Liam&Tams World Tour

"Well, we're back!"

2006-12-03T10:47:00.000Z

We arrived safely back in Heathrow on a reassuringly grey Sunday morning. And somehow so did our bags, ever the optimist I was convinced they would disappear on the final leg!

It's really difficult to sum up what we thought or felt.

In some ways as soon as we were back it didn't seem like ten months had pasted since we left to start our incredible journey. Then again as soon as we stopped and started to remember some of the amazing places we'd visited and the lovely people we'd met it's hard to believe we managed to fit it all in to such a short time.

It has quite definitely been the most amazing year for both Tams and I and we can't thank everyone enough for helping us to do it.

So for everyone who:

Didn't scream and panic when we announced what we were planning for 2006;
Suggested places that we had to go and see;
Lent complete strangers (us) their cars, gave them a place to sleep, fed them and showed them round;
Travelled halfway round the planet to visit us! ;
Gave us handy travelling presents and lent us kit;
Kept us informed what was going on back home, even the shortest e-mail/text was great!;
Took the time to look at our photos or read our ramblings;

THANK YOU!

Liam & Tamsin xxx

P.S. Now prepare yourselves for the mother of all slideshows and photo albums, caffeine will be provided!

New York - Statue of Liberty

2006-12-02T18:45:00.000Z

Our last morning in New York and away from home!!!!

To be honest Tamsin and I were finding it hard to get engaged in the days planned activities. We caught a 'Circle Line' tour on the Hudson and East rivers. It was a beautiful, if chilly, sunny day as we circumnavigated Manhatten island taking in the sights: the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the Brooklyn Bridge etc. There wasn't a problem with the tour or the places we were both simply distracted by looking forward to getting home. Actually 'distracted' doesn't come close we couldn't wait.

After the tour we had one last american diner experience where we were again shocked by how rude the locals can be to the waiters! Can't they imagine what will be done to their food behind closed doors. We had a nice lunch and Tamsin almost managed to coax a smile out of our waiter.

A final stroll through Manhatten took us past the beautiful Chrysler building and through a couple of Christmas markets.

We even managed to survive a terrifying high speed shuttle bus journey to the airport. And I thought gale force winds on the top of the Empire State Building was something to worry about!?!?

New York - Natural Hist. Museum

2006-12-01T18:44:00.000Z

We took another walk from our hostel through Central Park. This time our destination was the Natural History Museum. It was gigantic!

We started in the planetarium where were saw an incredible 3D show entitled 'Cosmic Collisions', very good but quite worrying when planets started bouncing off one another and forming moons. We then followed a scaled walkway from the Big Bang to the present day, the path was about 200 yards long so every step you took represented a couple of million years. The Scientists really know how to make you feel insignificant when, at the very end, they had a human hair on a light box to represent the whole of human history to date. Like that famous book said "The Universe is Big. Really big. It may seem like a long way to the corner chemist, but compared to the Universe, that's peanuts".

After walking through the whole of creation Tams and I had a much deserved cup of tea followed by a look round the rest of the museum. We quickly realised that you would really need an entire week just to see all of the exhibits. There was an entire floor of dinosaurs!

New York - Empire State View

2006-11-30T18:42:00.000Z

After a day exploring Greenwich, Little Italy, Chinatown and the financial district on foot we headed back to the heart of Manhatten.

We climbed the Empire State Building (well we 'climbed' into a lift) in search of giant gorillas and views of the city.

Disappointingly it was Kong's night off so we had to make do with the views and accompanying audio tour. The view over the city at night with all of the lights was incredible even if the roaring winds made it very difficult for me to relax and enjoy the view (I fear I may have left finger indentations on the metal handrails). Actually the winds did explain why we didn't see KK, apparently they did make an inflatable to stick on the top for special occasions but it only lasted for a couple of minutes before the high winds tore it to shreads!

It was a great way of seeing how all the places we had visited over the past couple of days sat next to one another.

New York - Grand Central Station

2006-11-29T18:41:00.000Z

A completely different kind of 'work of art' compared to those on show in the Guggenheim. I really wanted to see the main concorse of the Grand Central Station.

It's an incredible building. The station has more of a feeling of a cathedral than a train station with huge glass windows at either end of the hall and smooth marble floors.

There was even an annex with a Christmas market so 'everyone' was happy.

Tams and I were planning on having a cocktail on the balcony bar and watching the world go but unfortunately it was closed when we tried. Maybe next time.

New York - The Guggenheim

2006-11-29T18:40:00.000Z

Tamsin and I started our time in New York with a walk through Central Park and a couple of hours in the Guggenheim museum. The museum is housed in a stunning spiralling building (designed by Frank Lloyd Wright) which stand on the very edge of the park.

Now Tams and I are normally the first to admit that we don't really 'get' art that much but we loved this place. You start off in the atrium and follow the walkway as it curls its way past all of the pictures on show. The exhibition was a collection of Spanish paintings and was called 'El Greco to Picasso'. Apparently exhibitions are normally organised chronologically where as this one was grouped into themes so you could see how the different artists had influenced one another. The thing that made the visit really interesting was the audio tour which explained the background to some of the key paintings.

One thing that really made me laugh was a pair of little old New York ladies who went against the flow, caught the lift to the top so they could follow gravity while they looked at the paintings. They couldn't help commenting on how stupid everyone else was to constantly walk up hill, I think they had a point!

Powell - Hyde Cale Car Ride

2006-11-27T18:38:00.000Z

A cable car ride was another one of those touristy things we couldn't resist doing. And to be fair it's a far more civilised way of tackling some of those steep hills than walking.

The trams arrive at the end of their lines where their 'gripman' and conductor turn them around (by hand!!) on a huge turntable. The tram rumbles along at a very easy pace and you can sit or stand on the very edge of the carridge to watch the sights roll by. Great!

Although I was so intent on catching the 'moment' as a photo that Tams and the tram almost left without me! Then again running to jump onto the side of the tram was quite cool.

And as San Francisco we've loved it! It's such a cool, laid back place with loads to see and do. Next stop the Big Apple!

Golden Gate Bridge

2006-11-27T18:35:00.000Z

Following another, long standing, recommendation Tams and I hired bikes and headed for the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a great way to see another iconic landmark. You can cycle all the way upto and over the bridge. The views back over the city were fantastic. Apparently the bridge was never intended to be the famous red colour. The red was simply an undercoat before it was painted grey, but locals took such a shine to it that they insisted it stayed.

Once on the other side of the bay we caught the ferry from the picturesque town of Sausolito, past Alkatraz and back into the city. It was a brilliany way of sight-seeing. Thanks for the tip Helen!

San Francisco - Lombard St.

2006-11-26T18:34:00.000Z

Those recommendations were quite correct, the drive along the coast to San Francisco was great. We had a very unusual breakfast in a roadside mexican diner. I don't think I've ever had quite so many Jalapeno peppers for breakfast before! Ah well when in Rome, well California, you know what I mean...

We negotiated some of San Francisco's famously steep streets and discovered a couple of things. I discovered that navigation is not all that easy and managed to get us 'misplaced' in downtown SF, much to Tamsin's delight Tamsin became a fully paided up member of the automatic appreciation society when our trusty Chevvy performed some flawless hill starts on her behalf.

Once we located our hostel, the wonderfully laid back (and iMac-tastic) 'Pacific Tradewinds' we returned Chevvy and started our explorations on foot. We found Lombard St, the world's crookedest street, (pictured) and Filbert St. which allegedly pips NZ's own Baldwin St. to the title of World's steepest street. I know we're ever so slightly biased but both Tams and I think that the Kiwis have been robbed.

Santa Cruz - Pier Sealions

2006-11-24T18:32:00.000Z

We had several people recommend the coastline on our way to San Francisco. With this in mind we decided to spend a night in Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz has a real feel of a seaside resort about it with an old fashioned fun park and a wooden pier full of shops and restaurants.

As Tamsin and I made our way along the pier we discovered that humans aren't the only one's to make use of it. A colony of sea lions use the legs of the pier to sleep on, they obviously land themselves up there at hign tide as there was a three foot gap between the beams and the water. Tamsin and I couldn't help marvel at their sense of balance, even when fast asleep no one wobbled or fell in.

