Happy New Year!

So much to add despite having only posted yesterday ... where to start ...

1. The NZ photo set is finally all sorted and labelled. You can view the whole set here; here's a couple of sneak previews:

Just landed, and about to hike on, the Franz Josef Glacier

Driftwood in Bark Bay, Abel Tasman National Park - about to tramp the track down to Torrent

Portage, where we spent a couple of happy, chilled days at the beginning of the trip

2. We're now in Te Anau, where we will celebrate New Year's Eve later with the sort of knees-up that entails food, drink and fireworks. It's strange to realise how close we are to leaving (we shall be Hawaii-bound on 2nd Jan).

3. We spent last night on a boat in Doubtful Sound. What a perfect excursion. The biggest operator of this type of tour is "Real Journeys", but their boat (whilst quite visually fetching) is huge and sleeps about 70. We went with Fiordland Cruises, a much smaller enterprise whose vessel the MV Waverley sleeps only 12 including 2 crew. Our party consisted of a British family of 4, an American family of 3 and the 2 of us - which made us a feel a little at a disadvantage, until we turned that into an advantage by befriending the crew. Skipper Dave and First Mate Chris were a fine pair of good ol' NZ boys and we felt honoured to be in "their gang" (e.g. we got to eat at the "captain's table"; we got first dibs on a freshly-roasted crispy leg of lamb, going spare while Chris cooked dinner; they even shared their private wine and whisky supplies with us when we ran dry - which I have to note is because I had shared around the 2 bottles of wine we took with our companions, giving away I guess 5 glasses in total, and we got a measly half glass in return! Tsk!) The Waverley took us right out to sea and then back in via various coves and detours along different arms of the Sound (which is actually a fjord, misnamed by British or Dutch sailors who had never seen a fjord before! - the doubtful bit comes from Captain Cook, who did not enter the Sound because - due to the direction of the prevailing winds and the angle of the Sound's entrance - he doubted he would be able to get out again without rowing, which he didn't fancy). Anyway - Pete did a bit of kayaking off the stern, I took lots of photographs (of rata trees in bloom, of blowsy waterfalls, of soaring forested hills on either side, of birds and water and sun and moon and so on ... might be able to add these to Flickr before we get back). We enjoyed a fabulous meal cooked on board by Chris, including delicious NZ lamb and - for those who like this sort of thing - fresh blue cod caught by Dave during the trip. We stayed up late listening to yarns about (amongst other things) the legendary heli-hunters of the 1970s, who used to shoot deer from helicopters, to claim their bounty from the Department of Conservation - deer being an introduced pest (effectively) in NZ. Sounded like a thrilling but dangerous job - the heli-hunters might find themselves being shot at by hunters on the ground, who were p*ssed off that the heli-hunters were swooping in to take deer that ground hunters might have spent hours stalking. Later, when the deer ran low and some bright spark decided to capitalise on the strong market by beginning deer farming, hunters were paid even more to take female deer alive (NZ$3000 each). Tranquillisers being useless (because you couldn't adequately gauge the size of the prey), hunters initially used to *jump* from helicopters to land on the deer and wrestle it to the ground - many died in so doing. Later a net gun was invented, but this carried its own disadvantages - a hefty kickback which was enough to dent the metal casing of a helicopter! And so on.. lots of great stories. My favourite quote of the evening could be this one from Chris, on aging: "When I was younger, I used to shoot a deer in the bush and carry it out on my back for 2-3 hours. I can't do that now ... I've gotta shoot 'em on the edge of the bush these days." What a great euphemism for getting old - "shooting on the edge of the bush".

Well, could probably keep rabbitting on with stories of a great day/evening/morning (early start when Dave started the engines at 7am!) but had probably better get on with today's adventures (a nap, a "cinematic experience of Fiordland", and some NYE festivating) rather than writing endlessly about yesterday's. Might manage another update before we leave NZ, but if not, it'll be Aloha from Hawaii next time!

Manapouri ... where the web runs slow

We've just arrived in Manapouri, where they seem to be on Web 0.2.3 (well, it's really just that this must be the world's ooooldest crappest computer - and they charge me $2 for 10 mins of web access, which just about gives you time to load a page. Cheeky beggars.) Tomorrow we will leave here on a boat which will take us cruising in Doubtful Sound, which is very exciting. We have arrived here from Riverton, which was an enjoyable little town and gave us a fab dinner at the Beach House Cafe. Prior to that we spent a night in Curio Bay, which was wonderful - a perfect beach front studio, with the wild ocean crashing onto the beach just outside the windows. And we finally saw some penguins! very exciting.

