Well, there is a damn good reason, but still... ;-)
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
First trip back
Annalie is making her first trip back to the UK since August 2010. It's winter in the UK. Here in NZ it's approaching 20 degrees, sunny and still. Remind us again, why is she leaving? ;-)
Well, there is a damn good reason, but still... ;-)
Well, there is a damn good reason, but still... ;-)
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Toyota NZ Hilux TV ad - Tougher Than You Can Imagine
And this is Ian's favourite advert at the moment - the first time we saw it we were actually a bit confused about what it was actually advertising because we were going "what?" at each other!
Hang on to your steak and cheese!
Hang on to your steak and cheese!
Legend
TV advertising is really quite refreshing in NZ, with some creative, and often risque approaches to marketing! But this has to be one of our favourite ads at the moment in terms of effectiveness. Whereas most drink driving ads focus on the consequences, this one puts a positive spin on the situation of what you should do, rather than what you shouldn't do. Look out fo rthe "ghost chips" reference. Legend!!
Saturday, December 10, 2011
More aerial shots
A few weeks ago we posted some photos of the Marlborough Sounds from the air.
This weekend's trip to Christchurch gave us another opportunity for some aerial photography, this time of the east coast of the South Island. This part of the country is much more mountainous and dramatic, which makes for some pleasant views out of the window...
This weekend's trip to Christchurch gave us another opportunity for some aerial photography, this time of the east coast of the South Island. This part of the country is much more mountainous and dramatic, which makes for some pleasant views out of the window...
Inside the heart of Christchurch
Although we'd visited Christchurch back in June, the city was still raw from the February 22 earthquake. Businesses were just re-opening, the red zone was under lockdown, and the people were still reeling.
We returned this weekend to see if any of that had changed.
There seems to be a bit more life gradually being breathed into the place. Decisions have been made about many of the buildings, the council has endeavoured to revitalise the city in the earthquake's aftermath.
Cashel Street, where the shopping mall collapsed killing many inside, has received an innovative shopping area created by shipping containers. It sounds quite dull, but as the photos show, they've actually made it quite sexy!
And we were quite lucky that the council opened a walkway through some of the worst hit areas, including Cathedral Square.
We've never seen the cathedral before, so to see it like this is quite sad. I'm sure that it's reminiscent of war times in the UK, like the result of a German air raid.
It is certainly quite a sobering experience. But we're glad we had the opportunity to see it as today was the last day.
One thing's for sure. It's going to be a long road to recovery.
We returned this weekend to see if any of that had changed.
There seems to be a bit more life gradually being breathed into the place. Decisions have been made about many of the buildings, the council has endeavoured to revitalise the city in the earthquake's aftermath.
Cashel Street, where the shopping mall collapsed killing many inside, has received an innovative shopping area created by shipping containers. It sounds quite dull, but as the photos show, they've actually made it quite sexy!
And we were quite lucky that the council opened a walkway through some of the worst hit areas, including Cathedral Square.
We've never seen the cathedral before, so to see it like this is quite sad. I'm sure that it's reminiscent of war times in the UK, like the result of a German air raid.
It is certainly quite a sobering experience. But we're glad we had the opportunity to see it as today was the last day.
One thing's for sure. It's going to be a long road to recovery.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Another view of home
Here's some more views from Ian's recent trek to the top of the hill opposite our house.
In this photo, the field in the bottom left is Tawatawa, one of our local dog walking reserves just two minutes' walk from our house. You can see a track cut into the hill just above it. That's our short track for walking Maddy.
You can just about make out the harbour entrance in the distance of this photo. That's how high up this hill is!
This is looking out over our house, the reserve, Owhiro Bay, Island Bay and numerous other suburbs, up towards the harbour. You can even see Somes Island (the old quarantine base) in the middle of the harbour.
Now here's one from a little bike ride up the coast with Scott. Some of you may recognise Kapiti Island. This was taken from the top of Paekakariki Hill Road.
Riding for charidee mate
It's quite an impressive sight when you see hundreds of motorbikes cruising down the road in one big sea of rumble and grumble. And it's quite something to be part of that too. This Sunday we joined our friend Scott to take part in the Salvation Army Christmas Toy Ride, to raise money and collect toys for underprivileged kids.
The start of the ride was in Mana, just up State Highway 1, where hundreds of bikes filled the car park about to set off on one of the largest co-ordinated rides in the country.
With the help of the local constabulary, and some willing marshall volunteers, we carved our merry way back down towards Wellington in one big convoy, with slip roads closed off to allow us a smooth path. And the car drivers were very cordial about the whole thing! In the UK or US we'd probably have had a chorus of tooting horns expressing their annoyance at having their journey interrupted. But here we were welcomed with lots of waves and even some spectators throughout Mana and Paremata!
When we got into Wellington, we parked under the sails on Queens Wharf to grab a drink and another saussie sizzle :) Here's a picture of just a few of the bikes. Annalie's is the one on the far right towards the back. Obviously she didn't want anyone else getting too close considering the distance between her bike and the rest of them ;)
The start of the ride was in Mana, just up State Highway 1, where hundreds of bikes filled the car park about to set off on one of the largest co-ordinated rides in the country.
With the help of the local constabulary, and some willing marshall volunteers, we carved our merry way back down towards Wellington in one big convoy, with slip roads closed off to allow us a smooth path. And the car drivers were very cordial about the whole thing! In the UK or US we'd probably have had a chorus of tooting horns expressing their annoyance at having their journey interrupted. But here we were welcomed with lots of waves and even some spectators throughout Mana and Paremata!
When we got into Wellington, we parked under the sails on Queens Wharf to grab a drink and another saussie sizzle :) Here's a picture of just a few of the bikes. Annalie's is the one on the far right towards the back. Obviously she didn't want anyone else getting too close considering the distance between her bike and the rest of them ;)
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
A new perspective of our house
Ian went for a rather strenuous walk up the hill opposite where we live. The view from up there is pretty amazing, as I'm sure you'll agree.
To give you some idea of roughly where we live:
See the road on the left? We're at the top of that.
You can see the harbour entrance in the distance and almost the airport.
Today is also the first day of summer (officially). And it certainly feels like it!
To give you some idea of roughly where we live:
See the road on the left? We're at the top of that.
You can see the harbour entrance in the distance and almost the airport.
Today is also the first day of summer (officially). And it certainly feels like it!
Friday, November 25, 2011
The power of Mother Nature
One of the reasons we moved to NZ was for Mother Nature (MN). Our trip out here in October 2009 showed us what she could do and almost how perfect she could make things.
