Mum arrived at Christchurch on the 11th about 11:30 pm so nothing was done apart from heading to a hostel to sleep.
The following day on the 12th it dawned grey and raining so we just spent the day going around firstly the cathedral, it was only a short distance from where we were stopping and built using local stone and timber it took some 50 odd years to complete ( due to lack of funds) from when the few settlers established the town back in 1850's to about 1906ish, and then after a cup of coffee we got on the old Tram, after a bit of a high step to get on, and set of at the wonderful speed of about 20kph around an inner city loop. We got of to have a look around some craft shops and then took the tram back to the quaint little regent street and walked back just avoiding the latest downpour.
On the 13th we left Christchurch and headed down the banks peninsular to a beautiful little place called Akoroa, which has some wonderful old building and a picturesque lighthouse, for which it seemed to remain sunny. After elevenses we got back on the road and headed south to Dunedin, where we arrived late and had to search around for a hostel eventually finding the YHA which was converted from an old hospital build in the 1800's and designed by some architect who's apparently built many similar buildings around the town.
Also this is home to a cadburys chocolate factory and a magnificently grand and ornate train station.
the next day was a much more pleasant dawn and we left Dunedin heading south again down the east coast to the Catlin's, an area of great beauty which runs across the south coast to Invercargill. As far as towns go this one should probably be avoided except for its only apparent redeeming factor, the beautiful Queens park and botanical gardens.
From Invercargill we headed north and slowly climbed the foothills and up the valleys to Te Anau, a most attractive town by a crystal clear lake, with snowy peaks, and unfortunately snowy roads which prevented us from making the journey onwards to Milford Sound.
We stopped at a modern and well equipped hostel and waited around on the 15th hoping for an improvement from the snow which much to our disappointment didn't happen. When the road was closed for the 3rd day this being the 16th we packed up and headed to Queenstown where i meet back up with a friend to reacquire some climbing gear that had been misappropriated due to mutual error and I took mum to explore the little settlement of Arrowtown which was established in the gold rush when many Chinese migrated to test their luck and their fortunes, most of these came from Guangdong so must have had a real shock when they experienced the cold and snowy winters which must have been a real hardship when one looks at the shacks and the remains of the little village they setup just outside the main town. A late lunch was had in Arrowtown and we headed back to Queenstown hoping for the clouds to rise so we could get a view of the town by going up the gondola, this unfortunately wasn't to happen and to insult us a bit more it decided to snow.
The 17th dawned and we headed north Past the much quieter town of Wanaka and up highway 6, and with the aid of chains to get through some snowy sections of road we made it to Haast after some spectacular views from the snaking road of the lakes and surrounding countryside and it appeared that on the west coast we had well and truly left the bad weather behind us and made our way over to the Franz Joseph Glacier which unfortunately isn't a patch on what it used to be but then what glaciers are nowadays.
We left the Frans Joseph behind us and headed up what is apperently one of the most scenic sections of highway on the south Island heading past "the road kill cafe" at Puka as the locals call it. Renowned for its possum pie. Yum Yum.
It was a bit to early for lunch but i picked up a pair of trousers for the princely sum of $1 (bargain) and we headed up to Pancake rocks which is well worth seeing. we were then left with a good few hours of driving to go before getting to the north coast at Motueka, where we spent the night and today went to the Able Tasman National Park, we were once again blessed with beautifully sunshine and spent the better part of the day heading by boat up the coast past sandy beaches clear waters granite boulders, one in the shape of a split apple, and also fur seals and cormorants, which were sat sunbathing not a care in the world.
Tonight we are stopping at Picton before getting the ferry across to the north Island tomorrow. It must be mentioned that the Hostel is one of the best yet, it even has free chocolate pudding and ice cream, gets my vote although with all this driving and sitting around I'm liable to start getting fat. mind you i could have a shave and a hair cut which would probably make me a few pounds lighter.
Well thats the first week traveling with Mum, an Automatic car (which im growing to hate) and about 2500km. will this car survive... i may just have to dump it in the ocean..