Before that we had Christmas in Dunedin which was almost traditional - midnight mass in St Paul's Cathedral with a full chamber orchestra and a very good choir. Then a great Christmas lunch at Jeff and Gail's (Jeff is P's da's research partner) - chicken, ham, roast potatoes, stuffing, broccoli and asparagus, followed by cheesecake and pavlova (which the New Zealanders claim to have invented). On Boxing Day we went on a boat trip out along the Otago Peninsula and saw albatrosses and dolphins, seals, sealions, a very black thing that I've forgotten what it's called (a big bird), shags, ummm and lots more wildlife. I was most excited by the dolphins and managed to get a couple of good snaps, which will appear on Flickr whenever we next get to a place we can upload from.

On which note - we've not been proceeding very speedily with the labelling of photos, as the bandwidth at P's da's was struggling to deliver all our giiant pics to Peachjuice, and didn't have much left for flicking through Flickr. So apologies for that - and for the fact that they're all out of order - will be rectified sooner or later! (There just has to be some good bandwidth and a post-2002 machine somewhere in this country!)

There must be plenty more to say but time is ticking and P is clearly itching to have a go - so over and out for now.

Places I have forgotten to mention so far

This week, we have been also visiting:

Kaikoura. We stopped for lunch here en route from Christchurch to Portage. Notable in my enrhumed state for its Sudafed-stocked pharmacy. I'm told there are other good things about Kaikoura, e.g. the ability to go whale-watching with Maori whose tribes have been working the waters in this area for many a century. Unfortunately, we hadn't scheduled in enough time for this, so med-shopping and lunch at the Adelphi had to suffice :(

Blenheim. We backtracked a little on leaving Portage to do some tasting at various Blenheim wineries. We started at Hunter's, where the late Ernie Hunter supposedly put Marlborough wines on the map in the '70s. They were actually a little disappointing, but I did leave with a very aromatic (think parma violets) Gewurztraminer which would, said the lady, go very nicely with a curry. Suffice to say it's still rolling around in the boot of the car. Onwards to Allan Scott, the highlight of the trip - some very tasty wines and fancied themselves much less than Hunter's. I was unexpectedly won over by a Chardonnay from their "finest"-type range; still only a tenner a bottle (GBP) and hugely tasty (biscuits! mmmmn!) Left with a bottle of that, and on to Cloudy Bay - another place with a big name but a surprisingly uninteresting selection. I did get tempted by their NV though so, ahem, another bottle into the boot. Then onto Fromm's, because we had thoroughly enjoyed a bottle of their 2004 Malbec Merlot at dinner a couple of nights' previously. I was starting to feel a bit squiffy by this point (because of the stinky cold, honest) so left P to do the tasting ... more fool me, as he went and bought 6. Lord knows how we shall get them all home (admittedly, 2 have been drunk already). By the time we got to Waipara I had entirely had enough, and skulked in the corner eating cheese souffle while P's da did all the tasting. He came away with a dessert wine. Despite the poor ending on my part, it was a great morning and the wines were really something. Just a shame that production is so low that they are only picked up the smaller, more discerning UK distributors.

Takaka Hill. I know it's Takaka, not Tanaka, but nonetheless it makes me hear Sean Connery schlurring "If you're Takaka, how do you feel about me?" (to which the correct answer, of course, is "I ... ruv you.") We followed the tortuous twists and turns up Takaka Hill after we left Abel Tasman, in search of our second set of elusive, never-t0-be-found caves. The view from Hawkes' Lookout back over towards Motueka was pretty fine, but still, the caves would have been better. Where do they hide them? (We had tried and failed to find the ones near Kaikouri as well. Hmmn).

Murchison. According to Mr Fodor, there is nowhere worth eating in Murchison. Well, our 2006 copy may be out of date, or he may just be too picky. The Rivers Cafe (I think that's what it was called - pretty much opposite the museum) was fab. The museum wasn't too bad, but somewhat haphazard. If the mood ever takes me, I shall get me a sabbatical and an NZ govt grant (they're good on heritage, reckon they'd deliver) and re-do the Murchison Museum. It has a great story to tell; there was an earthquake in 1924 or 1929 or thereabouts which caused landslips to completely change the form of the local landscape (a new lake; a differently-routed river) - and sadly killed a number of people too. They have loads of detail about the event, right down to really fascinating first-person histories (and some of the first people there to tell you, as well), but it's all presented in such a jumble that you have to work quite hard to figure out the story. Nothing flash, but a few models and simplified displays would make it all a lot more compelling to the passing traveller. Anyway - we had an unexpectedly enjoyably hour or so in Murchison, en route to the west coast. We followed it with a trip to the Bullock swing bridge ("NZ's longest!") which actually became a little scary about half way across, and the pioneer cemetery at Lyell (needs some love, but sobering/interesting).

