Judith

2011-04-19T19:52:00.000-07:00

Alan flew home one hour ahead of me. We connected in San Francisco and flew home together.
We left 32 K Down Under

last night

2011-04-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

The open air cinema in Sydney was the perfect event to end our Australian odyssey. Since it was Valentines Day, the movie was "Love and Other Drugs". It wasn't memorable but the setting was spectacular. We had a delicious meal and a bottle of wine, after a very kind Japanese girl gave me her ticket for free. We walked back to the hotel from the waterfront.

Down Under finale

2011-02-13T21:04:00.000-08:00

Through the Botanical Gardens and out to Mrs McQuarries point. Beautiful flowers...lotus blossoms the size of dinner plates and eels in the pond, a meter long. We discovered a movie theater set up beside the harbour with the screen on a platform on the water. We will try and get tickets as our Valentines treat, tonight. Then fly away home tomorrow.

Cheers mates...Judith and Alan

back to the beginning

2011-02-12T22:08:00.000-08:00

We're really are going out in fine style. We had to find our own accommodation for these last two nights and this is what we settled on. Oh boy. Imagine standing at the bottom of those stairs with 6 pieces of luggage. Ugh. But it's fine and well located and clean. We've been down to the waterfront, exchanged a defective suitcase purchased here almost 5 months ago, bought some wine and breakfast food, got Alan's murse repaired and caught up with emails. We have found the little hotels provide free Wifi and the big hotels charge a fortune. We were hoping to spend the last day on Bondi Beach but it's overcast and drizzly so no chance. We'll just chill out. Transitioning back to reality is a challenge to be met.

final leg

2011-02-12T21:56:00.000-08:00

The 7 hour drive from Queenstown to Christchurch was full of expansive scenery. The mountain tops were shrouded in cloud so we missed some of the spectacle but what we did see we loved. The broad expanses appeal to our prairie hearts. We won't miss the price of petrol (about $1.65/litre).
BAck in Christchurch we handed in our car and spent a fair bit of time sorting our luggage. We had to eliminate 5 lbs each (the hotel had an electronic hand scale which was very helpful). We parted with our much loved coffee maker and coffee mugs, cereal bowls, cutlery, extra shampoo, books...all went to Salvation Army.
This morning we were up at 0300 to get to the airport for our 0600 flight. And a good thing we were there early. At check in, we learned our Australian Visas had expired. Alan had checked prior to the flight and thought we would be ok but NOT. Panic on my part at the counter! But we were directed to a computer and given a site to apply for new Visa and Yayyy, were approved and got on the plane. My friend Gwyneth had wanted some NZ grass (which I picked) but after listening to the overhead announcements about plants and animal products(I also had some raw wool), verboten and jail, I disposed of them (except for one blade of grass...but don't tell anyone). What a wimp I am. So here we are, back in Sydney.

farewell Queenstown

2011-02-10T00:13:00.000-08:00

We set our tomorrow morning for our last day of driving...to Christchurch, about 7 1/2 hours. We're trying to absorb every last morsel of warmth and sunshine that we can. We're there for 2 nights and catch our flight back to Sydney at 0600, what a ghastly time. Hardly much point in even going to bed that night! Anyway, NZ has been terrific!

repeat trip to Glenorchy

2011-02-10T00:07:00.000-08:00

But this time, it wasn't pouring rain and we could see the breathtaking scenery we'd missed. There were huge glaciers on this mountain and several more snow capped peaks were visible in the distance. It was in this region that some of the Lord of the Rings movies were filmed.
On our drive to this area, we passed a film crew that was shooting something.

off the beaten track

2011-02-10T00:00:00.000-08:00

uncharted road past Glenorchy

2011-02-09T23:57:00.000-08:00

wine and pavlova

2011-02-09T23:55:00.000-08:00

Sipping some fine NZ Merlot, across the street from our hotel, and our final Queenstown dinner at Pier 19 on the waterfront The New Zealanders say they invented the pavlova and the Aussies say the same thing. Whoever did, it was sooooo delicious. Close to where I was sitting were some tables and a BBQ where the packpackers often go to cook their supper. Since we have to lighten our suitcases for the flight from here to Sydney, I took some extra supplies ie hotel shampoos, noodle soups, plastic cutlery, the goodie case from Air Canada First Class on the flight here, salt & pepers, to that table and left them in a bag with FREE written on. When we walked back from supper, the bag was still there, but there was a large group of cyclists having supper. I wonder if it'll still be there in the morning when we leave???

#6 to Wanaka

2011-02-09T00:53:00.000-08:00

Such a pretty country! We were at the top of a pass, looking back towards Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu in the far distance.

highest sealed (paved) road

2011-02-09T00:49:00.000-08:00

Our day trip took us up and up and up over this pass... on the way to Wanaka, 1 1/2 hours north of Queenstown.
Talk about vistas! We liked the road sign...not exactly sure what it means. There was a Texas gate a little ways past is but we'd not seen such a sign before. There were free ranging cattle, thus the T.gate.

can you find Alan?

