka.

The next day we went to Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Park. Prior to entering the park you are brought to the largest thermal mud pool in NZ followed by the Lady Knox Geyser. The geyser is primed to go off at the same time everyday by putting a bar of soap into it. After the soap goes in it takes about ten minutes to erupt. Here's some pics.

After the geyser it's back into the bus and onto the park. All the buses arrive at the park at the exact same time as they all are coming from the Lady Knox geyser. Our guide gave us a tip and told us to do the first part of the tour backwards to avoid the large crowds. It was a great idea and meant we had a bit more space. Here comes the pics.

The pic above is of the Champagne Pools, the parks most popular attraction. The park has more colours in it that any other thermal park we have been to and the guide book suggests that it is the best in NZ.

The next pic is of the Devil's Ink Pots which gets it's name from the black colour of its craters.

Here's one of us at the end of the tour peering into one of the craters. You can see the shadow of the three of us.

We got lunch later that day in a restaurant/ bar which boasted that nothing on the menu was deep fat fried. After traveling for almost three weeks this was particularly appealing. After we were fed and watered we ordered a shuttle back to the airport. Here's the two girls in the departure lounge and a silhouette of our plane.

So now that we have been to most of the major thermal parks in NZ which do we think are the best? Well for my money the Orakei Korako Thermal Park and the Tokaanu Thermal Baths , both near Lake Taupo, are the best we have experienced. Orakei Park is similar to Wai-O-Tapu but the setting for me is more spectacular. The mud baths were a bit of an anti climax in my opinion and I would therefore pick the Tokannu Thermal Baths as they are probably the hottest you will find in NZ. The heat is almost unbearable!

Rotorua, as the guide book warns is very commercial and I would have hated to experience it during the busy high season. I personally found the whole experience a little disappointing as we seem to have had similar or even better experiences around Lake Taupo without all the hype! I even thought the hangi was disappointing although everyone went to great effort. It just didn't ring true for me, but to be fair it is a representation of how the Maori's lived years ago so it is "theatre" in many respects.

Maybe we have been lucky in our choices of "thermal destinations" before now, but for what ever reason I can't say that I found Rotorua to be "hot stuff!"

Cathal

Rotorua (47) Days 16/17

2007-07-18T17:31:00.000+12:00

We arrived early enough on Day 16 after flying from Christchurch and got a shuttle, to our hotel. NZ and Australia offer shuttle services from main transport hubs. A shuttle is basically a shared taxi, it takes a little longer to get to your destination but it is obviously cheaper. It is a pretty good system really but if there is a few of ye a taxi can work out just as cheap.

One of the first things that gets mentioned about Rotorua is the smell. As the area is full of thermal activity there is a very strong smell of sulphur where ever you go. This wouldn't be too bad if sulphur didn't smell like rotten eggs! Rotorua is nicknamed the "Sulphur City" and when you walk down the street the wind can change direction and suddenly you will get a really strong smell. The smell, though intense at times, was not unbearable and was better than I expected it to be. (Although I don't have a great sense of smell at any time!).

When I got my boarding card in Christchurch I wondered was the abbreviation for our destination a subtle hint to the smells we would encounter on our arrival. See pic below.

When we arrived at the hotel the first thing I noticed was that you couldn't open the windows in our room. I can only imagine that this is to try and control the smell. Or maybe with the air smelling as it does there is no demand for Rotorua's version of "fresh air!"

After we had settled in we headed off to Tourism Rotorua to book some excursions. The first thing we booked was a visit to Hell's Gate for the afternoon. We had planned on going to White Island the next day while taking in a traditional Hangi that night. (More on the Hangi in the next post). Our trip ending with a visit to Wai-O-Tapu thermal park before catching a flight back to Wellington that afternoon.

Hell's Gate or Tikitere to most Maori's gets it's English name from George Bernard Shaw who visited the place in 1934 and said of it "I wish I had never seen this place, it reminds me too vividly of the fate theologians have promised me"

We were picked up at Tourism Rotorua early in the afternoon.The plan for us was primarily to go to the Wai Ora Spa & Wellness Centre for the much talked about thermal mud baths. Our driver turned out to be a very interesting person and we learned more about Maori traditions and their perspective on New Zealand history than we have done in our entire time in NZ, before or since. Albeit a one sided view point!

David our driver, whose Maori name I forgot the minute he told it to me, explained that he was one of twelve children of Maori parents who were born and lived in Australia. He however was one of the lucky or chosen ones and was sent back to New Zealand to be raised by his grandparents. They would teach him the family genealogy so he could pass it onto his children when the time came. Aswel as being taught by his grandparents he also inherited the family's land which he held in trust to pass onto the next generation. This he said was the traditional way that Maori's passed their knowledge onto the next generation.

I asked him about the controversial Treaty of Waitangi and the difficulties surrounding it's interpretation. (Due to significant differences between the Māori and English language versions of the Treaty there is no consensus as to what rights the Treaty gives to which groups. We have also read the History of New Zealand by Micheal King and one gets the impression that the Treaty has nearly caused more problems than it has solved!)

In relation to the Treaty he said that a lot of Maori's feel very aggrieved by how the Treaty has been interpreted over the years and that further down the line their would be trouble! He explained that the current Maori population accounted for only 15% approx. of the total population, but that Maori birth rates were considerably higher than non Maori/ European New Zealander's. Ultimately this would eventually lead to a situation where the percentage, and therefore the lobbying force of the Maori's, would swing in their favour. He predicted that when this happened it would bring about some radical changes.

(As an aside, Sharon was talking to another gentleman of Maori decent at a party we were at on Saturday night and he suggested that everything I have just written is rubbish. So I hope you understand that the above is only one person's view point and, it would seem, not the general consensus within the Maori population!)

On a lighter note David encouraged us to try our hand at some Maori carving when we were at the thermal spa. Hell's gate being a thermal park etc. aswel as a spa. I must admit I was reluctant but after being coaxed by the girls we all went up and gave it a go. Here's a few pics of our carvings etc.

When you finish the carvings they varnish them for you as you are not allowed export them otherwise. Apparently they use rare indigenous and protected timbers recycled from furniture etc. The whole experience was a real treat and we all cherish the carvings we took away with us that day, even if they are no great shakes!

You can pick from a handful of symbols all of which have special significance to Maori's. I cannot remember exactly but the one directly above is about fertility and protection. Basically there is a baby frond protected by two larger fronds. So the metaphors it generates are quite expansive.

As mentioned in a previous post some time ago our original itinerary included a trip out to White Island (17) the following day. Due in no small part to the fact that Sharon's sister Annette, again as previously mentioned, read a Rough Guide and picked out all the things she would like to do. without consulting a map! Included on her wish list was 90 mile beach, which couldn't be further North of Wellington if you tried and was quickly crossed off the list!

We had originally planned on going to White Island on day two but by the time we got to Rotorua the energy levels had wained somewhat and we decided to take life a little easier and hang around Rotorua for the day. We did a recommended walk instead and took in some of the more local attractions. The first was the Kuirau Park which is a public i.e. free thermal park. The park erupted in 2003 covering the whole place in mud but it hasn't happened since. Here's some pics.

After that we headed towards Lake Rotorua (roto rua literally means second lake) to the Tamatekapua Meeting House and St. Faith's Anglican Church. Here's some more pics including some of traditional Maori carvings. A little bit better than our attempts it has to be said!

That evening it was off to a traditional Maori Hangi but given the length of this post I think we should leave it for another day! Hopefully I can conclude our travels up North in the next post.

Cathal

Vanity oh vanity

2007-07-17T20:49:00.000+12:00

I was reading a blog called Dreaming of Brazil today and came across the site myheritage.com which has a section where you can load up a photograph of yourself and they will match you to a celebrity!

As you can see from the pics below I didn't fare very well!!!!! I don't think I look a bit like Sarah Jessica Parker, but as chief camera man I struggled to find a half decent photo of myself.

http://www.myheritage.com

I then remembered that I took a photo for our Skype account and loaded it up expecting better results, alas I was still disappointed. I loaded up a third photo and got a 90% likeness to Peter Sellers!!!!

http://www.myheritage.com

Sharon on the other hand fared much better than me. Who wouldn't want to be compared to Beyonce Knowles! Well, me for starters.

http://www.myheritage.com

The first photograph I loaded up of Sharon said she looked like Hilary Clinton which didn't exactly please her, no offence Hilary!

Give it a try you never know who you might get!

Cathal

Drum roll please.........

2007-07-16T21:12:00.001+12:00

Well it's the moment you have all been waiting for, the names were all put into an envelope, carefully folded and the winner drawn.

Ironically enough the winner has been to NZ before, but predictably it is a knitter. Here's a pic of the name drawn.

Congratulations Isobel of Tea and Cakes, some NZ wool will soon be making it's way to you. Sharon will probably drop you a line over the next few days to get your address.

On a separate matter, I mentioned in a previous post that we past through Springfield while we were traveling down in the South Island and Sharon came across an article on the Simpson's film release on Stuff.nz. It seems I might have been onto something after all, click here to find out more.

