Kaikoura.
A rugged peninsula that looks more like a bosom with an extended nipple or a skin tag than a peninsula to my mind!
It is midway between Christchurch and Picton on our drive North toward the ferry and our leaving of the South Island.
The name means ‘meal of Crayfish’ and when Captain Cook sailed passed it he called it Lookers On because the local Maori were unsure and did just that.The first European settlers arrived in 1842 and hunted the whales, nowadays they still hunt for them but just to show these creatures off to the visiting tourists which has led to a boom of different sorts to the original settlers.
The main whales are the toothed, sperm whales which hunt their prey unlike the baleen whales which feed by filtering plankton from the seas.Orcas and many dolphin species can also be seen due to the mixing of warm and cold ocean currents forcing nutrients to the surface.
Our own feeding was catered by a beachside BBQ wagon where Maureen had a whitebait pattie and Vick and I enjoyed a superb Blue cod burger which consisted of two large pieces of beautiful tasting white fish with mixed salad with ginger dressing topped off with tartare sauce in a burger bap.Ace!!
Just on from here past Fyffe House a quaint pink colonial cottage from the whaling days is a point where we were able to get close to a colony of seals that drew a large number of visitors.You are told not to get closer than 10m to them as they can become quite aggressive especially if there are young around.They seemed to split into 2 types those that could not give a toss and continued to ignore you and sleep and those that were put out by you intrusion who decided to make their way back to the sea in their rather cumbersome manner but when they hit the water their true agility is demonstrated.
Driving northwards about 30 km there are a series of seal colonies that can be seen from the road.

Christchurch

Canterbury Plains and Christchurch
This is where the Pacific Ocean meets the fertile Canterbury Plains and with the backdrop of the magnificient Southern Alps which gives stunning vistas.Christchurch is its centre and is a city recovering from two terrible natural disasters in a short space of time.
Christchurch had a long history of pre European settlement with the Ngai Tahu the major tribe.Then in 1850 the first four ships arrived in what was to become Lyttleton Harbour.
Christchurch city’s parks and gardens are generally easy strolls on the flat and the big one is called Hagley Park , accessible from a number of entrances and tree lined avenues take you past ornate fountains and sports fields.The River Avon flows through it and the ducks and the punts on the river give it a typical British feel.The Botanic gardens hasa number of sections given over to native plants and the plants we are so accustomed to seeing in our own gardens.A thirty minute punt ride allows you to sit back as an ‘authentic Edwardian’ gently takes you down along the shallow river but at $25 each was one we decided to give a miss.
Christchurch’s main shopping area in the centre was heavily damaged in the two earthquakes but the High St has recovered thankfully with the use of shipping containers as temporary shopping facilities and believe me they look really neat and produce an interesting mix of types of shops.
The central core or red zone is all fenced off whilst demolition continues and a number of buildings outside of this are still caged off and access allowed only under exceptional circumstances.
The focus of attention is what is to happen to the iconic Christchurch cathedral which was built during the Late Victorian period in a gothic revival style with stone quarried from Port Hills It dominated the Cathedral square and contained many works of art that recorded the history of Canterbury,such as Antarctic exploration and involvement in the World Wars.
Other features of the square were the Old Chief Post Office, the former Government Building and a statue of John Robert Godley who is regarded as the father of the Canterbury settlement.As the founder with Edward Gibbon Wakefield of the New Zealand Company the Canterbury association purchased nearly 500 square miles of land under the Church of England dominated province.A slice of England transplanted on to New Zealand shored described as respectable Canterbury Pilgrims who set out on the 4 ships ,Randolph,Charlotte Jane, Cressy and Sir George Seymour.He didn’t stick around , returning to Englamd in 1852.His statue used to stand in front of the cathedral and the steps in front of the cathedral was the site for many street performers including Christchurch’s wizard who used to cast spells and generally pontificate on various issues.He is now leading a campaign to get the cathedral restored after the last quake in February 2011.The statue of Robert Godley lies in a very moving memorial to the quake in the Canterbury Museum awaiting its resiting when the remedial works to the city centre have been decided and completed.
The Arts Centre was located in the Old University of Canterbury buildings on Worcester Boulevard was the home of 40 galleries, studios and shops .It was begun in 1877 and designed by a series of architects the buildings linked by quadrangles and cloisters.It reminded me very much of my old school buildings of the same style and it was a shame to see the damage to these lovely buildings but heartening to see the restoration work being carried out with some of the most serious forms of scaffolding and structural support I have ever seen. Although this is out of the red zone all of it is currently out of bounds behind the security fencing.
The Gothic Canterbury Museum fortunately seems to have avoided the worst of the damage perhaps by being further away from the central cathedral square is well worth seeing to catch up on Maori culture,a 19th reconstruction of a Christchurch street scene with all types of shops and offices,furniture and various objects from Birmingham and the Potteries districts well represented.
A moving exhibit relating to the earthquakes is also present which tries to help the healing process by telling the story of the way the city and its people have come to terms with what has happened to it.A number of the pieces include the Godley statue,the spire of the cathedral, and the Lyttleton Timeball which was a huge blackball that hung from the Tower of the Lyttleton Timeball Station that was lowered daily at 1pm to signal Greenwich Mean Time to ships in the harbour.The girls really enjoyed a fashion exhibit called the WOW, wearable of the wall fashion with all sorts of styles, my favourite was the two budgie bra made from twin stuffed bosom pals!
A note regarding my obsession with parking, normally I resent paying for parking which I consider gives me nothing for the money I pay.Parking in most places in New Zealand comes free for mostly up to a couple of hours but in Christchurch you generally have to pay in the centre and with all the newly created free space this is a large car park city but I don’t mind paying here so long as the money goes to helping the city regenerate.I would also like to pay tribute to the patient parking warden who allowed us time to reapply our parking ticket to the car after running back to the car just as the ticket expired, good on you Mate……Coogee please take note!!

Dunedin

We had a long drive from Wanaka to Dunedin , backtracking to Cromwell before stopping off  to see Clyde where Lake Dunstan had been formed by a dam on the Clutha river .This caused the old town of Cromwell to be removed and resited to its present position including some of its original buildings.