2011-02-08T01:40:00.000-08:00

It's a version of..."find Waldo". One of more of loafing around. Reality is going to hit us like a ledge hammer I'm afraid, this time next week.
We still fly back to San Francisco on separate planes, one hour apart. Alan will try to get it changed when we get to the Sydney airport, but Air Canada tells us NO.
We definately are not looking foreward to the ice and snow and cold. Even though it hasn't been toasty here, we know it's much better than home.

around town

2011-02-08T01:31:00.000-08:00

a brisk walk in gale force winds, around the little Queenstown harbour. There was a very tall mast on one of the sail boats in harbour which looked very much like a racing boat ..like the kind used in the Sydney to Hobart race. The yacht was the only one on the lake. Apparently it had just arrived via overland route with a special dock having been built at Glenorchy on the end of the lake, to accommodate it's grandiose size. Alan wonders why anyone would want an ocean going vessel on a land locked lake????

Arrowtown

2011-02-05T22:12:00.000-08:00

This was a gold mining town, mid 1800's, now is a cute tourist destination close to Queenstown. It has retained and restored many of it's original buildings and has some very nice retail shops (and a great bakery). On the way back to QT we passed the river where jet boat rides were ripping up and down the rapids. It did look like fun but we timed it and the ride was about 5 minutes.

a drive

2011-02-05T22:04:00.000-08:00

It started out beautiful and ended up pouring rain. Glenorchy is at the northern end of the lake and is a tiny community and the starting area for many Lord of the Ring Tours . It's a very pretty combination of water, hills, and sky. We had taken a picnic but ended up eating it in the car since the rain didn't let up.

Queenstown

2011-02-04T14:42:00.000-08:00

There are over 100 restaurants and bars, with every ethnic group represented, I think, here. We don't have a kitchen so will try out a few. This was our Korean supper last night...very tasty and not too spicey.

Lake Wakatipu

2011-02-04T14:38:00.000-08:00

This is the largest lake in NZ and Queenstown is located on it, with the Remarkables mountain range running along one side. The Remarkables and the Rockies are the only mountain ranges in the world that run north-south.
As we sat outside beside the dock, some teens strung a strap across to some rocks and were attempting to walk across the strap. None of them made it very far. They all ended up diving/falling, belly flopping into the water...which was amazingly clear.
There are all kinds of boats offering a variety of trips up the lake. This is a steamship that goes to the end to a sheep farm and a dinner. There are jet boats that fly around to screams of delight. This place is the Adventure Capital of NZ. As we were driving in we watched 5 sky divers floating down and they all landed within feet of each other. There is a sky tram, juge, 4X4's, zip lines, serious hikes, rock climbing,white water rafting. Hmmmm, which shall we do???

venison on the hoof

2011-02-04T14:22:00.000-08:00

There are many deer farms around here. Venison is often seen on the menus and we did share a burger with said meat. It was good.

The drive from Te Anau to Queenstown was one of the prettiest. It does help to have the sun shining but the colors and hillsides were beautiful. One doesn't have to worry about moose, elk or deer on the highways, and there aren't many possums around here it seems.

mistletoe tramp

2011-02-04T14:16:00.000-08:00

While in Te Anau we hiked into this pretty little lake. It was only 1/2 hour walk but we were the only ones around...very quiet, no bugs, no bears!

tramping

2011-02-02T13:35:00.000-08:00

We decided against the Milford Track experience. I only wanted to go on the Track to be able to say that I was on it, and who really cares It was quite expensive and involved a coach ride, a boat ride and 4-5 hours of "tramping". With weather being so unpredictable here, it just wasn't worth it to me. So, instead, we walked around the end of Lake Te Anau to a dam and at 2 1/2 hours, that kind of maxed out our endurance.
It turned out to be a beautiful day, one of few up here, we gather.
This area of South West NZ is a World Heritage Area, covering 2.6 million hectares. They are trying to reintroduce many native animals and have an active program of trapping stoats (weasel), possum, & rats, which kill so many of the original critters.

funny sign

2011-02-02T13:22:00.000-08:00

We got a chuckle from this sign in Te Anau (pronounced T AH NOW), if anybody cares. It was a perfect day yesterday, after that beautiful rainbow in the morning.