A few weeks before our trip to Christchurch, we'd had a lazy morning at home and then decided to head to Lyall Bay for lunch. Word had come through that some dolphins had been spotted in the bay. Now, we've seen dolphins there before, but never tire of seeing a few of these mammals frolicking in the surf.
We pulled over where a few other people were stood and watched a small group of three or four dolphins playing directly out from where we stood. We took some photos and were getting ready to leave when we realised everyone else was looking towards the bay, further inland.
Then we noticed that the water looked like a washing machine. Odd, we thought. It was a pretty calm day. Then it dawned on us that we were watching a VAST pod of dolphins, who had, for some reason, been drawn into the fairly shallow waters of the bay but had just turned and were heading back out to sea. There must have been hundreds of them. Truly amazing. The photo does not do the sight justice.
And similarly, we recently took a trip to Motueka, on the edge of the Abel Tasman National Park. We took the car over as we were camping and enjoyed a couple of days away from home.
Of course, MN has since showed us her ugly side. Just before we moved to NZ in September 2010, Christchurch suffered a major earthquake. I remember some of our friends asked us if we still wanted to make the move after that.
It did some damage, but wasn't devastating. Then on February 22nd 2011, she gave them another one. Less severe in terms of the Richter Scale, but it somehow did much more damage than the first. We had already booked a weekend in Christchurch over the winter, so we didn't let it deter us.
But we saw first hand what ugly MN can do:
And in this photo below, you can see rows of bluebottle flies, all dead inside a shop that hadn't reopened.
So of course you curse her and wonder why she could do such awful things. Seeing Christchurch like this, with streets cordoned off and roads and pathways still cracked, it makes you thankful for what you have.
Then she'll show you her wonderous side. The one that makes you remember exactly why you came here in the first place. And there are many of those.
A few weeks before our trip to Christchurch, we'd had a lazy morning at home and then decided to head to Lyall Bay for lunch. Word had come through that some dolphins had been spotted in the bay. Now, we've seen dolphins there before, but never tire of seeing a few of these mammals frolicking in the surf.
We pulled over where a few other people were stood and watched a small group of three or four dolphins playing directly out from where we stood. We took some photos and were getting ready to leave when we realised everyone else was looking towards the bay, further inland.
Then we noticed that the water looked like a washing machine. Odd, we thought. It was a pretty calm day. Then it dawned on us that we were watching a VAST pod of dolphins, who had, for some reason, been drawn into the fairly shallow waters of the bay but had just turned and were heading back out to sea. There must have been hundreds of them. Truly amazing. The photo does not do the sight justice.
And similarly, we recently took a trip to Motueka, on the edge of the Abel Tasman National Park. We took the car over as we were camping and enjoyed a couple of days away from home.On the way back to Picton to catch the ferry, we decided to take the scenic route. After all, it was a glorious day and we had plenty of time. This route takes you along the Queen Charlotte Drive, skirting a number of the beautiful bays around the Marlborough Sounds.
We decided to stop off at a vantage point to get some photos of the scenery. While we were doing that, we spotted another pod of dolphins, this time much smaller, swimming along the coastline below us. This pod even included a couple of calves, who were keen to show off their swimming and jumping skills.
Blissful and serene. And reminds us why we're here. Thank you MN. Love A&I
John Key's New Zealand Prunciation Guide
Annalie's parents can probably testify to how true this is!!
For the rest of you, here's a guide to NZ pronunciation from the Prime Minister (not really!)
For the rest of you, here's a guide to NZ pronunciation from the Prime Minister (not really!)
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Nothing to do with kiwiland
We have celebrated another milestone today that is nothing to do with kiwiland. We met a decade ago to the day.
Blimey! Where'd all that time go?!
Well we certainly haven't been wasting it! This is what we've worked out we've had or done over the past 10 years:
Jobs: Annalie - 5, Ian - 18
Homes: 5 long term, including temporary accommodation, 12
Countries lived in: 3
Continents visited: 5
Cats: 2
Dogs: 1
Either we get bored easily or just have itchy feet!
We've got 2.5 years until we make our 10th wedding anniversary so you've got to wonder...what else can we do in those 2.5 years?!! That's a quarter of the time we've been together so far. There's plenty of scope ;-)
Blimey! Where'd all that time go?!
Well we certainly haven't been wasting it! This is what we've worked out we've had or done over the past 10 years:
Jobs: Annalie - 5, Ian - 18
Homes: 5 long term, including temporary accommodation, 12
Countries lived in: 3
Continents visited: 5
Cats: 2
Dogs: 1
Either we get bored easily or just have itchy feet!
We've got 2.5 years until we make our 10th wedding anniversary so you've got to wonder...what else can we do in those 2.5 years?!! That's a quarter of the time we've been together so far. There's plenty of scope ;-)
Sunday, November 6, 2011
NZ from the air
Our flight from Nelson to Wellington was on a beautiful, clear evening, affording us some lovely views of the scenery.
Below are a selection, including views to d'Urville Island, the Marlborough Sounds, Makara wind farm and Wellington harbour in the distance.
It just provides a different perspective on the country.
Below are a selection, including views to d'Urville Island, the Marlborough Sounds, Makara wind farm and Wellington harbour in the distance.
It just provides a different perspective on the country.
A beach birthday
Being November children, our birthdays have always been pretty miserable weather-wise. Usually it's raining. Or cold. Or both. Until we moved upside down.
November is now firmly in the Spring. But with us being in Nelson, the weather was better than normal for us.
We were very lucky to be meeting up with Alison, a friend of Andrea's (Annalie's sister) who moved to NZ two years before us. Annalie and Alison plotted a day out at Rabbit Island, so after a leisurely breakfast, Alison and her family picked us up and off we went.
Rabbit Island is a leisure area just outside Nelson with a fabulous beach, some free barbecues and plenty of open space to play in. We took some food and drinks and chilled out for the afternoon, soaking up the sun and enjoying the company of some new-found friends.
As you can see, Ian's birthday was a stressful affair...
November is now firmly in the Spring. But with us being in Nelson, the weather was better than normal for us.
We were very lucky to be meeting up with Alison, a friend of Andrea's (Annalie's sister) who moved to NZ two years before us. Annalie and Alison plotted a day out at Rabbit Island, so after a leisurely breakfast, Alison and her family picked us up and off we went.
Rabbit Island is a leisure area just outside Nelson with a fabulous beach, some free barbecues and plenty of open space to play in. We took some food and drinks and chilled out for the afternoon, soaking up the sun and enjoying the company of some new-found friends.
As you can see, Ian's birthday was a stressful affair...
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Happy birthday Ian
There's no better way to start your birthday than with a good feed.
So Annalie duly took Ian off to a funky cafe in the heart of Nelson that had been recommended.
