I don't like Milford Sound

Woke up this morning to the sound of someone running through the lodge banging on the doors - at 7.05am! Did not appreciate it. Had to vacate by 8.30am. Booked a place on the nature cruise for 10.30am and had breakfast. Muesli and yogurt, not as nice as the porridge yesterday. No sign of the keas. The ship was massive, with rooms for overnight stay and everything. Blair, our guide, gave very informative and amusing commentary. There were loads of waterfalls cascading off the rocks because of the rain and there not being any top soil. It was very very cold outside of the cabin. We saw some fur seals, some dolphins (a pod of 4, I think they were common or bottle nosed) and a couple of foirdland crested penguins. I liked it when we went out into the Tasmin sea, the rocking of the boat was very soothing. We played brain train. I felt totally miserable. We decided to go back to Wanaka and spend the remaining days of our holiday in luxury. When we got off the boat we saw that I had parked in a bus only parking space and we were blocked in. My only thoughts were of how much trouble I was in! Thank God we managed to get out ok and no one gave out to us. The Monster drove the first leg of the journey, the slippery slidy mountain roads from Milford Sound to Te Anu. The countryside was totally covered in mist. We saw 10 Harriers on the drive down yesterday. We saw 21 today, mostly in the Wanaka area. I drove from Te Anu to Queesntown. We stopped to pick up my meds, which I had left in the motel, then the Monster drove the last leg to Wanaka. It was about 6 hours driving altogether. It is really warm and sunny in Wanaka. Judith, the apartment manager welcomed us home and was really friendly. It is good to be back. I'm a bit disappointed (in myself) that we didn't press on to Stewart Island, but it is nice to be somewhere warm and comfy where we can chill out.

Glowworms and Kea-aggghhhs

Today was a long day. We got up early and had breakfast in the old bath house on the lake front in Queenstown. It was a lovely place, with friendly service (it was cold though) and I got porridge! so I was happy. We saw black backed gulls, black shags and grebes swimming on the lake while we ate breakfast. There were some young girls feeding the ducks and gulls. They had two dogs with them, a black and white collie and a Jack Russel pup. The birds would cluster around the girls for bread and, when there were loads of them, the girls would set the collie on them. It was a bit mean, but the birds were fine and the dog just barked at them and stole their bread. After breakfast we collected the Monsters photos of rafting and then we went on our way because we had a long drive ahead of us. The Monster took the first leg, which was about 2hrs drive to Te Anu. We arrived just in time to catch the 2pm boat to the glow worm caves. I will as little nervous getting on the boat, as usual (might slip between that narrow gap you know) but the boat trip was very pleasant with lovely views of the lake. The Takahe, a large flightless bird lives in the hills around the lake. There are only about 300 left in the wild. (I want to put in a correction here. I'm always calling a weika a moorhen, it is actually a woodhen). We arrived at the glowworm caves and there was a long metal walkway over the sea to a little hut in the forest. I found it very scary and raced along it. Once in the hut we were split into groups and sent into the caves in 10 minute intervals. I've never been in a cave before and i didn't know what to expect. We were the third group into the caves. We had Curtis, a trainee on this 3rd day on the job, and Peter, a grey haired veteran. Going into the caves the ceiling got really low, but I didn't mind that so much because it didn't go on for very long and I didn't have to bend as low as the Monster. I didn't like the metal walkways above the roaring water, however, or the feeling of all the rock above me and I wanted to turn back. The thought of seeing the glowworms spurred me on though. After a short walk along terrifying platforms and up scary stairs, we arrived at the glowworm cavern. They have dammed the fast flowing river and made a quiet pool where the guides pull flat bottomed boats through the cavern with ropes. The boat shook a lot when I got on, but once I found my seat I was OK. They turned off all the lights and it was dark. I found it really peaceful. The glowworms were incredibly beautiful. I thought they were like Christmas lights shining specially for God. The awesome nature of creation overwhelmed me. I don't know if it was the ordeal of getting to this cavern, of the sheer beauty, but I was close to tears. I would have quite happily stayed there staring at the lights for the rest of my life. They really did look like the stars, clustered together in constellations and throbbing with different intensity. The fact that they are essentially a maggot, pulsing to attract prey, didn't diminish their beauty in the least. All too soon the boat ride was over and I had to make my way back to the surface, which was even scarier as I could now see where I was going! The walk back to the boat was no problem after the dangers of the cave. We played brain train on the boat ride. We had lunch in Te Anu, the weather was lovely. I drove on the second leg of the journey, to Milford Sound. The scenery was totally spectacular. Snowy, icy mountains stood out from flat land turned purple with lupins. I don't think the Monster was that taken with it, but I was blown away. I was very disappointed when we reached Milford Sound, it didn't look like much and you had to go through a mountain to get to it. There were two lodges and a cafe bar and that was it. We got the emergency room in one of the lodges, which wasn't too bad, and ate dinner at the cafe, which I didn't like. The highpoint of Milford Sound was a pair of wild keas nesting in the trees right outside our room. They called throughout the night - KEa-agggggh! Tonight I got brain age 20 for the first time! I am thrilled.