2011-02-01T14:20:00.000-08:00

Interpretive Centre on shore of Milford Sound

2011-02-01T14:17:00.001-08:00

pot of gold

2011-02-01T14:17:00.000-08:00

This was from our window this morning over Lake Te Anau

to Milforn Sound

2011-02-01T14:13:00.000-08:00

More computer challenges so have to be brief.
Homer Tunnel was a make-work project in 1929. It's through a huge rock face and was dug by hand with pick, shovel and wheelbarrow. It took 18 years to complete and the sole purpose was to get tourists to the Milford Sound! It's the creepiest tunnel ever...no lighting, water dripping from sides and roof, rough rock walls and rough roadway, and it's LONG. The rest of the drive to the Milford Sound (which is really a fjord) was much more impressive than I expected. It would rival our Rockies. There were glaciers in areas and many waterfalls. It was a very narrow valley, with huge towering mountains rising up very close to the roadway. It was like driving in a box canyon. I felt clausterphobic!
On the boat trip we went on, we learned the Sound averages 7-9 METERS of rain a year. We were fortunate it didn't pour on us. It was overcast so we couldn't see the top of some of the mountains but it still was impressive. There are 14 Fjords in this area (all incorrectly called Sounds) so they tried rectifying the error by calling it Fiordland...and spelled it wrong. A fjord is formed by glaciers carving out space between mountains to the sea and the sides rise directly from the ocean. A Sound is carved by water flowing to the sea and has gentle hills on it's banks as the ocean backs up into the water basin.
The Milford Track hike is 53 km and I always wanted to do it. It now has to be booked to get on and no camping is allowed. There are huts, lodges along the way, guides to carry gear so it very civilized. We have the opportunity to do a part of the track and I'm debating if it's worth it or not.

2011-01-31T21:06:00.000-08:00

Milford Sound

2011-01-31T21:05:00.000-08:00

2011-01-31T21:03:00.000-08:00

2011-01-31T21:01:00.000-08:00

driving to Te Anau

2011-01-31T21:00:00.000-08:00

2011-01-31T20:55:00.000-08:00

bales of hay, logging on hillside, and just a few of the 739,289 sheep (give or take a few because they were moving) that I counted on the way to Te Anau

shoes and cathedrals

2011-01-29T22:44:00.000-08:00

Has anyone seen shoes like these? I wanted to try them on but the store was closed and we leave early in the morning, so won't get the chance. I've not seen them before. they were displayed in a serious shoe store but I couldn't see the make.

The other pics show the Dunedin cathedral, train station and Chinatown entrance.

Port Chalmers

2011-01-29T22:40:00.000-08:00

Up the other side of the peninsula from where the castle is, we found this very busy little port. There was all kind of interesting activity going on. There also was a little art park at the top of a hill overlooking the harbour. It amazes me what some people call art. (see following blog). We have learned nearly all the logs harvested in NZ go overseas for processing now, thus putting most of the lumber mills out of business.

2011-01-29T22:33:00.000-08:00

armless, upside down man

2011-01-29T22:32:00.000-08:00

It never ceases to amaze me what some people call art. We found this piece at the top of a hill in Port Chalmers. there were 3 other pieces equally odd, but the grounds were lovely! We had lunch outside, at Cleary Bay.

2011-01-29T00:48:00.000-08:00

How's that for a sky? It rained hard all morning so we stayed put in our tiny little cell. It's actually just fine and we discovered a large common area with big kitchen facilities, just down the hall. I watched Master Chef...Australia ,while Alan did some business paper work.
After eating spinach salad with orzo and chicken in our room we ventured out to a castle friends had told us about. The road ran along the ocean and then climbed to the top of a "mountain".

Larnach Castle

2011-01-29T00:39:00.000-08:00

On a long peninsula of land, east of Dunedin, lies the only castle in NZ. It was built by a wealthy Aussie in 1871, and he raised several children and 3 wives there. (not all at the same time). The story is not a happy one, the children sounded spoiled and petulent and resentful of stepmothers and didn't like the isolation. Larnach senior shot himself and the adult children didn't want anything to do with the place (but wanted his money). The castle was abandoned for many years until a family decided they would take on the challenge of restoring it, raising their family there, and sharing it with the world. It also has guest accommodations in separate buildings with the most spectacular views. It is a beautiful place and has been lovingly restored to it's former glory. The grounds have been redone and
many are unique to NZ. Period furniture and some original pieces of the Larnach family have been used in refurnishing it.

staircase to the stars

2011-01-29T00:24:00.000-08:00

The spiral staircase to the battlements of the castle
on the very top was an interesting climb (going down was worse), but what a view. Talk about feeling isolated on that hilltop back in the late 1800's. The family was not very happy stuck out there, in spite of all the servants and wealth. They called it "The Camp"! And the wind blowing in the huge trees made such a howling sound. I think it would be creepy in the dark.

2011-01-29T00:15:00.000-08:00

Portobello, east of Dunedin.

soup & sunflowers

2011-01-27T23:49:00.000-08:00

Seafood chowder was served in this bread "tower" at a little cafe in Temuka, where we stopped for lunch today. It was a rural spot and fun for eavesdropping on conversations amongst the locals.
The journey was about 6 hours south, along the eastern coast, but not close enough to see much ocean. And about 2/3 of the way to Dunedin, it fogged right in and rained so we couldn't see much. It seemed the area we passed along was the breadbasket of the South Island. Fields and fields of grain crops, all ripe for harvesting. And then we saw these fields of sunflowers...so pretty.