Cathal

Greymouth to Christchurch via Arthur's Pass Day 15

2007-07-15T16:42:00.001+12:00

It's hard to believe it's now the middle of July and I still haven't finished blogging about our trip down South back in May! For those of you who are as bored as I am, I can assure you that the finishing line is close at hand.

This is the last post of our trip down south. After leaving back the camper van on Day 15 we flew from Christchurch to Rotorua in the North Island the following day. We would spend our final few days here before heading back to Wellington. But back to todays post.

After the heli-hike we arrived into Greymouth late that evening and stayed in yet another Top 10. We found these camper van sites to be the best value for money on our trip. The rain yet again bucketed down that night but it didn't affect us really as Greymouth was a place to stop over not explore.

We got up early the following day and headed towards Christchurch via Arthur's Pass to leave back the camper van. We awoke to a pleasant morning and as we were heading back east across the Southern Alps the weather would most likely be good for the entire trip. The Tranzalpine, one of the worlds great railway journeys- it even has it's own special section in the Lonely Planet, unlike the Taieri Gorge Experience I might add- runs from Greymouth to Christchurch also. I do not know how much the road trip differs from the rail but the scenery was very beautiful yet again.

The road rises to it's peak approximately 4km from the small town of Arthur's Pass. Arthur's Pass being the highest altitude NZ town and it's more or less all down hill from there but not when it comes to the scenery. It was after Arthur's Pass that we stopped to take the following photographs.

Unfortunately I am not sure where exactly we were at the time but it was not long after Arthur's Pass in any event. Here's a pic we took a little further down the road. At this stage we had crossed the Alps and the more arid climate was evident.

We stopped off in the town of Springfield, and had a really nice home made lunch in a local cafe. There was no sign of Homer and the clan however. I wonder if the NZ premier of the new Simpson's movie will debut here? Do they even have a cinema? After lunch it was back on the road for the final leg of what was a really memorable trip down South.

So what were the highlights? Well there was many and perhaps highlighting a few is a little unfair as the best outweighed the better by the slightest of margins. Having said all that, if I had a limit on the amount of time we had down South, and armed with what I know now, I would make sure to visit Mount Cook, Milford Sound and heli-hike on the Fox or Franz Josef glaciers. But you could have probably guessed that from our previous posts!

If I had to pick a place to recommend for something to eat it would probably be Fleurs Place in Moeraki Village on the East Coast. If I had to pick a city it would have to be Queenstown.

What would I not do again, well I think I have hinted at a few disappointments along the way!

All in all though a great trip with some amazing scenery, it's difficult to comprehend and appreciate the fact that we will probably never be to any of these places again.

As we would say back at home, "more's the pity!"

Cathal

Fox Glacier (12) Day 14

2007-07-14T10:36:00.001+12:00

We stayed an extra night in Fox Village in the hope that the weather would improve and the heli-hike the next morning would go ahead. It was Wednesday and the weather was not due to break until Friday. We were therefore not surprised when we heard the rain beating against the roof of the camper van when we awoke the following morning.

The weather was abysmal, and we were snug. One of us however had to leave the warmth of their bed to ring and see if the heli-hike was going ahead. I donned my wet gear over my PJ's and headed out into the rain. When I returned with news that the hike had been cancelled it didn't come as a great surprise to anyone. Hope however springs eternal and I confirmed that I had put our names down for the 12.00 pm heli-hike instead. I wasn't sure whether I was being an eternal optimist or simply delusional!

We eventually got ourselves motivated and headed over to the public wash rooms. Public showers are not always the most pleasant experiences as Annette can testify. It was while she was showering that she heard a mother and daughter in the next cubicle.

Daughter: Mammy I need to go wee wee

Mother: Well we are in the shower now so you'll just have to wait.

Daughter: But mammy I really have to go.

Mother: Well you'll have to go in here then!!!!!!!

Needless to say flip flops, jandels, thongs, call them what you will, are a must when using public facilities! After the experience of the showers and the disappointment of the cancelled hike we decided a treat was in order and headed into Cafe Neve for breakfast.

It was while we were there that Sharon picked up a tourist brochure that said Lake Matheson (43) was worth a visit. It was getting late at this stage but we decided we would head down. We arrived at about 11.30 am and were informed by the signs that the lake walk would take about an hour to complete. The edge of the lake was about 20 minutes away though, which was teasingly close! We decided to ring Fox Glacier Guiding to see if the heli-hike was going ahead as the weather was starting to improve. We were told to ring back at about 11.50 am when a decision would be made!

We set off for the lake knowing that we had about ten minutes each way before we had to ring again. After the ten minutes had lapsed there was still no sign of the lake so we decided to give up and headed back to the car park where we could ring yet again! (At this stage we seemed to be ringing on the hour, a fact that the guide was painfully aware of!) Again the guide said that they still hadn't made a decision and we should come back to the village just in case. The irony being that if the hike didn't go ahead we would have missed the lake also. What to do? Here's a pic of the lake I borrowed from the web. The lake is famous for it's reflected views of Mount Cook admittedly on a clear day!

All this time the weather was improving, it was hard to believe it was the same day. The rain had stopped, the clouds were disappearing and the mist over the glacier was slowly making it's way up the mountain. We all knew it was a matter of time. The day would eventually become clear enough to do the hike but the question was would it clear before the last scheduled flight at 12.00pm? The tension quite honestly was palpable! I was a nervous wreck, it honestly seemed like we were out of time!

We returned to Fox Village and there were an air of anticipation in the car park. A Belgian couple were donning there warmer clothes and so were an Asian family. Had they heard? Was it going ahead? I gave the thumbs up symbol to the Asian family who smiled very politely back but were not giving anything away. I stayed with the camper van as Sharon and Annette went in to find out. Minutes become hours. Where were they? Maybe I should just lock the van and head in myself? It's probably a good sign that they are taking so long? These and a multitude of other thoughts crossed my mind.

Finally I saw them coming towards me. I gave what, I thought was the universally understood, thumbs up, but no reaction? Were they winding me up? Then as if I wasn't tense enough, Sharon informed me that they had not made a decision, but had told everyone to get ready. They were going to take us by bus to the heli pad where the pilot would make the final decision!!!!!! Here's a pic of the heli pad. You can see that the visibility still wasn't great. We went into the waiting room and were given a lecture on health and safety, after which we could pick out socks and boots. The talk took around 30 mins and we were then lead out to a waiting area about 100 metres from the heli pad. At this stage they had put fuel into the helicopter and the pilot was warming up the engine. Our guide confirmed that she would go out and have a talk to the pilot and get his final decision. The tension was unbearable and even though it was highly doubtful at this stage that it would not go ahead, I found it still hard to relax. Finally she returned and divided us into two groups. We would be on the first flight, it was going head. Hallelujah!!!!!

Here's a pic taken from the helicopter of the glacier.

The next pic is taken from the air looking at the waterfall that goes under the glacier which helps it move around a metre a day.

Here's a quick video of the helicopter landing on the ice with the second group while we all cowered down in a group to avoid the flying debris.

Here's a pic taken looking up the glacier towards it's source, Mount Tasman.

To say the glacier was slippy would be an understatement. Treacherous would be more apt! You don't put the crampons on until you get out of the helicopter. Here's a pic of a couple with their final apparel complete with walking sticks.

After we were finally kitted out we set off on our three hour hike across the glacier to find some caves. Here's a few pics of the tour group being lead by our guide.

All the time we were on the glacier the guide was in constant contact with the pilot back at base. We were all hoping the weather would not deteriorate and out tour cut short! Here's a few pics of the first cave we came to. As the ice is compressed it has this amazing blue hue.

The next pic is of Sharon walking through a tunnel.

In order to get the main cave our guide, with the help of her pick cut steps out of the side of a ravine. See the next pic.

Here's a pic of us in the biggest and final cave we found on our hike. The picture with us give you an idea of the scale.

And a pic without us ruining it!

So again I finish the post with another favourite pic from our trip. I had mentioned in our previous post that Mount Cook offered what I considered to be the best scenery of the trip. I also said that there was one other experience we had that would rival that day. No prizes for guessing that it was our day on the Fox Glacier. An unforgettable experience especially considering that we could so easily have missed it!

If you can't afford it, my advise for what it's worth, rob a bank!

Cathal

Global Warming

2007-07-13T17:35:00.000+12:00

There has been a lot of heated debate, no pun intended, in relation to Global Warming or as Mr. Bush likes to call it Climate Change.

My Dad sent me the following photo however which I think dispels any doubt.

Speaking of warming! Sharon managed to put a temperature gauge on the side bar of the blog, thanks to Samurai Knitter, so people can laugh at how cold it is here at the moment. Remember though when you are reading this it will probably be your day time and therefore our nighttime temperature!

We have 5 entrants into the 100th post prize thus far, I like those odds. Sharon's mother sent her an email asking to enter the competition but then reckoned she has a good chance of getting some NZ yarn anyway - so, no pressure there then! Remember if you're not in you can't win, the comp closes on Sunday 15th.

