Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Fun in Funyaks
Since last we posted (I say we, this is Cathy again - Louise and Jordana are off skiing today!) we began our NZ adventure with a trip to a Maori Concert which we all enjoyed very much.
Tuesday saw us get an early start as we were off on a trip to the Dart River (location of a lot of filming of the Lord of the Rings films.) The weather was much better and Jordana was able to see the mountains surrounding the town and know we weren't just fibbing about the beauty of the place! The day began with a 45min drive to a little town called Glenorchy where we got into our fabulously flattering wetsuits and about 3 fleeces. Despite this Jordana and Louise were cold pretty much all day again! I thought it was lovely.. such softies those two..!
Anyway, once kitted out, we had a jet boat ride up the river, then had to pump up our funyaks (inflatable kayaks.) There was only us, two Australian girls (one also called Jordana spookily enough) and our guide Shelly. An all female day! The clouds were rather low for much of the morning, but as the day wore on they lifted, and we could see the stunning mountain scenery as we paddled down river. It really was beautiful. Do take a look at the photo album via the link below to see us in paddling action! We got to be pretty expert paddlers by the end of the day.
We had an equally dazzling drive back along the edge of Lake Wakatipu where the evening sunshine was lovely. We were all extremely tired after a day of fresh air and exercise - I couldn't keep my eyes open and went to bed just after 9.30pm (anyone who knows me knows how unnatural that is!) Louise and Jordana weren't too far behind as they had to be ready to get the bus up to Coronet Peak for skiing today. They'll have to come and post about it.
Today I am off to see some kiwis (the birds) and catch another Maori show, then heading to Arrowtown on a double decker sightseeing bus!
Thanks for the comments everyone. Glad you're getting a bit of sunshine finally.
Click here to view the Photobox photo album.
Tuesday saw us get an early start as we were off on a trip to the Dart River (location of a lot of filming of the Lord of the Rings films.) The weather was much better and Jordana was able to see the mountains surrounding the town and know we weren't just fibbing about the beauty of the place! The day began with a 45min drive to a little town called Glenorchy where we got into our fabulously flattering wetsuits and about 3 fleeces. Despite this Jordana and Louise were cold pretty much all day again! I thought it was lovely.. such softies those two..!
Anyway, once kitted out, we had a jet boat ride up the river, then had to pump up our funyaks (inflatable kayaks.) There was only us, two Australian girls (one also called Jordana spookily enough) and our guide Shelly. An all female day! The clouds were rather low for much of the morning, but as the day wore on they lifted, and we could see the stunning mountain scenery as we paddled down river. It really was beautiful. Do take a look at the photo album via the link below to see us in paddling action! We got to be pretty expert paddlers by the end of the day.
We had an equally dazzling drive back along the edge of Lake Wakatipu where the evening sunshine was lovely. We were all extremely tired after a day of fresh air and exercise - I couldn't keep my eyes open and went to bed just after 9.30pm (anyone who knows me knows how unnatural that is!) Louise and Jordana weren't too far behind as they had to be ready to get the bus up to Coronet Peak for skiing today. They'll have to come and post about it.
Today I am off to see some kiwis (the birds) and catch another Maori show, then heading to Arrowtown on a double decker sightseeing bus!
Thanks for the comments everyone. Glad you're getting a bit of sunshine finally.
Click here to view the Photobox photo album.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Kia Ora!
We arrived in New Zealand yesterday, and its definitely a lot colder than Sydney (although as Adelaide was a few degrees colder I seem more acclimatised.) Louise and Jordana are wrapped up in several layers and have the heater going full blast!
Unfortunately it is a bit grey and drizzly here, but we have booked up for activities for the next few days. Tomorrow we are going on a Funyak on the Dart River (Funyaks being inflatable kayaks I think). Then Louise and Jordana have booked up skiing for Wednesday. I'm not going this time, so might be sedate and go to the pictures or go wild and do the tandem skydive (Lou and JJ seeming to be not that keen.) We're hoping to fit in a tandem hang glide too, but the visibility wasn't good enough to go today.
We've done a bit of shopping and are going up to a Maori Haka show in an hour or so (I love those Maori concerts!) Fingers crossed for decent weather. So very sorry if you are still rainy in the UK...! Did you manage to see those photos OK? Do leave those comments. We love to read them.