Most surreal moment so far: listening to 9 Lessons and Carols from Wellington Cathedral, whilst cooking a chilli in Abel Tasman and looking out over the most glorious hot summer's evening. Made me feel very homesick, but was nice to singalong and they have an excellent choir.

Think that's everything I'd forgotten to mention so far; as noted, we're now in Dunedin (uploading pics! - here) - so hopefully a bit more internet connectivity will enable us to add a few more blog postings in the next couple of days. In case not, and in case anyone *is* reading this today/tomorrow - Happy Christmas!

Yay! Finally some photos!

We have arrived in Dunedin - which we haven't seen much of yet, except the very tasty Cafe Nova - and due to a bit of an administrative malfunction we are *not* ensconced in the flat of P's da's PhD student; instead, we are in P's da's "granny flat" at Gail and Jeff's, while P's da is sleeping on their sofa. Which means we get to play with the iBook and the WiFi to do lots of Flickring at last - woohooo! Unfortunately, the rest of the world is now on holiday, so we've probably missed the boat in terms of anyone actually seeing these for a while, but at least we've done it at last. (P notes that I am like "one of these spoddy academics who uses IngentaConnect on Christmas Eve" ... hmmn.)

So. This being our first upload from our shiny new camera, we told the Flickr uploadr not to resize anything. Consequently it is uploading the *most* enormous versions of each picture, and after about half an hour is still wading through the relatively small Singapore set. Ooops. So it might be a while before any NZ ones appear, but as noted, by the time any of you read this, they will probably be there. As usual, view each pic individually (rather than a slideshow) to read my terribly informative notes.

Huzzah! To the pictures!

Walking on ice

So. Last post was from Portage, where we were chilling nicely and not doing very much. From there, we headed up to Abel Tasman - a paradise of golden white beaches and sparkling blue green seas. We spent a day tramping part of the Abel Tasman track; not as much as we might have liked, but still enough to enjoy said beaches and lots of lush national parkland. It really is a spectacular spot. We took a water taxi from Marahau up to Bark Bay and then walked down to Anchorage via Torrent Bay. As ever, lots of photos will be forthcoming on Flickr .. when we find somewhere with a reliable wireless connection (grrr).

From Abel Tasman, we headed southwest to Westport. We stayed at Birds Ferry Lodge just outside town, and it was the most beautifully-appointed cottage complete with outside bath and fabulous views out to the Tasman Sea. We spent a day journeying north from there to Karamea and from there on to Oparara - many miles of unsealed road later, we arrived at the limestone arches which were probably worth the very long drive ... just about. It certainly felt off the beaten track. On the way home we headed out to Tauranga Bay where there's a seal colony, and got to see lots of relatively new pups being protected by aggressive mothers while their fathers lazed around planning their next reproductive exercise. And then had dinner at the very highly recommended Bay House Cafe, watching the surf pound the shore and the sun beginning to go down. Bliss.

Then it was on the road again, this time heading south from Westport, down to Panakaika where the Pancake Rocks are - layered ... rocks which look (at a pinch) like piles of pancakes. We were lucky enough to chance upon a high tide which produces the best blowhole action, so we hovered around enjoying that for a while (and getting pretty wet from the spray). Then it was on through Greymouth (about as exciting as it sounds) and down to glacier country. I got to take my turn at the wheel for this bit and revelled in some of the most unusual driving experiences - single track bridges where road and rail share the same track - marginally unnerving but safe in the knowledge that the trains aren't really that regular and you'd have to be quite unlucky to meet one. A few twists and turns later and we arrived at the Franz Josef Glacier, where we are currently. We're staying in the YHA (a very good one) and so today splashed out on a heli-hiking expedition. Probably the best fun ever - a helicopter takes you high up the glacier, deposits you there with your knowledgeable and amiable guide, and leaves you to hike about on the ice for a couple of hours. We strapped on our crampons and made a pretty good job of it - crawling through wormholes, squeezing through crevasses, and generally marvelling at the wonder of dense, blue, sculpted ice. The glacier moves about 5m a day at the top (if I recall correctly) so the landscape through which you are guided is constantly changing. Unlike some of our group, we were not daft/brave enough to strip off and jump into an ice pool. But once we get them up, you can see pictures of those who did. Brrrrr.