We drove on through  to the central Otago town of Alexandra where we took the northern route to bring us to Dunedin via a loop that went north to Ranfurly and then southward to Palmerston eventually entering  Dunedin from the north.

The land of the central region was very reminiscent of the Penine moorlands with sheep dotted all over which then gives way to fertile farmland as you get closer to the eastern coats which gets extra rainfall to account for the greener appearance.

Dunedin’s heyday was as a gold rush city and was the country’s commercial centre in the 1860’s.The city centre is relatively flat but is surrounded by hills giving good views of the city and the harbour.The close historical links with Edinburgh  of which Dunedin is the Gaelic form include many street names and street layouts also includes the ever present bagpiper

The centre piece of the city is the Octagon which is the centre of ‘New Edinburgh’ as surveyed by the Edinburgh based surveyors.One hundred and sixty five years later it continues to fulfil that  role all overlooked by a statue of Robert Burns erected in front of the St Pauls Cathedral which had his nephew as the first spiritual leader to the first group of Scottish settlers who came here in 1848.

Next to the Cathedral are the Municipal Chambers which were completed in 1880 and which after considerable restoration and refurbishment is now the home to the Council  and has a number of reception rooms and is the site of the Visitor Centre.

Another feature of the Octagon is the Public Art gallery which is modern but designed to fit in with the other heritage buildings.A range of art is displayed from early renaissance,Dutch and some preRaphehlite pieces to contemporary and traditional  Maori artwork.

Perhaps the highlight of the city’s architecture is the Railway Station which is one of the country’s finest heritage buildings.It’s not large by international standards but its proportions give it an aire of grandeur.Built in a Flemish renaissance style it opened in 1906 its stonework has a distinctive contrasting detail of Beige Oamaru limestone,Central Otago Bluestone and finely polished Aberdeen granite columns.To my mind the whole thing is a bit of a mix of elements and features, almost like a catalogue for future buildings.I would have expected a symmetrical design but it includes a clock tower , a turret, a single story extension and a rounded return at the other end all with a two storey façade,loggia and portico main entrance. It’s the inside that really takes over though with impressive staircase, stained glass windows  and ornately tile decorated ticket windows and a Royal Doulton tiled floor that contains 725,000 porcelain squares forming images of engines, rolling stock and the New Zealand Railways logo.The station is still a functioning station and is the terminus for visiting the Taieri Gorge Railway which is a 77km four hour trip cutting through 10 tunnels, crossing bridges and viaducts over the Taieri River.

Arrowtown

This picturesque well preserved goldmining town from the 1860’s is at the foot of rugged hills about 20km from Queenstown.In 1862 a small group of miners found gold in the Fox River and within weeks had recovered 250lb of it.Now at todays prices that makes a tidy some of money for a few weeks work.No wonder the population of this little place shot up from nothing to 7000 on the hopes of striking it rich. It is also one of the few towns that didn’t become a ghost town when the good times came to an end and it is one that actually has managed to avoid modern development from its heart.

The tree lined main street has many old colonial buildings and you can let your imagination run away with ideas of claimholders paying in their finds to the bank and then going on to the many hostelries to enjoy the results of their labours before heading back to their small cottages to sleep it off.The town had its share of dubious characters who made a living off these prospectors

Arrowtown is also the site where Chinese miners are remembered for the parts they played in the early days of New Zealand.After the European miners had moved on after taking most of the spoils the Chinese , mainly from Southern China moved in to have their go at making a new prosperous life for themselves and their family sponsors back at home.The Chinese settlement here is a group of buildings that have been preserved as part of the attempts of the NZ government to make amends for the racism these people suffered during their stay.

I like to take a look through the cemeteries of these places because you gain a flavour of where the people came from and they give you some quite moving insights into how harsh and difficult life must have been for those early pioneers.I was interested to find no presence of the Chinese here and discovered that this was because they had been repatriated back to their homelands.It was a shame to discover that the last 500 never made it because the ship carrying their remains sank on its voyage back to China.

The Ford of Rivendell in the Lord Of The Rings story is the scene where the Great East Road crossed the River bruinen and under the power of Eldrond could be raised at will to repel unwanted visitors.

The film site is only just behind the centre of the village and is the scene where Anven ferried Frodo across the the river on her horse before calling up a magical flood to wash away the pursuing Nazgul horseman.In actual fact whilst filming the Fellowship of the Rings a flash flood did actually wash away part of the film set….spooky or what?

Wanaka

Lake Wanaka

After spending 5 lovely days in the Lakeside apartment we moved onto Lake Wanaka,well actually the small township called Albert Town which is about 4km away from the lake.The town is obviously the area designated for more affordable housing compared with up and coming Wanaka which has not yet got the eventladen qualities of Queenstown.Vicky and Maureen both preferred Queenstown but I liked Wanaka’s laid back easy going feel but perhaps it was the age thing again.Wanaka looks like the sort of town that wealthy Harley Davidson owners would frequent whilst Queenstown is more for the younger set.

Our stay here was our first taste of the New Zealand ‘Bach’ experience, this could be best described as anything between a shed and a high end mobile lodge, unfortunately ours was the former with furnishings not by Habitat more like the Salvation Army thrift store!

Anyway it was our base for 5 nights and our first really ropey bed that gave me some problems with my back that I was worried might interfere with my driving.However liberal use of ibuprofen,Sassy Red Beer and the  Tiger Balm purchased in Singapore proved to be a good cure.

We tried to spend as much time out of the cottage as possible although the girls said that they thought the place wasn’t as bad as I did.They visited Puzzle World , a mixture of visual illusion and puzzles whilst I drove around the lake looking at the property market .My idea of visual illusions I suppose.

Lake Wanaka is a smaller lake than Wakatipu and for that reason I found it to be more ‘homely’. Certainly a more liveable proposition ,with a full range of facilities which even included a boutique cinema which showed three different films a day in a range of seating options from floor cushions,lazybory recliners,2 &3 seater sofas and even a Morris minor convertible with its top removed.We saw Steven Speilberg’s Warhorse there which I have to say was a bit of a let down.