Jet Boating, Kiwis and a Kea encounter

I went jet boating in Queenstown! Joining such illustrious company as Robet Patrick (and family), George Lucas, Ian Botham and Peter Jackson. In the literature, the Shotover River Jet promises the most thrilling jet boat ride in the world, where you will receive a cocktail of oxygen, adrenaline, sugar and cortisol in response to the exciting 360 spins, which makes you feel alive. I can't say it had that effect on me. I was really nervous about getting on the boat, you had to jump down onto the seat, but I managed it. I have realised that I have this ridiculous idea of myself. I must think I am so tiny I can slip down through the narrowest gaps - like between boats and in the gaps between stairs. Anyway, I was really proud that I could fit into the life jacket without a struggle and that I got onto the boat. Of course, once on the boat I kept on thinking about having to get out again! Our driver was Mike, a friendly guy who, like many Kiwis, was growing a moustache for November to bring awareness to Men's Health issues. I think the unshaven look suited him better (after reviewing the before and after photos). We got photos taken before we got on the boat and then another two when the ride started. There was a camera on the front of the boat, but it wasn't working today. There weren't many in the boat; the monster and me, two guys from Oz who had done all the extreme adventure things in Queenstown and a few from Holland (or Germany, can't remember). We were a quiet bunch and didn't scream during the spins and when Mike drove the boat so near the rocks it looked like we were going to crash. Another boat passed us at one time and everyone was screaming on it. I imagine they are the more fun boats to drive. Anyway, Mike took us down a canyon on the shotover river, which was very scenic, and subjected us to many 360 spins, which showered us with water and made me crash into the Monster like a 3 tonne elephant. That wasn't so pleasant, especially for the Monster (she was sitting at the side of the boat, so it was only a matter of time for I pushed her in). Luckily I learned to stabilize my position by sticking my knees into the seat in front of me. Apparently there is a lot of gold in the shotover river. Only a few years ago a snorkeler found a $30,000 gold nugget in the river. I was tempted to go looking, but the water looked cold. After about 20 minutes the ride was over and I managed to climb back out of the boat. Mike hit the side of the boat against the jetty, and the satisfying thunk of fiberglass meeting metal reassured me that I wouldn't slip through the gap and go gold hunting in the water.

After the jet boating, the Monster and I parted ways for a while. She went on to go white water rafting (I will leave that to her to describe) and I got the bus back into Queenstown. I went back up to the Gondola. I was going to do the luge, a gravity assisted race track, but it was closed because of the weather (it was windy on the mountain. It is always windy in Queenstown) so I went to the Kiwi and Wildlife park instead (I had a discount voucher for it as well). I had seen Kiwi before in captivity (in Christchurch and Willowbank) but third time is the charm, as they saw. The bird park is a small family run affair, with native animals and plants, sighted on an old land fill/rubbish dump. An audio guide and map were included in the admission price and they run conservation shows a couple of times a day. The kiwis are fed at1.30 and I arrived at 2, so they were still really active and I got a great view of one of the kiwis drinking. They are amazing birds. Their body temp is around 38 degrees, 2 degrees lower than other birds, they have nostrils on the end of their beak, their feathers are more like hair, their bones are filled with marrow and they have both ovaries functioning in the female (unlike most birds that only have one functioning). They had a collection of Tuatara as well, and I saw a largish one basking in the sun. I learned lots about them as well. They can live for 200 - 300 years (the oldest recorded is still going strong at 120 years), slow their heart beat to 10 bpm, only reach reproductive age in their 20's and produce a clutch of eggs every 4/5 years. There were plenty of other birds in the park - Moreporks (a type of owl), NZ Falcon (apparently a wild pair are nesting by the gondola, no wonder the captive guy looked a little nervous, they are very aggressive birds), Black Stilts, Scaup, Blue Duck, Yellow Crowned Parakeet, Tui, Weike, NZ Wood pigeon, and loads of others including some of the rarest birds in the world. My favourite were the Kea though. They had three Kea in an enclosure and you could go in and sit with them. They were hopping from rock to rock like little mountain goats, eating their dinner of fruit, and mumbling softly to each other. They didn't pay any attention to me until I looked away and then one hopped up on the fence that separated me from the eating area and starting peeling a stick while he examined me. He obviously didn't think much of me, because he went back to eating the fruit. My heart was racing at the prospect of a Kea encounter. I searched my belongings, but I didn't have anything to give him. He liked sticks though, so I left the enclosure and collected a stick and some pine cones. I came back in and held the stick out. Immediately the kea hopped over to me and held out his beak for the stick. I gave it to him and he started to tear it to pieces. That gave me a adrenaline rush I can tell you! Because I stayed so long with the Kea I had to race through the rest of the park to be in time for the conservation show. They a little yellow crested parakeet called Terrence through the crowd and got it to pick up litter, showed a 7 year old Tuatara called Bruce to the audience and flew a NZ wood pigeon called Bex. They also had rats scuttling along a branch into little huts behind the man giving the talk. It was really good. After the talk they had a maori show, and they did the haka and some songs. They were good performers and they had a tough crowd.

Queenstown

We left Wanaka yesterday and drove 100km inland to the city of Queenstown, adventure capitol of NZ. It is a really hilly place - REALLY. If you thought Drogheda was bad, think again. Poor Yari (our car) was struggling on the hills, and that was nothing compared to the Monster and I struggling up and down the hills on foot. You need a heart of steel and knees of titanium to manage in this town. I think after a month of living here I would either be really fit or dead (my money is on dead). We booked in to accommodation called Alexis (I have dubbed it Mount Alexis, because of the incredibly steep hill it is situated on) which is run by Jayne and Carl Kennedy (calm down Harvey and Webster, Jayne isn't from Firefly and for the Neighbours fans out there, I have yet ascertained if Carl is the same Carl Kennedy from the show). Jayne is extremely friendly. They have a lovely chocolate lab called Molly. We asked about White Water Rafting and Jayne sold us a package of jet boating and white water rafting. I was content for the Monster to do both and browse around Queenstown, but Jayne talked me into doing the jet boating and I am petrified now! There are lovely views of the city (picturesque buildings surrounding a huge lake which is bordered by mountains) the lake and mountains from our apartment (which is a duplex) and it is even nice at night watching the lights twinkling on the water. If you are willing to brave the hills, we are a short walk from Queenstown park, which has enormous pines, a duck pond and Frisbee golf. The park is just a few minutes from the boardwalk and centre of the city, which is tiny and easy to walk around. I like Queenstown, it is very pretty and like all of NZ, very clean. It has a nice vibe. My only gripe would be that it is very terraformed. By that, I mean that all the fish in the lake are introduced trout, all the birds are introduced mallard, blackbirds, thrush etc, and all the trees in the park are introduced Norway pine and spruce etc. I like when it is more native flora and fauna. It is still a beautiful place though. Walking along the boardwalk yesterday we got splashed with water from the lake (totally unexpectedly). Met a Moa (albeit in statue form - big birds), fed the fish in an underwater observatory (yes, fish are pests too! They were just like the ducks and gulls, circling hungrily to be fed. The difference between them and aquarium fish was amazing. they were much brighter, healthier and happier looking. There was a large eel as well, but she was shy and kept on hiding when we saw her) and wandered around town. This morning we got up early (for us), made the grueling walk into town and went up on the Gondola (NZ term for cable car). It gave spectacular views over the city, lake and mountains. It was extraordinary. Waiting for the jet boating now. What was I thinking to agree to it?????