Lambrettas, as the name suggests, is themed around the Italian scooter, with a few relics and artefacts dotted around.
The breakfast is also a work of art. Although it didn't stay this way for long...
So Annalie duly took Ian off to a funky cafe in the heart of Nelson that had been recommended.
Lambrettas, as the name suggests, is themed around the Italian scooter, with a few relics and artefacts dotted around.
The breakfast is also a work of art. Although it didn't stay this way for long...
It must be cold here
Despite the reputation as being the sunniest place in NZ, we've found a certain local craze a bit confusing.
There seems to be a local sport of "dressing" trees and other street amenities in woolly jumpers! It's been chilly here but not that cold!
There seems to be a local sport of "dressing" trees and other street amenities in woolly jumpers! It's been chilly here but not that cold!
The centre of the universe!
While in Nelson it seemed rude not to visit the so-called Centre of NZ. It is so-called because it is the location of the country's first trig point. The actual geographic centre is figured to be about 55kms south west of here!
The stiff climb up certainly helped to work off breakfast!
But the views are worthy of the title of the Centre of the country. With the sight of the Tasman Bay, Boulder Bank, the Port and Nelson itself. Not so much Middle Earth, but possibly the Centre of it ;-)
The stiff climb up certainly helped to work off breakfast!
But the views are worthy of the title of the Centre of the country. With the sight of the Tasman Bay, Boulder Bank, the Port and Nelson itself. Not so much Middle Earth, but possibly the Centre of it ;-)
Friday, November 4, 2011
You can take the girl out of Rochdale
We're on a quick visit to Nelson to continue our exploration of our new country.
We decided, courtesy of Grab One, to take a tour of the local Stoke brewery, and bring home a take home pack each (not a bad deal at $13 each!).
We're on the other side of the world, but it sure does feel a lot like home...
We decided, courtesy of Grab One, to take a tour of the local Stoke brewery, and bring home a take home pack each (not a bad deal at $13 each!).
We're on the other side of the world, but it sure does feel a lot like home...
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Happy here
We don't know how well you can see this photo but it's Maddy on the walk near us. She looks so happy and smiley we thought it was just a nice way to express we're happy here. All three of us. You can't have everything. It isn't perfect by any stretch. After all, our friends and family aren't closer. But in the grand scheme of things, there are much worse places to live.
Just ask "Little Ms M".
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Freedom
Although we're well into our Kiwiland adventure, we thought it is worth noting a milestone that gives us a little more freedom. Or at the very least, frees us from a shackle.
Our house in Derby is sold. Some of you may be thinking we sold it ages ago. But as ever with the English property system, it ain't over till the fat lady sings. Or at least until she exchanges contracts for us.
Because we had tenants living in the house, we couldn't exchange until they'd moved out. That happened this past weekend and all the inspections took place and the buyer was satisfied.
So we exchanged. And we'll complete on Thursday. And then that's it. Goodbye lovely house.
We've actually not lived in the house longer than we actually lived in it! But it was still ours. Bricks and mortar that represented something of an accomplishment. Now we're homeless. Well, not quite. But we're not on he property ladder any more.
We're in no rush to buy here yet. We're still settling in, and besides, it's probably cheaper to rent anyway! We have a nice house, in an area that we really like and it works well for us.
We'll just have to make sure more of you get to see it ;-)
Our house in Derby is sold. Some of you may be thinking we sold it ages ago. But as ever with the English property system, it ain't over till the fat lady sings. Or at least until she exchanges contracts for us.
Because we had tenants living in the house, we couldn't exchange until they'd moved out. That happened this past weekend and all the inspections took place and the buyer was satisfied.
So we exchanged. And we'll complete on Thursday. And then that's it. Goodbye lovely house.
We've actually not lived in the house longer than we actually lived in it! But it was still ours. Bricks and mortar that represented something of an accomplishment. Now we're homeless. Well, not quite. But we're not on he property ladder any more.
We're in no rush to buy here yet. We're still settling in, and besides, it's probably cheaper to rent anyway! We have a nice house, in an area that we really like and it works well for us.
We'll just have to make sure more of you get to see it ;-)
Friday, September 16, 2011
A year ago today...
On 17 September 2010, we packed up what was left of our belongings and drove to JFK Airport in New York, to set off on our next adventure. We said our final goodbyes to the USA, full of hope for the next stage of the journey.
Our route took us back to London for a total of six hours. Yes, it may seem mad, but saving money on an expensive emigration project seemed important at the time.
What was more important though, was that it gave us the chance to say some proper farewells to some very dear friends who we still miss very much. You know who you are.
We then boarded our flight to our new life.
We'll do a proper one year in post on Tuesday. That is our one-year anniversary. But we'll leave you with this.
We decided to make the move because we didn't want to look back in years to come and say "I wish we'd given it a go." we couldn't regret it if we tried and it didn't work out for whatever reason. At least we would have attempted to follow our dreams.
All we can say now is, no regrets.
Our route took us back to London for a total of six hours. Yes, it may seem mad, but saving money on an expensive emigration project seemed important at the time.
What was more important though, was that it gave us the chance to say some proper farewells to some very dear friends who we still miss very much. You know who you are.
We then boarded our flight to our new life.
We'll do a proper one year in post on Tuesday. That is our one-year anniversary. But we'll leave you with this.
We decided to make the move because we didn't want to look back in years to come and say "I wish we'd given it a go." we couldn't regret it if we tried and it didn't work out for whatever reason. At least we would have attempted to follow our dreams.
All we can say now is, no regrets.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Our Easter bunny prize
You may remember back in October that Annalie won an Air New Zealand competition to win a trip to Hong Kong. As she couldn't take the original prize on offer to see the All Blacks play Australia, they rearranged the flights for Easter weekend. So on 20th April we duly set off for our first trip off these shores since arriving.
We'd been to HK once before, about 5.5 years ago, and only for a couple of days. So we'd done a few key things and weren't quite sure what to do this time! Normally we're incredibly organised and know exactly what we're going to do, and even when! So this was a bit fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants. And I don't think we liked it!
To try and make the most of it, we bought hop-on, hop-off tour bus tickets before we left. That gave us something to do when we got to HK and keep us active (and awake!) after the 11-hour flight. We did most of the HK Island tour, getting off at the Mid-Levels Escalators. For the uninitiated, this is a unique HK form of commuter transport. In the mornings the escalators travel downwards, taking the stream of commuters from the affluent SoHo suburbs into the town centre. From 10am, for the rest of the day, they go the other way!
The bus tickets included a trip on The Peak Tram. We'd done this last time we were here in 2005 but we thought it might be nice to revisit it. Not much has changed, but it's still and interesting (and steep!) trip on a funicular!