Cathy
Unfortunately it is a bit grey and drizzly here, but we have booked up for activities for the next few days. Tomorrow we are going on a Funyak on the Dart River (Funyaks being inflatable kayaks I think). Then Louise and Jordana have booked up skiing for Wednesday. I'm not going this time, so might be sedate and go to the pictures or go wild and do the tandem skydive (Lou and JJ seeming to be not that keen.) We're hoping to fit in a tandem hang glide too, but the visibility wasn't good enough to go today.
We've done a bit of shopping and are going up to a Maori Haka show in an hour or so (I love those Maori concerts!) Fingers crossed for decent weather. So very sorry if you are still rainy in the UK...! Did you manage to see those photos OK? Do leave those comments. We love to read them.
Cathy
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Some Pictures (hopefully!)
Glad Louise and Jordana got round to blogging about their day. Very jealous they got to see those whales!
As I was flying to Adelaide on Thursday, I left Lou and JJ to their adventures and had a few hours to kill before catching the plane. Went to the Sydney Sky Tower (think that is its name) which had the most amazing views over the whole city. Used their binoculars to watch the harbour bridge closely but couldn't see Lou or JJ clambering up. Ah well..
After a bit of waiting around at the airport and a short flight met up with Sarah and had a lovely day in Adelaide, where for once when I visit, it wasn't raining. Yesterday we went to the Gold Class cinema - reclining armchairs, food served. I had a glass of wine, Sarah had coffee and scones. Very civilized. When is the UK going to get something like this! Came home for a few shots of tequila and some wine and some trashy movies.
Got my hands on Ambra's computer right now (don't worry, I'm not changing anything...much!!) and hopefully have managed to upload a few photos of our first day to my Photobox album.
Try clicking on this link. (fingers crossed!)
As I was flying to Adelaide on Thursday, I left Lou and JJ to their adventures and had a few hours to kill before catching the plane. Went to the Sydney Sky Tower (think that is its name) which had the most amazing views over the whole city. Used their binoculars to watch the harbour bridge closely but couldn't see Lou or JJ clambering up. Ah well..
After a bit of waiting around at the airport and a short flight met up with Sarah and had a lovely day in Adelaide, where for once when I visit, it wasn't raining. Yesterday we went to the Gold Class cinema - reclining armchairs, food served. I had a glass of wine, Sarah had coffee and scones. Very civilized. When is the UK going to get something like this! Came home for a few shots of tequila and some wine and some trashy movies.
Got my hands on Ambra's computer right now (don't worry, I'm not changing anything...much!!) and hopefully have managed to upload a few photos of our first day to my Photobox album.
Try clicking on this link. (fingers crossed!)
Friday, July 27, 2007
By the way.. we slept all day today.. we were all 'tuckered' out! we got up in time to get ready and go out on the lash again with Amy and Holly by 7pm.. just got in to blog x
JJ and Looby loose in Sydney
Well hello all, JJ and Loobs had brekkie at the capri cafe round the corner from the hotel - big breakfast to set us up for the day. Cath was getting ready for her trip to Adelaide and unfortunately was going to miss the whale watching we booked the day before. We all wanted to do the Sydney harbour bridge climb but unfortunately Cath wouldn't be able to fit it in before her flight. To be honest, we didn't think we'd fit it in either.
Whe we'd scoffed a big breakfast, we went back to the hotel to ask the concierge if he would be able to book us on a bridge climb... by now it was 8.55am and we were pushing our luck. The climb took 3 hours so we had to be on it by 9.30 at the latest. Andrew said we could get on the 9.30 if we ran.. we booked it and took a cab... much quicker! So we managed to blag our way on to the 9.15 climb and no sooner were we there than we were in our nifty jump suits and doing our safety checks. Lou was the model (there's a first time for everything!) to show the others how to buckle up and strap ourselves in. Mum, you'll be pleased to know that absolutely EVERYTHING was clipped on to our jump suit just incase we dropped anything... didn't drop a thing.. highly unusual! We had a quick training run with the equipment and apparently I pull some odd faces when I concentrate!!!
The climb was truly AWESOME! Spectacular views on a clear day with temps reaching 21 degrees.. (By the way, is it still raining in England???) What a fantastic winter in Sydney we're experiencing. An aeroplane did a 'wing wave' at us while we were at the top and some people in helicopters were waving too. Stephanie was our climb leader and we had a good laugh. Got some great pics. Show you when we get back.