Moeraki Boulders

2011-01-27T23:40:00.000-08:00

These unique septarian concretions are exposed along the shore at Hampden, about 30 mins north of Dunedin. They were formed in mud flat millions of years ago and erosion is slowly exposing them from the bank along this part of the NZ coast. They are only seen here. It was raining and windy so we didn't linger, but they were very unusual...like giant bowling balls!

more boulders

2011-01-27T23:32:00.000-08:00

tiny rooms

2011-01-27T23:30:00.000-08:00

Near Dunedin the clouds shrouded the whole countryside. I'm sure it must have been pretty if the sun was shining. It's raining still as we adapt to the tiniest room yet. Ah, the joys of adventure!

spectacular

2011-01-26T21:41:00.000-08:00

I run out of superlatives....scenery, flowers, sounds, smells, tastes, sights...it's so exciting to experience such new things.
I ranted at the car rental company and we got a decent car for today, Alan retrieved his lost credit card, and I'm trying not to fret about the Edmonton house and the water damage and lack of insurance support, and my itchy bee stings. When you look at the following pictures, how can one dwell on the trivial? (not that leaking ceilings are trivial).

2011-01-26T21:31:00.000-08:00

drive to Akaroa, more pics to follow.

2011-01-26T21:26:00.000-08:00

dialogue to follow

superlatives are inadequate

2011-01-26T21:24:00.000-08:00

To the east coast, to the Banks Peninsula, and the French town of Akaroa. It's about 1.5 hours east of Christchurch and was first settled by the French in the mid 1800's. Only the street names sound French but apparently there are festivals celebrating their heritage. It's now a tourist spot for boat trips and dolphin swims. We had our picnic lunch in the company of a one footed seagull beside the water, in the sunshine and wind. we went off on an unmarked road and ended up in a Maori settlement and a dead end road.
The road around the peninsula was the most spectacular we have been on. No one else was on the road but us, so we could stop and take pics whenever...it was awesome.

train trip

2011-01-25T23:44:00.000-08:00

Transalpine

2011-01-25T23:42:00.000-08:00

From Christchurch to Greymouth via 80 year old train today. It was great...from the Canterbury Plains, then deep gorges, and through the Southern Alps to the coastal town where the NZ miners died in Nov. The families are still trying to get the mine company to go in and retrieve the bodies but it's unsafe to do that yet.
We sat with a very nice lady from Sydney who told me the name of the blue flowers that we've seen all over Aus and here...agapanthus!

We're waiting for another rental car and Alan lost his Mastercard. He thinks he knows where he left it but when we went to the shop, after the train trip, they were closed. (probably out buying lots of things with his card!!!). Hopefully both issues will be resolved satisfactorily tomorrow.

I also learned today that there used to be 100,000,000 sheep in NZ and now only 30,000,000. A lot of farmers are raising cattle instead (not sure why). One sheep station we passed today was 35,000 hectares of hilly countryside. You'd need a plane to gather them up!

the earth shook!

2011-01-24T23:14:00.000-08:00

Literally, there was what they call an aftershock, this morning as I was pouring our morning coffee. We grabbed our purses and coffee and were heading for the stairs when a housekeeper said "no worries, just go if the fire alarm rings". There have been many slight tremors since the big one in September (damaged buildings all over). What a weird feeling. We heard later it was a 4.2. We had felt a little one once while on Salt Spring Island years ago and this was definitely stronger than that one.
Don't think I'd like to live on this fault line, yet Christchurch has the third highest real estate value in NZ. It's population is 350,000.

art & punting

2011-01-24T23:05:00.000-08:00

An historic tram transports people (for a price) through the heart of Christchurch. One can get on and off at will for a 24 hour period of time. We crossed over a bridge and saw a punter on the Avon River (just like Cambridge). The Museum of Art had this rather whimsical display of a "resting horse". I rather liked it! The modern looking building is the Museum of Art and is free.

It was 21C,windy and cloudy.
Petrol was $2.05/l in a small town on our way to town, otherwise it's consistently $1.97-$1.99 all over NZ (so far).

Blenheim-Christchurch

2011-01-24T01:35:00.000-08:00

What a spectacular day. The sun was shining, the road wasn't busy, we stopped a dozen times to soak in the sights along the way. So many acres of vineyards, and the ocean along the east coast...azure, cobalt, glacial, emerald...so many colors! It was just beautiful. It's quite dry except where irrigated. It took us 6 hours to drive the 317 km, we stopped so many times to ogle.

2011-01-24T01:24:00.000-08:00

2011-01-24T01:22:00.000-08:00

Christchurch

2011-01-24T00:47:00.000-08:00

The Cathedral, town center, tour tram and earthquake repairs. There is scafolding all over downtown, with many places still waiting for repairs after the Sept earthquakes.

gardens

2011-01-22T22:01:00.000-08:00

Seymour Square is right across the street from our Blenheim hotel. It's a smallish town and so this gorgeous garden was a surprise. It obviously is well maintained and had such an array of flowers and greenery. It's the first time I've seen chard used as a bedding plant!