The one plan we'd made was to take a day trip to Macau. Known as the Vegas of the East, that was once under Portuguese rule, we thought it might be interesting to see what it was like, and maybe have a play on the blackjack table.
When you get off the ferry in Macau, you obviously have to clear immigration - it is a different country after all! But given that the Chinese are huge gamblers, and that it was the Good Friday holiday, there were a lot of people in the queues! And if you know anything about the Chinese, they don't queue very well. So we had to adopt a bit of a "when in Rome" attitude!
After what seemed like forever, but was probably only about 35-45 minutes, when we finally got through immigration, we were met by all of the casino operators offering free shuttles to their hotels. We jumped on one to the Sands, supposedly the cheapest of the casinos.
Given that we'd had to get an earlier than we'd hoped ferry due to it being so busy, we were in the casino by 10am! It seemed a bit rude to start gamling so early, so after wandering around the floors, we decided to go and explore Macau itself.
With map in hand we walked to the city centre which holds most of the traditional architecture. The East meets West feel is slightly odd, but pretty all the same.
After grabbing a quick lunch, we decided to head back to the casino to start a bit of a wager. We'd allowed ourselves HK$1000 for betting, about £100. Now we're used to playing on tables that are US$5 in Vegas or at Mohegan Sun. The cheapest table we could find in the Sands was US$25 (HK$200). Given our HK$1000 limit, this could be a very short stint at the table!
Well. It was a very short stint. But not for the usual reason. Within 30 minutes we'd doubled our money! So we decided to quit while we were ahead and legged it! Very sensible!
Then came the dilemma of what to do for the next three hours until our ferry back!
We set of on a mission to find some souvenirs (nearly impossible) and finally found some in the ferry terminal. Luckily we were allowed on an earlier ferry back to Hong Kong, so at least we didn't feel like we were hanging around.
On the last day we did what any respecting visitor to Hong Kong does...shopped! As NZ is quite expensive for most things, we looked for some new trainers for Ian and also an iPhone case, some headphones and a snow globe for our friend's daughter. As is expected, some severe haggling was employed with some successful bartering at the end of it.
We also finally remembered to watch the light show. We'd seen this on our last visit too but it was great to see it again. It is quite a spectacle and quite how they control the lights on numerous different buildings is a bit of a mystery!
You can click here for a full range of photos of the trip.
Long time, no speak
First off, apologies. It's been a while. Forgive us. We've been getting on with life over here, and that includes our first tranche of visitors.
So what's happened since our last update?
Well, we've had two more lots of visitors. Firstly, and slightly impromptu, was our darling friend Suzanne. Lucky for her (and us) she had a last-minute excuse to visit Jetstar in Melbourne. Given that she was flying all that way, it seemed criminal not to spend 3.5 hours on a plane to visit us. So she duly did.
Cue many squeals of delight and feelings of incredulous surprise as we didn't think we'd see Suzanne again for a long, long time. we showed her some of the lovely sights such as Mount Vic lookout, Brooklyn wind turbine (the first wind turbine in NZ) and a walk along the ridgeline to take in the views. We watched dolphins frolick in Lyall Bay and enjoyed some quality time in the late summer sun.
It was joyous to see her and sad to see her go, but promises to visit again (and try hard to get another trip to visit Jetstar!!).
Next it was the turn of Annalie's parents. They seemed to cope really well with the jet lag and got into the Kiwi way quite quickly. There was some diving to be done for Colin. Some shopping and eating for Mum. Plenty of walking. A trip to the Wairarapa for some wine tasting and a cruise to the South Island to take a look at Picton.
Sadly we couldn't take any time off though. The holiday laws in NZ mean you don't actually receive any holiday until after 12 months of working somewhere, even though you're accruing it. So you're kind of given it retrospectively. But Ian's shifts saw him home a couple of days. And unlike the States, at least there's decent public transport here and you can walk to places! So they got independent and found their way around.
All too soon the two weeks was over and it was time for another goodbye. Now there's more uncertainty about when we'll see people again. In the US we had the knowledge that flights to the UK were affordable, or that Annalie would travel a lot through the UK, or that air miles would easily get us home, or that RR would pay. Now those trips are a lot harder, which probably makes the farewells harder too. Still, that's a consequence of the move. Maybe we'll just have to convince everyone else to make the move over here too so that we don't have to keep doing that!
So what's happened since our last update?
Well, we've had two more lots of visitors. Firstly, and slightly impromptu, was our darling friend Suzanne. Lucky for her (and us) she had a last-minute excuse to visit Jetstar in Melbourne. Given that she was flying all that way, it seemed criminal not to spend 3.5 hours on a plane to visit us. So she duly did.
Cue many squeals of delight and feelings of incredulous surprise as we didn't think we'd see Suzanne again for a long, long time. we showed her some of the lovely sights such as Mount Vic lookout, Brooklyn wind turbine (the first wind turbine in NZ) and a walk along the ridgeline to take in the views. We watched dolphins frolick in Lyall Bay and enjoyed some quality time in the late summer sun.
It was joyous to see her and sad to see her go, but promises to visit again (and try hard to get another trip to visit Jetstar!!).
Next it was the turn of Annalie's parents. They seemed to cope really well with the jet lag and got into the Kiwi way quite quickly. There was some diving to be done for Colin. Some shopping and eating for Mum. Plenty of walking. A trip to the Wairarapa for some wine tasting and a cruise to the South Island to take a look at Picton.
Sadly we couldn't take any time off though. The holiday laws in NZ mean you don't actually receive any holiday until after 12 months of working somewhere, even though you're accruing it. So you're kind of given it retrospectively. But Ian's shifts saw him home a couple of days. And unlike the States, at least there's decent public transport here and you can walk to places! So they got independent and found their way around.
All too soon the two weeks was over and it was time for another goodbye. Now there's more uncertainty about when we'll see people again. In the US we had the knowledge that flights to the UK were affordable, or that Annalie would travel a lot through the UK, or that air miles would easily get us home, or that RR would pay. Now those trips are a lot harder, which probably makes the farewells harder too. Still, that's a consequence of the move. Maybe we'll just have to convince everyone else to make the move over here too so that we don't have to keep doing that!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
A lot has happened in the last month
Wow, has it really been a month since our last post? Sorry about that. Time really does slip away from you! Well, I guess a lot has happened, although maybe not to us directly.
Obviously you can tell by the fact that the blog is being updated that we're fine after the earthquake. Wellington is nowhere near Christchurch so we didn't suffer any direct impacts from the quake. However the effects are being felt around the country. The NZ $ has slipped and there's lots of dooma nd gloom about whether the country will be pushed into a double dip recession on the back of this. So much of the country's wealth relies on inbound tourism, and we're not quite certain how that will be impacted right now.