If any of you believe in reincarnation it would be worth noting that there are probably worse animals to come back as, sea lions seem to spend their days playing in the sea and sun bathing!

Yosemite Meadow - Black Bears!

2006-11-24T18:31:00.000Z

As we started to drive out of the park we thought that we had seen all of the bears we were going to. We decided that a final drive through the acorn riddled meadows couldn't do any harm. And it's a good job we did as we were rewarded with the best view of bears we had had to date. A mother and cub were back in a spot we had seen them a day or so before.

Tamsin and I couldn't believe how lucky we had been as between us we had clocked up over a dozen bear sightings. Doubly lucky when you overhear other tourists saying that they've been coming to the park for years and have never seen a single bear.

Pausing briefly to marvel at the vertiginous El Capitan and slightly longer to refuel at an authentic roadside diner we left Yosemite and headed for the coast.

Yosemite - Ahwahnee Lodge

2006-11-22T18:27:00.000Z

Stand aside Hogwarts!

Knowing that our last day in Yosemite was Thanksgiving Day, and that we wouldn't stand a chance of booking a table, we decided to head out for a nice meal. Once again our trusty Rough Guide came to our aid and recommened the Ahwahnee Lodge claiming that it was one of the best places to eat in the whole of the States!

So Tams and I gave our smart clothes an outing from the inside of our rucsacs and managed to sneak in without anyone spotting our hiking shoes. Usually my Yorkshire 'short arms' gene combines with my deep pockets to avoid places like this but it was fantastic and worth every cent. The food and wine were incredible as were the surroundings. We even treated ourselves to a desert for a change. Tamsin's desert looked like a chocolate work of art, somehow she forced herself to see past the hours of preparation and devour it.

Yosemite - Ahwahnee Black Bear

2006-11-22T18:26:00.000Z

On our arrival back into Yosemite village this evening we had another encounter with a black bear! And thanks to the wonders of daylight we can share a photo with you, the blog viewer. Thank goodness we bought a large memory card for the digital camera.

Yosemite - Glacier Point

2006-11-22T18:25:00.000Z

Directly behind Curry Village (and our cabin) rises a near vertical cliff to Glacier Point. There are two ways of getting up there to see the view, the short way is to scale over three thousand metres of granite cliff. Alternatively you can drive the long way round. Being the adrenaline junkies we are we hopped straight into the car and elected the latter option!

The hour drive was well worth it as we were rewarded with a stunning view of the Yosemite valley as well as the surrounding rocky high country of the Sierra Nevada. Tamsin's burgeoning sense of vertigo was not helped when we saw a guy standing on the railings of the view point so he could take a photo of the afore mentioned 3,000 ft drop from a more interesting angle!!!!

On our way back to the valley floor we took what we thought would be a quick detour up to the top of Sentinel Dome which the Rough Guide claimed had one of the best views of the park. Tams and I felt absolutely dreadful on the ascent and only realised after that it was probably the effects of altitude as Sentinel Dome stands 8122 ft above sea level!

Yosemite - Tent Cabin #27

2006-11-21T18:23:00.000Z

From one national park to another, Tams and I arrived in Yosemite after a long drive from Sequoia. We stayed at Curry Village where Tamsin was very pleased to be issued with tent cabin number 27! By the time we arrived it was pitch black so we were pleasantly surpised to discover in the light of morning that the campsite was surrounded by the gigantic cliffs and mountains that makes Yosemite famous.

We quickly realised that we were in bear territory when, whilst checking in, we were given a page of bear instructions. You have to be careful to keep all food & drink as well as toiletries in bear proof lockers so your tent cabin or car aren't raided. Tams and I attended a 'Ranger talk' on bears and discovered that these precautions are really to protect the curious bears from us rather than the other way round. We were assured that should we encounter a local black bear it would be more afraid of us that we would be of it. Bears only become a problem when they become dependent on human food and start causing damage to get it. So leaving a half eaten chocolate bar in your car can easily result in the door being pulled of it's hinges! Still not sure exactly why a bear capable of tearing off a car door should be more afraid of us we headed off into the village to explore.

We walked across the meadows for an impressive view of Yosemite's iconic Half Dome mountain as well as the Yosemite Falls before heading to one of the Lodges for something to eat. As dusk fell we not only spotted our first couple of local bears (searching the undergrowth for acorns) but we also discovered warm cinnamon-laced cider!!

Sequoia Park - Tunnel Tree

2006-11-20T18:22:00.000Z

After our Grand Canyon hike we gave our aching legs a chance to recover and drove out of the deserts back towards the west coast.

A closer inspection of our Rough Guide made us realise that we were passing another of the National Parks, Sequoia NP. The diversion was well worth it as we had hardly crossed the park boundary when Tamsin spotted a black bear in the trees next to the road. It was incredible to see a bear in the wild and we managed to capture a couple of grainy photos from the safety of the car. After scaling the exposed granite head of Moro Rock we went in search of the giant trees the park gets its name from.

The largest of the Sequoias is named General Sherman and is huge. We couldn't help making the comparison with the Kauri trees in New Zealand. I think our friend Peter summed it up perfectly "The Sequoia is a monument, the Kauri a spiritual identitiy. Tane Mahuta is a personality almost as real as a chiefly person". (Peter - the cheque's in the post!)

On our drive out of the park we were treated to an incredible sunset, the red light was so strong even the air seemed coloured and the landscape looked positively Martian.

Grand Canyon - After

2006-11-18T18:20:00.000Z

When we'd first decided on visiting the Grand Canyon we'd decided that to see it properly we really needed to hike all the way down to the Colorado River. Unfortunately it's pretty hot and steep so you can't do it in one day. We had visions of having a nice comfortable night in the ranch at the bottom but unfortunately by the time we got round to booking it we were informed it had been booked out about two years ago! The only option left to us was to hire a tent and camp at the bottom!

So we set out on the Bright Angel Trail with our rucksacks, on our guard for mule poo. It was amazing to be surrounded by so much history - each strata of rock we passed through represented thosands of years of evolution. As you can imagine the scenery was amazing ranging from dry red sand to succulent grassland where mule deer roamed. We finally arrived at the Colarado river with slightly achy legs. We set up our camp and started to cook our dinner (delicious mountain house dehydrated food!) only to discover our camping permit was for the wrong night! (we should have been there two days before). After a bit of grovelling the camp ranger agreed to let us stay and we spent a beautiful (if slightly cold) night under the stars.

Fearing a lengthy climb out we had to make a very early start the following. As we needed to start walking by sunrise we woke up at 5.30am to break camp and have breakfast at the ranch. We were both fearing the worst but the ascent wasn't too bad until the final couple of miles where the dozens of hairpin bends and altitude made it very hard work.

But we made it and even had enough strength left to acost a rim-dwelling tourist and get them to take the 'after the canyon' photo.

Grand Canyon

2006-11-17T18:17:00.000Z

Nothing can really prepare you for the vastness and beauty of the Grand Canyon ..................... Sounds stupid but I really wasn't expecting to see so many different colours!

Las Vegas - Bellagio Fountain Show

2006-11-15T18:14:00.000Z

Well what can you say about Las Vegas? We had an absolutely fantastic time wandering around all the 'mad' casinos, having gambling lessons and watching beautiful fountain shows. We both agreed that 'The Venetian' won 'Best Casino' - it's not often you see a gondola on a canal on the second floor! We went to an absolutely amazing 'Cirque De Soleil' show in the evening involving clowns, popcorn, overgrown babies, trapezi, trampolines and lots of very muscly men! (Liam would like to point out that I wrote this!)

Jaws & Tamsin

2006-11-13T18:11:00.000Z

So after a lovely week of relaxation we arrived in LA. Liam was very brave and drove right onto Hollywood Boulevard (where we were staying) in our little chevvy. We soon found out that ordering a large pizza in the USA in not a good idea! Anyway the next day we headed off to Universal Studios where we had a fun filled day going on all the rides, doing a tour of the studios and meeting 'animal actors'!