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
New Zealand.
well I made it to New Zealand, after another night in another airport, i love thermarests.
i made it to Christchurch late evening on the 22nd, where i spent two nights and a rainy day wandering around before i got a cheap rental van, $5 per day plus $15 booking fee and spent two days traveling south, i was fortunate enough to meet a Korean lad who was happy to share the fuel bill ($130) and we set off to Queenstown via some stunning scenery which had us stopping frequently to take photos, (will upload when i find a machine which recognizes my hdd),
This appears as the home of extreme sports, although they are fairly extreme on the pocket as well. A 45m bungee jump costs about $160, that's probably over $50 per second, a bit too much for my wallet although i may be persuaded to go skiing if i can find any reasonable prices. I'm not holding my breath.
Well Wanaka was on the way so we headed past there for a few more vistas of snowy peaks and rolling hills and lakes. Its all starting to remind me of a cross between the lakes Scotland and Norway, shame that the prices are no better. however in land of over 40 million sheep and just 4 million people I cant complain too much, the vistas are great the towns are not that intrusive and I have found proper beer, but can't afford to drink it.
Hobgoblin and Black sheep are $8 a bottle. ouch. and other beer is about $6 a pint.
I spent today, my forth day in New Zealand, wandering up a Via Ferrata that leads to the top of queens town hill, it took just over 1hr and I recall seeing a sign that said something about private land and that i wasn't aloud beyond a certain point to access the Via Ferrata.
They obviously didn't realise that an 8ft high fence and a bit of barbed wire wasn't going to stop most folks and as this was 15 minutes up the path so i wasn't prepared to head back down. besides i figured if anyone asked i would pretend i was German and didn't speak english.
Well no one asked and I enjoy a fine view from the 900m summit, across the town below and the lake beyond to a horizon on snowy peaks.
A pleasant stroll led back down to town through the Douglas fir, the familiar smell of pine and resin reminded me of adventures past, the alps, dolomite's, Scotland, Norway, and in many ways this land seems so similar, i would like to just set off into those hills and keep walking, climbing and absorbing the wonders of the hills once again.
Tomorrow i plan to head up the Ben Lomond track, although some of it is supposed to be closed and from my view early today i could see plenty of snow above 1000m so i probably won't take the summit track as i unfortunately i have no winter gear and I'm not about to start spending money for it here.
Will upload the photos later and with luck will get a few good shots tomorrow.
i made it to Christchurch late evening on the 22nd, where i spent two nights and a rainy day wandering around before i got a cheap rental van, $5 per day plus $15 booking fee and spent two days traveling south, i was fortunate enough to meet a Korean lad who was happy to share the fuel bill ($130) and we set off to Queenstown via some stunning scenery which had us stopping frequently to take photos, (will upload when i find a machine which recognizes my hdd),
This appears as the home of extreme sports, although they are fairly extreme on the pocket as well. A 45m bungee jump costs about $160, that's probably over $50 per second, a bit too much for my wallet although i may be persuaded to go skiing if i can find any reasonable prices. I'm not holding my breath.
Well Wanaka was on the way so we headed past there for a few more vistas of snowy peaks and rolling hills and lakes. Its all starting to remind me of a cross between the lakes Scotland and Norway, shame that the prices are no better. however in land of over 40 million sheep and just 4 million people I cant complain too much, the vistas are great the towns are not that intrusive and I have found proper beer, but can't afford to drink it.
Hobgoblin and Black sheep are $8 a bottle. ouch. and other beer is about $6 a pint.
I spent today, my forth day in New Zealand, wandering up a Via Ferrata that leads to the top of queens town hill, it took just over 1hr and I recall seeing a sign that said something about private land and that i wasn't aloud beyond a certain point to access the Via Ferrata.
They obviously didn't realise that an 8ft high fence and a bit of barbed wire wasn't going to stop most folks and as this was 15 minutes up the path so i wasn't prepared to head back down. besides i figured if anyone asked i would pretend i was German and didn't speak english.
