Journey to Middle Earth

Saturday 17th February: Finally set-off on our trip to New Zealand. It's a destination I've always wanted to visit & I was literally counting down the hours & minutes in the office. Finding the long-stay car park in Sydney is tricky enough but from then on it's plain sailing. Arrive in Christchurch early afternoon and spend a few hours wandering around - amazing how 'English' the place is (hardly surprising given it's origins) - and then have a lovely meal in our hotel 'The George'. An early night as we have our first early start the next day.

Sunday 18th February: Up at 4am for our first trip on a hot air balloon. Fortunately, the weather is good enough for us to take off (we later realize how fortunate we are with this as some of the other people on the trip have taken 5 previous attempts to get in the air). We are accompanied by a lovely Jack Russell - called Jack - and he pretty much steals the show. The scenery is truly spectacular & it feels fantastic floating through the air.

After the 'interesting' landing in a farmer's field we head back to Christchurch & hit the long-straight road to Dunedin. Stop off at Oamaru on the way, end up staying a fair bit longer than expected as we have dinner at The Last Post & then watch the 2 resident penguin colonies (blue / fairy penguins & yellow eyed penguins both nest there) come ashore before continuing on with the journey. The early start takes it's toll on me & for the first time I fall asleep at the wheel....wake up just in time to avoid a nasty crash at 100kmh. Get to Dunedin after midnight.

Monday 19th February: Have breakfast in Dunedin (Tangente Cafe) and am amazed at how Scottish both the City & it's surrounds look - Dunedin is Celtic for Edinburgh (& even the Octagon is reproduced). The Victorian style train station is impressive & there is live music in the main square. Would have liked to have spent a little more time in this oft-derided city but we head for Queenstown - via the interestingly spherical Moeraki Boulders, the white clock-face in the hill at Alexandra & the giant fruit at Cromwell.

Arrive in Queenstown around 7.30pm & to be honest my initial reaction was one of disappointment. The scenery was stunning, but the drive in the X-Trail was not the best, the service in the hotel (Oaks Shores) was poor & the draught beer tasted awful (don't bother drinking anything not out of a bottle if you're ever in Queenstown).

Tuesday 20th February: An early start to get north to Makarora for the 'Siberian Experience'... we're delayed slightly by a herd of cows on the road but still make it in good time. Met by our 'travelling partners' who are of Polish origin & ask Lucy & I if we can speak German....the conversation doesn't really progress much further than "No". We fly in a small plane, up and into the Siberian range - truly spectacular & flying so close to the mountains really made it a special experience. We then have a 2 hour hike which passes through the valley beneath the mountains - offering some stunning views - before arriving at the jet boat which takes us back to the start point. The fact that the water levels are so low make for an even bumpier ride. If you have the time would definitely recommend doing this if you're in NZ.

After we get back to the Lodge we have a bite to eat & head for Queenstown once more. This time we're staying in Azur - and the experience there brilliant. The people, the rooms, the facilities, the free beer, the spa bath with a view & the whole set up could not have been better. Awesome.

Wednesday 21st February: Wake up to a glorious dawn. Could sit and watch the scenery all day - the colours & light change so much - but have another couple of things planned. First off, it's rafting down the Shotover river...grades 3 & 4 made a little trickier to navigate by the lack of water (it's been the driest summer in years here) but our guide Mark (aka Dugald McDugald) proves entertaining & we have plenty of goes at tipping over the raft until I'm literally thrown out!

Then we head to Kawarau Bridge to do a bungy.... I've always wanted to do the one where you leap off a bridge & dunk your head into the water. I was fine as my legs were trussed together & attached to the bungy cord....in fact I was fine until I was asked to stand and shuffle forward towards the ledge. It was only at this stage that I thought "Bloody Hell it's a long way down" (50m in fact) and my body started to tell me not to go through with it. However, with Lucy coming just behind me & the viewing gallery (yes they had a viewing gallery) full I didn't want to pull out now and so as the countdown began 5-4-3- I jumped! Talk about stomach churning....an amazing experience diving down and heading for the water... although the stomach churning only increased on the 1st bounce! Fortunately, I made it out of the water in one piece & in time to see Lucy make her jump (much more gracious than me!). Not sure if I'd do it again, but there is a 150m+ ledge to leap off in Queenstown.

After a quick change into dry clothes we headed back to the hotel for canapies & dinner served in our room. The food was provided by a local restaurant, but the view was provided by a greater being & was certainly the best in town.