It is raining, but we drove to Nelson on the north coast today for lunch and because we'd heard it was a nice town...which it was. It was a pretty drive but the hills were shrouded in mist so we couldn't see too far. Our rental car was acting up so we got a different one while in Nelson. Christchurch tomorrow.

telephone poles and bee stings

2011-01-22T21:50:00.000-08:00

We took a road less travelled back to Blenheim. I thought you might like to see a NZ telephone pole! (that's a hazard when snapping pics out the window as we drive). But the clouds were so dramatic and the sheep so pastoral...just look past the pole.
Just after we stopped at a high point near St. Arnaud, I was stung by a bumblebee, a couple times, before I saw it on my leg, in the car. Thankfully it was me and not Alan that was stung as he had forgot his murse (man's purse) at the hotel so didn't have his epi-pen. Since we were really in the boon docks, he would have been dead by the time I got him to a hospital!
We just heard on the news that Taupo, where we just left, had a huge amount of rain, and flooding. Sound familiar??

Wellington wanderings

2011-01-21T20:28:00.000-08:00

Wellington Museum

2011-01-21T20:25:00.000-08:00

What a great museum, and it was free. The very long canoe is carved from one tree and is a war canoe. The boat with the woven sail is a 1/3 replica of what the early Maori's used to get to new lands with provisions and families. The carvings were very interesting and each told a story of ancestors and history.

2011-01-21T20:21:00.000-08:00

Leaving Wellington Harbour on the ferry .

sheep and ferry

2011-01-21T20:18:00.000-08:00

Sailed from the North Island, from Wellington, to Picton on the northern tip of the South Island. It was a 3 hour sail, the ferry a bit smaller than the BC ferries that travel from Tsawwassen and Victoria
The weather is decidedly cooler and wetter than Taupo was. Car rental fellow said it's been unseasonably cold. Where have we heard that before?
There were two trucks with 5 levels of sheep onboard, probably on their way to market.

What we see so far on our way to Blenheim, where we stay 2 nights before Christchurch, is lots and lots of vineyards, steep hills, sheep and low clouds. Very pretty.

2011-01-19T20:08:00.000-08:00

Foxton Beach and the range of mountains running down the centre of the North Island, north of Wellington.

Have just learned that Edmonton has had so much snow that the house on 142 St has ice buildup on the roof and is water running down the interior walls on the south side. Snow removal companies are swamped and the poor tenant is afraid the house will collapse! Oh the joys of rental property. We can HARDLY wait to get home to all this...that's sarcasm in case you didn't recognise it!

2011-01-19T19:58:00.000-08:00

Foxton is a seaside town on the west coast, about an hour north of Wellington. We drove in for lunch and it was a delightful little place.
It had dozens of small murals depicting some of it's history.

on the road again...Taupo to Wellington

2011-01-19T19:53:00.000-08:00

good bye Taupo

2011-01-19T19:49:00.000-08:00

Aratiatia dam release, interesting traffic sign, sunset on Lake Taupo and the condo we stayed in.

Tamaki Heritage Experience

2011-01-17T17:50:00.000-08:00

We were transported via bus to a Maori village outside of town for an evening of culture, entertainment and food. Two brothers gambled their Harleys on this project to introduce their culture to visitors. It was very well done, seemingly authentic, fun, yet serious at times, and educational. The food was cooked in big pits...chicken, lamb and fish plus veggies. Pavlova and steamed pudding for dessert. The dancing and story telling was impressive. It was a great experience. We had to drive back to Taupo after , in the dark and the rain. The rain was most welcome as the fire hazard is extreme right now. In fact, we drove through an area that was on fire. Today, it continues to rain steadily. We're preparing to leave Taupo on Thursday, for the 6 hour drive to Wellington...2 days there and then a ferry to the South Island.

Rororua

2011-01-17T17:40:00.000-08:00

We had a pint and fish and chips along the harbour front of Lake Rotorua. The beautiful building is now the museum but was originally built in 1907 as a bath house to encourage tourism. The warm waters were piped from this thermal pool of boiling water nearby. There was quite a strong smell of sulphur in the area and as one drove around town. Government Gardens were as manicured and pretty as any we've seen. It's very dry in the area with fire hazard posted as extreme.

kiwi

2011-01-17T17:32:00.000-08:00

Yayyy, it's working. The kiwi history is amazing. There were millions of them when the Maori first arrived and now there are only about 40,000 left. Stoats,(weasels), feral cats and dogs and man, have brought them to the brink of disappearing forever. This place is a conservation centre where eggs are incubated, and they are raised and released when about 6 months old. It costs about $4,000. per released bird and about 900 have been set free so far. The survival rate is very high compared to that in the wild. 95% of legs laid in the wild never have an adult as an end result. Kiwis are very odd. They have more mammalian characteristics than any bird. They have no tale, virtually no wings, they have nostrils on the end of their long beaks, the egg they lay is 1/3 their body weight (equivalent of a women having a 38 lb baby). The males incubate the egg for 2 months. They don't peck their way out of the shell, they stretch with legs and beak to break the shell. Once out they rest for a day and then are up and finding worms and grubs. The program allows their development to be as natural as possible, with minimal human handling. They are banding and have transmitters for research. We only saw one adult and one baby since they are nocturnal and sleep during the day. There was a night vision room but it was difficult to wee well. Anyway, it was very interesting.