Well no one asked and I enjoy a fine view from the 900m summit, across the town below and the lake beyond to a horizon on snowy peaks.
A pleasant stroll led back down to town through the Douglas fir, the familiar smell of pine and resin reminded me of adventures past, the alps, dolomite's, Scotland, Norway, and in many ways this land seems so similar, i would like to just set off into those hills and keep walking, climbing and absorbing the wonders of the hills once again.
Tomorrow i plan to head up the Ben Lomond track, although some of it is supposed to be closed and from my view early today i could see plenty of snow above 1000m so i probably won't take the summit track as i unfortunately i have no winter gear and I'm not about to start spending money for it here.
Will upload the photos later and with luck will get a few good shots tomorrow.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Still down under
well its been a while so this is what iv been up to.
After four nights in Sydney and wandering around some of the beaches and a day at the climbing wall i jumped on a bus and headed north in search of Dan and Jo.
Last message i had from them is that they were up at surfers paradise so i thought this would be a good place to start. I was wrong, they weren't their and despite a very nice beach and what i assumed were good surf conditions the place didn't have anything really worth seeing and seemed a bit like a cross between a tacky 18-30's holiday location and somewhere which long ago lost its beauty to make way for the exploiting capitalism and souvenir's shops. I decided to head on to Brisbane and check out the city.
It was a good choice but still no Dan or Jo. However i did spend a couple of relaxing days in the city, walking around the green areas and even doing some climbing at Kangaroo point, which is a hidden little gem as far as inner city climbing goes but not a patch on the grit or sandstone of back home and fairly tame. I wasn't discouraged and spent several hrs soloing around on the rock and traversing almost its full length.
But as always city life is expensive and this was more than enough excuse i needed to return to the road, I had also received news that Dan and Jo were up in Childers looking for work so that determined my next stop and a day on the bus followed. After a couple of days we meet up and drank a few beers whilst running through the highpoint of our travels thus far. for Dan and Jo that didn't include waiting around in this poky little town waiting to pick mandarins but after a week of fishing and a day spent climbing on some lose lucking and friable sandstone in which dan seemed to have some strange that it would deify all odds and stay where it was, which to my non to reassured surprise it did. Wow.
After a bit of a drive we ended up at Harvey bay, the stop off point for Frasier Island and we got wonderful weather and had two great days driving a Toyota Hi-Lux around the sandy tracks and beaches. ate BBQ stake and enjoyed some wonderful scenery.
It was then time to turn north, my fellow travelers had plans to go sailing in the Whitsundays and for me a flight to Melbourne and then onto New Zealand awaits, So after a few days traveling some uneventful fishing and great sightseeing we parted ways a little wiser a littel older and somwhat more hungover than planned. All in all a successful month.
See my flikcr site for many more photos.
After four nights in Sydney and wandering around some of the beaches and a day at the climbing wall i jumped on a bus and headed north in search of Dan and Jo.
Last message i had from them is that they were up at surfers paradise so i thought this would be a good place to start. I was wrong, they weren't their and despite a very nice beach and what i assumed were good surf conditions the place didn't have anything really worth seeing and seemed a bit like a cross between a tacky 18-30's holiday location and somewhere which long ago lost its beauty to make way for the exploiting capitalism and souvenir's shops. I decided to head on to Brisbane and check out the city.
It was a good choice but still no Dan or Jo. However i did spend a couple of relaxing days in the city, walking around the green areas and even doing some climbing at Kangaroo point, which is a hidden little gem as far as inner city climbing goes but not a patch on the grit or sandstone of back home and fairly tame. I wasn't discouraged and spent several hrs soloing around on the rock and traversing almost its full length.