Cathal

The 100th Post

2007-07-11T15:28:00.000+12:00

So this is it, the 100th post, emm doesn't feel any different, but it is a landmark I guess. I have been suffering from "paralysis through analysis." Although normally an affliction suffered by golfers, I have been having similar problems about this 100th post. Should it be sincere, should it be hilarious, am I capable of being hilarious, ........ I had decided to do the post this weekend but I just wasn't happy with it, so it's now Tuesday and in the interests of posting more about our trip down south I have decided to complete it today for better or for worse!

To mark the fact that this is the 100th post, we have decided to give away a prize to one lucky person, to enter all you have to do is leave a comment on any post between now and Sunday 15th (remember that's NZ time) and we will post up the lucky winner on this blog next Monday 16th. We will pull the winner out of a hat (metaphorically speaking) and if the commenter is not from NZ we will send them something unique to these isles.

If you are a knitter, which you most probably will be, thanks to Sharon's blog, it will be some NZ wool. If you are anything like Sharon, this is worth more than gold in any event. If you are from NZ we will send you something uniquely Irish, but it probably won't be wool, we'll come up with something else. Sharon has quite the stash of NZ yarn but thankfully the stash of Irish yarn is where it should be - back in Ireland.

By the way the word "stash" implies that the wool should be "hoarded away out of sight." So I do not think the basket full of wool in our living room could technically be called a stash, it's more of a flaunt! Why only the other day our neighbour came down with post - another suspiciously soft package for Sharon. I can't imagine what it must be!

So what have we learned on our travels in NZ thus far? Well you might not be aware of it, but this is a Rugby World Cup year and the Kiwi's have a team known as the All Blacks taking part. I just hope that the second part of that last sentence was not a surprise or you really have been knitting too much! You probably know too that the Kiwi's are into their rugby, and given that the population of the country is around four million, their record in the game is quite spectacular. So popular is the game that there is one building in Auckland which has digital clocks on all four sides of it counting down the remaining time to the rugby world cup, to the second! One learns quickly here how important rugby is.

The seven wonders of the modern world have just been announced and in honour of the event Stuff Magazine NZ launched a Kiwi version. They listed nine possible wonders of New Zealand, including the usual suspects of Mount Cook and Milford Sound. I decided to vote and picked Mount Cook after which I was brought to the results page. Which one was winning? Well I'll give you a little hint, within the nine contenders was Richie McCaw the All Blacks captain! Here's the picture used on the web page.

It will not surprise you to learn then that the All Blacks captain, picture in the middle (did I really have to point that out) was topping the poll when I voted! I wouldn't be surprised if a Kiwi knitter decides to do a Rugby World Cup knit along sometime soon!

The other thing that is synonymous with the All Blacks is the legendary Haka. The Haka is a traditional Maori dance/ song and just the other day I came across another Maori song with the following words.

"Taumata-whaka-tangihanga-koauau-o-Tamatea-turi-pukaka-pikimaunga-horonuku-pokai-whenua-kitana-tahu"

This song was sung by a Maori chief and has become the longest place name in the world and means

‘The hilltop where Tamatea with big knees, conqueror of mountains, eater of land, traveller over land and sea, played his koauau to his beloved.’

So, along with the worlds steepest street, NZ has at least one other entry in the Guinness Book of Records it seems!

However to give the post an "international flavour" I have decided to end the blog with a popular Irish song and, although not in the Guinness Book of Records, it too has become famous throughout the world. Take it away guys.....

Cathal & Sharon

Fox & Franz Josef Glaciers (12) Days 12/13 (Post No. 99)

2007-07-07T10:53:00.002+12:00

We left Queenstown around midday after eating one last time in Vudu Cafe. We were hoping to spend the night in the small town of Haast on the West Coast and visit the Blue Pools of Haast Pass enroute.

The town of Wanaka is on the route from Queenstown to Haast Pass and there are two alternative routes to take to get there. One is over the Crown Range Road, and the other is a much easier drive via Route 6. The Crown Range road knocks a good bit of mileage off the journey but it is not really for the faint hearted. We spent a lot of the time climbing the mountain range in first gear and even at that the camper van was struggling! It does offer some great views though and provided that the roads are not icy it is well worth the odd heart attack. Given that you are either climbing in first gear or braking I am not sure whether the Crown Range Road, though shorter, is actually any quicker. Here's some views from a lookout which is about half way up the mountain.

After the Crown Range the next major town is Wanaka. Situated on Lake Wanaka it is a very picturesque town that reminded us a lot of Queenstown. Here's a pic of the lake with snow capped mountains in the distance.

We didn't stop in Wanaka but kept going to Lake Hawea. We decided to eat here as we reckoned it was the last piece of civilisation we would see for a while and we were not wrong! Lake Hawea is also very beautiful and similar to Lake Wanaka in many respects.

After Lake Hawea our next stop was the Blue Pools of Haast Pass. I am afraid those of you expecting to see pics of the Blue Pools of Haast Pass on this post will only feel a fraction of the disappointment we felt on discovering that they had been closed by the Department of Conservation. For reasons unspecified the track was closed and we had no alternative but to drive on. You can see some pics of the blue pools by clicking here.

Luckily we were not traveling out of our way as the Pools were enroute to the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers. Otherwise our journey could have been a waste of time . Having said that the route, despite the disappointment of not seeing the pools, was well worth while. The strangest thing we came across on the trip, and something we had never seen before, was a runaway vehicle ramp.

We were descending quite a steep, but by no means the steepest, mountain range and approx. every 500m there were signs giving the distance to the runaway ramp, 2km, 1.5km etc. I couldn't help but feel that if you were hurdling out of control the signs were poor comfort. It seems the people who designed the ramp didn't take into account the multitude of hair pin bends between the signs and your possible salvation! We literally had to more or less stop to get around some of the bends between us and the ramp, the official speed limit being 15km per hour.

If the ramp designers were trying to create a bit of suspense by signing the ramp 2km away it was quite effective as it seemed to take a lifetime to reach it. After every bend we would crank our heads around to see if the ramp lay ahead only for it to be thwarted by yet another collection of hair pins! By the time we did eventually get to it we forgot to take a photo, but basically as the road bends, yet again, to the right there is an uphill ramp straight ahead. While researching the ramp and trying to find a pic on the web I came across someone who had used the ramp as a lay-by!!!!! Wouldn't that be a nice surprise waiting for you if you did manage to get there!

Now if you have been paying attention you will realise that we were heading west yet again and after we had passed through Haast Pass over the dividing range we were back into the wonderful weather of the West Coast and its 6-9 metres of rain fall per year. No prizes for guessing then that the sun didn't exactly split the stones while we were there!

Small would be one way to describe Haast Village, non existent would be another. It is so small that we had passed through it before we realised we had finally arrived. Given it's size it will not surprise you to learn that we stayed that night in a camper van park south of Haast called Haast Beach Holiday Park and it gets a special mention here because the people running it were the most unfriendly people we came across on our trip. Once we had settled into the camper van site the rain started! We were due to travel to the Fox Glacier Village for our helihike the following day. We went to bed yet again praying the weather would improve by the morning.

We went into the village the next morning and waited to see if the hike would go ahead as planned. It didn't. We called another emergency meeting to discuss a further revision to the itinerary and the decision was made to go to the Franz Josef that afternoon and return to the camper van site in Fox Village. The hope being that the helihike would go ahead the next day. Here's a few pics taken at the Franz Josef Glacier. You can see from the pics that the visibility wasn't great for a helihike!

We ate a lovely meal that night in Cafe Neve watching the rain beat down, the signs yet again ominous for the next day. Would we get to go on the helihike or not? Stay tuned to find out.

Coming up next, the 100th Post!!!!!

Cathal

Queenstown (36) Days 10 & 11 (Post No. 98)

2007-07-01T12:20:00.000+12:00

Every holiday deserves a catch phrase or sound bite that you will associate with it for the rest of your life. "Living the dream" and "Hi-di-hi campers", mostly thanks to Annette, became ours. Living the dream being a reference to the by line associated with Kathmandu.

It was slightly ironic that we should come across the sign above in Queenstown, as it was here that we decided to book into a hotel for the two nights! The camper van might be the only way to travel, but no holiday is complete without a little bit of luxury and pampering. We booked into the Heritage Hotel on the outskirts of Queenstown. Here's a few pics of the views from outside the hotel.

Queenstown is situated on Lake Wakatipu and is the self-styled adventure capital of NZ. Here's a few pics taken from around the harbour.

The picture above is of the TSS Earnslaw, the TSS stands for a twin screw steamer. It burns a tonne of coal an hour and is Queenstown's most famous cruise boat.

Queenstown was our favourite city/ town in the South Island by far and even if, like us you are not the bungy jumping types, it is definitely a must see. As you walk around the town you are constantly aware of the mountain ranges that enclose the city. To quote the Lonely Planet "The aptly named Remarkables and the Eyre Mountains form a breathtaking backdrop to this super active town." Here's a few pics taken from a walk through the town.

Micheal, a first cousin of Sharon and Annette's, had just arrived in Queenstown a few days prior to our arrival and we met up with him that night in an Irish Bar. Here's a picture of Micheal entertaining us all.