2011-01-17T16:58:00.000-08:00

sheep, kiwi, and culture

2011-01-17T16:51:00.000-08:00

Rotorua is a city about an hour north of Taupo. It is a centre of Maori cultural activities and we wanted to attend "a cultural experience" in the evening. Prior to that, though, we attended the show at the Agrodome, and watched s sheep being shorn, learned about 19 different types of sheep in NZ, watched tourists try to mile a cow, and herd dogs herd ducks. We missed the dog trials where they herded sheep. It was fascinating. The star of the show was a merino sheep. His wool was about 10" long. They never shear him completely because they are from Spain where it's hotter than here and they don't thrive here with no wool on. So, he just gets a trim every 3 months. He's the one at the top centre in the display. (they are all alive). A good shearer can do about 450-500 sheep in a 9 hour day. It's very tricky because ears can be cut off or muscles cut, skin torn. Takes 3 years to learn the art of shearing.We were able to rub the raw wool and could feel the lanolin on our hands (we also smelled like sheep after).

Saturday morning market in Taupo

2011-01-17T16:14:00.000-08:00

This was held near the marina close to Lake Taupo. Some stalls had such cute names. The produce/products were all local and everyone was very jolly. It was hot and sunny, perfect for just sitting and people watching after we'd bought a bag a freshly picked apples and yellow beans.

Pacific, possums and blossom

2011-01-14T20:03:00.000-08:00

The Pacific Ocean laps against the shores of Napier, on the east coast. While we visited there, we were amused by a display story about opossums. They were introduced from Aus in the early 1900's as a fur industry. However, they were so proliferate, they soon were eating all the fruit and garden and bush crops and plants. So now there is a big shooting, trapping, poisoning, running over them past time to get rid of them. They are a noxious pest. Their fur is very soft and warm and is used in with wool and silk in knitted garments. The road kill is depicted in this display and when a button is pushed, the song "on the road again" plays. In one day I counted 12 smucked ones on the highway.

Just a pretty flower.

around the lake

2011-01-14T16:17:00.000-08:00

A 6 hour journey around the 3 most recent volcanoes, and then around Lake Taupo. The east side of the volcano road was desolate, windy and devoid of habitation. The opposite side of the volcanoes was bountiful with farms, animals and crops. Why the difference? We have so many questions about forestry practices, crops, seasons (kiwi fruit in the stores is from the USA!) When I asked, I was told they were out of season here...can't they be stored??? Anyway, it was an interesting drive. The farms are called "stations", at least large properties are called that.

The most recent volcano erupted in 1983, so that's fairly recent and there are remnants of older ones all along the eastern coastal regions of NZ. Lake Taupo average depth is 100m but has some places of 180m. Alan went swimming and said it wasn't quite as cold as he expected. It is world famous for it's trout fishing, but not many 20 lbers any more, mostly 3-4 lbs.

volcanos

2011-01-12T16:06:00.000-08:00

Wai-O-Tapu

2011-01-09T21:35:00.000-08:00

More geothermals, and a geyser that goes off at 1015 every day. I couldn't figure out how that could be. But a ranger demonstrated how soap would activate the eruption, and so it did. This was quite an extensive area of bubbling, boiling water, mud, steam, streams, and lakes, craters, caverns, and the smell of sulphur wafting through the air. In some places where we walked you could hear the hollow sound of caverns below ground...very erie.

Craters of the Moon

2011-01-08T21:02:00.000-08:00

A geothermal area about 15 minutes north of Taupo was our destination today. You can hear the water boiling under the crust of earth in many places. Steam vents are many, of varying sizes and intensity. It's very ominous walking over an area where you know molten lava is not very far below. These are fairly recent (1950's) steam emitting areas. When hot water was removed for energy-producing plants, it lowered the water level and caused the temperatures to rise and boil, and steam worked it's way up through the earth...thus steam vents. There was some bubbling mud as well in the bottom of one of the craters. The last pic shows Taupo in the far background and just a bit of the lake on the right horizon.

lots of water

2011-01-08T20:40:00.000-08:00

The Aratiatia Dam, just outside of Taupo is part of a large power generating system. Four times a day water is released for 30 minutes to maintain the water level in the reservoir. The first pic shows the runoff pond and tiny stream before the dam opens and the second pic shows the volumn of water in the pond and rushing downstream after 15 minutes. It was quite dramatic. The third pic shows the Huka River which has short falls. The volumn of water which rushes through this narrow, shallow gorge is something like 200,000 litres/minute. There were a couple of jet boats downstream on the river. They would come very close to the base of the falls, spin around 360 degrees and give everyone a thrill in the foam and current. It was beautifully hot and sunny.

odds and ends

2011-01-07T14:57:00.000-08:00

There are lots of sheep! We came across this lot being herded by a bloke on an ATV with a couple of dogs. They looked like they had been just been sheared as a couple had smears of blood on them and you could see where the strips from the shears had cut through the wool. I'm sure they all felt naked! They were bleating and bahhhhing . It took about 10 mins for them all to move past us and towards a paddock.