Pancake Rocks Pictures

I am trying to upload photos from the pancake rocks. Unfortunately this computer is very slow, so please excuse this post if there turn out to be very few pictures - or no pictures at all. Also, I wanted to post a picture of a weika for our inquizative readers, but I don't have one (the Monster's pics are on two cds and she must have the one with the weika on it). Maybe next time.

pancake rocks - yum

Wow, look at that sea!

What is Inky doing? A New Zealand pen up for grabs for the first correct answer

A collage of pictures

Just to prove that we are actually in NZ and not hiding out in some remote part of Ireland I have attached some of the pics that we have snapped over the short space of time that we have been in this fabulous country.

On the left is a blue penguin. This was taken in the Antartic Centre just outside of Christchurch. It was during feeding time and we were really lucky to see them whizzing around the pool.

This photo was taken the same day. We had experiences the cold antartic wind of -18 C. It brough back fond memories of Blackrock village on a winters day. Afterwards we tried on the gear that the brave antartic adventures wear. It was really warm and comfy.On the left is Inky trying on the gear !! ( as if you didnt know)

The same day we went to Willowbank park. It was stuffed with ducks and other wonderful and beautiful animals. Heres a picture of a Wallaby lying in the sun. We had a joey in her pooch but we couldnt get a shot of it.

Also in Willow bank were Inkys favourite animal - the Tumara. We were able to see them really close up in their glass cage. ( sounds sad doesnt it - being in a glass cage.)

Finally this was a friendly bird we met in Puna????. We wondered around on the path in from of us for ages.

Sky diving - Bravery or foolishness

I did it!!! Skydive 15000 feet with 60 seconds of freefall and I have a picture and video to prove it. To everyone who had no faith in me - ha - and to my faithful fans - thanks for the support.

Saturday 24th November 2007 at approx 10.00am (NZ time) I leapt bravely/foolishly from the plane. My tandem jumper is called Adam and the camera man - Udos. Below is the true story - exclusive to Kiwi adventure blog.

Before i left for NZ i had decided that i would take this opportunity to do some acts of bravery to prove primarily to myself that i could do them and maybe to prove that i too could "live". One of these acts was to skydive. From the brochures picked up I noticed that i could achieve this dream in Lake Wanaka. We arrived in this very scenic place on Thursday 22nd November. We had just passed a gruelling 4 hours driving on the most winding roads up and down mountains that you could ever imagine. We were both wrecked. We were fortunate enough to find a really wonderful apartment to chill out in for a few days. Thursday evening we watched some movies- a rubblish one called The Alien Hunter with James Spader and really nice movie called 13 going on 30 with Jennifer Garner. Friday dawned all to quckly and contrary to the plan to have a sleep in until at least 10 o clock both inky and myself woke at 9.00. In the afternoon I wandered down to the Isite which is beside the lake with the determination of booking the skydive. I didnt really let myself think about it too much as i was fearful that i would chicken - and that was not allowed. Dan served me at the counter - he was English and had recently moved to Lake Wanaka with the mrs. He had done the skydive himself and absolutely loved it. This was very encouraging to me. I booked the 15000ft as Dan said it was worth the extra 15 second of free fall. The alternative was a 13000 ft jump with only 45 seconds of free fall. Someone was to pick me up at 9.30 from the Isite on Saturday for my jump. After i had taken this brave/stupid step i wandered around. The Lake is extremely beautiful with a backdrop of mountains, some of them snowcapped. I think that i must be a shopaholic as i had to try on some clothes in some shops. Luckily for my credit card they 1) didnt fit me and 2) looked really terrible that i didnt buy anything. I wandered back to the apartment and told Inky my exciting news. I slept well and struggled out of bed the next morning and made it down to the Isite in plenty of time. I was collected at 9.20.The day was glorious, sunny and no wind - no jump was on. I was subconsiously extremly nervous and i could not think of anything to say to the driver. We arrived at the airport and i was checked in. They showed us a video ( in order to get us excited) of what was going to happen - instead it made me really nervous. I opted to have a video taken of this wonderful experience so that i could show everyone back home and also to show my children and grandkids and of course my beautiful little niece Lily. I had to put on a madly coloured jumpsuit - i had great difficulty doing this as i tried to put it on with my shoes on - eventually i removed my shoes and it was much easier. I met Adam my experienced tandem jumper/trainer and we jumped into the little plane. There were seven of us in all in the plane, me, adam, udos, and 2 other sets of tandem jumpers. they were jumping at 13000 feet. Off we went. The plane achieved a high of 1000 feet per minute so i knew that i had roughly 15 minutes before my jump. I had the pleasure of seeing the others jump before me - this was a BIG mistake. To see people fall so fast towards the earth really was not good. Then my turn. They kept making smile and make thumps up jesters - that we were sitting at the door ( my stomach is turning with fear as i discribe this) i posed for the wing camera (above) and we were gone. I tried to scream but it was phyiscally impossible. I felt like i was falling and was scared. i wanted the chute to be released. Eventually if was and then i wanted to be on the ground. I know discription of the event is very scant but i think i totalled stressed myself have blocked a lot of it out also i feel sick with fear at the moment.