The next day we went to the Skyline Gondola and caught a cable car to the summit of one of the mountains where you get great views of the Remarkables and the lake. Here's a few pics taken from the look out at the summit.

There are loads of activities at the summit including bungy jumping and a luge track which is a type of track used by 3 wheeled carts. Here's a few pics, the first is of the gondolas looking down towards Queenstown.

The pic above is one of many bungy jump platforms around Queenstown. We were told that the tradition in NZ at one time was that if you did the jump naked you didn't have to pay. It became so popular though that they had to abandon the idea!

The door above might look innocuous enough but what lies behind, if you like your food, is a real treat. While the girls were busy shopping I went off and found an Internet Cafe and googled Queenstown restaurants. I came across a couple of review sites and they all heaped praise on a particular restaurant called The Bunker. (I am salivating just thinking about it). It is a small, expensive, boutique restaurant situated on a little side street called Cow Lane and it's a little gem. The ambiance, like the food, was superb. The ambiance made all the more cosy by its small size and big open fire place. Having said all that it probably lags slightly behind Fleurs Place in Moeraki Village but they are so different perhaps comparison is a bit unfair. I think the food was slightly better in Fleurs and the ambiance better in The Bunker. I suggest you eat in both and make your own mind up! If the budget doesn't extend to the likes of the Bunker then try the Vudu Cafe on Beach St. for breakfast or lunch. We ate there a number of times and thought the food was really good.

We left Queenstown for the Blue Pools of Haast Pass (21) wanting more, the general consensus being that we could have easily stayed a few more nights there.

As we had left the West side of the Southern Alps the weather had picked up again and we had two fantastic days of sunshine during our stay. I am conscious that this always helps to make a part of a trip a bit more pleasurable and therefore a bit more memorable.

I think the hotel might have had a bit to do with it too!

Cathal

Milford Sound (1) Day 9 (Post No. 97)

2007-06-30T13:22:00.000+12:00

Day 9 saw us driving from Te Anau to Milford Sound. The route was very picturesque and we took some pics along the way. Here's one from a look out with Milford Sound, I think, in the distance.

There is lots to see along the way which helps break up the journey. Our second stop was at the Mirror Lakes whose name requires no further explanation. Here's some pics although it is hard to do them justice without a wide angle lens.

Milford Sound is home to one of the finest tramps in the world, the Milford Track. It is a four day 53.5km track from Lake Te Anau to Doubtful Sound and it is not for the faint hearted. You have to bring your own provisions with you and stay at the huts provided by the Department of Conservation, there is no camping allowed along the track.

Tramping in NZ can be serious business depending on the tramp especially during the winter months, although a lot of the tramps at this time are closed. The Milford, is the sort of tramp where you could cross a stream and on your return, two hours of rain later, find an impassible river!

It was while we were exploring Doubtful Sound the day before that our guide told the story of how a taxi boat driver, bringing people to the start of Milford Sound, noticed that one trampers bag was considerably small. Out of concern he asked the tramper before he set off was he sure he had enough provisions. The tramper replied that he planned on eating in the restaurants and bars along the way. Needless to say he didn't get very far. McDonald's might be everywhere but they are not on the Milford Track. Thank God!

As we didn't have the time, or probably the "bottle", to do the Milford Track we inquired about a shorter more casual tramp in the local tourist information centres in Te Anau. They recommended a few and we settled on the 3 hour return tramp to Lake Marian. Here's a few pics.

The first twenty minutes of the walk are a relatively pleasant forest walk with defined footpaths culminating in a really nice look out of some rapids. You cross over the river associated with them at the start of the tramp. See pic of suspension bridge above. Here's some pics of the rapids themselves.

After the rapids the only other highlight, for us, was seeing these unusual purple mushrooms.

The mushrooms were the only other highlight because what we were to discover shortly after the rapids is that the going goes from gentle to tough! Something the info centre failed to inform us. We have been on a few tramps at this stage, some as long at 14kms, but this was by far the most difficult. An SAS assault course would have been easier. Undeterred we ventured forth and literally climbed for almost two hours until we came across a dried out river bed.

We didn't bring our abseiling equipment, so after eventually getting down and then seeing what was in front of us we decided enough was enough. We sat down ate the last of our provisions and tried to save some of our water for the return leg. By this stage I reckon hardened Sherpas would have given up!

It was while we were descending that we came across an American girl returning from the lake and she confirmed that we were ten minutes from it at the river bed!!!!!!! I don't think any of us cared at that stage as we just wanted to get down before dark!

Our advice is do the first twenty minute short tramp to the rapids and then head back. We never got to see the lake, but it just cannot be worth all that effort, something the American girl had intimated in any event. Or perhaps she was just trying to make us feel better!

We headed from there to Milford Sound. To get to the Sound you have to go through the tunnel pictured below and then down a very steep descent.

We had spent most of the day stopping off at the look outs along the way and tramping. The weather was fantastic the whole day but the light was beginning to fade by the time we got down to the Sound. Here's a few pics of the Sound.

The original plan was to go on a boat cruise the same day but because of the tramp we had run out of time. We convened a special meeting to ratify the necessary changes to the itinerary to include an extra night at the Sound as opposed to returning to Te Anau. It would make our trip the following day to Queenstown (36) all the longer, but the motion was carried unanimously!

We ate that night in the local pub/ restaurant and settled down into our camper van in the car park overlooking the Sound. It was very early in the morning when we heard the rain start to beat down, something it continued to do for the entire night. We hoped that the morning cruises would still be going and that the rain would ease. It didn't. After changing our itinerary and staying at the Sound that night we awoke to rain and zero visibility!

We called another meeting over breakfast and the difficult decision to up sticks and head onto Queenstown was passed. It was while we were leaving that we got to see all the water running off the cliff faces...... every cloud! Here's a pic.

The scenery from Milford Sound to Queenstown was again superb. It almost became an irritation to me as we just didn't have time to stop and take photographs. It was while we were driving through a Red Tussock Conservation Area that I eventually pulled in to take the following pic. Worth it too I think!

If the West side of the Southern Alps is a sub tropical rain forest then the East side is closer to an arid climate with grasslands that you would associate with it. The clouds dump all their moisture as rain as they rise over the Alps heading east creating the high contrast between the two sides. This makes for some amazing contrasts in the landscape within very short distances. The two sides and top of the alps offering three distinctive environments. All of which are incredibly beautiful.

Again I have decided to finish the post with one of my favourite pics from our trip. We didn't get to travel the Sound itself but the pic from the shoreline I think say it all!

Milford or Doubtful? Take your pick! Even though we didn't get to experience it fully Milford I think wins, admittedly by a short head!

Cathal

Feast of Saints Peter & Paul (Post No. 96)

2007-06-30T09:58:00.001+12:00

There are many advantages to living the current life we are living and there are few disadvantages, most of which involve friends and family. Here's a pic of my immediate family and my Auntie Ann. (Just in case you thought I had two mothers!)

Why the picture? Well it was my Dad's 70th birthday today, so I rang him to wish him a Happy Birthday yesterday, as we cannot obviously be there.

Why yesterday? Well for years he thought his birthday was on the 29th June, until he recently came across his passport which showed his date of birth as the 30th!

Why the confusion? Well his parents had a shop in our home town of Enniscorthy, and the 29th June was a Holy Day of Obligation, the Feast of Saints Peter & Paul. Therefore the shop was shut giving everybody the chance to celebrate his birthday with him. So now we get to wish him a Happy Birthday twice in the one month, which has a certain novelty to it at the moment!

Happy Birthday Dad, sorry we can't be there.

As you would say yourself,

Beidh la eile! (Gaelic meaning there will be another day)

Cathal

Doubtful Sound (2) Day 8 (Post No. 95)

2007-06-29T17:51:00.000+12:00

This is our 95th post on this blog and Sharon has told me that the 100th post is a big thing. So from here on in until I reach the 100th I am including the countdown on the title of the post. Only five more to go........and it's in your best interest to pay attention!!!!

We got picked up outside the Top Ten Holiday park and were brought by bus 19km south of Te Anau to the little town of Manapouri, which gets it's name from the lake it is situated beside.

It was there that our tour guides welcomed us all and thanked an elderly couple for hanging on the extra day to take the tour. The tour being cancelled the day before due to the bad weather front that had followed us from the Catlins to Invercargill. It seems we were lucky in a way to have encountered the bad weather in Invercargill as we did not have the luxury of being able to hang around an extra day if our trip to Doubtful was cancelled.

After we had boarded the small fully enclosed boat I couldn't help but think that if our camper van was amphibious we could have saved ourselves a lot of money! The boat was small, fully enclosed and quite claustrophobic, a lot like the camper van after a few days it has to be said! While we were heading across the lake we were relieved when our guide confirmed that a bigger boat awaited us on our arrival to Doubtful Sound.

The guide explained the itinerary also, stating that after we had crossed the lake we would have a few minutes to look around the West Arm Visitor Centre, before being collected by coach and brought to the West Arm Hydroelectrical Power Station.