But as always city life is expensive and this was more than enough excuse i needed to return to the road, I had also received news that Dan and Jo were up in Childers looking for work so that determined my next stop and a day on the bus followed. After a couple of days we meet up and drank a few beers whilst running through the highpoint of our travels thus far. for Dan and Jo that didn't include waiting around in this poky little town waiting to pick mandarins but after a week of fishing and a day spent climbing on some lose lucking and friable sandstone in which dan seemed to have some strange that it would deify all odds and stay where it was, which to my non to reassured surprise it did. Wow.
After a bit of a drive we ended up at Harvey bay, the stop off point for Frasier Island and we got wonderful weather and had two great days driving a Toyota Hi-Lux around the sandy tracks and beaches. ate BBQ stake and enjoyed some wonderful scenery.
It was then time to turn north, my fellow travelers had plans to go sailing in the Whitsundays and for me a flight to Melbourne and then onto New Zealand awaits, So after a few days traveling some uneventful fishing and great sightseeing we parted ways a little wiser a littel older and somwhat more hungover than planned. All in all a successful month.
See my flikcr site for many more photos.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Of to see the wizard the wonderful wizard of OZ
Well i made it to Oz, no yellow brick road to follow but a few golden beaches. which is where I'm off to today.
Got into Sydney on the 22nd and have been stopping at the blue parrot hostel in Potts point, right next to the red light area of Kings cross.
I did the whole sightseeing thing, walking around taking photos, chasing a rainbow around Archibold fountain in Hyde park and trying to get a good shot of St Mary's cathedral. almost worked. (see my flickr page) also walked round the botanical gardens and down to see the Opera House and Sydney Harbour bridge.
Yesterday meet up with a few folks I know and went climbing to the local wall, its expensive and not as good a as the walls back home but after not climbing for about a month i decided the exercises was required and after a 4hr session my arms started to feel the burn but I'm not too disappointed with my performance as i did some of the harder routes and boulder problems in there. Still only climbing around 7a ish tops.. boo.
Am thinking off heading up towards surfers paradise to see if i bump into Dan and Jo, if not am sure fun can still be had and it will be a little warmer there, although it feels a bit like a British summer in Sydney and despite it going dark early and the lack of rain i could easily be fooled into thinking it was.
Will put some extra photos on here soon, Later folks.
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A Smarter Email.
Got into Sydney on the 22nd and have been stopping at the blue parrot hostel in Potts point, right next to the red light area of Kings cross.
I did the whole sightseeing thing, walking around taking photos, chasing a rainbow around Archibold fountain in Hyde park and trying to get a good shot of St Mary's cathedral. almost worked. (see my flickr page) also walked round the botanical gardens and down to see the Opera House and Sydney Harbour bridge.
Yesterday meet up with a few folks I know and went climbing to the local wall, its expensive and not as good a as the walls back home but after not climbing for about a month i decided the exercises was required and after a 4hr session my arms started to feel the burn but I'm not too disappointed with my performance as i did some of the harder routes and boulder problems in there. Still only climbing around 7a ish tops.. boo.
Am thinking off heading up towards surfers paradise to see if i bump into Dan and Jo, if not am sure fun can still be had and it will be a little warmer there, although it feels a bit like a British summer in Sydney and despite it going dark early and the lack of rain i could easily be fooled into thinking it was.
Will put some extra photos on here soon, Later folks.
Sent from Yahoo! Mail.
A Smarter Email.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Macau
Wow, Shame its been raining non stop since i got here, but then again that appears to be the story all over china at the moment, The work up near Shanghai was washed out and apparently Yangshuo has suffered from some flooding, a few bars and cafes have been paddling pools over the past few days with the added problem of power cuts, glad I'm not sat in Yangshuo right now.
Macau is a funny old mix of quaint buildings with new fancy casinos and hotels popping up around them. They drive on the left and have some great food, Egg tarts are wonderful plus proper coffee again.
I have a week in town before i leave for Australia so with a bit of luck i will get some nice weather and i can get some good photos and explore the town a bit more, although walking around in the rain isn't a problem as it's still very warm, as i haven't had a warm shower for a week I'm tempted to strip off and stand outside with the shampoo. not sure if that would get me arrested though.