They're not certain if the city's Rugby World Cup games will go ahead - just after we'd spent $400 on ferry tickets to get to the England vs Argentina game! Oh well. The priority is to get the city back on its feet as quickly as possible. But whether the infrastructure, let alone the stadium, will be in any state to host thousands of fans is another matter and a lower priority.
Wellington has had a couple of its own rumbles this week though. First on Tuesday night there was a 4.5 quake centred about 20kms away. We missed this one because we were in the car. The second was in the early hours of Friday morning. Many people were woken by it, at 4.7 the biggest for a while in this area. We, however, slept right through. Some would say we've got off lightly!
But what we have learnt is that there are lots and lots of earthquakes that are constantly taking place in the region. Apparently there were 12 "quakes" of various sizes in the Wellington area in the week prior to the Christchurch tragedy. The following week there were 10. Just of different sizes. The fact is that we rarely feel these tremors and they're just a part of life in this country.
It's all part and parcel of moving into the Pacific Ring of Fire - and no, that's not the after effects of last night's curry either!
The tables have been turned on us lately as Ian has been "going away on business" instead of Annalie! The BP team at Auckland Airport are a bit short-staffed so he was asked to cover for a few days over a few weeks. He has mostly been away during the week but the one weekend he worked, Annalie headed up there to see some more of the city.
Plan A was to go and see Sarah, a uni friend we visited on our recce/holiday. However it turned out she, too, was away for the weekend. Plan B was to go to Rangitoto Island and walk around it. Upon our arrival the weather conspired against this idea though as it was sheeting it down. So Plan C was concocted on the hoof.
Being based out at the airport didn't make it easy to come up with something but Annalie decided to explore on the bus and get to the Auckland Museum.
Now here in Wellington we have the "national" museum - Te Papa - which is excellent. Auckland kind of pales in comparison, but she still learnt a few facts. Such as Auckland is sited around 48 volcanoes, which have been dormant for around 600 years. But if those beasts decide to wake up, the city will fare worse than Christchurch did on the 22nd February.
She also learnt about the battle of ANZAC and why we have a national holiday celebrating ANZAC Day. And she was humbled but the significant casualties that NZ sustained during the first and second World Wars on our behalves, which made up a large proportion of the men available of fighting age in the country at that time.
One of the beautiful things about travelling domestically in NZ is the lack of security. It is a far cry from the rigmarole and pain you have to go through in the US. And long may it stay that way!
We've also had our first visitors and it looks like March is going to be a busy time.
First there was Marius, a friend and ex-colleague from the States. He was visiting NZ with work and planning to stay on for the weekend to visit us. Only thing was, he landed in Christchurch on the morning of the quake. Needless to say, they didn't stay very long. Still, it did mean an impromptu night out for Annalie on the Wednesday as the team passed through Wellington on their way to Auckland.
The next week, we played host to Janina and Mike. Two ex-colleagues from RR in Derby. They have both taken early retirement within the last 18 months and have taken the opportunity to spend 5 weeks in a campervan driving around NZ. They both looked very relaxed by the time they got here! :-)
And we've got two more lots of visitors planned - not that we'll spoil it for you! ;-)
Obviously you can tell by the fact that the blog is being updated that we're fine after the earthquake. Wellington is nowhere near Christchurch so we didn't suffer any direct impacts from the quake. However the effects are being felt around the country. The NZ $ has slipped and there's lots of dooma nd gloom about whether the country will be pushed into a double dip recession on the back of this. So much of the country's wealth relies on inbound tourism, and we're not quite certain how that will be impacted right now.
They're not certain if the city's Rugby World Cup games will go ahead - just after we'd spent $400 on ferry tickets to get to the England vs Argentina game! Oh well. The priority is to get the city back on its feet as quickly as possible. But whether the infrastructure, let alone the stadium, will be in any state to host thousands of fans is another matter and a lower priority.
Wellington has had a couple of its own rumbles this week though. First on Tuesday night there was a 4.5 quake centred about 20kms away. We missed this one because we were in the car. The second was in the early hours of Friday morning. Many people were woken by it, at 4.7 the biggest for a while in this area. We, however, slept right through. Some would say we've got off lightly!
But what we have learnt is that there are lots and lots of earthquakes that are constantly taking place in the region. Apparently there were 12 "quakes" of various sizes in the Wellington area in the week prior to the Christchurch tragedy. The following week there were 10. Just of different sizes. The fact is that we rarely feel these tremors and they're just a part of life in this country.
It's all part and parcel of moving into the Pacific Ring of Fire - and no, that's not the after effects of last night's curry either!
The tables have been turned on us lately as Ian has been "going away on business" instead of Annalie! The BP team at Auckland Airport are a bit short-staffed so he was asked to cover for a few days over a few weeks. He has mostly been away during the week but the one weekend he worked, Annalie headed up there to see some more of the city.
Plan A was to go and see Sarah, a uni friend we visited on our recce/holiday. However it turned out she, too, was away for the weekend. Plan B was to go to Rangitoto Island and walk around it. Upon our arrival the weather conspired against this idea though as it was sheeting it down. So Plan C was concocted on the hoof.
Being based out at the airport didn't make it easy to come up with something but Annalie decided to explore on the bus and get to the Auckland Museum.
Now here in Wellington we have the "national" museum - Te Papa - which is excellent. Auckland kind of pales in comparison, but she still learnt a few facts. Such as Auckland is sited around 48 volcanoes, which have been dormant for around 600 years. But if those beasts decide to wake up, the city will fare worse than Christchurch did on the 22nd February.
She also learnt about the battle of ANZAC and why we have a national holiday celebrating ANZAC Day. And she was humbled but the significant casualties that NZ sustained during the first and second World Wars on our behalves, which made up a large proportion of the men available of fighting age in the country at that time.
One of the beautiful things about travelling domestically in NZ is the lack of security. It is a far cry from the rigmarole and pain you have to go through in the US. And long may it stay that way!
We've also had our first visitors and it looks like March is going to be a busy time.
First there was Marius, a friend and ex-colleague from the States. He was visiting NZ with work and planning to stay on for the weekend to visit us. Only thing was, he landed in Christchurch on the morning of the quake. Needless to say, they didn't stay very long. Still, it did mean an impromptu night out for Annalie on the Wednesday as the team passed through Wellington on their way to Auckland.