It was at the West Arm Visitor Centre that I first got acquainted with sand flies, Sharon & Annette having done so during their trip to the Abel Tasman. They are about the size of midges and look therefore innocuous enough but they bite and if you remain stationary for any length of time you will be swarmed with them! It was at the Centre that I also managed to get a nice picture of New Zealand's only parrot and one of the few alpine parrots in existence, the Kea.

After risking life and limb to get the pic, I refer to my encounters with the sand flies, it was onto a bus and onto the West Arm Power Station. The station was originally planned to power an aluminium smelter in the town of Bluff by, among other things, raising the level of Manapouri Lake by a staggering 30m! The proposal was to cause uproar throughout New Zealand and initiated NZ's first real environmental campaign on a grand scale. The campaign was successful and not only was the lake left unaltered but the company has to ensure that the water levels remain within pre set parameters at all times.

The trip around the station was very interesting especially the trip down the tunnel into the station itself. The tunnel winds its away under the mountain at a 10 degree slope and seems to descend for ever! The guide explained that the tunnel is so narrow that you have to drive on the right hand side when you enter because it is far easier to get tight to the tunnel wall on the drivers side. This is particularly handy when you meet on coming traffic. Here's a pic inside the station from a platform which has various interactive consoles etc. and tourist information and pamphlets.

After the station it was back into the bus and onto Doubtful Sound via Wilmot Pass. Wilmot Pass being the road that they had to build in order to get equipment to the power station and which is now utilised by tour company's to reach the Sound. Here's a pic taken from the mooring post where we waited for our boat to arrive.

Doubtful Sound gets its name from Captain Cook who was "doubtful" that the winds would blow their ship back out to sea" so he sailed on. If they had gone into the Sound they would have needed the rare NZ easterlies to blow them back out, which apparently could have taken days if not weeks, something they were not prepared to chance. His itinerary must have been almost as demanding as ours!

As I have alluded to in a previous post, this part of New Zealand is a sub tropical rain forest which gets a staggering 6-9 metres of rainfall per year. It basically never stops raining and that's exactly what it did the entire time we were there.

Ironically enough it's perfect weather for exploring the Sound as you see it as nature intended. Unfortunately it doesn't make for good photo's, especially with a small digital camera, but trust me the scenery was great.

This is a picture of a hut built by local fishermen. The area is under conservation by the Department of the Marine and when the fishermen requested permission to build the hut below they were refused. Being clever Kiwi's however they found out that the Department only have control of the areas between high and low tide so they built it above the high tide water mark! Here's a pic.

They say wet weather is the way to experience the Sounds as it makes the place misty and atmospheric. It also ensures that the multitude of waterfalls are in full flow which they were on the day of our visit. Here's some pics.

The guide took the boat into one of the side "arms" of the Sound so he could take the boat directly under some of the waterfalls. Here's a pic from underneath. The girls thought it was exactly like a Timotei advert. The highlight however of the trip was encountering a group of Bottlenose Dolphins which decided to follow the boat for a little while. There was about 10 of them but unfortunately I didn't get a photo. Here's one taken from a web site which is actually taken in Doubtful Sound, on what appears to be a finer day!

And because I am concerned that the pictures of Doubtful Sound are not doing it justice, at no extra cost, here's a video I took of the Dolphins the day we were there. Being male I couldn't take the video and pics at the same time. Sharon & Annette unfortunately wouldn't know what a camera looks like from the back! Strangely enough though they do know what to do when they see the front of the camera, fix the hair, strike a pose.......

The last picture was taken on our return trip.

So whats the difference between Doubtful and Milford Sound. Well the main two things are size and accessibility. Doubtful Sound is much bigger than Milford, a lot harder to get to and therefore far less crowded. The guide book states that the boat terminus at Milford Sound during the summer high season can resemble a busy international airport! It gets 14,000 visitors per year and is NZ's most popular attraction.

So if it's peace and quiet your after and you can only visit one then Doubtful Sound, despite it's name, is the one for you.

Cathal

Newtown Nuances

2007-06-27T17:23:00.000+12:00

We managed to bring a piece of art home with us from our honeymoon. It was an abstract acrylic painting of Portofino in Italy. We bought it in one of the small towns along the Cinque Terre. Ironically enough the painter was Welsh!

We were on holidays last year at my sister's house in Perpignan in France and happened to pick up a contemporary piece of modern art in the form of an oil painting. Painted, again ironically, by an artist better known for his sculptures. We picked the painting up in a gallery in the lovely town of Collioure.

Quite by accident the idea of having a piece of art, to remind us of somewhere we have been, has become something we aspire too. We didn't find anything that appealed to us in Australia and were determined not to let the same thing happen here in New Zealand.

We have been popping in and out of galleries where ever we travel and apart from one painting that I liked, but Sharon didn't, we haven't seen anything that appealed to us, until last Sunday that is.

We go into the New Zealand Academy of Fine Art every time we pass by and happened to come across a photographic exhibition called Newtown Nuances. The exhibition was by 18 second year students from the local Massey University and it was fabulous! The next two pics are by a photographer called Elizabeth Cohen who kindly gave me permission to show them on the blog.

The exhibition was about trying to capture the character of Newtown, a suburb of Wellington known for it's cultural diversity. Elizabeth wrote the following description of the above pieces:

"In this project I have created a montage of images which illustrates the interaction between various cultures in the Newtown community. The diversity of Newtown is represented in its wide variety of ethnic restaurants.....I have explored this through the overlaying and blending of images, accentuating the busy Newtown environment"

As you have probably guessed by now, her work really appealed to us and we bought the photograph, or piece of art as I like to refer to it, directly above. Elizabeth only displayed the two pieces above and was the only student to represent Newtown in a very abstract way, a very brave move that for us made her work stand out. (To be fair there were some other abstract pieces, but they were more conventional.)

As the scans above are very small I have enlarged sections of the piece we bought so you can appreciate the detail better.

Unfortunately the show is now over and the collection of photographs will probably never be displayed as part of an exhibition again.

We think we are very lucky to have a memento of it and by default Wellington.

Cathal

Southern Scenic Route (15) Invercargill to Te Anua Day 7

2007-06-26T18:55:00.000+12:00

We left Papatowai and headed onto Invercargill via McLean falls braving the weather in the process. The trip itself was not particularly long, around 120 kms, but it felt a lot longer.

By the time we got to the Cabbage Tree restaurant just outside Invercargill I was finding it hard to walk without having my arms outstretched and my fists clinched as I had spent the majority of the trip fighting the camper van. Or, put another way, I had acted as an intermediary between the gale force winds and our not so aerodynamic camper van. Pushing a rigid sail perpendicularly through a mild hurricane would have been easier in my opinion! I was constantly correcting the position of the van on the road and bracing myself every time we came to a narrow bridge especially if there was on coming traffic.

We arrived in Invercargill safe and sound and a little relieved to still be in one piece. It was only the following day that we caught the headlines of the local papers and the descriptions of how the gale force winds had literally blown roofs of houses! With hindsight we might have been better off staying another night in the Catlins.

By the time we sat down for our lunch in the Cabbage Tree the torrential rains, driven by the high winds, had put a stop to any notion of exploring the area. The girls settled down into cafes and Internet bars for the afternoon and I went to bed to rest my weary arms! I met up with the girls that night in Thai Dee where we had a nice Thai meal after which we got a taxi back to the holiday park and tried to make the most of the TV Room.

It was a difficult few days in the camper van and the mood wasn't great. To make matters worse we faced another long 180km journey to Te Anau the following morning. We were hoping the storm would have past by then.

We had been couped up in the van for almost three consecutive days and what little appeal it had was quickly disappearing. We decided, for the sake of our sanity, to get out of the camper van for a few hours the next day on the way to Te Anua.

We booked ourselves in for some well earned pampering at a Day Spa in a lovely town called Winton, approx. 30km north of Invergargill. The town had a lovely scale to it and some nice restaurants too. The Day Spa did us all some good and helped break up our journey. The detour took us off the Southern Scenic Route but it was either that or a severe bout of group depression!

The weather had also picked up by the time we left Winton and we were getting that bit closer to the most anticipated part of our trip, the west part of the Southland region. It being the main part of the World Heritage Site mentioned in a previous post.

We arrived into Te Anau, gateway to Doubtful (2) and Milford Sounds (1) late in the afternoon. We settled into a Top 10 holiday park for the next three nights. We ate that night in a nice, cheap and cheerful, Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria called Toscana's.

We had an early enough start the next day as we were heading to Doubtful Sound.

What follows in the next few posts is the top two places to go and visit in New Zealand and although the weather was typical of the sub tropical rain forest we had entered, it didn't dampen the spirits!

Cathal

Southern Scenic Route (15) Catlins to Invergargil Day 6

2007-06-24T07:28:00.000+12:00

We spent the night in Papatowai listening to the rain beat down while being rocked back and forth by gale force winds. The rain was so bad at times it woke us all up.

We travelled in May which is technically winter here, and if it didn't get dark early you would be forgiven for thinking that we had actually traveled during the summer, well maybe spring. We were more or less blessed with the weather and, if for no other reason but to ensure we appreciated it, mother nature decided to send us a stark reminder of what things could really be like in this part of the world!