Thursday 22nd February: Sadly we had to say goodbye to the luxury of Azur, but were sent on our way with a hearty breakfast. Before going to Te Anau we headed to Glenorchy & Wyuna Station for a spot of horse-riding. Basically, straight on a horse and up a mountain trail - passing above yet more glorious scenery - our guide spoke in glowing terms of the area & we also found out a fair bit about the workings of a farm in such country. Unfortunately, at times both of our horses (Lucy had Rio, I had Patches) seemed to enjoy munching the grass more than heading up the track...downhill & homeward bound was somewhat different! By now, the beauty of Queenstown & it's surrounding area have more than won me over.

We reached the Te Anau holiday park and checked into our room (with lake views providing you stood outside and tilted your head) before heading into town. A strange little place which basically looked like a large Butlins resort.... a few shops, bars etc but most things closed at 4pm.... and whilst the cinema served wine, the one screen was showing Casino Royale which we'd watched some-time ago. We headed to a little restaurant called Red-Cliff (recommended by the Rough Guide) & treated ourselves to Venison & Lamb - which was tasty, but a little rich. Lucy was wasted after just two sips of the local 'wild cider'.

Friday 23rd February: Another early start as we are on the road by 6am - headed for Milford Sound. Yet another spectacular drive through twisty country roads - I could get used to driving here! Although would be tempted to ban camper vans. Through the tunnel which we later find holds the annual Nude run (1st April if you're heading there) & into the most spectacular backdrop to a road of the whole trip. Today we're kayaking on Milford Sound (named for Milford Haven but a LOT prettier) & then walking the last part of the famous Milford Track. The scale of the Sound is staggering - a 150m waterfall (3x Niagra Falls) looks puny.... distances of 9km look nothing....Wow. And we pass a few seals basking in the sun during the day.

The only downer on the day is the rather large number of sandflies....and the little blighters LOVE to bite. Standing still is the signal for a swarm of flies to cover you in little bites...I manage to escape with 10-15 on my hands and arm but some German trekkers have not been so lucky and I see legs covered in bites. Somehow Lucy hasn't got a single one. Our guides Rosie (from Swaledale in North Yorkshire) & Tex (after Chuck Norris' Texas Ranger) both give good insights into the history of the area and the local flora & fauna. It's such a shame that the only land mammals not brought by the Europeans are 2 species of bats & the rest have been introduced to the detriment of native birds.

It's a long day as we are kayaking for 4-5 hours & then walking for 3-4, but we realize that we're not going to make it back to Te Anau before closing so stay around for some dinner....pizza and wedges in the only local bar. The drive back is a little like a video game at times, attempting to dodge rabbits and the more abundant possums (introduced from Australia for the fur trade, their numbers have rocketed to 80million plus in recent years).... despite swerving to avoid many of the critters I'm sure I take out 2-3 on the way.

Saturday 24th February: Wake up to a scene reminiscent of when my Mum's house didn't have central heating - 2 duvets on the bed & having to walk around in woolly hat & thermals when not undercover! A long drive ahead of us & decide to have breakfast in Queenstown in order to break up the drive. Eat in "William's Cottage" overlooking Lake Wakatipu, then 6 hours through Twizel (a strange little town) & the 'Inland Scenic Route' (which isn't that scenic when compared to the Southern Alps & Fiordland. However, Mt Cook & the glacial lake it forms are impressive - a wonderful shade of blue.

Make it to Christchurch in order to rid ourselves of the X-Trail which has admittedly done it's job well, then have a few beers & a bite to eat (a cracking kebab) with one of Lucy's friends - Bryan - before hitting the sack. Have a feeling that Christchurch could be a lively place given half the chance.

Sunday 25th February: Our final early start - and the earliest to boot. 4am, would have been earlier if the hotel receptionist had her way, and a total of 3 hours sleep. Slept the whole way back - an appropriate end to what had been an action packed week.

So what do I think of New Zealand? A little bit English (Christchurch & around), a little bit Scottish (Dunedin) & a little bit Welsh (valleys & sheep) but more dramatic, more awe inspiring. The people are a lot more laid back than the Aussies (& also the Kiwis I've met abroad) and friendly. A truly awesome country with the most dramatic scenery.

Would I recommend you going? Yes...just remember the fly spray!

Would I go back? Absolutely.... I would take more time about it this time & allow time to potter about rather than dashing from activity to activity. And would love to check out the North Island too. I also think it would be a great place to live....time to check out the immigration forms?