Author’s Note   am currently typing this in Christchurch where we are experiencing our first powerout so I am finding it very difficult to see my keyboard.Our host has just called in to see if we were ok and said sometimes happens if a car hits a powerpole or well we are in an earthquake zone!! 

Milford Sound, really a Fjord

 

An early morning start was required for this drive but we were treated to the sight of mist rising in the early morning sun.Until the early 1950's the only way to visit the Milford Sound was by boat or via the Milford Track.Today bus loads of tourists arrive daily to take the nearly two hour boat cruises down the sound.
There are plans to build a tunnel under the mountain range reducing the length of the journey to a very attractive 11 mile detour from Paradise or Glenorchy but at what cost to the lives enjoyed by the residents of these small townships.

Te Anau on the south eastern shoreline of the lake of the same name is Fjordland's commercial centre and the lake is the South Island's largest lake nearly 38 miles long and is 1370 feet deep in parts due to the glacial activity.It is a popular fishing and boating centre.Small boats can take you to see limestone caverns which are the home to thousands of glowworms.

The Chasm..the Cleddau river drops 72 feet

the road from Te Anau to Milford has earned world heritage staus for its epic scenery.This includes lush rainforest ,lakeside forestry, rugged mountains and cascading mountain rivers and waterfalls.
The proposed tunnel may whisk tourists quickly to Milford sound but they will be missing out on one very special drive if they take the short option.

At the end of a long day we were treated to some of the best sunsets we had seen on the trip so far.

Glenorchy and Paradise

A couple of welcoming female orcs?

Glenorchy is very big in the Lord of the Rings as it nestles at the northern end of Lake Wakatipu, surrounded by the snow capped Misty Mountains of the story.It wasn't until late 1862 that settlers arrived followed by about 3000 european gold prospectors who turned up to not find very much and soon moved on.It stayed pretty much wildness country until 1980 when about 50 prospectors mined for scheelite an ore used to make weapons grade tungsten finally gave up.So it stayed until it was rediscovered by Peter Jackson in 1999 when he was looking for a location for Middle Earth.We discovered a female pair of would be orcs welcoming us to the area.

Queenstown and Wanaka

On the road to Milford Sound

Queenstown & Wanaka

Queenstown from above courtesy of the cablecar

Our lovely property was about halfway between Frankton  and Queenstown on the western side of the Frankton arm this meant we had sun in the morning but we were in shade from about 4 pm as the otherside of the arm grabbed the last of the sun’s evening rays.We had a 2 bedroomed apartment which was well situated to give us expansive lake views.The bedrooms were on the lower floor and the lounge and kitchen on the upper floor.

Queenstown is the activity capital of the South Island ,even the whole of New Zealand.From here you can enjoy winter sports of skiing and other sports on the Remarkables, Cardrona and Aspiring mountain ranges and resorts.In summer the action doesn’t reduce it just changes emphasis you can do all sorts of water sports including rafting, kayaking, boating especially jet boating of the fast flowing rivers.All sorts of jumping from planes, bridges and mountain tops.Horse riding , quad biking flying planes, helicopters  in fact anything you want to do and buy the T shirt to show you’ve done it and survived..

Wanaka on the lake of the same name on the other hand is definitely more sedate but equally as beautiful and to my mind less commercialised than its bigger brother which is definitly  geared for the younger generations.

From Queenstown, which got its name as it was considered so beautiful as to be fit for a queen,we drove south at first then headed west and then turned northward again to stop at the Lakeside town of Te Anau .We are headed for Milford Sound where boats leave to cruise up and down the western  coastal sounds.This was a long days drive of around 600km but definitely worth it with stunning scenery that was  fulfilling all our preconceptions of what New Zealand would provide

New Zealand   New Zealand !!

Well after 40 years of waiting we’ve finally arrived here.Formalities completed with a minimum of fuss at Christchurch Airport and we were out to pick up the Hertz car hire and on our way by about 6 am after what seemed like a very short 3and a half hour flight from Melbourne .The time difference of 2 hours meant that it was really 4 in the morning with a big drive ahead of us so tiredness was something to look out for as we headed south towards Timaru on an overcast morning just as the dawn was breaking.

The Canterbury plain looked  flat and not very interesting as we made our way toward our first turnoff to Geraldine which we reached after driving for about an hour and a half when the lack of sleep made us pull over  and catch a few zzzzz’s.From Geraldine to Lake Tekapo was another hours drive when we pulled over to catch sight of our first lake.Tourquoise blue which reminded us of Lake Louise near Banff in Canada.the special colour of the lake is caused by the suspension of finely ground rock material brought down from the glacier at the head of the lake.The Church of the Good Shepherd is a tourist photo opportunity.We got out felt the chill and went and found a hearty breakfast on a bap which at $30 was a bit steep but very welcoming before we set off again this time to skirt the bottom of Lake Pukaki driving along the Highway 8 towards the Lindis Pass.This took us up through rocky gorges with hills covered with native tussock grasses following the flow of the Lindis River towards the small but pretty Lake Dunstan where we took the turn for Cromwell.

Cromwell was an area where gold was discovered in 1862, following the earlier finds west of Dunedin the year before.Tens of thousands of people made there way to these places but by the late 1860’s the place was virtually worked out and the people had moved onto the west coast areas.Hot dry summers followed by hard harsh winters and starvation were some of the costs of a quick fortune quest.Cromwell survived this and has become one of New Zealand’s main fresh fruit growing centres.

Taking the turn towards Queenstown and we were on our way to catch up with Victoria who was due in from Sydney at about 2.15 pm and we were wondering if we would get there before her but an additional snooze stop along the Lindis pass by a fast flowing stream had put us behind schedule When we awoke the sun had broken through and the temperature had risen to 23 compared with the 13 we had experienced back in Geraldine.As we drove on we came across the two sets of Rapids one called Roaring Meg and a quieter one known as something Annie , sorry but the name escapes me she must have been too quiet.Apparently they were named after two ladies from a nearby saloon that we making their way back with with two gold prospectors one night   and the one had a more boisterous attitude and they named the noisier of the rapids after her whilst Annie got the quieter one.