We landed safely i got my video and left.

I was very disappointed that i didnt enjoy it and didnt get a brilliant high from it.

I am glad i did it - but i will never do it again.

In answer to the title question - difinitely foolishness. XX

Puzzling World

The Monster was really brave this morning and jumped out a plane at 15000ft with a man strapped to her back. I think she found it a harrowing experience. I was half tempted to join her, but after watching the dvd or her experience, I am glad I didn't (although they push you out of the plane, which was something I was worried about). I think I would have pulled out at the last minute and found it even more nerve wracking than she did.

It was a beautiful day here in Wanaka with a very high fire warning, because it was so hot. I'd say the temperature was as high as 30 degrees. It was a bit too hot for me. In the afternoon we went to Puzzling World, a few hundred metres outside of the town. It is a place full of puzzles, optical illusions and a maze. They had some cool 3d pictures, faces that seemed to follow you and a some amazing puzzles. My favourite room was one that messed with your balance. it was tilted and it looked like water was flowing up hill, a ball on a snooker table was rolling up hill and you could sit in this chair and roll up hill, but of course it was all an illusion. There was another room that if you entered at one door you looked like a giant and if you entered at the other you looked like a hobbit. It was most fun if two people stood at each doorway and then crossed the room and you could see them growing or shrinking at they went.

I was really looking forward to the maze, because I have never been in one and I have always wanted to do one. The fates were against me though, because a) it was VERY hot b) they didn't provide a map c) they had scary stairs. After a while running up and down the scary stairs, the Monster and I decided to call it quits. We found two of the four towers. I think if it had been cooler we might have continued. I think I am a better armchair puzzler. I am more at home in virtual reality.

Fox's Glacier Mints

left Franz Josef today. The staff in the hotel we were staying in laughed at our complaints about the room they gave us (gaps in the bathroom door, funny smell in the room, damp marks on the ceiling) which wasn't very good. it rained today, the first time that it has been really wet, but I suppose we are in the middle of a rain forest. Stopped in Fox Glacier. It is very different to Franz Josef. You can see it stretching down from the misty peaks of the snow clad mountains to the barren valley below. They were doing some construction work to widen the causeway to the car park and the diggers kept on making this booming noise, like a rock slide, it was eerie. The glaciers are awesome sights. They seem to belong to middle earth or another age. The Monster and i forgo walking to the ice front of Fox glacier because neither of us were wearing our tramping clothing, and it was very wet, but we did get to wear our rain jackets for the first time! Had a 4/5 hour drive to Lake Wanaka, across more mountains and one lane bridges and endless bending roads. I have got much better at cornering now, and know how to plan my trajectory to swing the car fast around the switchback curves coming down the mountain! Wanaka is lovely, on a very large lake with the snowy mountains in the background and hills in the foreground. We made a real find with the accommodation. It is a apartment block owned as holiday homes and rented out when the owners aren't using them. We have a proper living, dining and kitchen area, a nice bathroom and a bed room each. We also have a balcony with views of the mountains and lake. It is only about 5 mins walk from the centre of town. We have our own parking space and the building manager provides a wide selection of DVDs to borrow. i think we will stay here a couple of days. It will be nice to spread out. We also have our own washing machine and dryer!

Greeting the Glacier

Woke this morning all prepared to tramp up the Franz Josef Glacier (which I have renamed San Joseph). We had to move out of our mediocre hotel room to a very retro hotel room in the middle of nowhere where the bathroom door doesn't close and there is no cistern on the toilet. After the move, we went into town and had breakfast (nice bowl of pumpkin, sweet potato and courgette soup) and popped into the tiny church for a prayer. It was lovely inside, with the bellbirds singing sweetly outside. At 12.30 the brave adventurers headed to the appointed place to meet the guide for climbing the glacier. Before we paid, they talked us through a few things we would encounter - fording rivers, climbing steep inclines, falling rocks, and all this BEFORE we got on the ice! I freaked and backed out, and the poor Monster agreed to stay behind too. I was really angry with myself, but after I calmed down (and read some Lincoln Preston - no sign of Vile Viola yet, thank God) we drove out to the glacier car park and walked out towards the ice.

I am so glad we decided to go on our own private guided tour rather than paying someone else to take us. We could go at our own pace, and the Monster was excellent at helping me ford the fast flowing streams, climb the steep inclines and descent the rocky falls. The ice face of the glacier was well worth the long hike (took us about 2 hours there and back). I got to touch the ice - felt a bit like putting your hand in the freezer - and there was a cold breeze off the ice which was in our faces going there and at our backs leaving it.

As you can see, the Monster got some really cool pictures of the ice. I would have posted more pics, but they take SOOOOOOOOO long to up load, this is your visual quota for the day.
Just to prove that we actually reached the ice, here is a picture of the two of us together. If you think it is slightly fuzzy, don't blame some poor camera illiterate back packer we wrangled to take it of us, it was a rock who took it, and for a rock I think it is a pretty good picture. Thank you rock. tomorrow we go to Fox glacier, home of everybody's favourite sweet, the Fox's glacier mint!

First Steps in New Zealand

The Monsters update

I went kayaking to see seals last Friday. I was quite nervous because i was doing something new on my own. My expectations was that i would see lots and lots of seals swimming around and having fun. I met the guide at 12.30 and we drove a short distance to the south bay. The water seemed quite calm. Before we got into the Kayak we had to get geared up and also i had to get speedy paddling lessons. The gear included wearing a psray skirt, this keeps you in the baot and dry ( apparanately), next was a bright orange rain top and finally the life jacket. I certainly wasnt a pretty site after gearing up. I had to help bring the Kayak into the sea ( it was very heavy) i just about managed. Then i popped in the front seat and the guide popped in the back - he was in charge of the rudder and that is why he sat in the back. Off we went, after about 3 strokes my arms were in bits but i battled on. We got quite close to a couple of seals sitting on the rocks sun bathing and we saw lots of gulls. we were out on the water for about an hour. I really really enjoyed it and am thinking of taking it up when i get home. Unfortunately i didnt see lots and lots of seals.