We consulted the local map of the Catlins and decided to keep going as the weather was unfortunately not conducive to sight seeing. As we headed through the Catlins we kept coming across signs for various water falls. Not wanting to miss out on anything and risking eviction from the "small brother house" I suggested that we might stop for a short tramp if we came across one.

We eventually saw a sign for McLean Falls and drove down to the public car park. Where the ubiquitous signs stating "lock it or lose it" were there as stark reminders of one of the less appealing pass times of some Kiwi's, thieving! ( I assume Kiwi's but it could of course be fellow campers!).

We dressed up for bad weather. I resembled someone from a SWAT team- you'll see the picture later on- and we headed on the 30 minute tramp through part of the Catlin forest to the water fall. It was an unexpected treat and gave us an insight into the appeal of the Catlins, something we would have obviously missed had we drove on. Hurray to me!!!!!!

It was raining lightly during the tramp but you only got wet in the few clearings along the way. If anything the wet weather added to the atmosphere as we could appreciate the smells of the mosses and foliage that you associate with wet forest walks. Here's a few pics taken along the tramp.

In order to get to the water fall you have to cross the stream/ river associated with it. Here's a few pics of the river and the girls on the bridge.

The pic above is Annette being escorted by here SWAT personal body guard. AKA me.

There are two water falls that precede the main event and add to the suspense You have to climb a set of steps to reach the McLean fall itself. Here's a few pics of the smaller waterfalls.

And here's one of the sister's in front of the main one.

And one of the McLean waterfall by itself.

We continued from the falls directly to Invercargill and you will read more about the weather we experienced on the next post. We were literally blown away!

Cathal

Southern Scenic Route (15) Dunedin to the Catlins via Lake Waihola Day 5

2007-06-23T07:40:00.000+12:00

Sharon told me that if I didn't blog about the South Island again soon people would think I had lost the plot. So in the interests of the blog I have put my "pursuit of happiness" to one side and decided to do a second post today.

The Southern Scenic Route runs for 400 km from Dunedin to Te Anau, via the Catlins and Invercargill. Te Anua being the gateway to Doubtful and Milford Sounds. The map below shows the route we more or less travelled.

The Southern Scenic Route was not the best road journey we took in my opinion, but it did offer up some treats, some of which were quite unexpected. What it did offer in abundance however was high winds and driving rain but we will have more on that in the next post.

Here's a pic of one of NZ's native birds, the Pekeko, that we spotted on our travels. I "borrowed" the picture from the Internet. They like wet marsh lands so it was no surprise that we spotted them along the South West Coast.

We were driving towards the Catlins when we came across a sign for a look out ahead and decided to pull over and have a look. Here's a pic from the lookout.

We thought the village in the distance, in the picture above, looked promising and as it was getting near Annette's feeding time- sorry Annette couldn't resist- we decided to head down to the lake and have some well earned beans on toast.

We pulled into a public car park beside Lake Waihola and I reversed the van so we had a good view of the lake from the "dining area" in the back of the camper van. As you can see I sort of reversed into a big pot hole so the camper van isn't exactly level. Well at least I didn't hit anything!

It was here I noticed the light was missing over the door and the few scrapes along the side of the van. See the Dunedin post to find out more. With views like the ones below however it didn't dampen my spirits for long.

As we were leaving we drove down past a holiday park and I thought the names on some of the vans were worth a pic.

Whether any of us would have called our camper van "our dream home" is debatable but it had it's moments. We headed from Lake Waihola onto Papatowai passing the picturesque down of Balclutha on the way.

We pulled into the camper van site in literally the middle of nowhere and settled in for the night. If parts of the south island are remote then the Catlins is the epitome of the South Island.

We battened down the hatches and settled in for a stormy night on NZ's south east coast.

Cathal

The Wolves Within (The Holy Bag Part 2)

2007-06-23T07:31:00.000+12:00

We watched a DVD last night called "The Pursuit of Happyness"-if you have seen the film you will understand why happiness is misspelt- and it got me thinking about one of my previous posts called "The Holy Bag". I remembered an e-mail that a friend of ours, Rory, sent around one New Years. It was a parable told by a Cherokee Indian about two wolves and I thought the message was similar to that of the Dalai Lama's.

I couldn't find the original e-mail so I literally typed in "two wolves fighting inside me" and got a load of hits with the parable therein. The Internet is just incredible. Here's the parable.

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.

"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

There's even another version of the story which is even closer to the parable told by the Dalai Lama here.

Perhaps the Dalai Lama was a Cherokee Indian in a former life?

Cathal

Lost in Translation 2

2007-06-22T19:44:00.000+12:00

I did a blog post about the language difficulties we have encountered in NZ a few weeks ago. If you click here it will bring you to the post.

I referred to a conversation I had with my neighbour after the All Blacks/ France match. Here's a recap of the conversation.

Cathal "Well it wasn't great viewing"

Neighbour "Why?, were you stuck behind a pole or something?"

What I didn't mention was my reply to the question.

Cathal "No, it was just a bit one sided"

A few days later our neighbour came down and was talking to Sharon and the game came up again.

Sharon "It wasn't great to look at"

Neighbour "Yes Cathal told me there was a pole to one side of you"

Sweet as bro!

Cathal

PS Perhaps something got lost in translation in my previous post also. I managed to get a comment from someone who didn't necessarily agree with my view point on the Taieri Gorge Railway even if the post was meant to be a little "tongue-in- cheek".

I would like to add that the railway is a magnificent feat of engineering and a symbol of the pertinacity of the human spirit.

However, I would also like to add that I was lucky enough to inter rail around Europe for a month one summer and I can honestly say that even the rail journeys where I slept in a couche for the entire trip, were far more interesting than the Taieri Gorge Railway.

Dunedin (49) Day 4

2007-06-21T19:00:00.000+12:00

Dunedin, located in the region known as Otago, is the South Island's second city (after Christchurch) and was founded by Scottish settlers. Dunedin being Celtic for Edinburgh. It even has a statue of Robert Burns at it's centre.

We arrived into Dunedin late after travelling down from Oamaru via the Moeraki Boulders. We found a Top 10 holiday park and set up camp, metaphorically speaking, for the next two nights. Dunedin's centre is known as the Octagon and it was there that we found the Nova Cafe and had something to eat.

The next day the plan was simple enough, have a look around Dunedin and then head to the railway station for the Taieri Gorge Railway experience. Little did I know that most of my morning would be spent tracking down wool shops listed in Sharon's "Crafty Girls Road Trip" book and most of my afternoon photographing her FO's! If you don't believe me check out her blog here.

Here's a few pics taken around Dunedin.

After traversing the city we headed down to the station for the rail experience.

Now let me quite clear about something. In the AA's 101 list, it lists the Otago Rail Experience as number 16 and from what I can understand the Taieri Gorge Railway is the first part of this trip, and I hope to God not the highlight. The Lonely Planet states the following in relation to it "some visitors rate the Taieri Gorge Railway as one of the great train journeys." Note how the author didn't say he thought it was one of the great railway experiences!!!!! Damning with faint praise if you ask me. Here's a pic of the train station and the train.

We were absolutely dumb founded for the whole trip but unfortunately it was not in a good way. Some of the highlights of the trip were, stopping to look at a statue of a dog- see pic below- and stopping on the way back-as a treat because the driver had made good time- to look at Peter's knob. Peter's knob being the earth mound that Peter used to stand on regaling the passengers with his stories about the route presumably until he too lost the will to live. A plight most of the passengers were suffering from within an hour of departure.

Not to worry though there was a bar on board and while the others were getting their picture taken with the over sized statue of a dog- hardly Michelangelo's David I might add- Sharon headed to the bar for some well earned refreshments.

Spectacular is a word often used to describe the New Zealand landscape and in most cases it is more than apt. Our driver and guide however must have had a different idea of what spectacular meant and used it to describe every blade of grass we passed on our trip. The only thing worse than the trip was having to do it all over again on the return leg, Peter's knob or no Peter's knob! Here's a pic of the dog and one of Annette whose look of total despondency speaks volumes.

We decided not to head back to the camper van site on our return and headed to the local cinema instead. We had booked a restaurant recommended by B called The Palms the night before and headed there after the cinema. We were late and not sure where we were going so we rushed most of the way and arrived a little out of breath.

To say we lowered the tone, would be putting it mildly. On our arrival the maitre'd offered to take our bags and jackets but stopped short of going out and buying us some decent clothes, only just it has to be said. It was one of the more expensive places we ate on our trip and although we enjoyed it, it was not the best food experience, but to be fair it had some stiff competition.

We awoke the next day and headed to Baldwin Street in the suburbs of Dunedin, home of the worlds steepest street. Here's a few pics.

There is a debate about whether it is actually the steepest street in the world or whether Lombard St. in San Francisco is but, with a gradient of 1:2.86, it doesn't take from the sheer madness of it.

I could say that the street made such an impression on us that we left a piece of ourselves behind when we left that day. What would be more accurate however would be to say that we left part of the camper van!