The Lynx Effect

Just back from New Zealand - we both had an absolutely amazing time. Plenty to write about, but that's going to have to wait a day or two until I have the time.... in the meantime I thought I'd share a newspaper article I came across whilst browsing through the local paper over breakfast in Dunedin.

A teenager's car exploded when he used Lynx deodorant spray to polish his dashboard - and then lit a cigarette, igniting the aerosol's fumes.

Not quite the Lynx effect the advertisers were looking for!

I'll give a fuller update on our adventure later in the week - but rest assured New Zealand more than lives up to all expectations.....

Degustation

Just been for a lovely dinner wih Lucy, Bric, KB & George @ the Angel (overlooking Freshwater Beach). Menu was choice of seafood, seafood or more seafood (Mike would have loved it!). 8 course degustation menu for $50 each (£20) & BYO wine (brought along some of our finds from the Hunter Valley). The food was great, service friendly & it was so good to catch up with friends from home. A couple of KB's rugby friends turned up too - and they were 'top blokes' think Lucy has signed us to go looking for poisonous snakes....I've signed us up to look for Lucy's favourite...the platypus! KB & George both did well to counter the jet lag and stay with us...but think it became a bit too much for KB eventually (a brave man to fly for 24hrs, go to office, go to lunch & then go for dinner!)....probably feel better for it in the morning as will catch up with the time.

Back to ours after - and I can honestly say that I was proud to show our flat off - it really is a lovely place to live!

Off to New Zealand for a week so next update when I return!

Our First Redback.....

Found a red-back on our balcony for the first time last night.. Have to admit I was slightly worried, but I guess it was going to come at some point. Turns out they are not quite as venomous as I thought (although still one of the most poisonous spiders in the world) & only one person has died from a bite since anti-venom was created in 1958.

Decided I'd read up about red-backs & found some interesting facts about them on wikipedia.

The red-back spider is one of only two animals to date where the male has been found to actively assist the female in sexual cannibalism. In the process of mating, the much smaller male somersaults to place his abdomen over the female's mouthparts. In about 2 out of 3 cases, the female consumes the male while mating continues. Males who were not eaten died soon after mating.

The act of sacrificing himself allows the male two advantages (not sure how been eaten can create any advantages) over males who are not eaten. The first is that males who were eaten were able to copulate for a longer period and thus fertilize more eggs. The second is that females who had eaten a male were more likely to reject subsequent males. So there you go.....

Turns out red-backs are fans of sandstone....guess what our apartment is built into? Yes, that's right - a cliff-face of sandstone. Fingers crossed I don't find a spider lurking under the toilet seat!

700 Sundays

After the disappointment of Little Britain Live, 700 Sundays was a welcome surprise on Friday. An autobiographical, one-man show starring Billy Crystal - 700 Sundays was heartwarming, enjoyable, amusing & sad - for once something which live up to the press plaudits. It's a long time since I have seen anything so good!

After another rush to get to the theatre (it's so tricky for Lucy to get into the CBD on an evening with all the traffic) & a rushed down curry we found our seats way 'up in the gods'....however, the view was unobstructed and we weren't really so far away that we couldn't relate to Billy's mannerisms on stage. The set is based on his childhood home & makes good use of the windows & blinds to relay images to the audience. Seems like he had a pretty cool childhood - with his family having strong connections to the Dixieland jazz scene - with one of the results that 'Mr. Billy' had a very good friend in Miss Billie (Billie Holliday!)! The way he talked about his grandparents (his nan weighed 300lbs...his grandpa propelled himself around by farting!) was amusing, and the effect that the death of his father had on him (at the age of 15) was apparent.

The first half of the show was very amusing, but the 2nd half became a bit more melancholy with the talk of death - how he puts himself through that every night I do not know. The show is now touring around the world - so if you get the chance to see it, make sure you snap up tickets.

BTW 700 Sundays comes from the number of Sundays Billy managed to spend with his father before his early death (his father worked so hard that the only time they had together was Sunday).

Saturday was an early start and Lucy & I managed to be sat in Kayaks on Middle Harbour by 8.30... a bit of a longer journey this time, and poor Lucy had to cope with a snapped rudder (which makes sea-kayaks tricky to control) on the way back. Still not sure how she managed to get back. Of course, I managed to go one step further and badly graze my hand on a oyster as I got out of the kayak (lost my balance slightly & put my hand out....don't think I've seen so much blood in a while...almost passed out due to lack of food, water & blood!).