We had our final dinner in the White Morph restuarant that night - however unfortunately due to eating our lunch at 4.00 we werent that hungry.

We were sad leaving Kaikoura and the White Morph - we had a good time there.

On Saturday we moved on to Nelson. It is a city with nothing to recommend it. WE spent ages walking aroung looking for a Catholic Church for Sunday Mass. We met two very nice ladies who helped us out. After that we walked the long way back to the motel. It was quite nice. We ordered pizza for dinner and watched James Bond. There was nothing else on.

We went to mass on Sunday and unluckily it was First Holy Communcion (as well as mass).

After Mass we moved onto Westport. Well this was truly a ghost town and was not a good place to be. However we stayed one night in a below average motel (the bathroom was really bad) and we left very qucikly the next day.

On our way to Hokikati we stopped to see blowholes and pancake rock. The day was lovely and the scenery was fantastic. We had made lunch that morning so we went back to the car and collected it. It was yum. We then played some Brain Train and guess what i am aged 20. Yeah.

After that we stayed in Hokitati. Again not a good place. We went to the local bar for food - i got tempura veg which i thought we lightly buttered veg ... but no they were lighted battered. I had to get choclate after that. The went to beach and touched the tasmanian see. then back to the motel.

We left the motel and arrived in Franz Josef and that is the story so far.......

hello Hokikita

Another day of driving - another series of serious bends in the road. How I long for a long straight road and a 120 km speed limit! Drove to Hokikita today. Despite having an unpronounceable name, a beach and a large Catholic church, there is nothing to recommend Hokikita. there is a glow worm glen, but I don't think we'll hang around long enough to see it. forgot to mention, in Westport there are some underground limestone caves with glow worms in them. You can walk through them, or go rafting. However, Westport's idea of rafting is putting you in a tyre and pushing you into the water! They don't even provide paddles.

Stopped at the pancake rocks on the way to Hokikita. they were amazing and well worth the visit. They are limestone cliffs, surge pools and blowholes worn away by the sea. Saw white fronted terns nesting on the rocks, as well as black oyster catchers (they look. ed like that but were hunting the tern chicks) and black backed gulls. Also saw a very friendly Weika, which was amazing. Ate our lunch and played Brian Train on the blowhole lookout. got some strange looks, as we had to hide under jackets to see the screen. Had sea spray blowing on our faces. Feeling very proud that I crossed a scary bridge and climbed some steep steps to see the pancakes. It was well worth it.

Good bye and Good riddance Nelson!

Mass in Nelson was quite an experience - not one I would like to repeat. Imagine a school play - I will say no more. Drove on towards Greymouth and stopped in Westport. It isn't anything like the Irish town of that name. Westport is a mile long town, mostly closed down shops, petrol stations and spare part workshops for automobiles. The weather was lovely again today. Walked to the supermarket and bought some food then hung out in our motel. there is a beach, and lots of horses and even a couple of fields with cross country jumps. the Monster thought it was like being transported back in time to a town in the U.S in the 50's. I agree. They had a poster for celia ahern in the library, as well as Jeffery Deaver. Saw some harriers flying over the road as we travelled and a shag (non pied) on the very frightening Pier we drove down in Westport. The roads are still very like roller coasters. One minute we are climbing, the car (we have affectionately christened yari) losing power by the second, the next we are flying down sharp angle switchback bends and careening over single lane bridges. there are a LOT of bridges in NZ. Looking forward to moving on.

Bye bye Kaikoura - Hello Nelson?

left beautiful, wonderful, interesting, friendly Kaikoura today. Stopped at the seal colony and watched, through binoculars (because the tide was in and the seals were on rocks very far away) the behaviour of the seals. It was amazing, like a wildlife on one episode. Some seals were playing in the water (I'm sure they were fishing, but they looked like they were playing, lying on their backs with their flippers in the air) while others were climbing on the rocks. These guys can move fast on land, they aren't like our seals who wobble along in a cumbersome way. Think of the sea lions in Dublin Zoo and you are getting the idea of what these fur seals are like. most of the seals were basking on the rocks, and there was an enormous bull down by the shore. Anyway, a spat broke out between two seals and after a little fight, the victor chased the other seal towards the water, where the big bull stopped them. The poor little seal in the middle was stuck between a rock and a hard place and didn't know which way to turn. Thankfully the big bull and the other aggressor started to fight, so the one in the middle could slip away, and then all the seals on the rocks joined in and jumped into the water. it was amazing.

Drove north west today. Had lunch in Blenheim in the D'Urville hotel. It is in the heart of wine country, with vineyards all around and only local wine on the list in the hotel. It was a beautiful day and we sat outside in the balcony area. There wasn't much of a view - just the back of some buildings - but the sun was warm and there was a wall of water fountain which was pleasant. Blenheim was surprisingly big, but we drove on to Nelson, which is a city. I don't like Nelson. I don't know if it is because I am tired from the day driving, or I'm hungry or what it is, but I am picking up bad vibes. Had a wander about the city to find the church for Mass tomorrow. We could have been back in dundalk. There was a group of about 5 young girls in t-towels of skirts and very high heels, laughing and falling about the place. we walked on and passed a group of hoodies lurking about the Anglican cathedral, then further travels revealed young lads with cases of beer. I don't like Nelson, I can't wait to leave.

