OMG - Davey Graham

Listening to "Folk, Blues & Beyond..."
Feeling Privileged.
Saddened
Seems the winter got quite a few while I was away.

Home Time

Here in SNAFU Land

The situation is normalised, but not really fu'd at all.
Well maybe a bit - jet lagged.
What day is it?
Where is ceiling?
Where have all my "Mates" gone?
Mate?
Eh?

Look I speak Kiwi. - eh?

Surf Safari - G as BW

Today's fun was found at Rabbit Island

View Larger Map
We went with the usual kids plus Hailey-Rose (a school friend).
She is surfer girl (at 6 years).
Lots of laughs with me given surfing lessons.
She can do the boogie board super, but insisted that I should know how to stand up on it.
We all howled.

Now - The Lake District

Would you adam it?
NZ has a Lake District.
Actually it has loads of lakes.
See entry for the Queenstown area.
Today the trip out was To Nelson |Lakes which is 90km from Nelson.
I don't know why it just is!
We went on a Nature/Geology/Bore s to death with natural history.
Here's where we went.
B********XXXXXXX!!!!!!!!

Google earth teases you to use the ruler tool to create paths which you then can't treat as paths - DUMB DUMB DUMB

Here's The Dept of Conservations leaflet instead

Big Not Big?

Deep and meaningless as per.

Finally The Night Sky Get Poked About

Marahua doesn't have street lights, no clouds.
Astro Pay Dirt
Spotted Southern X at last.
Wasn't ready for these suckers!
More Galaxies to explore.
Must step up spaceship production.

Wet and Warm (Again)

Up the coast today, across the Canterbury Plain. The landscape is rural and flat. Not very interesting.
We avoided Christchurch (I like the abbr. ChCh - it's chi-chi).
"Lets save it 'til next time"
Barrel along long straight roads up into the hills.
We're in Hamner Springs again.

The Victorian Peguin Experience

We are in Oamaru and the victorian buildings are loveley.

But thats no reason to turn the whole town into a nostalgia fest.
Went to see penguins.
T-riffic!

Previously home to Janet Frame, well known big haired ginger writer.
Like the film never read 'owt though.
Sounds like a new years resolution.
Read more by big haired ginger writers.

You are now entering Scotland New Zealand.

Do not adjust your browser!
We are in Dunedin which is great - but they think 'coz Rabbie Burns' nephew established the town (or something like that) that this is Scotland.
No one here has ever been to Scotland obviously - not a sign of the very fabulous Scotch Pie.

Which leads me to ...
Todays Pie
Purchased in Te Anau at Miles Better Pies, made on premises (genuine) WILD VENISON!!!!! (superb pastry to boot)
Scoffed wandering streets of Edinburgh whoops sorry Dunedin.

Nice city - some strange delight in seeing buildings more than one storey high, made of stone and not put up last week.
Taste of home I think.
Anyway a proper City.

Round Rocks

Typical NZ Strangeness

They are round and they live at Moeraki

The Famous Twiddly Bits - Fjordland

Here be monsters

The Road to Milford Sound

There's Height in Them Thar Hills

As well as Gold

Queenstown day 2

Pretty Polly Pest

SHEEP!

You Want Ice With That?

Off from Greymouth on our own, the weather and distance has done for our fellow travelers.
We head south through rainforest, endlessly once you leave the coast.

Here's the star of this coast.

Get me the largest G&T even made to utilise this Ice-Cube.
The Franz-Josef Glacier.


The tiny dots is people.
This thing is so big!
Nearly went to the Fox Glacier but pressed on to Haarst for an overnight.
That pm 2 tourists died at Fox Glacier.
Haarst Motel Camping is shite.

Brand New Red Sharpie Pen - Lovely

The Chronology has dropped to bits.

You work it out.

I was there and I'm confused.

Same Old Same Old

Up and Down

Here's the Tart's Knickers aproach to touring.
Find a patch of coastline and go up and down as many times as you can.
Robin and Natasha 'phoned.
They didn't meet us in Hokitiki because it is rubbish so they went to Greymouth.
Campsite lovely, cheap, and genuinely next to the beach.
Back up to Greymouth.
Divvy about there.
Fixed the bank card problem.
Remember children, always tell your bank where you are going at all times.
Otherwise their automated anti fraud systems will f**k you over.
Grrr!
You can tell 'em via secure messaging (3 passwords, personal questions etc etc) but to get it turned on again you have to talk down a 'phone to someone.
Does that make sense?
Comments in usual place.
Pie Safari - Bacon and Egg
I thought quiche but no, a layer of Bacon and crack an egg into pie - stick lid on and bake.
Magic our Morris!

West Coast, Weather and Wasting Time

After the climb over Arthurs Pass we landed in Greymouth, which guide books, our pals and any one else who had an opinion says is drab and not worth visiting.
Sandy and I loved it, it was a normal town and full of people doing normal stuff.
So we shopped and fed ourselves.
Found a universal Li-ion charger for the camera (where is the proper one?).
Dead Cute.
Continued the Pie Safari - bagged me sen (thats yorkshire) a Chicken Camembert variety - yummy.

The plan was to meet M&B plus kids and their pals Robin and Natasha (plus Ben) in Hokitika. Bit down the coast and which was assured to be much lovelier.
You may have guessed - it's a toilet of a place.
Campsites run down and expensive.
Town loaded with shops full of stuff I don't use (jade pendants, fluffy kiwis, surfboards blah blah).
One delight - a live Kiwi (the bird) attraction.
I love the irony of the national bird (and emblem?) being a pay to see item 'coz it's practically extinct.

Trippin'

I was, as per usual, attempting to keep this up to date and tell all my lovely pals what I was getting up to.
Too busy doing it.
Brief update (to be expanded when I'm back in sunny Sheff.)

After New Year in Nelson we piled us (4 adults 2 kids), several tents, food, beer, etc. into 2 autos and set off for the Pacific Coast.
Kiakoura - sunny hot cramped campsite
Gore Bay - swam in Pacific

now in Jackson's - via Arthurs Pass

Campsite internet is dial up connection (almost nostalgic - almost but still shite)
Can't get pictures to you from on the road - yet

Watch this space.
Time ticking away on connection kiosk

Hanmer Springs

Lots of fun in Kaikoura but we moved on.

S and I did the Alpine Pacific Triangle,  a pleasant little touring route, so we had the local knowledge.  

We all proceeded to Hanmer Springs for a dip.

We had a soak in warm noxious smelling water - top hole entertainment.
Then - CHARGE over the Southern Alps via Arthurs Pass.
Tad disappointing; didn't really notice the summit until last 500m.
But the change from East to West is dramatic.
The East is sheep farming.
The West is JUNGLE.
I kid you not.

Tiki Consciousness Creeps In

In Kaikoura - Ate Crayfish and Camped

This Tiki courtesy of the Local Council and very lovely too.

The sculpture is about thingy bob using the Kaikoura peninsular to brace himself when fishing.

Rock 'n' Roll for sure!

Go East

Set off for the East Coast.
WOW!
The Pacific Ocean, the big one, I want a polynesian word.
We happened upon Mountains of Salt.

At Lake Grassmere
On the way to Kaikoura - "The Place To Eat Crayfish"

Very Tasty