Rarotonga Scuba Diving

2006-11-10T18:02:00.000Z

After having such a good time diving in Australia we decided that it would be rude not to have another go in the Cook Islands. We'd met a lovely couple, Laura and Duncan, who were doing their PADI course so we decided to join them for an afternoon of deep breathing! I was slightly terrified at the prospect of having to do a backward roll to get off the boat and being in control of our own buoyancy (the instructor had done this for us in Oz), but we actually managed fine. It was a great afternoon- we dived down to 12m and saw loads of lovely brightly coloured fish as well as a very strange man who kept trying to get in on our photos (we know it was you really Duncan!).

Rarotonga - Cross Island Walk

2006-11-09T17:59:00.000Z

So after all that sunbathing we really decided that we should do some exercise. We'd heard that you got beautiful views of both sides of the island on the cross island trek. The ascent up to the 'Needle' was good fun - we saw authentic Cook Island piggies, cows, a dog and hundreds of lizards as well as getting some spectacular views across the island. Unfortunately it all went very much downhill after that (pardon the pun!). There were millions of evil mozzies, we kept getting lost, we boiled in the midday sun and I almost broke several legs falling over! We were extremely relieved when we finally made it out of the jungle and found the bus home. We will never complain about sunbathing again!

"Get your motor running"

2006-11-07T17:55:00.000Z

Liam insisted on wearing his helmet to the 'Cook Islands Beauty Contest'. Apparently it brings out the colour of his eyes! Unfortunately he was defeated by someone wearing an even bigger helmet can you believe? We still think it was a fix..............

Seriously, we hired a scooter for a few days to celebrate the fact that the sun had finally emerged. Liam actually had to get a 'Cook Islands Driving Licence' which involved an arduous test. We spent the day whizzing round the island competing with Cook Island grannies, although uncool our helmets permitted us to go 10kph faster than everyone else so we usually managed to burn them off!

We'd heard that you could watch beautiful sunsets from the west of the island so headed there with a bottle of bubbly. Unfortunately the sun decided to set behind the one and only cloud in the sky that evening!

Trouble in Paradise!

2006-11-05T09:26:00.000Z

Stop raining!!

Unfortunately we awoke to the pitter patter of rain (yet again!). So instead of sunbathing and sipping cocktails on the beach we had an enforced day inside catching up with journals and books.

If this continues much longer Tamsin and I will have to investigate local sun dance traditions or catch a flight back to New Zealand!

Auckland to Rarotonga

2006-11-04T17:03:00.000Z

Friday 3rd - New Zealand
Tamsin and I said goodbye to both Charlie and Christchurch. As Charlie flew to Australia we returned to Auckland to end our NZ experience as we began with a dinner with Peter, Sonya and Maggie. We had a lovely dinner in good old Cornwallis and spent a couple of hours reminiscing about our travels. Another huge thank you to Maggie, Sonya and Peter, the year wouldn't have been the same without all you did for us!

Saturday 4th - New Zealand
Not only did Peter and Sonya feed, water and give us a place to stay but they also got up at some ungodly hour to drive us to the airport! There was a definite feeling of coming full circle as Peter dropped us off at the terminal.

So just after 9 o'clock in the morning we said a said goodbye to New Zealand, it really was a somber moment saying goodbye to the place that had been our home away from home for the last 8 months.

Friday 3rd - Rarotonga??
After a short and uneventful flight Tams and I arrived in the Cook Islands, Rarotonga to be specific. The Cook Islands are only a couple of hours different from New Zealand. But crossing the dateline meant that we got to have another shot at Friday the 3rd!

We were greeted by grey skies and signs of recent rain, not what we had in mind. Vara, the lady who ran the backpackers where we were staying, assured us that the sun would be back in the next couple of days.

Saturday 4th - Rarotonga???
We spent our second Saturday morning at the local market (much to Tamsin's delight) sampling local tropical fruit and looking at hundreds of black pearls, a local specialty. In the afternoon we ignored the slate grey skies and went for a swim in the lagoon next to where we were staying. At Muri there is a reef about quarter of a mile off the beach which creates the lagoon and very sheltered conditions, excellent for swimming.

Mount Sunday / Edoras

2006-11-02T17:00:00.000Z

Our last full day in the South Island!!

We decided that distraction was the best way to cope with this traumatic fact.

Much to my amazement I was completely unable to persuade Tamsin and Charlie to join me on a 'Lord of the Rings' location tour to Mount Sunday a.k.a. Edoras. They said something about their anoraks being at the dry cleaners but I later discovered that they had hot footed it to Orana Park to visit the baby giraffe as soon as I was out of the way!

The Edoras tour was the one real anoraky thing I had wanted to do when Tams and I were planning the trip as it's meant to be an incredible location in the middle of nowhere. Somehow I had left it to the last possible opportunity. I wasn't sure what the tour would be like and feared that it would be full of people dressed up as Elves and Hobbits, I like to keep my nerdiness to myself you see. Anyway it turned out that the other people on the bus were a really nice bunch, one couple who had won the tickets at a country fair and a couple of girls who had heard that the tour was a good way of seeing some prime NZ 'Godzone'. Apart from making the day more bearable it also meant I kicked ass in the Tolkien trivia quiz!

I won't bore you with all the gory details, suffice it to say that after a thrilling 4WD river crossing we arrived at one of the most rugged and beautiful places I have ever had the privilege to visit. The peace and tranquility were marred somewhat when the tour guide broke out the prop swords. I fear that the resulting nerd-photos will come back to haunt me in the years to come.

Back in Christchurch I was regaled with stories of the day's animal encounters which included two baby giraffes not one. Tams and I then dragged Charlie and Ron to our favourite restaurant, The Aroy Thai, for a final South Island supper.

Tasman Glacier Terminal Lake

2006-11-01T16:59:00.000Z

This morning Tamsin, Charlie and I decided that we had another walk left in our legs and headed out along the Tasman Valley.

It was a beautiful sunny day. You would imagine that the walk to see a glacier could be a bit on the chilly side, seeing as you're visiting a few billion tons of ice. Not today, it was absolutely cooking. You get to the lake at the terminal face of the glacier by following an uneven path that winds its way through the boulders left behind by the Glacier when it used to reach further down the valley. It's a very Mordoresque landscape with blasted rocks, barren hills and the odd orc (although these later turned out to be a group of school children)

The Tasman Glacier lake is certainly impressive even if it's not what you'd normally call scenic. The terrifying fact is that this lake didn't exist ten years ago and the scientists thinks it's further evidence of Global warming. Our peaceful contemplations were interrupted by the afore mentioned hoard of school orcs who were intent on seeing how many giant blocks of ice they could throw at one another before their teachers caught up!

Back in Christchurch we stayed with Ron, who not only gave us the run of his house but also cooked a fantastic veggie dinner. Jamie Oliver beware!

If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try, try again!

2006-10-31T02:55:00.000Z

Aoraki / Mount Cook
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

We finally got to see old Aoraki / Mount Cook on something like our 5th attempt. He was certainly worth the wait.

We had a beautiful sunny day and enjoyed a walk up the Hooker Valley to the Hooker glacier's terminal lake and this stunning view.

Bungeeeeeeeeeeeee!

2006-10-30T02:33:00.000Z

Kawarau Bridge - Tams' jump
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Selling Ivor so quickly meant that we had lots of extra days to play with. So as Tams and I thought that Charlie really needed to see some more of the South Island we returned to Queenstown.

I can't remember who suggested the bungy jump, I do remember that it was in a pub, after a couple of hours in a pub to be specific...

Anyway as soon as we arrived yesterday we signed up for the first jump of the day at the Kawarau Bridge - the home of modern day bungy.

Tamsin jumped first thanks to a tight timescale and a weak bladder on Liam's part. She calmly got kitted up and then screamed all the way down, all the way back up the rebound and all the way down again. She then ran up the steps from the river with a delighted grin. I planned a manly roar but unfortunately screamed all the way down, all the way back up... I also made the mistake of agreeing to the 'touching the water' option and ended up being dunked in the Kawarau upto my chest. After two such polite jumps Charlie ruined the decorum of the morning and swore all the way to the bottom. Casts a bit of a question over public school etiquette lessons if you ask me.

We were all glad we jumped, agreed that it was a great experience and decided that we probably wouldn't do another. It's a very strange feeling to free fall with that much thinking time.