I went to a few of the casinos yesterday and wasn't able to work out how to gamble, most of the games are Chinese so it's hard to figure out how they work so after a few attempts on the slot machines which are still fairly confusing, last of the of the big spenders I gambled all of 20 Patacas, about 2 pound and broke even, so i guess gambling doesn't work for me.
Just as well as most of the tables have a minimum bet of 100 pacatas, however non of the casinos will accept the local pacata so you need to bet in hong kong dollers,
Well that's all for now I'm off to find some more egg tarts, yum yum,
Macau is a funny old mix of quaint buildings with new fancy casinos and hotels popping up around them. They drive on the left and have some great food, Egg tarts are wonderful plus proper coffee again.
I have a week in town before i leave for Australia so with a bit of luck i will get some nice weather and i can get some good photos and explore the town a bit more, although walking around in the rain isn't a problem as it's still very warm, as i haven't had a warm shower for a week I'm tempted to strip off and stand outside with the shampoo. not sure if that would get me arrested though.
I went to a few of the casinos yesterday and wasn't able to work out how to gamble, most of the games are Chinese so it's hard to figure out how they work so after a few attempts on the slot machines which are still fairly confusing, last of the of the big spenders I gambled all of 20 Patacas, about 2 pound and broke even, so i guess gambling doesn't work for me.
Just as well as most of the tables have a minimum bet of 100 pacatas, however non of the casinos will accept the local pacata so you need to bet in hong kong dollers,
Well that's all for now I'm off to find some more egg tarts, yum yum,
Sunday, June 1, 2008
O I do like to be beside the seaside.
Well i have spent the past week in Sanya, which is on the southern tip of Hainan, China. The weather has been, well tropical sunshine, which is what you would expect, and only a little rain on two days.
With a combination of swimming and teaching the girlfriend to swim, she didn't drown so that's a bonus
Surfing (falling off a floating object into the sea then trying not to drown)
Diving, fun but unfortunately a bit murky on that day, got to see the rare and lesser known rusty beer can, but also lots of fish, non of which i could identify.
We went for a stroll with a few others from china climb and some locals we know up to Wuzhishang, (five finger mountain) from which we saw a beautiful view from the inside of a cloud. some tree crabs and a sort of beetle about the size of my little finger which rolls up into a pefect sphere when frightened. the height gain is about 1000m and the path rather than meandering around heads straight up the mountain with staircases of nature formed by tree roots holding back the clay soil, eroded by weather and man, who also deposits a fair bit of trash, but thats china. Not forgettingto mention the odd ladder or six to ascend the steeper parts.
Hanging around on top in a thunder storm wasn't the best plan so a retreat to safer ground for lunch and then the walk back down to find little leaches had attached themselves to our feet and ankles and were mid way through their own feast.
Whilst were on the subject of food, I dined on some good sea food and a bit of Russian food also as this is a big tourist destination for the Russians during their winter months.
Well i now have a 16hr bus ride to look forward to in order to get back to Nannning then on to Yangshuo which will take a further 5 hrs but will leave that until Tuesday i think.
Well photos to follow when i get time but as I'm working from the 7th until the 13th and then you may have to wait until around the 15th depends on how expensive the Internet cafes are in Macau.
Sent from Yahoo! Mail.
A Smarter Email.
With a combination of swimming and teaching the girlfriend to swim, she didn't drown so that's a bonus
Surfing (falling off a floating object into the sea then trying not to drown)
Diving, fun but unfortunately a bit murky on that day, got to see the rare and lesser known rusty beer can, but also lots of fish, non of which i could identify.
We went for a stroll with a few others from china climb and some locals we know up to Wuzhishang, (five finger mountain) from which we saw a beautiful view from the inside of a cloud. some tree crabs and a sort of beetle about the size of my little finger which rolls up into a pefect sphere when frightened. the height gain is about 1000m and the path rather than meandering around heads straight up the mountain with staircases of nature formed by tree roots holding back the clay soil, eroded by weather and man, who also deposits a fair bit of trash, but thats china. Not forgettingto mention the odd ladder or six to ascend the steeper parts.