The next week, we played host to Janina and Mike. Two ex-colleagues from RR in Derby. They have both taken early retirement within the last 18 months and have taken the opportunity to spend 5 weeks in a campervan driving around NZ. They both looked very relaxed by the time they got here! :-)
And we've got two more lots of visitors planned - not that we'll spoil it for you! ;-)
Saturday, February 5, 2011
The annual Wellington fancy dress party!
Each year in Wellington, there is an occasion that sees the town invaded with all sorts of strange looking people, but it all seems incredibly normal somehow! It is possibly the biggest fancy dress party in the world. Otherwise known as the New Zealand Rugby 7s.
Tickets to the event sell out within minutes each year, and they'd already gone before we got here in September, so we were resigned to just observing from a distance. However, with a week to go, one of Annalie's colleagues got hold of a couple of weekend tickets and gave us first refusal on the Friday tickets. As these are often a rarity, we jumped at the chance.
And what a spectacle it is to behold!
First, some observations:
1) absolutely anything goes. Nothing is too tame or too outrageous. We would tell you some of the least tasteful outfits, but we might offend you!
2) there are some VERY brave people out there who will wear almost anything
3) there are also some very clever people out there with an incredible wit or sense of humour
4) the rugby is really just an excuse for the party - there almost seemed to be more people wandering around the concourse than inside the stadium.
Some examples of what we saw:
Tickets to the event sell out within minutes each year, and they'd already gone before we got here in September, so we were resigned to just observing from a distance. However, with a week to go, one of Annalie's colleagues got hold of a couple of weekend tickets and gave us first refusal on the Friday tickets. As these are often a rarity, we jumped at the chance.
And what a spectacle it is to behold!
First, some observations:
1) absolutely anything goes. Nothing is too tame or too outrageous. We would tell you some of the least tasteful outfits, but we might offend you!
2) there are some VERY brave people out there who will wear almost anything
3) there are also some very clever people out there with an incredible wit or sense of humour
4) the rugby is really just an excuse for the party - there almost seemed to be more people wandering around the concourse than inside the stadium.
Some examples of what we saw:
- railroad crossings - including flashing lights and sirens. Needless to say they had no trouble getting through the crowds!
- dolphin trainers - with inflatable dolphins and whisltes
- foosball players - including the metal pole between them
- floor lights
- pot plants
- Barbie - in the box as well!
- beekeepers
- the Smurfs
- Stabilo highlighter pens
- flamingoes
- Scousers!
- and Whoopee Cushions!!
Some of the best outfits we don't have photos of though. We saw a guy (or at least we assume it was a guy!) on a mobility scooter dressed as Stig! And someone else in a wheelchair dressed as a Dalek. Very clever!
And yes, we've got photographic evidence that you can see here! We would even go so far as to say don't even bother coming here for the Rugby World Cup (if you were planning to). Just aim for the Sevens weekend and you'll be guaranteed a laugh.
And that's the main point about the Sevens. No one cares what you look like and you can't feel stupid as we guarantee you, there will always be someone out there who will look even more ridiculous! We're sure there's an unofficial competition to see who's the most outrageous.
Oh, and by the way, England lost to NZ in the final. Just in case you were wondering if we noticed the rugby ;)
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Maddy finds her own bed
Despite providing a bed and her crate, when we leave Maddy in the garage, she's found her own sleeping spot.
We were wondering why a lot of Maddy hair had found its way onto a fleecy blanket, and then we came back one time and found out why! Seems she chooses her own comfy spot...
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Free Wellington!
Wellington has a wealth of free events on during the summer and Annalie sampled her first one last week. Concerts in the park are a daily event throughout January. She's got no idea who was on stage, but some friends invited her along as they wanted to meet Maddy. As it's an outdoor concert, that was easy, but Maddy wasn't on her best behaviour. The place was full of her two favourite things: people and food. So what did we expect really?!
Annalie has given away a free marketing suggestion to one of NZ's best companies for marketing! Air New Zealand has launched an online "superstar" as a marketing campaign for its new aircraft interiors. Rico has been a huge success and has acquired a huge following. When we were over here in 2009, we started "spotting" Explore More vans, as each van has a different name and it has "Explore More with..." and the name on each van. Annalie saw the marketing potential in an "Explore More with Rico" van so introduced the idea to both of them and a van has been made! Rico has toured NZ in the van and is running an online video series of his travels. Check out Annalie's van's "drive on" part at the start. Explore More has promised us a free rental at some point. And now Rico's not using it any more...
While we're enjoying summer (ish) here in NZ, our friends back in CT are being snowed in on a regular basis! Last winter we got virtually no snow. It was a huge disappointment. And we never even went skiing in New England. But this year has been mega! We're not sure if we miss it or not.
And talking of the old life, Annalie has completed her first work trip in her new job. Where previously her work took her to Singapore, Dubai, Beijing, Paris, Seattle and India, this week she went...wait for it...all the way to Taupo! Although there is the possibility of getting as far as Australia in the next couple of months. Woo hoo! Living the high life still!
What else have we been up to? Well, we scored free tickets to the local racing festival so had a day out at the gee gees. We had a great start on the betting and ended the day about $8 up. Then we had our first win on the lotto the same night! So that left us another $8 up. Hey, it's not going to make us millionaires, but at least we didn't lose!
We also went to the Penthouse Cinema in Brooklyn to watch Four Lions (very silly but very funny!). Wellington is full of little community cinemas that let you experience the cinema as it used to be. But they don't do popcorn! Much to Annalie's disappointment. It's a much more sophisticated experience! We walked into the cinema to be greeted by lots of people sat with coffee cups on their laps! Considering coffee is king in Wellington, this should come as no surprise. But you just don't expect people to be sat in the cinema with cups and saucers on their laps!
We have also been meeting up with friends for golf lessons (Ian teaching), housewarmings and Maddy meets. We've also been indulging in the Kiwi sport of attending open homes! Well, just the one. There's a house for sale on our street that has wonderful views over the bays. We're not looking to buy right now as we have our equity tied up in Derby, but it's good to know what we might be looking at. Ian kind of fell for the house we went to see and it's probably not hard to see why. A bit above our expected price range anyway, but when we're ready to buy, we'll be in a strong position as we'll effectively be first-time buyers and that will make us extremely attractive. We've just got to hope that another house like this one is on the market then.
Annalie has given away a free marketing suggestion to one of NZ's best companies for marketing! Air New Zealand has launched an online "superstar" as a marketing campaign for its new aircraft interiors. Rico has been a huge success and has acquired a huge following. When we were over here in 2009, we started "spotting" Explore More vans, as each van has a different name and it has "Explore More with..." and the name on each van. Annalie saw the marketing potential in an "Explore More with Rico" van so introduced the idea to both of them and a van has been made! Rico has toured NZ in the van and is running an online video series of his travels. Check out Annalie's van's "drive on" part at the start. Explore More has promised us a free rental at some point. And now Rico's not using it any more...