The rest of the day was spent on an adrenaline high catching up with breakfast and finishing where this all began in the pub.

The Departure of Ivor

2006-10-28T01:58:00.000+01:00

The Departure of Ivor
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

I knew my loud and obvious voice was good for something! At breakfast time today I was chatting with a fellow hostel resident about plans for the day. When I mentioned that my morning included getting a windscreen replaced in our trusty car prior to selling him on a couple of other guys looked up from their breakies and started asking questions.

To cut a long story short, well shortish. Yesterday they (Ben & Ed) had put a deposit down on a car which had then promptly failed to start, the owner had said he would get it looked at. Ben and Ed really wanted to get out of town today but were worried that the first car would be in the same state. I offered to let them take a test drive on their way back to the car market and my way to the windscreen place. They really liked Ivor (who wouldn't), the other car was in the same state, they got their deposit back, we got a great price, they got a good deal and could head for the glaciers! And they promised to keep calling him Ivor.

So I sadly snuck upstairs to take a final picture of Ivor from our room's window (thank goodness they didn't turn around at that moment, "Isn't that the guy ...") before drowning my sorrows in a felafel kebab. At least, as I told Tams, they were nice guys. Or so I thought...

When we got back from an afternoon planning in town we found a grim faced Ben and Ed sitting outside the hostel beer in hand. "Ok?" I asked tentatively, "No we broke down!" says they. Just as I was about to make a run they cracked up and said that they had decided to start the long drive to the west coast early tomorrow and celebrate finding a fine car today. Just goes to show that nice guys can be complete b*@#?@#s sometimes.

"Here's looking at you!"

2006-10-26T01:45:00.000+01:00

Kaikoura Mural
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

It was Tamsin's turn to take a second whale watching trip today. The conditions were perfect, clear blue skies and calm seas. Tamsin and Charlie succeeded in spotting sperm whales, wandering albatross, dusky dolhpins and hector dolphins. The latter are apprently quite rare in these waters.

After a bite of lunch Tams and I were planning on suprising Charlie with a trip to the seal pup waterfall. Unfortunately we hadn't consulted the seal pups agenda and they were no longer at home! We discovered the pups in a rock pool creche at Ohau Point with a very large and fed up looking 'aunty'.

Our evening started with G&T's overlooking the snow-capped mountains and bay, moved onto a nice bottle of wine from Nelson, also included liquor laced chocs from Collingwood and ended with ... you know for some reason I can't quite remember?

Actually I can remember. Tams and I were sitting in the kitchen sorting out 'For Sale' posters for Ivor when a siren went off. No one else was around or reacted in anyway! As this siren was a) loud and b) went on for ages I called the emergency services. The nice Kiwi lady at the other end checked her systems and then assured us panicky brits that there wasn't a tsunami on the way it was just the way the town summoned the firemen to a call! I was this close to heading for the surrounding proverbials!

A town called 'Collingwood'

2006-10-25T01:30:00.000+01:00

Charlie's Photos
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

We left the Innlet hostel and drove up to the northwesternmost point of the South Island, Farewell Spit. The spit is an huge sickle shaped bar of sand that curves around from the end of Golden Bay. It was a beautifully sunny day (of course it was we weren't tramping anywhere!) and the local black swans were patrolling the coastline in force.

On our way back towards Nelson Charlie insisted on visiting her name sake town Collingwood. After the obligatory photos next to any building / signpost of note we discovered a fantastic chocolate shop called Rosey Glow.

We pushed on over the moutains to Kaikoura. Unfortunately Ivor scored another stone chip in his windsceen!!! Good job we didn't get it replaced when were passing through Christchurch a week ago! Strangely most of the food places in Kaikoura were closed by the time we got there, fortunately one place was still open and there was a guy perfoming covers on the guitar to entertain us. Note to self (and Sash) get a Pete Murray cd.

Abel Tasman Kayaking

2006-10-24T21:46:00.000+01:00

Abel Tasman Kayaking
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Well it was still raining when we woke up this morning! We were so glad to get drenched yet again on our way to Onetahuti beach to meet our kayak guide. I (Tamsin) may have been heard saying that "I have lost the will to live"!! Only a momentry lapse though. We had a brilliant (mostly rainless) day kayaking all the way from Onetahuti around Tonga Island (seal colony!!) to the Anchorage. Unfortunately we'd been so depressed about the weather that we'd eaten all our food and had to bail out a night early to stay in a nice dry hostel near Golden Bay.

"Losing the Will" on the Abel Tasman Track

2006-10-23T10:23:00.000+01:00

Expedition report - Day 2.

We didn't have as much time to wait out the rain today as we had a date with a tidal crossing at Awaroa Bay. We walked back to Totaranui and got soaked, then we continued onto Awaroa and got soaked again. Maybe we need some new waterproofs?

The crossing at Awaroa was meant to be about ankle deep at low tide but with all the rain it was upto mid thigh. So we were well and truely soggy when we arrived at the hut which resembled a wash house with everyone's stuff hanging around the wood burning stove to dry.

But did we complain? Well maybe a little...

Abel Tasman Track - Totaranui

2006-10-22T21:31:00.000+01:00

Abel Tasman Track - Totaranui
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Today we started our expedition along the coast of the Abel Tasman national park. We had done our reseach and knew to expect golden sandy beaches and crystal clear waters! Unfortunately the weather had other ideas and it was grey and drizzly.

We caught a water taxi upto Totaranui which was great fun in the slightly rougher sea. Who needs rollercoasters? We were sharing the water taxi with a trio of German girls (one of whom was in our dorm and insisted on sleeping with the main light on Grrrr!) who were going to do a day walk. When we arrived at the beach they were starting from the boat driver told them to take of their shoes & socks so they could wade onto the beach and they refused to believe him. In the end the poor guy had to carry each of the shrinking fräuleins onto the beach. Tamsin and Charlie were disgusted.

The first few hours were spent in the Totaranui hut (pictured) while we played cards and hoped for the weather to improve. The rain finally eased of enough for us to make the 3 hour dash to the Whariwharangi hut where we were staying. The Whari hut was an old farmers cottage in the middle of nowhere which was peaceful and replaxing until Charlie started talking about axe murderers!

Abel Tasman - Split Apple Rock

2006-10-21T21:17:00.000+01:00

Abel Tasman - Split Apple Rock
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

This morning we left Nelson and headed into the Abel Tasman National Park to get ready for our expedition.

Enroute to the park were a number of vinyards which Tamsin and Charlie felt duty bound to sample. Well you have to support the local industries!

We stayed in a small place called Marahau which had this weird geological feature, the very aptly named 'Split Apple Rock'. Unfortunately we got there as the tide was coming in and didn't have our swimming togs so we couldn't do the touristy thing of standing in the split.

The One Ring @ WOW

2006-10-20T21:11:00.000+01:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/liamandtams/281024110/
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Did I mention that Nelson is also the home of Jens Hansen the jeweller who designed the One Ring for Peter Jackson? Well Tamsin and Charlie have all those 'interesting' shops so it was a good job that there was something to keep the anorak happy!

WOW (World of Wearable-Arts) is a fantastic place which displays costumes from the annual designers show. There were some great outfits (and some extremely weird ones too). WOW also houses a few old cars, Tams was especially taken with a little BMW bubble car.

Nelson - Centre of NZ!

2006-10-19T21:06:00.000+01:00

Nelson - Centre of NZ!
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Tams and I have managed to keep the 'brits' tally up by replacing my Mum with Charlie who has joined us for our last two weeks of fun and games.

After Charlie arrived we spent another night in Hanmer Springs as we thought that those thermal pools would be just the thing for any jet lag.

From Hanmer we drove up to the last chunk of the South Island that Tams and I needed to see, Nelson and the Abel Tasman national park.

Nelson is a great place. Loads of nice cafes, interesting shops and beaches. We also discovered that it is meant to be the geographical centre of NZ. So the plan is to spend a couple of days here seeing the sights before doing a 3 day hike along the Abel Tasman track.

Whale Watch Kaikoura

2006-10-16T02:21:00.000+01:00

Whale Watch Kaikoura - Whale #4
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

The weather was sunny and clear this morning so the Whale watching tours could go ahead (good job as it's Mum's last full day in New Zealand!).