I was pulling out and decided to do a little shimmy into a side road in order to do a type of U-turn. The little voice in my head kept on suggesting that a six berth camper van was not exactly made for "shimmying" and wouldn't you know it but the little voice was right. As I was pulling out I thought I heard the sound of something smashing. Sharon got out and had a look and said that there was a load of broken glass and plastic on the ground, but the van was OK. A little confused, if somewhat relieved, I tried a simpler maneuver and drove on to our next destination, the Catlins.

It was while we were parked at a lake later that day that I noticed that the light over the door, made mostly of glass and plastic, was suspiciously missing. Suddenly Sharon's words came back into my head and also the realisation that we were not so lucky after all. On closer inspection there were a few other small dents and scrapes and one didn't have to be Sherlock Homes to deduct that our camper van had unwillingly been caressed by a telegraph pole!

Luckily we had bought out all the excess on the insurance so it was not an issue on our return. So that was our time in Dunedin, eventful if nothing else although I am not sure whether any of us would have ranked it in forty ninth place especially considering that Christchurch comes in at sixty first. Perhaps if the numbers were reversed it would have made a great deal more sense to us.

The Taieri Gorge Railway, approach with caution.

Cathal

The Holy Bag

2007-06-20T20:14:00.000+12:00

We went to hear the 14th Dalai Lama speak in Wellington yesterday about "The Human Approach to World Peace". The talk marked the end of a 16 day Australian/ New Zealand tour which brought its own share of controversy.

The Chinese didn't like the fact that the Australian Prime Minister met with him and let their objections be known. Australia turned around and told the Chinese that the Dalai Lama was welcome in Australia at any time and asked China to respect their democracy.

The New Zealand Prime Minister, Helen Clarke, refused to say whether she would meet with his holiness when he arrived in New Zealand. (New Zealand and Australia are currently in free trade negotiations with China.)

The talk was interesting in its own right and the Dalai Lama, was keen to show off his humour, stating that it plays an important role in one's happiness.

At the beginning of the talk he put on a sun visor and explained how it helped shade his eyes from the spotlights. He explained how at a previous talk someone had gifted him a visor which he wore. However some people took exception to the fact that the visor was branded so an American friend sent him a visor that matched his attire and had no branding.

He then proceeded to laugh at the amount of mystery that seemed to surround what he called "the holy bag." The bag he carries everywhere with him, asking if people would like to see what was in it. He proceeded to take out a tube of toothpaste and a pair of shades. He also said that he carried his breakfast in the bag explaining that on long haul flights the breakfasts might be nicely presented but lacked the desired quantity. It all got a good laugh and he kept the whole thing quite light.

He started his talk by talking about the individual and about approaching life with a calm mind and dealing with problems logically. He gave an example of the neighbour doing something to annoy you, which culminates in you feeling hatred towards them. This hatred makes you feel very unhappy and drives away people close to you. Ultimately you end up alone and vulnerable. All this time the neighbours state of happiness remains unaffected and if anything he will delight in your unhappiness. He finished the parable by saying that his message was not to walk away, but to deal with the matter calmly, if it meant bringing the neighbour to court then bring him to court, provided that you can remain calm and content.

He then broadened his talk to the world stage and said that he had met with the green party during his visit to New Zealand and he told them that the green party was his party. The green party understood that all issues were global issues and gave the example of global warming. He explained that years ago when one country invaded another country the affect remained more or less isolated between those countries but now everyone is connected by economics and so forth. (I wondered was he referring to the free trade negotiations mentioned earlier). His summary was more or less the same as before. The solution to world peace was similar to self peace or happiness and that every leader needed to approach a problem calmly and logically again stressing that a wrong must be corrected but that the manner in which it is dealt with is critical. (At least I think that is what he was saying I'm not the Dalai Lama!)

The talk ended with a questions and answers session after which the final speaker thanked him for coming and stated that he was more than welcome to New Zealand at any time but hoped the Prime Minister would be able to meet him on New Zealand soil the next time. Ms Clarke having met him in an Australian airport while their on official business the previous week.

We enjoyed it and might even buy his latest book, The Art of Happiness, on the back if it.

Hopefully some of the contents will rub off.

Cathal

Oamaru to Dunedin (49) via the Moeraki Boulders (72) Day 3

2007-06-16T08:14:00.000+12:00

We left Mount Cook and headed on our next leg of our trip to Oamaru. As we had doubled back to see Lake Tekapo we were under pressure to get to Oamaru by dusk, dusk being the time that the blue or fairy penguins leave the sea to go to their rooks. We rang ahead and were advised to arrive at Oamaru's Blue Penguin Colony at 5.30 pm as the times obviously change all year round.

Sharon and I had seen fairy penguins before in Bicheno, Tasmania but had not gone to an actual centre. We arrived just in time and typically had to wait another hour before we saw any penguins. They do not allow people to take any photo's as it might upset the penguins so you will have to click on the link above to see them.

We ate that night in a place called the Last Post, and again I find the name kind of ironic, because if it was the actually the Last Post I wouldn't eat there again. Annette summed it up when she highlighted the fact that we had all been given steak knives with our chicken dishes. The word "tough" sums up the experience.

This was in marked contrast to the next restaurant we would find ourselves in the next day. After missing the turn off for the Moeraki Boulders we found ourselves in Moeraki Village, a cute little harbour village not unlike something you would experience back home in Slade near Hook.

We decided we would eat in the camper van, a decision none of us took lightly, and then head back to see the boulders. We decided to stretch the legs before eating and happened to pass by one of the local restaurant's called Fleur's Place. In a strange type of synchronicity we all looked at each other at the exact same time- as we were thinking the exact same thing- why not eat here? Here's a few pics taken from the outside.

Given the setting who wouldn't want to eat here and unlike a lot of restaurant's whose food pales in comparison to it's setting, this restaurant didn't disappoint. We went in and while being escorted up stairs there was a group of pictures of Rick Stein eating in the restaurant on the wall. If it's good enough for Rick, I thought, it's good enough for me. Here's a few more pics of the village.

We all agreed that it was the best food experience of our trip. We all had fish, well when in Rome! Here's a few more pics.

After desert and coffees we headed back to the camper van and down the road to the Moeraki Boulders. Here's a few pics of them.

The boulder's are formed, we think, from erosion of the coast as opposed to being dropped here by glaciers and the pic above of one nearly formed would seem to collaborate that theory. Here's a few more pics which give you a better idea of the size of the boulders.

We really enjoyed the boulders, and would have it higher up on the AA 101 list. Here's a few more abstract pics.

I am conscious that a lot of you might not know which direction we travelled in, so if you click here you will get a map of the south island. We basically travelled down the East Coast of the South Island and back up the West in a circuit.

After the boulders it was onto Dunedin. You can read more about the Scottish influenced city in our next post.

Cathal

Mount Cook (6) to Oamaru Day 3

2007-06-15T17:00:00.000+12:00

There was many unforgettable experiences to this trip, but waking up and looking out the window to the view below, was for me probably the highlight.

It doesn't take a great stretch of the imagination to realise that the less permanent your abode the closer to nature you feel. We spent nights in the camper van being rocked back and forth in gale force winds and being deafened by the rain beating against the roof.

The camper van might lack a certain amount of comfort but if we had booked into hotels all along the way, the experience would have been "softened". We would never really have appreciated how bad the winds were in the Catlins, how torrential the rain was in Milford Sound, or feel the air getting colder as we travelled higher in altitude into the Southern Alps.

Apart from the pragmatics of trying to sort out accommodation everywhere you end up, the camper van, in my opinion, is the ideal way to travel. Especially if your trip is about exploring natures bounty. The landscapes have been shaped by the high winds and torrential rains and it would be a shame to leave your hotel unaware of these, sometimes severe, weather fronts first hand. Don't get me wrong none of us on the trip were "die hards." I thing I have slept in a tent once in my life and one could argue that camping is a step closer to nature again.

We went to bed early the first night and woke early too as a result. I was like a child at Christmas, excited beyond words. I looked out the window and literally couldn't contain myself. Now, as my family will testify, it would normally take world war three to get me out of the bed before I had to, but Mount Cook was the exception. I got up and headed out at 7.30 am and watched the sun rise over Mount Cook National Park. Besides, truth be told, it was probably warmer outside! Here's a few pics of the sky reflecting the sunrise.

Mount Cook or Aoraki in Maori, is one of the three UNESCO World Heritage sites and forms part of the Te Wahipounamu – South West New Zealand. We visited the other, Tongariro National Park, some time ago and you can check out the previous post here. Incidentally it was also Mordor in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. But back to Mount Cook, here's a few more pics taken from the camper van park.

The weather in this part of NZ is notorious, with fine days being something of a rarity. Aoraki means cloud piercer and the mountain "does exactly what it says on the tin". It is incredibly unusual to see the top of the mountain, hence the name. We were lucky as we got to experience both scenarios, as the cloud lifted as the day progressed.

I eventually got the girls motivated and we headed onto Mount Cook National Park for a short tramp of the Hooker Valley. The sign below gives the times to the various destinations.

The following pic is from the Mueller Lake look out.