Our first glimpse of Lake Wakatipu( or as we call it Whakky tpoo) came as we crested the road at Frankton where the airport that serves Queenstown is situated.We had just seen a jet flying down the valley between the two sets of mountain ranges which looked very dramatic from the ground so what it was like from the plane we could only wait and find out from Vicky.We thought that she must have landed by now so we went straight to our base on the Frankton arm of Lake Wakatipu.The place we were staying at was the last ‘unit’ in a block of 10 overlooking the lake with views back left to the Mount Remarkables ski range and Frankton and to the right across over to Kelvin Heights situated on Peninsula Hill.We were surprised that Vicky was not already there and after a quick phone call we discovered that she had in fact just landed and  we had won the race to get to Queenstown!We doubled back to Frankton about 4km away and picked her up from a cute little airport and were back in the house in just a few minutes with Vicky taking over the bunk room as hers for the rest of the stay.Windows on the front and side of the unit gave us jaw dropping views….New Zealand was starting to live up to its expectations!!

Manly, Sydney,New South Wales

Rather than giving you the unexpurgated version of our stay, that is ‘woke up early to the sounds of Oz, the cheery sounds of the builders greetings before starting sawing and hammering, delivered  tea and breakfast to wife and daughter’ I thought it better to condense our stay in Manly and give a taste of some of the things we loved and did during our month there.

Manly our base is a 30 minute ferry ride from Circular Quay which is the main ferry terminal in Sydney, really handy for downtown or the CBD, the Central Business District.The ferry ride became one of our highlights because it gave us a Sydney Harbour Cruise every time we took it into Sydney a trip where you noticed something new everytime, it was helped by the fact that depending on the wind and wave direction a slightly different route was taken.

We had picked the car at the airport and after a lengthy delay got underway and headed towards the city.We had been driving for about 10-15 minutes when we noticed signs for Randwick which is where Vicky was working so we took the detour to try and find her office,not an easy thing to do when we didn’t have an address!After arriving at Royal Randwick Race course which I had noted on google earth  I asked at two petrol stations if they knew of the Ted Noffs Foundation in Randwick which drew blank returns.So on we went and then noticed a Police station so thought that if they wouldn’t know then who would.We pulled up checked the parking restrictions looked out the paasengers side window and guess what we were there outside the office….spooky or what?

An emotional meeting with a totally unprepared Vicky was amazing, she was looking so well and she was thrilled that we had come to see her as we had said that we would meet up in the evening near the Opera House.Never change arrangements she reminded me!!

We went in on the ferry that first evening to meet Vicky and Gianni along with their Old South Wales friends  Rhian and Gareth, Lee and Gareth’s mum who was over visiting her son for Christmas.This was our first taste of how expensive Sydney was to prove to be.A bucket of 4x 330ml Grolsch and a Vin Ordinaire Rose bottle of wine cost $88 or nearly £60.We also had some trouble with the security guards who seemed a bit officious in their attempts to segregate customers from adjoining bars, nevertheless a good time was had by all even allowing for a sudden rainstorm that sent everyone scurrying for cover foiling the attempts at alcoholic apartheid by the bouncers.By the time we got back to Manly the rain had set in and this was to be a regular event for the length of our stay.Instead of us worrying about temperatures well in to the 40’s the Aussie summer was to prove to be the worst for a long time.It went 60 days where the temperature did not get above 30degrees until during  our third week.

We explored the Northern beaches as far as the top , Palm Beach which is the home for the TV soap series Home and Away and then made our way back to Manly stopping off at all the coves and bays along the way…..there are loads of them each having their own special attractions and each producing a wow factor that left you breathless.There are some strange and some familiar names for these beaches, Freshwater, Avalon,  and there’s Curl Curl and DeeWhy amongst them.

Our house was about a 20 minute walk to the ferry terminal and we were able to walk along the coastal walkway watching for where the ferry was in order to speed up our progress to catch the next service but no real worry since they run every 30 minutes .Returning home always left us with the last two hundred yards of steep climb that gave us our cardio workout! Our house was a delightful Edwardian bungalow style house with some  period Art Deco features to decorate it.The house was surrounded by  many houses that have been modernised and although they are closely packed they do not give you a hemmed in feeling.

Manly has the main Ocean facing beach which is the surfing beach but also has a habour facing beach where there is a colony of tiny penguins that breed underneath the ferry wharf. We were surprised by the steepness of the land just away from the beach levels as you move around the many coves that make up the whole of the Sydney harbours.It is certainly one of the most splendid areas of natural beauty  I have ever seen and even the development has not damaged it to any great extent however this does come at a price and around 1-1.5m AUS$ for the standard beachside home is generally the norm whilst 5-6 mAUS$ is often seen.

Sydney as I have already said is an extremely expensive place to be for the tourist and we were fortunate to be able to control our costs because of our extended stay by catering for ourselves rather than having to eat in restaurants but nevertheless $100 a day is the minimum to get by on.The  box of 24 stubbies is going to cost around $50 as opposed to £10-£15 at home, almost 3 times the price.Food is generally of a high quality but  again at a premium price.

Driving is quite a taxing experience and I don’t just mean the stealth taxes associated with speeding and parking!Undertaking is a common experience even on non-laned roads and the local driver will make use of the transit lane and bus lanes to nip from lane one to four  and back again without a second thought.No place for the timid driver here , no giving way to a driver entering  on a sliproad and the space you leave behind the driver in front is soon occupied .Signalling also seems to be an optional practice but by the end of our stay I found myself having to adopt similar practices to that of the home driver.

This is starting to sound very much like the whingeing pom response to Australia but I am certain most of my negativity is as much a generational thing because to live in this place you need to be foremost young  and well employed, if you are then it’s a great buzz city.

Vicky has been working in the Eastern area of the city and we spent time exploring the southern beaches of which Bondi  is the most famous which will hold in the region of 35000 people on the Christmas holidays period which is as much as many football clubs can manage to muster these days.

Rosebay,Watson’s Bay home of the best fish and chips in Australia, so they claim (and at nearly £12 for a small portion possibly the most expensive fish and chips in the world?) and of course Coogee which I have already mentioned in my previous posts are the other main places to visit down here.I don’t think I saw anyone walking in Bondi they were all running earnestly, very conscious of their bodies and presentation, they are constantly racing against time or against each other.Winning is obviously a very important thing to the Aussie as we know from the cricket and rugby teams.I saw a tshirt in Paddy’s Market that said I support two teams Australia and the team playing the All Blacks.