12.30 back at base - quick lunch then off whale watching...
By this point Cath was getting ready to get to the airport for her flight to Adelaide (hope you had a safe journey) and we were in a rush to get to Captain Cooks boat!
1.30 and we were sailing out across the harbour again.. this time out onto the ocean to hunt down some whales! We were told we weren't allowed to take our harpoons.. apparently that's not acceptable these days???? What will I do for the bones in my courset now eh?
It was fabulous.. we saw the back of 1 whale a couple of times and thought... IS THIS IT? Luckily though, we saw something that was truly unexpected.. the whale breached barely 5 yards from the boat... we were all so excited nobody got a picture.. while they were explaining how unusual that was, it did it again... and guess what... nobody took a picture to captur its true beauty... just a big splash... I'll show you the pics when we get back :-)
The whale however knew it was going to have to do a bit more to keep our interest.. after another hour of showing us its dorsal fin we were all getting a bit blase.. oooh look..there it is.. until finally we started eating cookies and showing more interest in whether they were ginger or apricot. As if to say"Look, I'm here.. watch me!" the whale embarked on a series of breaches... 1..2...3....4..wow.. never seen before... how lucky! By the 25th jump from the water in front of us, I think everyone managed to get thye perfect shot (except me and JJ with our comedy fun cameras... a 24 exposure film that takes 37 snaps... do you reckon we got ther perfect shot? NO, neither do we! We did manage to get some video on our mobiles though. After the 50th leap from the water we waved the whale off with a thaks but... we're a bit bored and cold now! There's only so much of a good thing you can take! No, only joking, it was truly awesome once more. The trip took about 4 hours.. we were shattered.
No time to waste.. 25th July is Amy's birthday.. we had some partying to do. By Jove we partied! Once again, an awesome time was had by all, thanks to some guys from reading, and middlesborough... funky dancing galore! It was just like being in Scholars but the songs were played in a different oprder~! By 5am it was time for a keeeeebab and home.. A fabulous day never to be forgotten.Happy Birthday Amers and hopefully meet up with you in Christchurch xxxx
Lou and Jordana xxxx
Whe we'd scoffed a big breakfast, we went back to the hotel to ask the concierge if he would be able to book us on a bridge climb... by now it was 8.55am and we were pushing our luck. The climb took 3 hours so we had to be on it by 9.30 at the latest. Andrew said we could get on the 9.30 if we ran.. we booked it and took a cab... much quicker! So we managed to blag our way on to the 9.15 climb and no sooner were we there than we were in our nifty jump suits and doing our safety checks. Lou was the model (there's a first time for everything!) to show the others how to buckle up and strap ourselves in. Mum, you'll be pleased to know that absolutely EVERYTHING was clipped on to our jump suit just incase we dropped anything... didn't drop a thing.. highly unusual! We had a quick training run with the equipment and apparently I pull some odd faces when I concentrate!!!
The climb was truly AWESOME! Spectacular views on a clear day with temps reaching 21 degrees.. (By the way, is it still raining in England???) What a fantastic winter in Sydney we're experiencing. An aeroplane did a 'wing wave' at us while we were at the top and some people in helicopters were waving too. Stephanie was our climb leader and we had a good laugh. Got some great pics. Show you when we get back.
12.30 back at base - quick lunch then off whale watching...
By this point Cath was getting ready to get to the airport for her flight to Adelaide (hope you had a safe journey) and we were in a rush to get to Captain Cooks boat!
1.30 and we were sailing out across the harbour again.. this time out onto the ocean to hunt down some whales! We were told we weren't allowed to take our harpoons.. apparently that's not acceptable these days???? What will I do for the bones in my courset now eh?