While we're enjoying summer (ish) here in NZ, our friends back in CT are being snowed in on a regular basis! Last winter we got virtually no snow. It was a huge disappointment. And we never even went skiing in New England. But this year has been mega! We're not sure if we miss it or not.
And talking of the old life, Annalie has completed her first work trip in her new job. Where previously her work took her to Singapore, Dubai, Beijing, Paris, Seattle and India, this week she went...wait for it...all the way to Taupo! Although there is the possibility of getting as far as Australia in the next couple of months. Woo hoo! Living the high life still!
What else have we been up to? Well, we scored free tickets to the local racing festival so had a day out at the gee gees. We had a great start on the betting and ended the day about $8 up. Then we had our first win on the lotto the same night! So that left us another $8 up. Hey, it's not going to make us millionaires, but at least we didn't lose!
We also went to the Penthouse Cinema in Brooklyn to watch Four Lions (very silly but very funny!). Wellington is full of little community cinemas that let you experience the cinema as it used to be. But they don't do popcorn! Much to Annalie's disappointment. It's a much more sophisticated experience! We walked into the cinema to be greeted by lots of people sat with coffee cups on their laps! Considering coffee is king in Wellington, this should come as no surprise. But you just don't expect people to be sat in the cinema with cups and saucers on their laps!
We have also been meeting up with friends for golf lessons (Ian teaching), housewarmings and Maddy meets. We've also been indulging in the Kiwi sport of attending open homes! Well, just the one. There's a house for sale on our street that has wonderful views over the bays. We're not looking to buy right now as we have our equity tied up in Derby, but it's good to know what we might be looking at. Ian kind of fell for the house we went to see and it's probably not hard to see why. A bit above our expected price range anyway, but when we're ready to buy, we'll be in a strong position as we'll effectively be first-time buyers and that will make us extremely attractive. We've just got to hope that another house like this one is on the market then.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Hitting the surf
So it may not have been the way that Ian is used to it, but after a dog walk down at Lyall Bay, he suggested that we purchase some body boards, plus a wesuit for Annalie, and head back to the bay to catch some waves. It didn't take much persuading as it was a lovely sunny day, although one of the windiest we've seen.
One of the important things to do since getting Maddy was to register her with the council - a bit like dog licensing in the US or how it used to be in the UK. This week her tag turned up, and as you can see, she's well and truly a Wellingtonian now ;-) 
Annalie has also been out for the first spin on the two-wheeled toy. It's the first time she'd ridden a motorbike in nearly 3 years and the first geared bike in nearly 4! We headed over to Miramar (no, not the Top Gun version) as it's quite quiet, flat and sheltered. She had a quick ride around unscathed but more practice is required to build her confidence up.
It's taken nearly four months, but finally Ian got Annalie into the sea! We spent a couple of hours picking our waves and cruising around. Despite Ian's leanings as a "proper" surfer, even he had some fun! Here's sort of the proof after the event. Annalie, new wetsuit and body board. Ignore the screwed up face. It was very sunny and VERY windy!
One of the important things to do since getting Maddy was to register her with the council - a bit like dog licensing in the US or how it used to be in the UK. This week her tag turned up, and as you can see, she's well and truly a Wellingtonian now ;-) Annalie has also been out for the first spin on the two-wheeled toy. It's the first time she'd ridden a motorbike in nearly 3 years and the first geared bike in nearly 4! We headed over to Miramar (no, not the Top Gun version) as it's quite quiet, flat and sheltered. She had a quick ride around unscathed but more practice is required to build her confidence up.We picked Miramar after driving around there the previous night and getting takeaway pizza to eat looking out over one of the bays. We stayed out trying to get a picture of the sunset over the South Island, which is often visible from Owhiro Bay. This was the best we could come up with though - not pretty at all ;-)
Check out some of our other photos here.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
The perils of our new home
No, not earthquakes, but it appears sharks are on the prowl. The sighting reported here was just about an hour after Annalie had been walking Maddy on the dog beach (or Woof Woof Ruff as they are known) at Lyall Bay! This was also the beach we walked on on Christmas Day and is also next to Ian's workplace.
Well, at least we know what we're up against!
Well, at least we know what we're up against!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Some views around our new home
We thought you might appreciate some pictures from around our new home. So here goes.
This is from Tawatawa Reserve, taken about two minutes' walk from our house (which is on the road on the left). It is looking down towards Owhiro Bay (pronounced owe-fear-o).
This is also from the Reserve and looks over the other ridgeline to Island Bay itself. You can see the island that gives the bay its name.
This is from Tawatawa Reserve, taken about two minutes' walk from our house (which is on the road on the left). It is looking down towards Owhiro Bay (pronounced owe-fear-o).
This is also from the Reserve and looks over the other ridgeline to Island Bay itself. You can see the island that gives the bay its name. 
This is also from the Reserve, on Maddy's first walk up there, and looks towards Berhampore, Newtown and Wellington in the distance in the top left.
This is a bit further down Frobisher Street and looks across to the Cook Straits. You can just about make out the Interislander Ferry making its way back to Wellington from Picton on the South Island.
And finally a sunset from our living room - we just loved the colours.
This is a bit further down Frobisher Street and looks across to the Cook Straits. You can just about make out the Interislander Ferry making its way back to Wellington from Picton on the South Island.
And finally a sunset from our living room - we just loved the colours.
Maddy breaks free!
On the way back from Taupo (and yes we did plan it this way!) we stopped off at Levin to finally pick up little Ms M, who'd completed her 30 days' solitary confinement and we could break her free!
She got sooooooo excited when we turned up we could barely get her out of the unit door! But she soon settled down in her crate in the car.
When we got back she was introduced to her new back yard. Finally we have a fenced yard so we can just kick her out for early morning/pre-sleep toilet breaks - although we have yet to get her into the routine and mindset that this is what is required! We have to start training her from scratch.
Later that afternoon we decided to take her down to Lyall Bay, which has a good stretch of dog beach. As a dog from a central American state, she's not exactly used to the sea or tide, so watching her reaction to the water is interesting! We don't think she'll ever be a water pup, but we'll try to get her more used to it. Maybe after time she'll realise there's nothing to be afraid of?!
She's currently settling into her new lifestyle and seemingly enjoying it (apart from down at the beach!).
A Christmas holiday
In NZ most businesses shut for Christmas, giving Annalie two and a half weeks off. The nice thing is that, because of the bank holidays (or statutory holidays as they're known here) she only has to use 6 days' holiday :-) As well as Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day, we also get 2nd January - bargain!