I was told that in business when instructions are given out the Sydneysider is first out of the room to carry out the instruction but is then first to come back  to have it repeated.Their accent is something akin to a sunaffected Brummie accent and I noted the Sydney sneer which I describe as being caused by the sun making the nose lift the top lip and raising the nostrils because of some dog poo they had just run over.However the further we got from Sydney the nicer the people became.Our stay in Manly came to an end too soon mainly because of the poor weather we had experienced where we had more wet days than dry sunny ones during our visit .We took off on our roadtrip along the Princes Highway that links Sydney with Melbourne.

The first days travel took us out of Sydney down the coastal road as far as the Southern Gateway Centre which at an altitude of 1148m gives an exceptional view of the towns ,bays and beaches stretching along the coast to Woollongong.We carried on as far as our first stop which was Bateman’s Bay where we stayed at a B&B which overlooked the Lilli Pilli Beach.This was our first B&B where our hosts Julie and John were very welcoming and provided us with a hearty natural breakfast.

Day two saw us drive from Batemans Bay visiting a number of small communities along the coastal highway of which the Tuross headlands were particular favourites with large sweeping bays with great surf and very few people.We headed towards Jervis Bay which we had been told had the whitest beaches in the world but having paid the  $10 entrance fee we were a bit disappointed with as our time was limited due to the need to press on to reach Pambula our next stop for the second night.This night’s stay was at the Idlewilde Country Inn and motel,in a typical motel, clean but basic with Norm and Shiralee as our hosts.A taciturn Norm and a  friendly wife who made a point of coming to say goodbye to us as we left….a nice touch that.Pambula and it’s neighbouring town of Merimbula took about 40mm of rain that night and it still threatened in the morning as we explored the local bays which had some very heavy surf.This was also our first real encounter with wildlife as we came across groups of Kangaroos and pairs of wallabies.

Day three took us toward Eden where we had an idea for a photograph of Maureen offering me a bite of an apple  but it was too wet to get out of the car! We had excellent fish’nchips at Lakes Entrance eating it in the car as the rain started up again!Then we headed along the Gippsland Highway through larger towns such as Bairnsdale and on to Sale where we stayed at the Captains Lodge hotel which has clearly moved beyond its sell by date.Breakfast was delivered to our room the night before which was a novel experience and we had left before the owner/manageress had risen the following morning.I suppose the stollen she gave us for breakfast should have given us a solid start.

Day four saw us detouring off the the Princes Highway along the Gippsland  highway taking us down to pass through Yarram where we had an extended converstion with the owner of the town’s Stationery and Internet centre who very kindly allowed us to use his connection to arrange our car hire for New Zealand and catch up with emails.The hotels and motel wanted to charge $12-15 per hour for their connection which I think is a bit steep.We also took in Ninety mile beach which lives upto its name,a wild and windy place at the best of times.We drove along the highway and visited Agnes Falls where there is also the first wind farm in the state nearby.Driving back inland we got back on the Princes Highway for our last night stay in Australia at Douin near Warragul which is under a 2 hour drive from Melbourne airport and our departure from Australia.

Driving along the Princes highway is a pleasant experience as speed and technique is far superior to our Sydney experiences had been.Our hosts were AirBnB first timers as we were also and I have to say they were great hosts with Warwick and Bronwen welcoming us into their lovely home as if we were already long standing friends.A truly enjoyable stay in our own suite and we enjoyed the company of their two well behaved dogs Jasper and Oscar prepared us for the last stage of our trip.We had told Warwick that we had a cousin in Melbourne  and he promptly found us his telephone number and arrangements were made for us to visit in the afternoon after a quick trip into Melbourne for an all too short glimpse of the city.

Melbourne is quite different to Sydney it has a more relaxed, European feel about it and an interesting blend of old and very new way out architectural styles.As we were short on time  we used the number 35 city circle free tram which gives a very good overview of the city with information on each of the areas near to the stops on route and in all takes about an hour for the complete circuit.A city we would love to revisit in the future.

As we left the city to head out toward the Mornington Peninsula where Jim and Pam live the rain started and this was the heaviest we had experienced as yet and we must have gone through about 40-50 sets of traffic lights  with the longest stretch of car dealers I have ever come across!Eventually the road broadend out as we approached lovely  Mornington and Jim’s new home.They hosted us to a final dinner in Oz  before setting us out on the road to the airport and New Zealand.

       

Sydney Climate

After a 60-day break, Sydney has finally reached 30 degrees, ending the longest summer run below 30 since 1996/97. In that summer there were 61 consecutive days below 30 degrees.

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The record number of consecutive summer days below 30 degrees is 90, set in 1952/53. During that summer, not one day reached 30 degrees.

It was at 10.30am today when the city reached 30 degrees for the first time since spring. By 12.30pm it had got to 32 degrees, six above average.

The western suburbs took a bit longer to reach 30 today. Penrith still had not done so by midday. Regardless, nearly all the western suburbs have already reached 30 degrees this summer.

"This is consistent with being in a La Nina, when easterly winds are more dominant and there is more cloud cover than normal.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/sydney-finally-cracks-30-degrees-20120130-1qp69.html#ixzz1l1x3kkPN

Singapore yet more.....The Botanical Gardens

a day soon passes as you wander about these gardens, it's hard to imagine that you are so close to Orchard Road when you are surrounded by such quiet and space.Whilst Orchard Road, Singapore's main shopping street where over 2000 brands compete with each other to take your money from your pockets the Botanical Gardens succeeds in filling your soul with sights,sounds and smells.Beautiful orchids,vibrant heliconias and verdant greenery all for free.Well not exactly you have to pay to go and see the orchids.

It was also a site for the congregation of decorated baby elephants statues that had been spread around the city in an attempt to bring attention to the plight of the Asian elephant  .www.elephantparade.com/elephants
Maureen quite liked the one sponsored by Ricky Gervais, I liked the Theatrical one and one called Seigfried by an artist called Andre Tempel.
One or two I found just to be a flight of personal fantasy or something that said more about the artist than the elephant in danger,the Unicephalant description tag was more about the artist Philip Treacy's own artistic development.