Final tally:

Wandering Albatross: 1
Whales: 4
Dolphins: 6
Impressed Mum: 1

Kaikoura - Seal Pup

2006-10-15T02:17:00.000+01:00

Kaikoura - Seal Pup
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Today we took Mum extreme 'seal spotting' as the Whale Watching was cancelled due to high winds.

The waterfall is still as amazing as it was last time and I think she made a friend. We had to check her handbag before heading back to the car!

Hanmer Spings Thermal Pools

2006-10-14T02:13:00.000+01:00

Hanmer Spings Thermal Pools
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Someone told me that the east and west coasts always have opposite weather. Well today they weren't kidding. As soon as we left the west coast the drizzle stayed there and the sun came out.

As soon as we arrived in Hanmer we headed for a soak in the thermal pools. Unfortunately Liam forgot that the sulphurous waters tarnish silver rings and spent the rest of the night scrubbing them with toothpaste. Sorry Sarah I'll pay more attention next time.

West Coast Weka!

2006-10-14T02:10:00.000+01:00

West Coast Weka!
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

We drove from the glaciers all the way up the west coast through Hokitika and Greymouth.

We stopped for lunch in a drizzle-ridden lay by and were accosted by a pair of Weka (flightless cousins of the Kiwi). Still not sure if they were after our chip butties or Ivor's mudguards.

Franz Josef Glacier

2006-10-13T02:05:00.000+01:00

Franz Josef Glacier
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

As she passed the warning signs Fran wondered whether Liam and Tamsin had been underplaying the danger of a 'stroll' on the Franz Josef Glacier.

Good job no one pointed out the fact that it was Friday the 13th!

Lake Wanaka

2006-10-11T02:02:00.000+01:00

Lake Wanaka
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

We left Queenstown this morning and headed over the Crown range to Wanaka. We paused briefly on the way to watch people bungy jumping off the Kawarau bridge. Tams and I were vaguely tempted to join in until one of the jumpers screamed hysterically for several minutes and put us off.

We spent a fun couple of hours in a place called 'Have a Shot' where there are all manner of objects to shoot at, fire at and generally hit. We all had a go on the driving range (Tiger your title is safe for now) and then Tamsin Hood and Maid Liam took to the archery range. Tamsin thinks the quality of her bullseye out does the quantity of my score. So the result is still in dispute as the umpire (Mum) was staying a safe distance back.

Shotover Jet - Before

2006-10-10T07:43:00.000+01:00

Shotover Jet - Before
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

And then there were three! Today Peter started the long journey back to the UK by catching a shuttle bus to Christchurch.

Tams, Mum and I headed for a look around the old gold mining town of Arrowtown where they tortured me with one gift shop after another.

I think I may have got my own back when I suggested that Mum might enjoy a ride on the Shotover Jet Boat. Not my finest of ideas. It was a bit of a chilly day and we ended up with numb faces and 'ice cream' headaches. Don't fancy my chances of a group bungee jump tomorrow!

Deer Park Heights

2006-10-09T07:41:00.000+01:00

Deer Park Heights
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

So did you spot the difference?

Even though summer is just around the corner we woke to a dusting of snow on the mountains this morning. Good for a nice piccy!

Deer Park Heights

2006-10-09T07:40:00.000+01:00

Deer Park Heights
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Today started with one of those clear weather windows so Tams and I took Mum and Peter for a look around Deer Park Heights at Kelvin Heights.

The deer weren't particulary interested but we did make friends with some pigs, miniature horses, and a gang of donkeys. We decided to call it a day when we were surrounded by a herd of massive highland cows!

Queenstown - The Remarkables

2006-10-08T07:39:00.000+01:00

Queenstown - The Remarkables
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

From Fiordland we headed back in land, through the mountains to Queenstown.

Queenstown seems like a completely different place compared to the town that Tams and I visited earlier in the year, it's so quiet. Apparently it's the 'shoulder' between the winter & summer seasons.

The weather improved for short windows which meant we were able to get out and about. Take careful note of the picture of the Remarkables we'll be playing spot the difference soon.

Doubtful Sound

2006-10-07T07:38:00.000+01:00

Doubtful Sound
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Unfortunately at this point in our tour the weather started to break and Tamsin and Peter's kayaking trip on Doubtful Sound was cancelled.

We persevered and all took a day trip on DS but the weather was pretty dreadful which meant that we didn't see much of the scenery or any of the wildlife.

Milford Sound

2006-10-06T07:36:00.001+01:00

Milford Sound
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

We took an early morning cruise on Milford Sound which was incredible, I'll let the new photos on FlickR do most of the talking.
Suffice it to say that Milford Sound is absolutely stunning.

The pictured mountain is the iconic Mitre Peak which loomed over the whole of the sound, imagine how daft I felt when the tour guide pointed it out after I stood in the tourist office in Invercargill making sure that the tour we were booking "included Mitre Peak". I thought she gave me one of those "bloody tourist" looks.

Fiordland - Eglinton Valley

2006-10-05T07:30:00.000+01:00

Fiordland - Eglinton Valley
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Back on the South Island we headed to Fiordland and into the Milford Sound National Park.

On the way to Milford we travelled through some incredible countryside including the Eglinton Valley (pictured). Unfortunately to get to Milford you have to descend through the Homer tunnel which is snug to say the least.

Advantages of staying in a national park include the fact that it's stunning beautiful. Disadvantages include the sandflies (NZ's equivalent to midges who like to have you for breakfast, lunch & dinner) and the fact that the lights go out at 2300 whether you like it or not (as that's when they turn off the generator).

Ivor's Crack!

2006-10-05T07:29:00.000+01:00

Ivor's Crack!
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

One gravel road + a speeding big truck = one horrible noise and a pain in the wallet!

Stewart Island Brown Kiwi

2006-10-04T07:28:00.000+01:00

Stewart Island Brown Kiwi
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Our last night on Stewart Island was a real highlight so far as we succeeded in seeing some kiwis (of the feathered variety) in the wild.

The kiwi spotting tour guide took us to a remote beach on the other side of the bay where we saw a couple of kiwi hunting for food in the sand and preening. Amazing birds if a little strange.

By the way if you squint at the photo in a certain light you should / could see a Brown Kiwi preening.

Sums it up really ... TOIL!

2006-10-04T07:27:00.000+01:00

Sums it up really ... TOIL!
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

The second day on the Rakiura track was an easier 5 hours and we made it back to our cottage (appropriately called 'Toil' cottage) alive and in good spirits.

Rakiura Track (start of)

2006-10-03T07:25:00.000+01:00

Rakiura Track (start of)
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

The four of us decided to tackle the Rakiura track, a 2 day circular walk that is classed as one of NZ's Great tramps (hikes).

Fortunately the weather was incredibly kind. The first day was quite tough with about 7.5 hours walking. We were all glad to get to the hut at the end of the day. I don't think Mum was impressed with the facilities (or lack of ...) and I'm still working hard to get back into her good books!

Kaka @ Toil Cottage - Oban

2006-10-02T07:24:00.000+01:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/liamandtams/265653997/
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

As the sun was starting to set we were visited by a squad of Kaka (parrots) that came to check us out. They certainly weren't timid.

Stewart Island - Oban

2006-10-02T07:23:00.000+01:00

Stewart Island - Oban
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

We arrived safely on Stewart Island, New Zealand's 3rd island. Our cottage had a great view over Oban, the one and only town on the island and Halfmoon Bay.

The Maori name for Stewart Island is Rakiura which means "The Land of the Glowing Skies", very appropriate as it is famed for it's amazing sunsets.

Bluff - South on the S. Island

2006-10-02T07:22:00.001+01:00

Bluff - South on the S. Island
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

We weren't able to visit the official most southerly point of the south island called 'Slope Point' as the footpath to it was closed beacuse of the lambing season.

So this point just outside of Bluff will have to do!

From Bluff we caught the ferry across the Foveaux Straits, next stop Stewart Island!

Catlin Coast - McLean Falls

2006-10-02T07:22:00.000+01:00

Catlin Coast - McLean Falls
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

We started today by follwing a recommendation from the lady who ran the hostel that we stayed at last night. She told us about a beautiful spot called McLean Falls. The falls were a 15 minute walk through woods filled with signing birds.