Hanging around on top in a thunder storm wasn't the best plan so a retreat to safer ground for lunch and then the walk back down to find little leaches had attached themselves to our feet and ankles and were mid way through their own feast.
Whilst were on the subject of food, I dined on some good sea food and a bit of Russian food also as this is a big tourist destination for the Russians during their winter months.
Well i now have a 16hr bus ride to look forward to in order to get back to Nannning then on to Yangshuo which will take a further 5 hrs but will leave that until Tuesday i think.
Well photos to follow when i get time but as I'm working from the 7th until the 13th and then you may have to wait until around the 15th depends on how expensive the Internet cafes are in Macau.
Sent from Yahoo! Mail.
A Smarter Email.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Still in China
Well hi folks,
It's been a while since i last posted, Iv been busy and have slowly settled into life as a guide in Yangshuo.
The job is great fun and i find myself travelling around the local area with family's and school groups teaching climbing, kayaking, abseil, back country trekking and a host of other activity's. I've just got back from a few days of fun running activity's for 100 or so grade 10 children up in a place called Nambeihu, which is near Shanghai, so have been away for a week including travelling there and back by train.
The pay is rubbish if you look at it from a money perspective but the payoffs, spending days outside and teaching people new skills in a great environment make good rewards in themselves.
I now get to enjoy a few days off before the next groups come in so i hope to get out climbing and catch up with the girlfriend who has been down in Nanning finishing her final paper.
Life is much different here than i first imagined and a layed back approach is taken to daily life, although herding groups of children around can be fairly intensive and i find myself having to restrain myself from swearing at them occasionally.
I hope that life for everyone back home in the UK is good and hope your all well, I miss the peak district from time to time but know i will be coming back there a more fulfilled person and hopefully with a bit more focus and direction in life.
I still have another couple of months here, providing i can get my second visa extension next month, I will then be off to Oz where i will have to get back into the traveling frame of mind and with luck will find many more adventures to add to the ones I'm experiencing in China.
I think i will be back in China later in the year as I'm having so much fun here but as always that menacing aspect of money creeps up on you and i may need to earn some proper money in Oz before retuning.
I will try to post more often and give you a better idea of what I've been doing in Yangshuo which if you've not been is a crazy town but very addictive.
It's been a while since i last posted, Iv been busy and have slowly settled into life as a guide in Yangshuo.
The job is great fun and i find myself travelling around the local area with family's and school groups teaching climbing, kayaking, abseil, back country trekking and a host of other activity's. I've just got back from a few days of fun running activity's for 100 or so grade 10 children up in a place called Nambeihu, which is near Shanghai, so have been away for a week including travelling there and back by train.
The pay is rubbish if you look at it from a money perspective but the payoffs, spending days outside and teaching people new skills in a great environment make good rewards in themselves.
I now get to enjoy a few days off before the next groups come in so i hope to get out climbing and catch up with the girlfriend who has been down in Nanning finishing her final paper.
Life is much different here than i first imagined and a layed back approach is taken to daily life, although herding groups of children around can be fairly intensive and i find myself having to restrain myself from swearing at them occasionally.
I hope that life for everyone back home in the UK is good and hope your all well, I miss the peak district from time to time but know i will be coming back there a more fulfilled person and hopefully with a bit more focus and direction in life.
I still have another couple of months here, providing i can get my second visa extension next month, I will then be off to Oz where i will have to get back into the traveling frame of mind and with luck will find many more adventures to add to the ones I'm experiencing in China.
I think i will be back in China later in the year as I'm having so much fun here but as always that menacing aspect of money creeps up on you and i may need to earn some proper money in Oz before retuning.
I will try to post more often and give you a better idea of what I've been doing in Yangshuo which if you've not been is a crazy town but very addictive.
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