Elephants in Thailand are threatened by a growing interest in eating them !

who's a little devil

the Dorian elephant

Siegfreid

Unicephalent by Philip Treacy 

Whilst the foundation is not a charity it does claim to have donated 4 million euros to the welfare of the Asian elephant which has seen its population decline by 90% as the conflict between man and elephant has grown.I am sometimes worried about whether this type activity is more for the benefit of the organisation etc than the animal concerned.I was amazed by the relative frenzy of buying opportunities to get copies of small statues of the exhibits and the assorted paraphenalia.A well marketed event. Just hope people take notice of the effects our craving for growth etc is having on the natural world.

Singapore continues v.2 The Impregnable Fortress

Singapore's MRT system is really the best way to get around the city.We used it to take us to the Harbour Centre which serves all the incoming cruise ships and is also the gateway to Sentosa Island which is a theme park & casino complex.The Villa tie in here is strong because the Casino company Genting is the shirt sponsor.

The island is also the site of Fort Siloso which was a key installation in the defence of Singapore in 1942.This year sees the seventieth anniversary of its fall to the Japanese.By the end of January 1942 all British Empire troops had withdrawn from the Malay peninsular to the island, on February 8th the Japanese had landed in the North West of the island and within 6 days they were on the outskirts of the city of Singapore.Various delaying tactics were used to prevent the Japanese as units were reorganised but to no avail.

This shows the defence set up prior to attack by Japanese, the 12 gun batteries and airfields, www.fortsiloso.com

The Japanese surrender delegation, General Yamashita is seated second  left

The Signing of the British Surrender

By February 14 the Japanese were in control of the pumping stations and the reservoirs and the Allied troops in virtual disarray, hospitals were overcrowded and the fighting was intense.On the 15th February the British commander General Percival called for a ceasefire which the Japanese then bluffed into a full surrender.

More than 100000 British Empire troops had been defeated by a smaller force of 30,000 Japanese a defeat  Sir Winston Churchill described as the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history.What tends to get overlooked is that Churchill as chancellor of Exchequer was responsible for reducing the defence budget allocated to Singapore.The air defence consisted of just 5 squadrons of aged fighters down from 8 when the recognised number was 12.There is a myth that the guns could only fire out to sea at a seaborne enemy and therefore unable to fire upon a northern land attack.The real problem was that they had the wrong type of explosive ammunition they only had Armour piercing shells which are great against warships but have very little effect on personnel where High Explosive is more effective.


My attack on Singapore was a bluff – a bluff that worked. I had 30,000 men and was outnumbered more than three to one. I knew that if I had to fight for long for Singapore, I would be beaten. That is why the surrender had to be at once. I was very frightened all the time that the British would discover our numerical weakness and lack of supplies and force me into disastrous street fighting.

– Tomoyuki Yamashita _{Shores 1992, p. 383.}

The fighting ceased but the troubles were only just starting for the survivors as the Japanese took control.

Sydney Celebrations

Sydney has been gearing up for it's famous party....some say it is for Australia Day but others in the know....realise it's for a more important celebration....the visit of Maureen for her silver jubilee!!! So far we have witnessed a variety of events

The Silver Jubilee ice cream tasting

The Silver Jubilee Beer Festival

The Cocktail Ceremony

And Silver Jubilee Flower Display


Other activities are planned in the coming days  and thanks to all our blog sponsors no animals will be harmed and the public purse will not be called upon

Singapore continues v.1

Returning to our travels........rather than travails

Walking through the Padang we passed the Cenotaph which commemorated the men from the region who died in the WW1 on the front and those from WW2 on the reverse.Following the recapture of Singapore from the Japanese in 1945 it was rededicated by Lord Mountbatten who was part of the original commemoration party of Prince Edward in 1922.

We are able to see from this area an amazing hotel complex of three skyscrapers with a ship on top of the three of them!  The skypark ontop can hold 3900 people and has 150m infinity swimming pool which would probably give me the sreaming hebijeebies with the thoughts of just swimming over the edge.The idea comes from decks of cards and is of course a giant casino complex originally due for  Las Vegas but due to the economic downturn in 2009 in the USA the design got used here where there are no such problems....believe me.The grand opening was on February 17 2011 with 7 celebrity chef restaurants in the complex.  Awesome!The white flower structure in front is the Art Science complex which also doubles up as a wedding fascinator for Maureen's next wedding occasion.
                                      www.marinabaysands.com

The marina is a great place to walk around especially in the evening ,they also have the Float at Marina Bay, also known as Marina Bay Floating Platform, it is the world's largest floating stage,located on the waters of the Marina Reservoir, in Marina Bay, 

Made entirely of steel, the floating platform on Marina Bay measures 120 metres long and 83 metres wide, the platform can bear up to 1,070 tonnes, equivalent to the total weight of 9,000 people, 200 tonnes of stage props and three 30-tonne military vehicles. The gallery at the stadium has a seating capacity of 30,000 people. 

Coogee Cock up update

I appealed for clemency in the issue of the parking infringement for being an ugly parker.

I spoke to a very polite though adamant lady in the State Debt Recovery office who listened to me but said No. However I do have the right of a written appeal which subsequently went in ...when I get rattled about something I do tend to get a bit of a........fill in the appropriate word that comes to mind when you think of me.....on. So off it went and by Friday close of work here I had heard nothing, so who knows....no news is good news?.. or...no chance the wheels of bureaucracy grind tirelessly slow? Just as well it was Sydney and not Singapore heh!

At least it hasn't interfered with plans for Maureen's 60th birthday celebrations...we will be going to the Sydney Opera House for a Soiree.....hey who said this wasn't going to be a birthday to remember!!

http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/whatson/la_soiree.aspx?gclid=CJLy8_OR3q0CFSdKpgodCwIMmA

Singapore continues

We ventured into the city by bus after fathoming out the intricacies of the ticketing process.They have a system where there is integrated pricing between the buses and underground, known here as the MRT Using an individual refillable electronic tap card  you just jump on and off remembering to tap the card both on entrance and exiting. Nevertheless we bought the single ticket variety which involves paying a refundable $1 deposit on the ticket.This cuts down on paper usage and so long as travelling out of peak time didn't cause too much hassle at the ticket machine...in fact we became proficient at obtaining tickets and refunds as a team activity.