The hibiscus had unusual coloring. The sign shows how far from home (it was posted at Cape Reinga).

Lake Taupo

2011-01-07T14:33:00.000-08:00

Lake Taupo is located about in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. It's a huge lake, the town has about 25,000 people and probably doubles in summer (which it is now). Our holiday rental for the 2 weeks we're here is ground floor, 2 bedrooms, 2 BR so I can be my usual insomniac self without worry about disturbing Alan. It's well equipped and good quality furniture. No Wifi has been solved by Alan's arrangement made with a nearby restaurant. He has paid to use their conference room , for both of us. So he's been busy doing month-end business while I wander the town.

I still am unable to use my blog site in it's usual fashion and have not received any response to my request for help. So, I'll continue with this VERY slow format.

The pics show the northern end of Lake Taupo, where we are; and the most common flowers that are in the countryside and cities. I think the gov't must have given bulbs away because you see banks of these flowers in remote farm roadsides all along the secondary highways. They are quite beautiful. Bougainvilleas, hydrangeas and hibiscus are also common flowers.

just a few

2011-01-06T20:31:00.000-08:00

a kauri tree staircase, the 90 Mile Beach which runs up the western coastline of northern NZ, the sand dunes that the adventurist can sandboard on, and Cape Reinga...at the most northern point of the North Island.

drat

2011-01-06T20:16:00.000-08:00

The blog is still not working properly.

The water pic is The Bay of Islands, in Northland NZ

2011-01-06T19:32:00.000-08:00

The blogging problem persists. Have asked for help from a web forum

ivy, calla lily, statues

2011-01-02T01:00:00.000-08:00

2011-01-02T00:47:00.000-08:00

In the centre of the city pic, can you see the Sky Jumper? People actually pay money to jump off the top of this tower. While we were up there on one of the 2 observation decks, we could watch them jump off. They would be suspended about 30' from the jump off deck and photos would be taken, and then they were released and dropped to the ground (via a cable, of course). Quite terrifying, just to watch. And we can watch them jumping from our hotel room.

There is a strong Polynesian influence in the population, as well as Asian , East Indian, Irish, Brits and Scots.

The skyline pic was taken from a ferry as we travelled to Devonport, a charming seaside town across the horbour.

2011-01-02T00:45:00.000-08:00

2011-01-02T00:40:00.000-08:00

Can't figure out what's not working with the usual way I post photos so can just do one at a time

The Sky Tower is a couple blocks from our hotel in downtown. The NYE fireworks were set off from the large observation deck of the tower. We had a primo view from the balcony of our hotel. It was spectacular.

Auckland

2011-01-02T00:35:00.000-08:00

Arrived in the City of Sails. Internet costs $25.00/24hrs at the hotel so we're at an Internet cafe. I have not been able to get the blog to post so this is a test.

moldy

2010-12-26T21:02:00.000-08:00

The rain continues. In fact, the ceiling in our kitchen is leaking! It started last night, then stopped shortly after we reported it. This morning a maintenace man came to see what was happening and by then the paint is blistered and the ceiling is damp. Now it just started dripping again. I really don't want to have to move suites since we will have to pack up again on Thurday in prepartation for our morning flight to NZ. So, we'll see.
During a lull in the rain at noon, we decided to break our cabin fever and go for a little drive. We'd been told about a popular pub in Tumbulgum so we headed there. The rain started pelting down and we could hardly see the countryside. It was rather exciting to see where the river was over flowing it's banks but after a quick beer at the pub, we decided it prudent to head for home. I feel so sorry for all those who are camping for their Christmas holidays. The caravan parks are full of very damp holiday makers.

Santa found us

2010-12-26T20:42:00.000-08:00

Club windfall

2010-12-24T01:12:00.000-08:00

POURING...flooding near here, vehicles backed up on roadways north of here due to water across roads. States of high alert and sand bagging. We couldn't even see the ocean through the rain!
Santa DID find us today when we won a big self basting turkey, a ham and a box of macadamia chocolates at a raffle at the Twin Town club. Since we're leaving on Friday we'll give the frozen turkey to the pastor of the church we've been attending (he has 7 kids), the ham we'll enjoy and of course, the chocolate will disappear.