All in all not a bad way to start the day.

"What you lookin' at?"

2006-10-01T07:20:00.000+01:00

"What you lookin' at?"
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

We spent a couple of days working our way down the Catlin Coast from Dunedin. The Catlins is very picturesque with beautiful beaches and waterfalls. Tams had worked out a fantastic itinery that included penguins, seals and sea lions.

We thought that the sea lions would be hard to spot, not really that difficult as they turned out to be the size of cows! They didn't seem the slight bit bothered by people walking past them on the beach. Maybe because we'd make the perfect entree if we pushed our luck.

Dunedin - Baldwin Street

2006-10-01T07:15:00.000+01:00

Dunedin - Baldwin Street
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Today started with a quick trip to NZ's 4th city, Dunedin.

Dunedin is meant to be based on Edinburgh but the only real similarity is some of the street names in the centre of town.

We had to visit and walk up the world's steepest street. Apparently there's a street in San Francisco that might be a fraction of a degree steeper so we'll have to keep our eyes peeled when we're there in November. Baldwin St. was certainly steep enough for today. As we walked to the stop of the hill a series of cars attempted to get to the top (some with more success than others).

Otago P. - Yellow Eyed Penguins

2006-09-30T07:18:00.000+01:00

Otago P. - Yellow Eyed Penguins
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

We stayed on the Otago Peninsula at the 'Penguin Place' a Yellow Eyed penguin colony. The people who run the nature reserve have dug a series of trenches that allow you to get very close to the penguins without bothering them.

The pictured penguin is called Tarzan and is a long standing resident at the colony.

We were able to watch the penguins landing at the beach, it's very funny to watch, after they have hauled themselves onto the sand they wait to see who's coming in next so they can catch up on the day's news.

Moeraki Boulders

2006-09-30T07:17:00.000+01:00

Moeraki Boulders
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

This morning we left Christchurch and headed south down the east coast.

Out first port of call were the unearthly Moeraki boulders which are huge (almost 2 metres in diameter), old (approx 60 million years) and almost perfectly spherical. They almost look like fossilised dinosaur eggs.

Apparently there used to be many more boulders but souvenir hunters have made off with the smaller ones. The boulders are actually hollow inside (there's a cracked one on the FlickR site).

Mum arrives in Christchurch

2006-09-29T07:16:00.000+01:00

Mum arrives in Christchurch
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

After a horrendous 36 hours Mum finally arrived in New Zealand looking suprisingly spritely and uneffected. Christchurch put on a good show with clear blue skies and views all the way across the plains to the Southern Alps.

We spent the afternoon wandering through the botanic gardens before heading back to the flat so Mum could have an early night while Tams and I tried to repack our belongings into our rucksacks.

Peter returned from his ski mountaineering trip in the southern alps having had a bit of mixed bag of weather.

'An Inconvenient Truth'

2006-09-24T03:44:00.000+01:00

Tams and I were planning to head back to Mount Cook / Aoraki for a weekend of walking and glacier spotting. Unfortunately the weather report was bad around Mt. Cook (rain and gales) so we decided to stay in Christchurch instead.

Things are beginning to come full circle as we start our last week in Christchurch and the flat. We returned our trusty 2 wheeled steads to the second hand bike shop and took them up on their 'buy back' offer. Tams and I have somehow managed (for once) not to accrue lots of extra gear and should be leaving with the same number of bags as we arrived with.

Far from being sad about leavng we're both excited to be hitting the road again at the end of the week! Not that there's anything wrong with Christchurch we just want to see more of the South Island.

We also managed to find a cinema that was screening the Al Gore film 'An Inconvenient Truth' . The film is a very digestible look at our current global warming crisis, so don't expect a heavy nagging lecture. The message of the film is shocking, entertaining and ultimately positive in equal measure. But be warned you will come out of the cinema wanting to do something about things and wondering how the hell Gore lost to 'Dubya'.

I'd be the first to admit that our blog to date has been on the irreverent side of things (and fear not normal service will resume after this) but this is a really important film that you should go and see.

"You owe it to yourself to see this film. If you do not, and you have grandchildren, you should explain to them why you decided not to." Roger Ebert

Banks Peninsula Track - Redcliffs

2006-09-19T04:43:00.000+01:00

Banks Peninsula Track - Redcliffs
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Tams, Peter and I awoke to a beautiful sunny Sunday and headed off down the Banks Peninsula track towards Redcliffes Point.

On the walk we passed by dozens of ewes and their new lambs. At one point a lamb mistook one of us for a fellow flossy-one and ran across to say hello, only to realise his error about a metre away. I blame Tamsin's wooly fleece for the whole misunderstanding!

We also saw a couple of Blue Penguins safe guarding the choice burrows against penguins and walkers alike.

After our walk we returned to Christchurch in time to watch the Maori choir performing traditional songs and haka at the art centre. Tams and I also introduced Peter to one of our own traditions - a Sunday afternoon falafel kebab. When in Rome ...

"Get orf my laaand!"

2006-09-16T04:42:00.000+01:00

Pohatu Nature Reserve
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

The humans definitely enjoyed spotting the penguins.

Judging by the avian glares we received in return the feeling wasn't reciprocated!

Banks Peninsula - Okains Bay

2006-09-16T03:57:00.000+01:00

Banks Peninsula - Okains Bay
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Peter arrived in New Zealand this week and had a few days to see Christchurch and the surrounding area before heading for the mountains.

Tams and I thought it was an ideal opportunity to return to the Banks Peninsula. We braved the summit road and followed the coast line around to some of the of bays that make up peninsula. We found a lovely beach at Okains Bay and the Maori & Pioneers museum.

We stayed in the batch (hut) on the Pohatu Nature Reserve at Flea Bay and went on their evening tour of the penguin colony. This was a return visit for Tams and I who also visited with Mike, Sarah and Kate back in May.

There were quite a few more White Flippered penguins (a subspecies of the Blue penguin, unique to NZ) many of whom had eggs. Tams has aleady found out when baby penguin season begins and is planning on using Charlie's visit as the excuse for her penguin spoting hatrick!

Money for old rocks?

2006-09-12T15:00:00.000+01:00

As if I needed another distraction from work (normally the internet is enough).

At 3 p.m. this afternoon there was an enormous bang! It turns out that it was caused by a meteor flying down the South Island and breaking the sound barrier as it went.

So now the search is on to find it although those in the know think it will only be the size of a basketball.

Apparently there are already 'authentic meteors' for sale on the Kiwi equivalent of eBay for several thousand dollars.

Kayaking on the River Avon

2006-09-10T02:04:00.000+01:00

Kayaking on the River Avon
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Another glorious 'springy' day. We decided to spend the day in town and headed to Hagley Park. We couldn't resist hiring a kayak for a paddle up the River Avon through the park.

It turns out that Tamsin may have had an ulterior motive - duckling-napping. Fortunately the duckings were just too quick for her and stayed safely out of reach.

After our kayaking we chanced upon a fantastic ethnic food market where we discovered a Czech stall selling Bramboraks (potato pancakes) which were lovely. And we were just in time to catch the last couple of songs and haka from a maori choir.

This is what weekend's were made for!

Before & After

2006-09-03T05:46:00.000+01:00

Liam worked hard all day on his "cool look".

Mt. Hutt - Snowboarding!

2006-09-03T05:38:00.000+01:00

Mt. Hutt - Snowboarding!
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

At last, the winds dropped, the sun came out and Mt. Hutt reopened!

Tams and I were back on the nursery slopes today for an introductory snow boarding lesson. Snowboarding is very different to skiing, it was great fun but very frustrating as we both kept ending up on our backsides.

The weather was incredible, clear blue skies and lots of sun. It was so hot that most people ended up in t-shirts.

Mt. Somers

2006-09-02T05:29:00.000+01:00

Mt. Somers - Goldsmith Rapids
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

So as we couldn't go skiing / snowboarding we had to go exploring instead.

There might have been 75 mph gusts of wind at the top of the mountain but it was a beautiful warm sunny day at the bottom. We went for a walk at Mount Somers to Sharplin Falls and the Goldsmith Rapids. All very scenic.