We spent our afternoon walking around Clarke Quay, lying near the mouth of the Singapore River it was the heart of 19th century commercial activity in Singapore as it became more and more important in East West trade.Today it is a sanitised version of the shophouses that we saw in Penang with an array of Chinese and international eateries.

Now I had better say something about my diet which now has had by necessity to include a fair amount of rice in it.Rice had previously been confined to the lower parts of a menu and usually served with cream and perhaps a dollop of strawberry jam but I am changing...see trying to take in the culture and all that.    ps my waistline has trimmed too but I still look as if I'm pregnant with man boobs!!

We walked past St Andrews cathedral onto the playing fields associated with the Singapore Recreation Club on the Pedang established in 1883 by 30 members from the Eurasian community.where amongst other things they hold regular Tombola nights.     Mmm must check out whether they are CIU affiliated..then again probably not.

Right from the very start Singapore has been a controlled society, its modern founder Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles instructed the first Resident, William Farquhar to reserve an open space for public use only to find on his return some 3 years later amongst other things the encroachment of the mercantile community.He immediately revoked his permissions ,blocked new building and set up a committee to oversee his planned development of the city. Just think if he hadn't done this Singapore might just be a watered down version of the rest of Malysia or Thailand.

Coogee Cock Up

No not a song from Brotherhood of Man or a type of parakeet....I got my first ever parking ticket today in a place called Coogee.We had picked Vicky up after work and went to see the southern beaches and Coogee was great until we got back to the car to discover that just 2 minutes earlier we had been booked for parking inwards and not outwards. I asked the guy and he pointed to the other side of a telegraph pole where the condition was stated.We had looked at the confusing signs that litter the place and thought we were fine to stay there....yes you are it seems so long as you do it prettily.Anyway that's £60 that won't be finding it's way into the local  private economy of Coogee. Shame really it spoiled what had been a delightful day.

Singapore

This one is specially  for David...sort of sums up what Singapore is about

Singapore is the place we all know as the place where there is the death penalty for dropping chewing gum in the street or some equally ridiculous statement!

It is a very controlled place that gave me a 'Stepford' feel about it but I have to admit we liked it.Does that say something about us as we get older but this is no old person's hangout....it has not a buzz more of a well oiled purrr and the oil is money...loads of it.

No litter....no graffiti....no drunks....no tramps... no noisy people just polite kids who stand up and give you their seat on spotless trains etc.All the things you don't like, well they are not here and the stuff you do like and crave is!

My memories of Singapore as a kid were that it wasn't one of our high points during the conflict of the Second World War and I wanted to see if this was true.

Allan Colwill had told me that it was the best place to get a  first taste of Asia, well sorry Allan we did it the wrong way around.I thought of comparing the three countries we had been to and I came up with my own grading system based on the wildlife we have encountered during our visits.

Thailand is the rat.....Malaysia is the cockroach.................and Singapore the ant.

Now don't get the wrong idea and think these places are related to the animal but rather the level of comfort/discomfort met is reflected by the relative size of the animal concerned, plus the fact that on the last night in Chumphon on the railway station , encountering a rat, which admittedly was prompt chased away by a cat, we adjourned to the VIP room.I came across a cockroach in Penang as I was attempting to follow the Villa Chelsea match.We saw some ants in Singapore......(before they were quickly swept away......no only kidding). Just a very poor attempt at trying to compare the differing locations that's all.

The transfer from the Changi airport to where we were staying was seamless and smooth.
Full marks to AirAsia for their part in that however we did have difficulty getting into the apartment we were renting through Wimdu.I had not heard from the owner since receiving an acceptance message via their messaging system back in October.So whilst in Langkawi I contacted their customer service department to check if all was OK and I got a message saying that all was confirmed.So when we arrived at the building and there was no one to meet us with a key I started to worry....was it a scam?.

The apartment block was gated with a guard house.....of course what would you expect it's Singapore but he wasn't there as he was off to his lunch.After speaking to a few of the residents I reached into the guardroom to use his phone to call the owner, David, who didn't speak very clear English. This, combined with the radio in the box jabbering on in Chinese,  wasn't a good thing to be doing when the guard returned wondering who I was and what I was doing on his phone!
I wondered what the sentence for missuse of another's phone was in Singapore....hopefully just being locked up in Changi jail was the least they would throw at me.I shoved  the phone into his hand and said can you speak to him and find out how we get the key?  Hey I thought this trip was going too smoothly.He said in red box by door of 02-05 so off I went thinking wow this is something exciting for my correspondents to hear about and guess what ......no redbox....so back down to the guardhouse where the guard was now in uniform...( now to digress but I have noticed that since we have been in Asia there is a uniform fettish...not everyone has one,a fettish that is ...rather that they do like their uniforms, hats and all the other accoutrements that go with it.)....He spoke to David and then came back upto the second floor using the lift not the stairs, which sort of explains why I was getting rather heated.Well he too couldn't find a red box but having opened up a variety of cupboards found a red nike box ...with a key in it...and in true fairy tale style it fitted and we were in!Slaps on backs all round and with a huge sigh of relief as the thoughts of spending our stay in Changi Jail receded I went back to collect Maureen who was sat by the pool with the cases.

I wonder if this made the news on Singapore TV that night, probably right after the bit about the latest chewing gum execution , I should imagine ?

Manly mainly

Just got back having dropped Vicky and Gianni off after a superb weekend.....Sunday Roast Lamb ..simply the best along with freshly made mint sauce from the garden of our lovely home from home.

That also included getting lost in central Sydney and with the Harbour Bridge closed for repairs over 3 weekends and would you believe getting breathalysed in one of the random stop and checks...no alcohol consumed so the bottle of Leffe Veille Cuvee was well enjoyed on our return!!