Fearless Birds

I was wandering along the beach this morning, looking for a spot to sit and write while the Monster kayaks with fur seals, and I came upon a colony of pied shags (I tried to draw a picture to show you what they are like, but it was so bad I decided not to unleash it upon you. they look like our black shags but a little smaller and with white chests and throats). Like other NZ birds, they had no fear of me and didn't mind when I sat down near them (to show my respect, I kept about 10 foot distance) and watched them for a while. there was a collection of courting adults (the males did this really lovely thing with their throats, the females didn't seem impressed though) and juveniles. They were washing and fishing in the water, preening and drying off on the land (with that stance typical of shags and cormorants - wings outstretched) and singing to each other. A couple of red billed gulls were also washing in the water, but they kept their distance from the shags. A brave pigeon also went down to the water for a drink, much to the shags disapproval. I have never been so close to wild sea birds before, it was beautiful. I wanted to get some footage of the southern alps today, but the mist was over the mountains and hid them completely.

Meeting the great white whale

Ok, it was dark grey actually, but I couldn't pass on the allusion to Moby Dick. That's right folks, I was on the trail of sperm whales today. The day dawned bright, so the whale watching tour went ahead. There was a metre swell and a sea sickness warning. I am phobic about boats at the best of times, but this made me panic even more. We bought travel sickness tablets and duly took them, but I was in bits. As we travelled in bus to the wharf, I imagined having to jump from the harbour onto a wildly pitching boat. What's the worst that can happen? I asked myself. So, I fall in and get wet and can't swim and potentially drown - so what? I was greatly relieved when we arrived at the boat and saw it was in a nice calm dock with a really steady level gangplank and no jumping was required. I was even more relieved when I saw we had seats in a cabin and weren't required to hang on for dear life as the sea spray threatened to tear us from our seats. The journey out to the first whale, about 6 nautical miles, was quite rough with lots of bumps and spray flying past the cabin window. I tried not to think about being out at water - another phobia of mine - but told myself I was on a bus hurtling over the back roads of county louth - possibly the Ardee Road. That's really bumpy. After a while we arrived at the first whale, a young male named Big Nick (so called because he had a big nick out of his dorsal fin). I was hesitant at first to leave the cabin because of the motion of the boat (thought I would fall over board or pitch my camera into the ocean, and we were over a 1000 metre canyon) but my desire to see the whale over came my trepidation. Big Nick sat on the surface for a few minutes, gulping in lungfuls of air, and then dived down to feed, showing off with a nice sweep of his tail. We headed off to another whale, but arrived just as he dived, so back to Big Nick who resurfaced after about 20 minutes of feeding. These whales, the fourth largest whale in the world, can dive for anything up to an hour and over depths of 1000 metres. They are toothed whales, unlike the larger baleen whales - humpback, blue - and eat fish and squid, which they swallow whole. Ascetically I prefer the sleeker lines of the humpback, but the sperm whale is fascinating in its own way. Big Nick idled on the surface, replenishing his reserves or oxygen for a while, and I really got a feel for his size in the water, it was amazing. Then he dived again. We headed home after that and met up with a very large gathering of dusky dolphin. I think they were feeding because there must have been easily 50 dolphin and there were loads of sea birds as well. The dolphins swam under the boat, slapped the water with their heads and tails, leaped into the air and performed somersaults and generally cavorted gracefully all about us. I videoed the spectacle with my camera but it didn't do it justice. The sight alone was worth going to New Zealand. I often dream of seascapes teeming with life (they are usually scary dreams) and it was just like one of those dreams, except not scary. What made the trip even better was sighting a Wandering Albatross flying past the boat. I've seen them on TV with David Attenborough, but nothing compares to seeing them in real life. They are BIG birds, really really beautiful and majestic and BIG. I also saw giant shearwaters, another big bird, lots of different type of petrol, tern and I think skua, but I'm not sure. I tried to video the birds, but they were really hard to catch on camera. On the way back to the bus we saw a pied shag drying his wings on a rock (think of one of our shags, but with a white chest)

This afternoon we went for a bird watching walk in the forest. Our guide, Barry, was really nice. He told us that New Zealand native birds have no fear of people, which is amazing. We heard more birds than we saw, but after tramping for a while a couple of robins (a female and fledgling) popped down and scampered around our feet looking for grubs. They look bigger and rounder than our robins, with black plumage and white chests. Walking on we saw bellbirds (a little like reed bunting) fan tails (a bit like the pied wagtail but with a fanned tail), the brown creeper (wren like) and the green warbler (warbler like). In Barry's garden we saw some NZ Pigeons which are about the size of our wood pigeons and sound the same when they fly, but are really deep blue with white chests. We also saw magpie (NZ variety), thrush (introduced), starling (introduced) and Black Backed Gull. It was a good walk and the birds were interesting. It was nice to see them in their natural habitat. We also saw some interesting plants, which I can't remember the names of unfortunately.

A LESSON LEARNT

Today i learnt a very valuable lesson ..... never ever go on a boat journey. here is the story.