So we had the opportunity to take a break and go somewhere. We'd bought a new tent just before moving out here, so we thought we'd give that an outing (seeing as it had just about arrived in time on the container!) and go camping in Taupo. Now, some of you may remember that we visited Taupo on our holiday in 2009. When we were there it chucked it down so we weren't able to do the activities we wanted to. So, the theory was, that we'd head up there over the Christmas break and do the two things we'd wanted to achieve the last time we'd been there.
As we were planning to be so active, we decided to camp at Taupo DeBretts campsite. The main incentive being that the main hot pools are on site and we got cheap entry fees! It turned out to be a very good move!
We drove up on Monday 27th on a glorious day, possibly boding well for our three and a half days in town? Unfortunately it wasn't to be and the heavens opened on the Tuesday. Luckily we knew this in advance and we'd managed to rearrange our plans to have a chilled/lazy day in Taupo, getting a massage and relazing at the hot pools. Oh it really is a hard life!
On the Wednesday, as forecast, the weather broke and bright blue skies greeted us once again. Today was mountain biking and heading out to Fishers Track. It's predominantly downhill but there are some pretty steep uphills to get you there first. Then it's a lot of fun winding down. Except that following the rain on the previous day, it made the track very technical and quite tough. Typically Annalie had a few tumbles (and even Ian came off once or twice!) but it was definitely Annalie who came off worst. Her first fall was quite an innocuous slide but her foot also slipped resulting in a huge graze right across her knee. Still, being the brave soldier she is, she carried on and made it to the end.
After that, it was an hour's drive back to Taupo and to the hot pools to soak the tired muscles in preparation for an even bigger expedition the following day. Still, our preparation was interrupted by our friends Ness and Dave. They were starting their Christmas holiday and were on their way to the East Cape but thought they'd join us in Taupo for a night. And they turned up with beers in hand. Well. It would be rude to turn it down after they'd cycled all the way across town to meet up with us!
Thursday was a very early rise to head back out to the Tongariro National Park. This time we were attempting what is billed as the single best day hike in NZ - the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. It's not so much "alpine" in the summer, but in the winter it's definitely more challenging. Still, it's a 19.4km trek - which doesn't sound much. But when you realise that in that there is an ascent of around 900m in total, it sounds a bit tougher!
Maybe a half-day mountain bike trek wasn't quite the best preparation for this! But then we had originally planned to do the Crossing on the Tuesday, but they weren't even running transport that day, the weather was that bad. The guidelines suggest it's a 6-8 hour trek, so we knew what our targets were.
The climb starts off gradually and then gets pretty steep, although you are helped be a lot of steps. When you reach the Southern Crater, there's an option to climb the summit of Mt Ngauruhoe - but that was a three-hour side trip that we didn't reallyu have time for. Plus it's a bloody steep climb and there's no way we'd have made it!
Obviously there was no other excuse needed to hit the hot pools again, so guess what? We did! And then it was a bit of packing ready for a fairly early departure on Friday, followed by an all-you-can-eat buffet to replenish the energy we'd burned during the day.
So we had the opportunity to take a break and go somewhere. We'd bought a new tent just before moving out here, so we thought we'd give that an outing (seeing as it had just about arrived in time on the container!) and go camping in Taupo. Now, some of you may remember that we visited Taupo on our holiday in 2009. When we were there it chucked it down so we weren't able to do the activities we wanted to. So, the theory was, that we'd head up there over the Christmas break and do the two things we'd wanted to achieve the last time we'd been there.
As we were planning to be so active, we decided to camp at Taupo DeBretts campsite. The main incentive being that the main hot pools are on site and we got cheap entry fees! It turned out to be a very good move!
We drove up on Monday 27th on a glorious day, possibly boding well for our three and a half days in town? Unfortunately it wasn't to be and the heavens opened on the Tuesday. Luckily we knew this in advance and we'd managed to rearrange our plans to have a chilled/lazy day in Taupo, getting a massage and relazing at the hot pools. Oh it really is a hard life!
On the Wednesday, as forecast, the weather broke and bright blue skies greeted us once again. Today was mountain biking and heading out to Fishers Track. It's predominantly downhill but there are some pretty steep uphills to get you there first. Then it's a lot of fun winding down. Except that following the rain on the previous day, it made the track very technical and quite tough. Typically Annalie had a few tumbles (and even Ian came off once or twice!) but it was definitely Annalie who came off worst. Her first fall was quite an innocuous slide but her foot also slipped resulting in a huge graze right across her knee. Still, being the brave soldier she is, she carried on and made it to the end.
After that, it was an hour's drive back to Taupo and to the hot pools to soak the tired muscles in preparation for an even bigger expedition the following day. Still, our preparation was interrupted by our friends Ness and Dave. They were starting their Christmas holiday and were on their way to the East Cape but thought they'd join us in Taupo for a night. And they turned up with beers in hand. Well. It would be rude to turn it down after they'd cycled all the way across town to meet up with us!
Thursday was a very early rise to head back out to the Tongariro National Park. This time we were attempting what is billed as the single best day hike in NZ - the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. It's not so much "alpine" in the summer, but in the winter it's definitely more challenging. Still, it's a 19.4km trek - which doesn't sound much. But when you realise that in that there is an ascent of around 900m in total, it sounds a bit tougher!
Maybe a half-day mountain bike trek wasn't quite the best preparation for this! But then we had originally planned to do the Crossing on the Tuesday, but they weren't even running transport that day, the weather was that bad. The guidelines suggest it's a 6-8 hour trek, so we knew what our targets were.
The climb starts off gradually and then gets pretty steep, although you are helped be a lot of steps. When you reach the Southern Crater, there's an option to climb the summit of Mt Ngauruhoe - but that was a three-hour side trip that we didn't reallyu have time for. Plus it's a bloody steep climb and there's no way we'd have made it!
Still, it was a good photo opp! In the background is Mt Ngauruhoe (pronounced Now-rue-oe-ee). This was Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings films, and you can see why they filmed so much around here. It is truly desolate and barren, but picturesque at the same time.
From there it was up to the highest point of our climb, which was not quite so forgiving and no steps! It was more mountain goat track! But it made for an interesting climb. At the top you're greeted by the sight of the Emerald Lakes, which get their colours from the minerals taken from the surrounding rocks. They are absolutely stunning and a welcome break from the volcanic landscape.
Obviously there was no other excuse needed to hit the hot pools again, so guess what? We did! And then it was a bit of packing ready for a fairly early departure on Friday, followed by an all-you-can-eat buffet to replenish the energy we'd burned during the day.
You can see the rest of the photos from our Taupo holiday here.
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