On the return to the car we decided it would be nice to loose the ski-socks and soak out feet in the river. Tamsin tested the water and discovered that the cold water was indeed very refreshing but the biting insects that decended two seconds later were not.

Noooooooooooooo!

2006-09-02T05:16:00.000+01:00

Mt. Hutt - Noooooooooooooo!
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

The mountain was closed today thanks to 75 mph (120 kph) gusts of wind!

Some people check the weather report BEFORE they leave home!

So no snowboarding lessons for us.

Paragliders over the Port Hills

2006-08-27T02:45:00.000+01:00

Paragliders over the Port Hills
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Spring is definitely starting to 'spring' in the southern hemisphere. We had a beautiful sunny weekend in Christchurch. It will be just staring to get REALLY nice by the time we leave and return to the UK winter!

This was my second (and final) weekend oncall which meant that Tams and I were forced to stay in town in case I had to respond to an IT emergency, "I've forgotten my password" etc.

After a walk along the cliffs at Taylors Mistake (a nearby bay) we went for a walk on top of the Port Hills. We've both been wanting to have a closer look at a rocky outcrop called Castle Rock or Tihiokahukura that stands in the centre of the range. While we were up there we noticed a 'flock' of paragliders and a lone handglider playing in the updrafts. These guys must have had an incredible view of the hills, Lyttelton harbour and Quail island.

Wanaka

2006-08-19T06:00:00.000+01:00

Wanaka
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Just when we thought it was safe to go back into the dorm! For our final night in the hostel our snoring french roomate was replaced by an Italian backpacker who decided to unpack his entire rucksack at 6 a.m. That will teach us to save a few dollars on the accomodation!

After a brief stone skimming session on Lake Wakatipu we headed over the Crown range to meet Maggie at Cardrona (another skifield). The three of us had a great morning until the weather closed in and we were snowed out. I fear Tamsin and I are becoming fair weather skiers. We drowned our sorrows in the Cardrona Hotel (a great little pub at the foot of the mountains) before continuing on to Wanaka.

Wanaka is a beautiful lakeside town which is surrounded by snowy moutains. Maggie kindly showed us the sights before treating us to a great dinner at the Speights alehouse.

On Sunday morning we went for a pre-breakfast walk up Mount Iron for somemore incredible views. What a way to earn a croissant!

Return to Coronet Peak.

2006-08-18T05:39:00.000+01:00

The Remarkables
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

We had another good morning back in the 'bowls' of Coronet Peak.

We also had a good view of yesterday's terrifying road up the Remarkables.

Unfortunately the weather broke around lunchtime so we retreated back to the hostel for an afternoon of cups of tea, biscuits and books.

We braved the conditions to investigate one of the many pubs where Tams was delighted to discover 'cheesy-chips'. It's a good job skiing burns calories!

The Remarkables

2006-08-17T05:31:00.000+01:00

The Remarkables' Skifield
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

After an interrupted nights sleep thanks to snoring Galls and babbling Brightonians we headed to Queenstown's other skifield 'The Remarkables'.

The drive up the mountain is terrifying, gravel road, hairpin bends, precipitous drops and no barriers. I hope the permanent finger prints I've left on the steering wheel don't devalue Ivor too much!

So we really got our adrenaline fix before setting ski to slope.

The skiing was good fun even though the weather wasn't as perfect as yesterday.

And we managed to make it down alive, think we'll head back to Coronet tomorrow!

Liam at Coronet Peak

2006-08-16T05:18:00.000+01:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/liamandtams/221402829/
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

What a fantastic afternoon! We arrived in Queenstown and headed straight to the nearest skifield, Coronet Peak.

Coronet Peak is great fun as the upper slopes form natural 'bowls' for you to play in. So technical skiing went out of the window for a couple of hours as Tams & I went flying down one side and allowed gravity to slow us down on the other.

We even found a couple of minutes when we weren't grinning at high speed to appreciate the incredible view over towards Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu.

Escape from Christchurch!

2006-08-16T05:09:00.000+01:00

Lake Tekapo - Frosty Morning
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

After so much time with our noses hard against the grindstone Tamsin and I decided that we deserved a holiday!

We've decided to use up some leave and head back to Queenstown for some skiing.

After breaking the journey last night at Lake Tekapo we awoke to a beautiful frosty morning with the sunrise highlighting the surrounding mountains. Next stop Queenstown...

Port Hills - Rapaki Rock

2006-08-13T01:53:00.000+01:00

Port Hills - Rapaki Rock
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

With next week's planned skiing trip to Queenstown we decided to have a weekend 'off' and stay in Christchurch.

We were expecting the worst as the weather forcasts had warned that it would be the coldest weekend of the winter. They couldn't have been further from the mark.

Tams and I spent Sunday afternoon walking in the Port Hills. We tackled the Mt. Vernon Valley track to Rapaki Rock. It was gloriously sunny (far too warm for coats) and we were entertained by an acrobatics show by the resident swallows.

After our walk we headed home to the flat where we were treated to an earthquake! Not as dramatic as it might sound, the windows only rattled a bit. Apparently they're quite common here.

Rain in my Wellington!

2006-08-06T04:25:00.000+01:00

Wellington Market
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Unfortunately our explorations were somewhat limited today thanks to non-stop rain.

Tamsin insisted that we have a thorough look around the indoor market (revenge for yesterday's stint in Te Papa?). In the market there was a great little gallery where the owner made statues out of pieces of driftwood. One man and his dog were standing guard.

After that we met up with Jo and her husband who kindly gave us a personal guided tour around many of Wellington's suburbs, bays and parks (all from the shelter of their car)!

Tams and I headed home firmly of the opinion that Wellington is a fantastic city.

Return to Wellington - Part II

2006-08-05T04:16:00.000+01:00

Wellington - LOTR Exhibition
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Ok so I might have had a small ulterior motive for coming back to Wellington.

The Lord of the Rings exhibition at Te Papa (NZ's national museum) was fantastic, many of the pieces of conceptual art, weapons, props, costumes and models were on display. An anorak's dream. I don't think Tams hated it too much (but you'll have to ask her when I'm not around for an honest opinion).

We were given free tickets to the final night of a show called 'U Boat Down Under' where I bumped into Jo, a friend I used to work with at Waterstones in Edinburgh! What a coincidence, just goes to show that maybe the world isn't as big and random as we think.

Return to Wellington - Part I

2006-08-05T04:06:00.000+01:00

Wellington - Cable Car
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Back in March Tams and I spend a very rushed day in Wellington enroute to the South island to look for jobs. We both felt like we wanted to return for a better look around New Zealand's capital city and this weekend we finally made it back.

Today was nice and sunny, perfect for some exploration. We followed our feet and were soon surrounded by cafes and dangerously interesting shops.

We caught the cable car upto the Botanic gardens which sit on top of one of Wellington's many hills. After taking in the views over Wellington harbour we followed gravity and walked down through the gardens back to the newly developed waterfront.

Tams and I had a fantastic lunch at the Mac's microbrewery where we felt duty bound to sample some of the in house brews. Best beer in NZ to date!

Aoraki / Mount Cook

2006-07-30T03:52:00.000+01:00

Sir Edmund Hillary Statue
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Inspired by yesterdays views (and put off skiing by the weather) we decided to head to Mt. Cook Aoraki village for a view of New Zealands highest peak. Mount Cook's Maori name is Aoraki which our guide book informs us means 'Cloud-Piercer'. It was in this area that Edmund Hillary did much of his training before "knocking off" Everest.

Unfortunately Aoraki had pierced one too many clouds today and poor visibility meant we couldn't see him. So we'll have to come back another time.

Even though the weather was less than perfect the scenary was incredible.

Skiing in Ohau

2006-07-29T03:44:00.000+01:00

Lake Ohau & Ben Ohau
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

This weekend we headed south into Mackenzie country to test out the Ohau skifield. We had mixed weather which is what I'm blaming all of my falls on! Ohau is a much smaller snow field than our local, Mt. Hutt, but is far quieter. And the views down the mountain, over Lake Ohau, Ben Ohau (the mountain) and the Mackenze basin were great. We hiked up to the summit from the top of the chair lift and discovered a) how unfit we are and b) another incredible view all the way over to New Zealand's higest peak Mt. Cook / Aoraki (approx 35 miles away).