That about sums things up to this point - tomorrow we head for Dunedin via the Haast pass and (hopefully) some mirror lakes and (possibly) some interesting round rocks. Once we get there, we shall have to adapt our minds to the Christmas spirit - quite a leap from the summer holiday vibe, but hopefully some midnight mass at one of Dunedin's cathedrals should point us in the right direction. Bring it on.

BandwagonRaps is away

We're just about to leave Portage, which has been a lovely place to chill out for a couple of days. Portage is on Kenepara Sound (or similar - not confident of my spelling) - one of the many that make up the Marlborough Sounds. It is named for its history as the place where Maoris picked up their boats and carried them over the saddle - 1 day's portage, rather than 3 days' paddling round - to reach the fishful Kenepara. It is spectacular whether it's raining or shining, although the sunshine does cause the luminous green sea to sparkle and glow most fetchingly. We've done a bit of ambling along the shore road and picnicking on the beach, but mostly just wallowed in the peace and quiet. Something about the gentle slope of the heavily-treed shores is a bit Dart-ish, so I'm feeling quite at home.

We arrived via Singapore, which was very hot and far too humid but we nonetheless managed to do a bit of sightseeing - seeking out anything more than 18 months old, which was some challenge. We had a wander in Fort Canning Park, and marvelled at the orchids in the National Botanic Gardens. And, of course, the obligatory Singapore Slings at Rapples (sic) Hotel - more tasty than I'd expected, and we stayed a little longer and drank a little more than expected. Top tips for Singapore: DON'T go to the crappy, overrated Fountain of Wealth (not sure by which metric it's the "largest fountain in the world", but it's pretty unimpressive) but DO stay at the enormously good value Furama Riverfront. We followed Geoffrey's simple advice (thanks Geoffrey) of asking for a room with a view, and boy did we get one. Once we manage to get to a decent bit of wireless access, we'll upload some photos.

Do I do Singapore an injustice by saying our three days was more than enough .. probably; I was just sorry how overly shiny and new it all was. I had hoped to see more that might have been around when my dad lived there as a child, but everything (including his house and most of his street) had been swept away and replaced by shiny air-conditioned malls. Eeep. I do not know how sooo many shops can be supported, but they all seem to thrive. Well, we were glad to move on.

To NZ, which is wonderfully different - nature abounds, and there ain't much need for air-con so far (a blessed relief). P's dad picked us up from Christchurch airport and in a mercifully short amount of time we were indulging in a siesta at the delightful Orari B&B (highly recommended). Whilst in XC we managed to cover quite a lot of the Arts Centre, including Rutherford's Den, a small cloakroom beneath a lecture theatre where the great man began to get his head round those pesky atoms. He purloined this unprepossessing space for his works of genius because it was the only spot with a concrete floor, thus avoiding vibrations which might upset his experiments. A fascinating little exhibit, interactive and well-curated. We also checked out the Cathedral and were lucky enough to catch the Wizard in action outside. Most amusing. And we took a cable car up into the Port Hills, where the views were somewhat obscured by the overcast skies, and the cafe wasn't open, and the exhibition was closed for refurbishment .. but the cable car bit was fun anyway.

And then it was a winding coast road journey through ever changing landscape and weather up here to Portage. ("Four seasons in one day", says our usually-trustworthy Fodor's guidebook, "by the New Zealand band Split Enz..." - shurely shome mishtake, Mr Fodor? James?!) In a few minutes our water taxi will arrive to whisk us back to Picton, from where we shall backtrack to Blenheim to visit a few wineries, and then head on up to Abel Tasman for the next couple of days. After which it's down the west coast, some time on the glaciers (wooo!), Christmas in Dunedin, and then an overnight boat trip on Doubtful Sound (yay! - looking forward to "watching doubtful drown"...). With luck we might squeeze in a visit to the Catlins and perhaps if we're feeling flush a helicopter trip over the iceberg which has popped in for a few months down there. Hopefully will manage to post some pics on Flickr and do a bit more blogging in a few days. Till then ... <insert Maori for goodbye, which I haven't learned yet>.