Can you see Santa flying by the Sydney Harbour Bridge? He has a croc, a duck billed platypus, and a kangaroo to help Rudolph pull the sleigh.

candle lighting

2010-12-24T00:59:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve and we lit candles, in the Finnish tradition, for family and friends who have passed. It was a 5 tissue acknowledgement of what these special people meant to our lives. Mom & Dad, Cleve & Isobel, Gary, Donna & Stan, Jack, Peggy & Jose, Barb, Alex, Bob, Karl, Brian, Sue all sorely missed and loved.

from the sublime to the ridiculous

2010-12-22T22:08:00.000-08:00

Last night Alan had his company's first annual Chrissy Party (that's "Christmas" to non-Aussies) . He treated us to a very sumptuous dinner at a rooftop restaurant a block from where we are staying. We enjoyed scallops and swordfish, spring rolls, another kind of fish in lemon butter sauce and sticky date pudding with rum sauce and ice cream. The wine flowed freely and we had a very jolly time. ho ho ho

Today, a bit of sillyness. just to prove we have the Spirit.

Noosa

2010-12-21T02:21:00.000-08:00

These belong with the following dialogue.

north to Noosa

2010-12-21T02:17:00.000-08:00

Another trek, to the north, to Noosa Heads. It was a 4 hour drive with a stop at a ginger factory and a macadamia nut place. Ginger ice cream cones were our lunch and macadamia nut crunch for dessert. Weight Watchers, here I come again!!!
We drove on the motorway which was very boring as the trees were right up to the roadway and one couldn't see anything beyond. Alan had been to Noosa in the early 70's but he couldn't relate to anything he saw. It was hot, hot, hot. We sat at the beach for a few minutes, nibbled some cheese and crackers and headed back home. via the coastal road.
It was more interesting, especially an opal outlet we stopped at. I made a modest purchase and we continued on towards Colangatta. We soon decided it would take us forever to get back via the coastal road so we headed for the motorway again. Alan was getting a bit tired so I started reading to him from a book one of the ladies from church had lent me "A Fortunate Life" by Albert Facey. He relates his life story, starting as a virtually abandoned child in Western Australia in the early 1900's. His grandma couldn't support him any more so at 8 years of age he was sent to work on a farm. It's been an incredible story so far (he's now 14), and I can hardly wait to read more. So, my magnificent reading skills kept him awake until we got close to our destination. Plus stuffing our faces with more ginger chocolate.

Summer Solstice

2010-12-21T01:56:00.000-08:00

Today is the most hours of sunshine...I should be having a party!!!! (and we know that now the days will start getting longer at home).
There also was to be a total eclipse of the moon, at 7:40. We walked to the beach with some wine in our water bottle and some multi-grain chips to watch the event unfold. Unfortunately, a cloud cover prevented us from seeing an eclipse but we watched a most beautiful sunset. The air was soft and warm and still, the waves were lapping and we felt so blessed to have this time here. We sat on this wooden railing and watched as the sky turned burnt orange behind the high rise hotels. The Twin Towns pic is the club that is attached to our hotel.

sunshine...yayyyy

2010-12-16T01:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the sun was actually out until supper time. Gorgeous. Notice Alan's shadow...the sun is directly overhead!
A new friend from church lent me a book called Salvation Creek, written by Susan Duncan. It's her story and it was so interesting. She has been a journalist and women's magazine editor but it's her journey through great traumas, loss, cancer, moves, and finally finding peace and joy living in a tiny isolated community on an island within commuting distance to Sydney, Aus. Her similes and metaphors are so descriptive, one is right there with her. I loved it and would recommend it to any of my friends who want a read you can't put down.

black sapote

2010-12-16T01:40:00.000-08:00

This is called chocolate pudding fruit. We had bought it at an unattended rural fruit stand about 10 days ago. About the size of a small squash with the same firmness, it finally soften, indicating it's ripe. Once cut open, it smelled of chocolate prunes! I mashed it up, mixed a bit of sugar and some of the brandy custard into it and voila, dessert. Very different but good. It's a native of Mexico and Central America, a member of the persimmion family. Fun to try something new.

Just north of here violent rain storms have been smashing cars with tennis ball size hail, trees blown over, lightening strikes knocking out power to all of Brisbane, and cars swept off the roads by flooding water. Right now we have a zapping lightening storm going on here as well.

santa's arrival

2010-12-12T13:53:00.000-08:00

Carols in the Park...Justin Park in Burleigh Heads was the location for 35,000 people to celebrate the Christmas season. There were big stages with a variety of entertainers. Some actually sang some carols, most did their own thing. And then Santa arrived via helicopter onto the beach. The sand swirled up and even though we were aways away, we got sand in the face. Santa was very athletic and hundreds of children just swarmed him as soon as the chopper was gone. It was lovely, just sitting on the grass beyond the sand, and people- watching and listening to the entertainers. It was a family affair with lots of coolers, strollers, and folding chairs...and shorts and tee's.

fireworks on the beach

2010-12-12T13:39:00.000-08:00

A very commendable display, to the delight of all.