Langkawi continues part 2

The Seven Wells Waterfall as viewed from the cable car

The journey paused at the mid station where we got out to see the most fantastic views of the island, just like flying over it so despite my moanings about the cost and the wait it really was worth it so I guess Maureen was right!!

Actually I was trying to nestle between the 2 bosoms!

We also took the opportunity to walk along the skybridge the photo of which Maureen has already posted on facebook.After some initial reluctance we moved along the middle of the bridge not knowing if it would sway or wobble but no such problems...except for getting too close to the viewing rails where the drop became very apparent and I needed to lean back and hold on to the rail to maintain my stoic British calm.....oh yeah!

Whilst looking down I noticed a bird sweeping along on some thermals and as it rose toward the height of the bridge it was an eagle which continued to sweep and soar...magical moment.I lost all concerns about the bridge as I was fascinated by watching this FREE show! Langkawi is also known as Eagle island and in some parts they actually put on a show of feeding these sea eagles for the tourists on boats so they get them swooping down around you by chucking chickens feet etc into the sea

There is an eagle there...truly

We then got back into the cable car to take us up to the very peak of the island and the views continued to be awesome.Coming back to the base also enabled you to realise that the tops of the trees you saw were in actual fact very, very tall trees.

We rejoined our driver who then took us along the north coast stopping off at a local crafts and arts workshop in a very interesting building that looked as if it might have been a mosque at some time.He dropped us off at the main town of Kuah the main commercial centre of the island and I have never seen so many people in banks they had security guards organising the queueing that I wondered if there was a Northern Rock type problem.

Skybridge at Mid Station

Kuah as indeed the whole of Langkawi is duty free and John Koo had told us that this is the place the Chinese from Penang go to get their cheap booze.He made loads from taking tours over there and utilising non used duty free allowances to buy up whiskey to sell on to  the bars in Penang.He also told us not to buy their duty free cameras etc as they were all more expensive than in KL  ( Kuala Lumpur) or Singapore.We didn't hang around too long here as it was extremely hot and we made our way back to the hotel to spend the last hours on the beach at the Four Points resort.

Four Points Resort beach

We spent the rest of our time on the island relaxing under the umbrella at this beach and swimming.

We had an early morning departure from the airport so we caught a fantastic dawn chorus of insects and birdlife as we walked from the hotel to the airport with our cases.The noise from one tree so deafening it actually drowned any of the noises you associate with an airport.

The flight to Singapore was just over the hour so again a fairly straightforward flight ...no problems with AirAsia other than hearing that QPR are chasing Darren Bent from the Villa after sacking their current manager.AirAsia are their sponsors and I think their owner is the new owner of QPR too.

Sweeping around Singapore before we landed I was amazed to see the amount of shipping anchored around...wondered if it was the Japanese invasion fleet. As we got lower you could tell that a great number were actually empty I wonder if this is normal or a sign of the European economic downturn?

Breaking News

Would you believe it....rain is forecast for the next 7 days....C'mon Oz!!

Langkawi continues (but without photos at the moment)

We visited Cenang beach on the first evening and took in our first real Asian sunset because most of the beaches we had visited were on the eastern coasts and this one did not disappoint us.
First mistake we made was to expect quick service at the beach bar and secondly to expect any alcohol but hey we don't need it do we???

anyway an enjoyable hour was spent watching the jetskis go whizzing past and the sun gradually settling  into the sea eating a passable Malayan sweet & sour chicken(I think it was)....Maureen is getting well impressed with my chopstick handling by the way. And rice too!!

The taxi driver on the way back to the hotel was an avid Arsenal supporter who ran through all their greats of the past few years and had actually heard of Aston Villa.He had opinions on Ashley Young who he reckoned should have stayed there and not gone to Man Ure.Amazing that the real British impact on these people seems not to be leftover post colonial heritage, grumbles and grudges but the blinking Premier League.

The following day we had planned to rent a car and venture around the island but when we arrived at the travel/excursion desk it was not there despite arranging for it the day before.So we rang for a taxi and  Abdul Habib became our driver for the day and we set of for the Langkawi cable car...needless to say the same old issues about charging arose.Now I can understand this in poor countries and would actually approve of it in many instances but these countries aren't full of poor people by any standard so I continue to take umbrage at this discrimination.They also had not opened by the time we got there and the first cars were due to start at 12 so we had an hour or so to kill.The driver suggested some sights that seemed to be of limited interest such as a crocodile farm  so we plumped for the Seven wells  waterfalls which sounded more suitable, so long as there was some water and they had had some rain before we arrived so fingers crossed and off we went.

After an initial climb which reminded us both of the climb to St Anne's well in Malvern, we turned off the main path right into a group of monkeys which looked quite interested in us hoping perhaps that we had food and other goodies in our backpack.Maureen took no chances and marched briskly through them shooing them away. The falls did have some water but were obviously in need of a boost but nevertheless looked refreshing but the warnings of viruses and bacteria in the water , I suppose due to the monkeys put me off from checking it out especially as I had a few open mozzie bites on my legs.
The sight of plastic and the odd old disposable nappy  in the numerous pools also put me off but some kids were happy to slide down the slippery rocks into some shallow pools whilst their parents looked on .

We were making our way back as the coachloads of Russian tourists made their way to the falls, they are very big and noisy I must say.....not the falls the Russians that is.We have seen very few Americans and when we do they tend to be single or in pairs not the coachloads.

Making our way back to the cable car we discovered that they were already open and the queues were  massive, even just to buy the ticket.If you wanted to you could buy your way to happiness and  the front by paying an extra 50MR about ten pound but as most of you know my feelings about NHS/Private medicine I couldn't bring myself to do it.  Besides I would have had to pay for Maureen too!!!

After an Alton Towers type wait we were loaded into our car that held six passengers but there were only five in with us,a couple from Perth WA and a charming little Chinese girl who was Vietnamese.The car doesn't stop so you have to stand in your groups of six to load and move forward at the appropriate time and away you go lurching at first but then very rapidly picking up speed.I had a very strange thought that the way people loaded themselves into these compartments would be an eminently suitable way of mass culling......just transport them to the top and tip 'em out the other side no fuss whatsoever!!        Note to self...must see shrink if  have more thoughts like this.