Made ourselves feel better with a lovely lunch / afternoon tea in Harry's Fish Cafe...nice views & lots of salad to go with some well cooked fish (I had snapper, Lucy had flathead & we shared some calamari). Then home for a couple of drinks, watched Jumanji on TV & then headed out to Manly Fishos to see a live band. Not bad, but was feeling VERY tired so home by mid-night.

Today, another early start with breakfast at Angel - just up the road from us with views overlooking Freshwater Beach. Eggs, Tomato & Toast for me, Pancakes for Lucy & a fruit plate to share - got the day off to a great start. We then went to pick up our new coffee table (distressed finish, 1m x 1m, been looking for something like that for a while) and had a minor nightmare struggling to get that into the car!

Quickly headed to the City to catch the start of a fortnight of Chinese New Year celebrations - it's the year of the Pig! A parade down George Street, ending at Belmore Park...some fascinating things to look at, but perhaps went on for a bit too long for my liking! Escaping the crush of people we headed on to Darling Harbour for some food - I had a fantastic Chili Dog (just the right amount of lip burn!), Lucy some steamed vegetables & rice - before heading home....now listening to England finally come good in the cricket & looking forward to bed after what has been a fun if energy sapping weekend!

Bad news to end the week - my brother is in hospital. Went in yesterday with blood in his vomit....he's diabetic & allergic to penicillin....they took no blood sugar tests & sent him home with some anti-biotics containing...yes, you guessed it penicillin. Vomited blood again during the night & in quite some state so took back to hospital in an ambulance (& the only bed they had was in a female word - shocking).... amazing the lack of competence in the NHS... is it any wonder they get sued so often? Compares so badly to the service that I received here in Manly...they couldn't give me blood tests & scans quickly enough - think that says a lot about the inefficiencies of the relative health systems. He's really not well at the moment, blood sugar all over, and sedated - hopefully some good news to come by the time of my next update.

Not so Great "Little Britain"

Went to see Little Britain Live on Tuesday, with Lucy. We'd both been looking forward to it for an age, but to be honest it was a complete disappointment. The long, traffic-laden journey Lucy endured to get there, and the cold, soggy hot-dog we had (only food left by the time we got there) hardly set the scene for a top evening. The show itself made interesting use of the stage, but the jokes were 'old' & to be honest a times just plain vulgar. The only time I really was amused was then they 'ad-libbed' the sketch in the paint shop - later found the ad-lib the previous Saturday was exactly the same. Felt sorry for the bloke brought onto the stage only to have his pants pulled down (guess that might have been staged too) & the "fat people" who were abused. If you're thinking of going to see the show, don't. (The DVD is identical btw).

The night was only made worse when we had the 2nd car-park nightmare in a week. Took 20mins to queue up to pay (a step $20) & then a further 25 mins to get out of the car-park. As a result we didn't get home until after midnight....wish I'd stayed at home!

Anzac Memorial

On Friday morning, the sun was shining and so I nipped out of the office for 30 minutes or so and made my way to Hyde Park. I'd been past the Anzac memorial a few times before, but didn't realize you could actually go inside it (all I'd noticed was a large, locked door and signs warning you to "Keep off the steps"). So it was a pleasant surprise when I did make my way inside....

The Memorial was completed in 1934 as a memorial to the ANZACs (i.e. Australian & New Zealand troops) who had lost their lives in the 1st World War & at Gallipoli in particular.

The inside of the building is particularly impressive with a large domed roof (emblazoned with subtle gold stars), with the names of battles in recesses in the walls, and a hole in the centre through which one looks down onto "The Sacrifice".

'The Sacrifice’ comprises a bronze group of sculptures depicting the recumbent figure of a young warrior who has made the supreme sacrifice; his naked body lies upon a shield which is supported by three womenfolk - his best loved Mother, Wife and Sister and in the arms of one is a child, the future generations for whom the sacrifice has been made.

['The Sacrifice'] illustrates the sacrifice engendered by war, self-sacrifice for duty and the beautiful quality of womanhood which, in the war years, with quiet courage and noble resignation, bore its burdens, the loss of sons, husbands and lovers.

There was also a quiet area for reflection, and a small museum to the fallen soldiers in conflicts from 1900 to the present day. The museum looks underfunded, but it's all the better for it, I think, as too many places have superfluous interactive exhibits. Another place I would definitely recommend visiting if you have 30 mins to spare in Sydney.