It was fabulous.. we saw the back of 1 whale a couple of times and thought... IS THIS IT? Luckily though, we saw something that was truly unexpected.. the whale breached barely 5 yards from the boat... we were all so excited nobody got a picture.. while they were explaining how unusual that was, it did it again... and guess what... nobody took a picture to captur its true beauty... just a big splash... I'll show you the pics when we get back :-)
The whale however knew it was going to have to do a bit more to keep our interest.. after another hour of showing us its dorsal fin we were all getting a bit blase.. oooh look..there it is.. until finally we started eating cookies and showing more interest in whether they were ginger or apricot. As if to say"Look, I'm here.. watch me!" the whale embarked on a series of breaches... 1..2...3....4..wow.. never seen before... how lucky! By the 25th jump from the water in front of us, I think everyone managed to get thye perfect shot (except me and JJ with our comedy fun cameras... a 24 exposure film that takes 37 snaps... do you reckon we got ther perfect shot? NO, neither do we! We did manage to get some video on our mobiles though. After the 50th leap from the water we waved the whale off with a thaks but... we're a bit bored and cold now! There's only so much of a good thing you can take! No, only joking, it was truly awesome once more. The trip took about 4 hours.. we were shattered.
No time to waste.. 25th July is Amy's birthday.. we had some partying to do. By Jove we partied! Once again, an awesome time was had by all, thanks to some guys from reading, and middlesborough... funky dancing galore! It was just like being in Scholars but the songs were played in a different oprder~! By 5am it was time for a keeeeebab and home.. A fabulous day never to be forgotten.Happy Birthday Amers and hopefully meet up with you in Christchurch xxxx
Lou and Jordana xxxx
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Sydney Harbour
Our first full day, and it has been glorious here. Left the English summer (cold and wet) and here in the Aus where it is supposed to be winter we had blue skies and walked around in t-shirts. Strolled down to see the bridge and the Opera House, then spent most of the rest of the day on the water! Got a boat over to Watson's Bay and went to Doyle's Seafood restaurant. Lou and Jordana tucked into oysters and seafood paella, while I had the ONLY non-seafood thing on the menu, a very nice rib eye steak. Cruised around the harbour trying to take the ultimate photo for the next few hours before hitting the shops for some gifts. We're shattered now - still not quite got our sleep hours sorted out.
I'm off to Adelaide tomorrow to see my friend Sarah. Jordana and Louise are going Whale Watching (damn tour too late in the day for me to go!) and then meeting up with Louise's friend Amy.
I'm off to Adelaide tomorrow to see my friend Sarah. Jordana and Louise are going Whale Watching (damn tour too late in the day for me to go!) and then meeting up with Louise's friend Amy.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
A Quickie..
Found a free internet terminal here in Singapore airport after the first of flights today. That was a long 13 hours! I ended up sat away from Louise and Jordana, right next to a baby and facing the bulkhead! Felt like I was in a cupboard. Anyway, the baby was very quiet thankfully! Louise has gone to find somewhere to have a cigarette I think... just another 7 hours or so til Sydney.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Not Long Now..
Just a few days before our adventure begins, and don't know about Louise and Jordana, but I'm still not organised properly yet! I think Sunday is going to be a busy day.
We have a couple more days of school to get through, and Lou and Jordana have the added hassle of moving classrooms. Hope it's going well you two! The coach is booked, we have our insurance, foreign currency and have started giving out this blog address to people so you can all keep up with our progress. I'm hoping someone tried adding comments as I'm not sure if you have to register with Blogger or something. Hope not.. Someone try it please.
We have a couple more days of school to get through, and Lou and Jordana have the added hassle of moving classrooms. Hope it's going well you two! The coach is booked, we have our insurance, foreign currency and have started giving out this blog address to people so you can all keep up with our progress. I'm hoping someone tried adding comments as I'm not sure if you have to register with Blogger or something. Hope not.. Someone try it please.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Getting ready
Three years on, and the picture needs updating. Now we are THREE! The 2007 trip now includes Jordana too, and with just under 3 weeks to go we really should be panicked by now. However, work keeps us busy, so could be a lot of last minute running around.
Hopefully we'll get this blog up and running once again, and I hope people will comment as well as they did last time. We loved reading those responses.
The New Zealand part of our itinerary is much less planned than last time. We have a couple of weeks when what we do will be based on the weather. Fingers crossed NZ has a nice winter. Not too much snow though with lots of driving to do!
Hopefully we'll get this blog up and running once again, and I hope people will comment as well as they did last time. We loved reading those responses.
The New Zealand part of our itinerary is much less planned than last time. We have a couple of weeks when what we do will be based on the weather. Fingers crossed NZ has a nice winter. Not too much snow though with lots of driving to do!