Next stop on the Ski-de-NZ is Queenstown in a few weeks time.

Happy 29th Tamsin & Mia!

2006-07-27T03:22:00.000+01:00

Tamsin & Mia's 29th
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Tamsin just wanted everyone to know that even though she's now knocking on door of the BIG 30 she was id'd two days after her birthday to prove that she was over 18! Some people eh!

Orana Wildlife Park

2006-07-23T03:09:00.000+01:00

Orana Park - "You lookin at me?"
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

This weekend we were forced to stay in and around Christchurch as I was on call. Tams and I decided to spend an afternoon at a local wildlife park. The main aim was to see some Kiwi, which we managed to do. Unfortunately as Kiwi are noctural they have to be fooled into daytime activity by working to UK time. So during the day their house is kept in low light conditions. The other thing that we learnt about Kiwi is that they never stand still and are always skuttling about looking for food. So because of the low light and high activity you'll have to settle for a photo of one of the giraffes that Tams hand fed!

Kaikoura - Seal Pup Waterfall

2006-07-16T03:20:00.000+01:00

Kaikoura - Seal Pup Waterfall
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Following a tip off from the Whale Watching tour we drove a few minutes out of town and arrived at a very normal looking car park. After a 5 minutes walk we arrived at the waterfall and couldn't believe our eyes. In the pool at the bottom of the falls were a dozen seal pups playing around. Unfortunately it was very dark and most of the 100 photos we took didn't do the scene justice. So you'll just have to take our words for it.

This little chap had been drying off in the forest and wanted to get past us and back into the pool. He patiently waited for us to reverse into the bushes before waddling up the path. Obviously his Mum had told him not to talk to nasty humans!

As we were leaving another of the pups decided that he wanted a better look at us and came within a couple of feet. Not sure if he liked what he saw?

We drive home along the inland scenic route where we were temporarily waylaid by a relocating herd of cattle. I think it's the first traffic jam that we've been caught in since we left the UK.

Work continues to go well for both of us. Tamsin's new job is keeping her very busy and I have my first weekend of being on call to look forward to. But to be honest we're living for the weekend's at present.

Kaikoura - Whale Watching Tour

2006-07-16T03:15:00.000+01:00

Kaikoura - Whale Watching Tour
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Sunday started well and just kept getting better. The weather was clear and sunny (so we could appreciate the scenary) and the tours were running again.

The tour was very impressive, we were loaded onto a speedy catamaran with plasma screens showing what the Whales looked liked under water as well as the topography of the Kaikoura canyon. The whales were located by listening for their 'clicks' using an underwater microphone. It took about half an hour to locate our first whale, so we had a good chance to soak in the incredible views.

We managed to see two sperm whales, a humpback whale and about 150 hyperactive dusky dolphins. All within the space of a couple of hours. And all with snow capped mountains as a backdrop!

Kaikoura Peninsula

2006-07-15T02:49:00.000+01:00

Kaikoura Peninsula
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

This weekend Tams and I headed a couple of hours up the coast to the town of Kaikoura. Kaikoura is justly famous for it's mountains (which seem to rise straight out of the sea) and it's marine wildlife.

As we left Christchurch after work last night the weather closed in and the rain started. It was still grey and rainy this morning when we woke up. So we couldn't even see the mountains and our whale watching trip was cancelled. We tried to stay optimistic as we were in Kaikoura for the whole weekend and amazingly this was the first of our plans since January to be effected by bad weather. The rain eased off in the afternoon which allowed us to explore the peninsula on foot. We had great views of the local 'Fur seal' colony and were able to get within 10 metres of some of the seals.

The seals have a strange habit of facing their bodies away from you and then looking back over their shoulders, it makes them look very aloof.

A taste of things to come?

2006-07-09T06:59:00.000+01:00

New Brighton Whale!
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Tamsin wanted a walk in the fresh air and I wanted a Boysenberry ice cream so it was off to the beach! We discovered this chap in New Brighton (a suburb about 10 mins away) hopefully it's a good omen for the Whale watching tour we're going on next weekend in Kaikoura.

It was a nice afternoon for a walk (and an ice cream!) as there was quite a bit of sun. Not enough to tempt us to join the lunatic surfers in the freezing waves though!

We drove home through the Port hills where we were treated to an incredible sunset and view of the mountains. This warmer weather better not melt our snow!

All Blacks vs The Wallabies

2006-07-08T06:54:00.000+01:00

All Blacks vs The Wallabies
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

This is from our first ever live rugby match. One of the things we felt that we had to do while we were here was go and see an 'All Blacks' match. Conveniently enough they were playing Australia in Christchurch. Tamsin got us some excellent tickets with a brilliant view of the action. The atmosphere was great, especially during the Haka (wouldn't like to be on the receiving end of that!). Australia did their best but were comprehensively conquered 32 : 12.

Tams' tackles the time difference!

2006-07-02T02:37:00.000+01:00

Tams' Conquers the World Cup time difference
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Tams decided that she had to watch England's quarter final match as she hadn't been able to see any of their earlier one's. For a while it looked like she was going to drag me to a local pub at 3 a.m. to watch it live. Thankfully I was let off the hook when we discovered that the highlights were on terrestrial at a far more civilised 6 a.m.

I think it was the notion of watching football from bed that clinched it.

Never under-estimate the persuasive power of a sofa bed!

Shame that the match wasn't up to much after all that.

Return to Hutt!

2006-07-01T02:30:00.000+01:00

Mt. Hutt - Action shot
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

The weather report promised a lovely day on the slopes and we certainly weren't disappointed. Blue skies, excellent snow, what more can you ask for? We've both been really impressed with Mt. Hutt as there's plenty of great runs which you can link up to make dozens of variations. And the scenary is jaw dropping!

It's still a bit strange to be skiing in July!! Probably a good job that we won't be here for x-mas in the summer time as I don't think my northern-hemispherical brain could handle that.

Hanmer Springs - Mt. Isobel Track

2006-06-25T02:44:00.000+01:00

Hanmer Springs - Mt. Isobel Track
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Liam sees a yeti - "Honestly it was this big!"

We headed out of town for a walk up Mt. Isobel. Unfortunately we didn't make it to the top as there was just too much snow on the track (and we'd left our crampons in Fox). It was still a fantastic walk and the scenery was stunning.

Hanmer Springs - Thermal Reserve

2006-06-24T02:39:00.000+01:00

Hanmer Springs - Thermal Reserve
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Tams and I decided to treat ourselves to a weekend in the town of Hanmer Springs which is about an hour north of Christchurch. The town is surrounded by mountains which were all snow capped while we were there. Hanmer is most famous for the Thermal Reserve, a series of naturally heated geothermal pools. It's very strange walking around an outdoor pool in the middle of winter!

We spent several hours floating about in 40 oC water savouring the incredible views of the neighbouring mountains before making a dash back to the changing rooms.

More proof that backpacking isn't as cushy as everyone makes out!

New Job!

2006-06-19T03:04:00.000+01:00

It's only taken me 3 months but I've finally managed to get a decent job! I've been incredibly lucky and have been offered a position as an I.T. trainer for the local health board. Should be great experience for when I get home. Surely a classroom of consultants can't be worse than a class of 13 year olds, can it?!?!?

Liam & Tams @ Mt. Hutt Summit

2006-06-17T07:56:00.000+01:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/liamandtams/171134455/
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

At last we're on our skis! Unfortunately someone seems to have bent Liam's legs the wrong way though. Still he managed to ski quite well considering! The conditions were great - loads of powdery snow and lovely sunshine. Only bad thing was the road to get up there - hairpins, ice and precipitous drops on both sides. Liam was very brave and later admitted having his eyes closed the whole way up. The real star was Ivor - thank god we bought a 4WD!

Keeping warm Hobbit-style!

2006-06-14T07:50:00.000+01:00

Hobbits keeping warm!
Originally uploaded by Lumster.

Of course all this snow means that it's bloody freezing around the house. Still we are acquiring certain techniques to survive (and they only result in minor burns).