Inkpot and myself jumped energically out of bed this morning with the hope in our hearts that today we would go out on the whale watch board and see all the sperm whales that could be seen. We galloped down our brekkie and prepared ourselves for this momentus moment. We drive excitedly to the centre and paid over our money eagerly. We had a 30 minute wait so we purursed the shop. They had magic plastic sea animals that grew 600 times their size once placed in water. We saw some possum fur items. ( :( poor possums). After mooching around for 10 or so minutes we were pooped and decided to wait in the waiting area. Eventually we were briefed and told that there was a 1 metre swell. (i forgot to mention earlier that when we purhased out ticket we noticed that there was a sea sickness warning which i readily scoffed at).
( we purchased sea sickness tablets from the shop and swallowed them. The lady at the counter said that she got great reports about them. After a few minutes i felt a bit unwell but thought that it would pass). We all bundled into the bus and off we went to the boat. I joked to Inkpot that we would have to jump onto the boat and that the average hitting the boat first time was probably 70%. Inkpot put on a brave face but later i found out that she was slightly nervous that there would be no bridge onto the boat. anyway as we drove down to the boat, we were advised that sitting in the back would be more advisable if you suffered from motion sickness. I was confident in my tablet and my excellent sea legs and didnt really worry about where we would sit... as it turned out we got the last two sits on the boat. We have to wrestle with passengers who thought that their rucksacks deserved sits. The boat started to move out and i was listening to the guide.. as we moved further out the journey started to get rougher and rougher.By the time we reached our first whale i was in bits... all i wanted to do was go home and lie down. But that wasnt to be. The captain was hunting whales for us to view and he wasnt going home until he found them. At one stage one of the guides advised me to get fresh air..... no a good idea.....anyway i missed all the action and photos. We also say a pod of dolphins ( about 100 of them) they were amazing jumping out of the water but i could only peek at them briefly.


Tomorrow i kayak with the seals. XXXX

TO TOFPOT

Hi Tofpot

i miss you too. You have to teach Valpot how to hold you. I'll see you soon , lots of love and hugs and licks Auntie P

Kaikoura

The weather was absolutely glorious this morning, and I got terribly burnt on my arms, face and chest. the monster didn't get burnt, she says she is more used to the sun and that's why. Don't know where she gets to see it to be used to it. slept in today, had brunch in a little cafe on the main street. Wandered onto the beach - it is all pebbles but has a beautiful view of the ocean and the mountains. Bought some supplies in the supermarket and then drove out to the fur seal colony. We had to walk across this field of rocks. I think it was a lava flow as it was very smooth and flat like stepping stones. We saw one large seal, possibly a bull, rolling around out on a rock. I think he was showing off. Couldn't see any other seals. They are fur seals, so they are eared seals like sea lions, not true seals like the ones we have at home. We went into the visitors centre and booked a star gazing tour and whale watching for tomorrow. Got our washing done. Had dinner in a lovely restaurant. I had venison - first time - and it was delicious. The weather turned nasty in the evening and a storm front moved over the mountains. It was interesting to watch. The star gazing was cancelled as a result, but hopefully we will be able to do it tomorrow. we have to phone the whale watching in the morning to see if it is going ahead.

I've noticed some comments looking for photos. Unfortunately the monster has a problem up loading her photos onto pc's that don't have the correct software. it is annoying I know. Sorry folks.

Antartica, Willowbank and Kaikoura

We left Christchurch today. Collected our tiny toyota yaris from hertz and headed out to the airport to experience the thrills of the Antarctic centre. it was really interesting. They had lots of informative and fun things to do and see. the Monster and I got really excited at seeing some coal mined from Mt Crean (obviously named in honour of Irish Antarctic explorer Tom Crean). we got to dress up in Antarctic gear (lovely warm goose down suitable for winter weather in Ireland), watch Antarctic fish (weird creatures with massive heads & eyes and anti freeze in their blood) and pose with a stuffed leopard seal. The highlight for me were the little blue penguins - the smallest penguin in the world. They have a colony of 18 penguins who were injured in the wild and have found a home there. There was one called Elvis (because she likes to sing) and she was blind. She walked around the enclosure with her beak held out like a stick. her best friend is a penguin who was blinded and brain damaged by a fishing hook. The keepers said between them they had one eye and one and a half brains! The other highlight was going into the wind chill chamber where we experienced winds of -18 degrees. Reminded me of walking along the beach at port in December. I think they measure temperatures differently here, or else Ireland is colder than I realised. After the Antarctic centre we went to Willowbank wildlife reserve. they had lots of native and introduced animals. You could buy food and feed a lot of the animals and, as a result, they expected to be fed. The monster and I weren't feeding them, but they followed us all the same. At one time we had five ducks waddling after us looking for food. It was funny. As we walked along, roosters and ducks would come racing purposefully towards us. The scariest time was when a gosling raced after us calling, much to the dislike of its parents. for a moment the monster and I were afraid we were going to be attacked by the geese! we saw a wallaby with a joey in its pouch, tame eels (you could feed them too), lemurs (in a big huddle like in Dublin zoo) and hundreds of red eared turtles. The highlights for me were the native breeds (kiwi, tuatara, weiki, kea), petting a friendly sheep and talking to a sulphur crested cockatoo. we were walking past his enclosure and he said 'hello' so I said 'Hello, how are you?' he said 'all right.' I said 'We have to go now, bye bye' and he said 'bye now'. It was amazing. The kiwis were a bit more active than in Christchurch and I had the benefit of looking through my night shot camera. I finally saw the tuatara, couldn't see the third eye though. The weika, a kind of moorhen, were very curious and friendly. They had warning signs on the kea enclosure that they might land on you. the monster and I hoped this would happen, but they were too busy play fighting with each other to notice us. After willowbank we drove up to kaikoura, which was about 2 hours away on the coast. we got to see some of the 40 million sheep, and lots of interesting birds which I couldn't really look at as I was driving. the mountains were beautiful. think Long woman's grave x 100. at one stage the mountains were yellow were flowering gorse, it was quite a sight. First sight of kaikoura was amazing, driving down through the mountain pass seeing the snow capped mountains on one side, the blue green waters of the pacific on the other and the little town nestled in between. It is a small place with lots of whale watching, a fur seal colony and birds. we are staying in a lovely motel and I can hear the pacific lapping just outside my window (there is a road between the window and the sea). Looking forward to seeing loads of wildlife while we stay here.

Leaving Christchurch

It doesnt feel like we have been in Christchurch any time at all. My favourite bits - seeing the Kiwis and visitng the fudge factory shop. I managed to pack the most inappropriate clothes for the hols ( i am still amazed at how packed my case is and how heavy it is) so i had to purchase 2 fleecy tops, a beautiful long wool cartigan and a rain jacket. We keep seeing really cute gear for babies - Inkpot has to hold me back from buying all for Lily.