In order to get to the Hooker Valley you have to cross various suspension bridges.

Here's a closer view of Mueller Lake and one of another bridge.

Our reward for our one hour tramp was the following view, unfortunately the sun was right into the camera so I had to move slightly. You actually get a much better view of Mount Cook than the pic would suggest.

After we had finished our tramp it was back into the camper van, next stop Oamaru to see some penguins. While we driving along we noticed a Ute pulled over on the side of the road with a sheep sign on the front it. We thought it odd and while I was lost in thought thinking about it, I heard Sharon scream "STOP!" Then suddenly it all made sense. The following pics might give a clue!

We thought Welly our mascot should get in on the act too. This is a very rare appearance of our much loved if somewhat neglected mascot.

The pic above is the best picture of our trip in my opinion and I felt the post should therefore end with it. Mount Cook is the sixth best place to visit in NZ, so we are peaking quite early. Rest assured though, there are still some amazing places to follow, and better "experiences" if that could be possible.

It is hard to believe we contemplated giving Mount Cook a miss, as cul de saq's go this has to be one of the best!

Cathal

Christchurch (61) to Mount Cook (6) via Ashburton Day 2

2007-06-14T20:11:00.000+12:00

Before we set out on our trip we had a discussion about the pros's and con's of going to Mount Cook at all. It is located, for want of a better description, down a five hour cul de saq. That is to say that it doesn't fit neatly into any round trip, and was therefore out of our way.

It was the start of the trip and the energy levels and enthusiasm were high. It also featured high on the AA 101 things to do in New Zealand list and that swayed us all in it's favour. You will be hearing a lot about the AA "101 List" in the next few posts as it influenced our itinerary quite substantially, that and a very energetic sibling who read a Rough Guide without necessarily consulting the accompanying map, but more on that later!

So to make it easier for me I am going to put a number in brackets beside the title of the post so people will know were it fits into what the Kiwi's consider the best things to do in NZ. So as you have probably deducted by now Christchurch is in sixty first place and Mount Cook is in sixth. Ashburton didn't feature as there is obviously not enough knitters voting. You can read more about Sharon's exploits in Ashburton here.

We headed out to the airport the day in question and collected our camper van. Let me start by saying that none of us are the "roughing it" kind and were determined therefore to do the journey in as much luxury as possible. We therefore hired the biggest camper van they had, it was a six berth camper van built for comfort not for speed. The comfort bit is debatable also but relative to all the other camper vans we saw this did not make one feel inadequate! Here's a pic of our not so humble abode.

It might have been a five hour cul de saq, but it was one of the best road trips of our lives without exception. The scenery was amazing and it was our first taste of what was to come. You literally want to stop and take pics every few minutes as the scenery is wonderful everywhere you look. You just can't however or you would never be able to keep to any itinerary.

The pic of the camper van above is taken at the first place we stopped after Ashburton a place called Lake Tekapo (25), that's right number 25 on the 101 list. Here's a few pics.

We had travelled almost four hours at this stage and the light was fading fast, we therefore rushed the experience and decided to head back the next day. The pic above is taken from our second visit. We had to retrace our steps by about 200km just to have something to eat by the lake the next day, but believe me it was worth it. If we had to do the trip again I would plan on staying at the lake for a day.

The lakes in New Zealand and especially in the south island are really blue due to the glacier activity. The Lonely Planet explains as follows:

"The blazing turquoise colour of Lake Tekapo, a character it shares with other regional bodies of water such as Lake Pukaki, is due to "rock flour" (sediment) in the water. This so called flour was created when the lake's basin was gouged out by a stoney bottomed glaciers moving accross the lands surface, with the rock on rock action grinding out fine particles that ended up being suspended in the glacial melt waters. This sediment gives the water a milky quality and refracts the sunlight beaming down, hence the brilliant colour"

There are three lakes that run almost parallel in the Mackenzie Basin, Lakes Tekapo, Pukaki and Ohau. Here's a pic taken of Lake Pukaki with a very indistinguishable Mount Cook in the background, but trust me it's there!

We stayed that night in our first camper van site, the Glentanner Park Centre, about 15 minutes drive from Mount Cook on Route 80. We settled down for the night in the shadow of Mount Cook only to awake to some of the most beautiful views I have ever seen. But alas, thus ends my post, Mount Cook itself is for another day, you'll have to return. Trust me it will be worth it!

Cathal

Christchurch (61) Day 1

2007-06-12T10:08:00.000+12:00

I joined Sharon and Annette in Christchurch, New Zealand's garden city, on the 10th May.

Even though we have now traveled pretty extensively around NZ, Wellington is still where we prefer to live and do not regret picking the capital as our home for the year. Having said all that, Wellington city is a modern, and in my opinion ugly city. It's not ugly because it is modern, but by the fact that who ever built the majority of the high rise buildings in the 70's didn't care about the impact the buildings would have on the city itself. I have read a book about the architecture of Wellington and it appears that a couple of Australian companies had the majority of the work and didn't care about anything except their bank balances. So when we arrived in Christchurch we were really struck by it's beauty. In places it would remind you of the likes of Cambridge in England and has, like most of NZ, strong English heritage.

Christchurch was built to a grid pattern like most modern cities but benefits greatly from the river Avon that meanders through it, and therefore it's many ornate bridges. The river and bridges help to break the grid up and make it feel less contrived. Here's a few pics along the river Avon in the heart of the city.

You can even go punting on the river Avon and you can see the mooring post in the pic above. The seasons here are late by one month if not two, so although it's technically winter, it looks like autumn with the foliage on the trees still changing colour. Here's a pic of Sharon and I on one of the many bridges.

Apart from punting on the river Avon you can catch a tourist tram that brings you around the hot spots of the city. It's a short twenty minute trip-not sure what that says about the city- and once you buy the ticket you can get on and off as often as you like for two days. You can even get the restaurant tram should you wish to chew while you view. Here's a pic of the tram. Needless to say the restaurant tram is bigger!

We took the tram down to the Art's Centre to take a look around the shops and studios. It's a great area and while we were there all the columns were temporarily covered in an art installation. Here's a few pics of some of the courtyards.

If you look closely at the "wall paper" you realise that each pattern is made up of people or parts of their body as per the pics below.

There's also some sculptures around the Art's area and the one below is suspended above one of the courtyards.

We ate lunch in Le Cafe while we were there and, as it would turn out, we would also have an evening meal there on our return to Christchurch towards the end of our trip. The food was great and all in all we had some great food experiences in Christchurch. Thanks mainly to some recommendations from B who used to live there.

While Sharon was in one of the wool shops I crossed the road to the Botanic Gardens and took some pics of kids playing in the fallen leaves from an enormous specimen of a tree.

It was getting late by the time Sharon had finished making a few purchases, so we headed back to our hotel via Cathedral Square which is the hub/ meeting place of the city. Here's a pic of the cathedral and it's most famous sculpture built to celebrate the millennium. It depicts, I think, leaves blowing in the breeze.

That evening we ate in a Spanish restaurant called Pedro's, the lamb came highly recommended and who were we to argue. It was fantastic and plenty in the one dish for two, so myself and Sharon shared. Annette had sole which she also really enjoyed. It gets great reviews here and just goes to show that a bit of local knowledge goes along way, thanks B!. After our feed we went to Dux de Lux which is a bar, micro brewery and live venue for a night cap. They even had alcoholic ginger beer on draught, although none of us imbibed.

We awoke the next morning and said goodbye to our creature comforts, it was time to head out to the airport and collect our camper van, our new home for the next two weeks. As it would turn out it was not as long as we had planned but you'll have to wait to see what happened.

Cathal

Lost in Translation

2007-06-10T12:47:00.000+12:00

We went to see the All Blacks take on France last night in the Westpac Stadium here in Wellington, it was the second and final test match France were to play.

It was a game of two halves but unfortunately for the French the All Blacks kicked seven types of "joi de vivre" out of them in both, the game ending 61-10 in the All Blacks favour.

Here's a few pics of us at the match as you have seen the stadium in a previous post.

Although we decided to support the All Blacks it has to be said that we were pretty neutral and wanted, most of all, to see an evenly contested match. As you can appreciate from the score however it was all a bit one sided. Although the Kiwi's didn't seem to tire of the endless All Blacks tries as much as we did.

So why lost in translation. Well you probably think it had something to do with an encounter with the few French supporters at the stadium, but in fact it refers to a conversation I had with our Kiwi neighbour on our return from the match.

Cathal "Well it wasn't great viewing"

Neighbour "Why?, were you stuck behind a pole or something?"

I didn't take it in at the time, and perhaps it's a "location joke" i.e. you had to be there, but it was typical of situations we have encountered from time to time. It is amazing how often such situation arise even though we are supposedly speaking the same language!

Yesterday Sharon said to the same neighbour something along the lines of "well fair play to them" which was followed by general silence and confusion on the part of our neighbour. Not the easiest thing to explain either.

So although there is no language barrier, as such, there are the minor incidents which are kind of funny in their own right. Don't get me wrong living here, as the Kiwi's might put it, is awesome, as good as gold and sweet as, eh!

Cathal