The only thing I didn't like was the Lake of Reflection which resembles a poor man's version of the lake outside the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC (remember Forrest Gump running through it?). However, at night, when the lighting is on - the double meaning of Reflection comes to life and it really can look quite impressive.

It's amazing what you can stumble upon during a morning 'leg-stretch'!

England Win.....at last!

On Friday evening, Lucy & I went to the SCG to watch the Australia v England ODI. One of Lucy's colleagues had kindly lent us tickets in the Member's Pavilion for the evening (I guess he thought it would be a stroll). I have to admit that I thought we were in for another drubbing and since England had yet to beat Australia in 9 games on tour it's hardly surprising I was so pessimistic.
However, it was great to see England finally play up to potential & a good century from Joyce gave our bowlers a good target to defend. It might have been different if Symonds hadn't retired hurt (he will be a big loss for Australia in the World Cup as for my money he is one of the best players around in limited overs cricket). A well deserved win I thought on the night......and about time too!

Sitting in the Pavilion was an enjoyable experience too - we were right by where the Australian team emerged to bat - and we had a good nose around the gallery & the museum which had an eclectic array of items from games & events held at the SCG (including a drum from the Military Tattoo held there in 2001).

The one bad thing about the game was that with England looking likely winners, from an early stage in the Australian innings, the crowd started to drift out early and the atmosphere sagged as a result. However, this was made up for to some extent by the 'beer glass snake' competition. Basically, sections of the crowd put together their empty plastic glasses and held them above their heads like a snake. This started in the Doug Walters stand & virtually every area of the crowd had a go until the Bill O'Reilly stand emerged the winner with a snake which almost ran the length of the stand.... the stewards were a little perplexed as to what to do to spoil the fun. The member's stand managed 5-6 glasses....very average!

The Barmy Army should be praised for their continued support and many of them left the ground singing "9-1, We've only lost 9-1....". Amazing what drinking in the sun does to the brain!

Getting out of the car park was a nightmare too.... took 45 mins.... piece of advice number 23: Never park in the Entertainment Quarter if you're not willing to leave before the end of an event, or not willing to have a post-event drink. It's just not worth the hassle of sitting in a queue for so long.

On Saturday morning we went for a kayak tour in Middle Harbour. An excellent time was had by all, and as well as getting some advice on technique, seeing some interesting wildlife (birds diving under water for a start) and some fantastic houses (including one that looked like it was straight out of the Jetsons - designed by Jorn Utzon who also designed the Sydney Opera House), we also were given lots of ideas as to where we could paddle on our own. Our guide was called Kate & she was extremely helpful throughout the tour - we even had cheese and biscuits along with a cup of tea at the half-way stage - and managed to paddle about 9km in the 4hr session. Would thoroughly recommend it to anyone visiting Sydney. We enjoyed it so much that the plan is to go out on a little adventure paddle ourselves this coming Saturday....maybe even take a picnic with us.

After the paddle we had a nice lunch overlooking the harbour at a place called 'Plonk' .... amusing sign outside 'Plonk a Pooch' where you could tie your dog to a pole, with some shade & some water...very good idea. On the evening we treated ourselves to a selection of cheese & bread from the 4 Seasons Deli in Manly & sipped some of the wine & port we'd brought back from the Hunter Valley....awfully civilized!!

On Sunday we continued our hectic weekend with a bit of a 'circuit session' which only served to get us VERY hot & make us realize just how out of condition we are. Then jogged to the beach and went for a swim in the rock-pool at Queenscliff. It's amazing how cold the water can be, even in this sun! We had to brace ourselves to jump in!

On the way back, we waded through Manly lagoon...which was lovely. Made us stop and think that even though things haven't gone 100% our way so far on this adventure they are still pretty good and we are VERY fortunate to live where we do. We could basically wade across the lagoon for some way, with some of the many fish circling around us (some of them can jump several feet into the air), before we made the error of getting out and walking along a path filled with small spikes (some form of seed) which dug into our feet! (Lucy was still digging them out tonight!)

Sunday evening we went for drinks in the Manly Wharf Hotel to celebrate the 22nd Birthday of Sarah - one of our house-guests - and then had a bit of pizza on the way home before hitting the sack at the end of what was a really good weekend. Shame to spoil it by going back to work! At least I've got a trip to NZ to look forward to in a couple of weeks....and that is going to be excellent!