We are leaving Christchurch today.... on the road to Kaikoura. :)

A Woeful Tale

Today was not a great day. Weather wise it was sunny, but there was a bitter wind. There were loads of street markets, entertainers and people milling about. It was nice. I was really tired. The Monster agreed to have a lazy day with me. I got an invite to the nanowrimo meet up in the arts centre in Christchurch, but thanks to my backward brain (I think it is still stuck in the Northern Hemisphere) I led the Monster on a merry dance in the completely wrong area of the city and by the time we arrived at the Arts Centre, we were too late. It was very disappointing. We had a bite to eat at Dux de Lux then went back to the hotel to crash.

Inkpot has stolen all the stories

I let Inkpot go to the internet cafe for one hour on her own and she steals all the stories!!!!

I am trying really hard to get my head around being on the other side of the world - its really amazing when you think of it. The wierdest thing is that we are living in your future - 13 hours in your future in fact!!! when you are getting up we have jsut ended the day.

We saw some amazing Kiwis today - they were in the semi- dark so some imagination is required. They are about the size of a chicken and their eggs are the THIRD biggest in the world - after the emu and ostrich. (poor females getting the short end of the stick again)

In relation to my brain training - i have aged 16 years since i left Ireland therefore i conclude that flying ages one.

My First Kiwi

The weather hasn't been so nice today. It is very overcast and it was drizzling earlier on - like an Irish summer really! The Monster and I rose at about 8am. We took our time getting ready and did our brain training to get us in order for the day. We eat breakfast in the hotel. The Monster had some delicious toast while I helped myself to smoothies. We set off to find a Catholic Church for Mass tomorrow after brekkie. The woman at the hotel reception told us there was one on Manchester street. After walking for a long while, we find no sign of the church. We stopped and asked this middle aged man and young woman. they hadn't a clue, but offered to look up the phone book for us. That didn't tell us anything unfortunately, but they recognised our accents and we chatted for a while about Ireland and thanked them for their help. We were walking back to the hotel, bemoaning the useless directions of the hotel receptionist, when a car drove up honking behind us and the next thing the young woman we had been talking to earlier came running up. they had driven past the church and came back to tell us! I was bowled over by their kindness. They offered to drive us to the church. They were so friendly, we thanked them profusely. After visiting the church we walked back into town. A man at the sony centre (called sony style here - beautiful shop) recommended a restaurant called Coyote for lunch, so we went there. They had heaters and an awning so we sat out side. Our waitress was a lovely Cork girl, who was very friendly and chatty. The Monster thought we could have been sitting on the canal in Dublin - we were over looking the Avon river, and the weather was certainly like a summer day in the home country! We also spotted out first Irish pub today - called the Bog! delightful. After lunch we popped into the aquarium and kiwi house in Cathedral square. they had a lovely selection of native fish, although the poor things looked very squeezed in. I was disappointed that I didn't get to see the tuatara - a reptile with 3 eyes - but they were sleeping. We got to see the Kiwi's though. they had a pair of females. they are nocturnal so the enclosure was very dark and they are very shy. They are really awesome though, very strange looking, but beautiful. They first time we went in they were hiding in a corner, but we went in again a while later and they were stalking around in the shadows.

Christchurch

I was disappointed to hear on the plane that the weather was only 12 degrees in Christchurch, but when we got off the plane it was so hot and sunny I think they must measure temperature differently here than they do on Ireland! I was worried going through customs that they would be all strict and unpleasant because they are so nervous about plants and animals being smuggled in, but they were really nice. One of the officials even joked with us. 'so what part of England are you from?' he asked. 'we're from Ireland' we replied indignantly. 'You are supposed to say what part of Australia are you from' he said. Our taxi driver was very friendly and informative on the drive from the airport to the hotel. the hotel is lovely, with massive double beds. It was nice to have a bath and change clothes. I found a nice veggie restaurant in the guide book and it took us ages to find it. after walking for about 40 minutes, we discovered it was just a short hop from the hotel! The food was nice and we sat outside in the sun, with sparrows and seagulls wandering among the diners looking for scraps. The Avon river flows through the city and you can go punting on it. The city is very quiet and there seem to be very few people out and about. It is the largest city in the south island but it only has 400,000 people. After lunch we wandering around the galleries and craft shops next to Dux de Lux. We went into a fudge shop that also sold soaps and things like that. seeing a soft toy kiwi, the Monster cried 'that's the first kiwi I've seen!' the woman in the shop laughed - I think she thought the Monster was referring to her! (New Zealanders call themselves Kiwis). she was very friendly and chatted to us for a while. she said it was hard having Christmas in summer because you never get to see your Christmas lights! I never thought of that before.

Singapore Airlines

In future, I will always fly Singapore airlines! They are the best. the flight attendants are really friendly, they wear really nice uniforms and they spent the entire flight pressing hot towels, food and drink on me. The seats are roomy (I was lucky and got an aisle seat) and you have a little screen with movies, TV programmes, music and games on the back of the seat in front of you. The movies are really up to date as well, with stardust being one of the selections. I thought I would get lots of writing done on the flight, but with TV and eating and sleeping, I didn't get the chance to do any at all. I did some reading, but I was too tired and fell asleep. I got to watch 'Day Watch' which I enjoyed. The story is completely different from the book, but much better imo. Unfortunately the Monster hasn't read the Watch trilogy, so I couldn't discuss it will her. It is weird to think I am travelling to the other side of the world. Singapore was really warm when we stopped off there, and everyone was really friendly and helpful. When we got on the flight in heathrow there was a woman standing at the departure gate smiling and saying goodbye. The Monster says she wants her job. I saw some beautiful saris in Singapore. they are so elegant.