Scenic New Zealand

(Chess players in Cathedral Square, Christchurch, New Zealand)

14/07/05 Thursday (Day 229)

Hit Christchurch.

15/07/05 Friday (Day 230)

While taking a few photos around cathedral square I spotted a familiar face . None other than John O´Connor an old pal from home. Its his first day in a new job here in Christchurch and I end up staying with himself and the girlfriend, Deirdre for the remainder of my stay in Christchurch.

16/07/05 Saturday (Day 231)

Hit the musuem early in the day and went drinking later with John.....stumbled back into his place at about 4am.

17/07/05 Sunday (Day 232)

Up at about 1.30 pm, John and Deirdre have gone to the shop for brekky...(man I was spoilt). While I was waiting then a knock came to the door. Now we´re seven floors up on the top floor of this apartment block so I´m curious to see who it is. I opened the door and theres a strange woman standing outside.

W: I´m looking for John

Me: Oh I´m John (Inner monologue:Who is this woman???)

W: Oh you look different ....you must have cut your hair. (Inner monologue: Where do i know this woman from???). Finally the penny drops.

Me: Oh your looking for John who actually lives here.

W: Um.....yes.

Ah the demon drink....it dulls the wits of even the sharpest of us...anyway after profuse apologies by yours truly it transpires that shes a neighbour from downstairs...She wants to talk to John (obviously)....I can´t help wondering if it had anything to do with our late entry the previous night....ah well these things happen. As it happens she has trouble sleeping and things like people going to the toilet in the middle of the night, walking on the floor above (pretty thick concrete floor), opening and closing doors, and using the elevator disturb her...I told John he´d better tie a knot in it and take up levitation.

18/07/05 Monday (Day233)

Another day knocking around Christchurch.

19/07/05 Tuesday (Day234)


(Look..tis the man from snowy river)

Off to Arthurs Pass which with its snow capped peaks and sheer valleys turned out to be my favourite place in New Zealand.


(...grizzly Adams after a shave)

20/07/05 Wednesday (Day 235)

Ascended the snowcapped Avalanche Peak (Arthurs Pass)....taking in the great views on the way up . A bit treacherous coming down so not so much gawping at the lanscape I´m afraid.


(On the ascent of Avalanche Peak, Arthurs Pass, NZ)


(Atop Avalanche Peak)


(The Valley below)

21/07/05 Thursday (Day 236)

Off to Greymouth and like so many of my journeys in New Zealand I got none of my book read the countryside is that beautiful and peaceful it held my attention for most of the time. On arrival in Greymouth I caught onward transport to Franz Joseph...same story.

22/07/05 Friday (Day 237)

Lazy day.

23/07/05 Saturday (Day 238)

I did a guided walk on the Franz Joseph Glacier which was well worth it despite the inclement weather.


(Me on my way up the Franz Joseph Glacier, NZ)

24/07/05 Sunday (Day 239)

Yet another breahtakingly scenic bus trip this time to Wanaka.


(The road to Wanaka)

25/07/05 Monday (Day 240)

Visited puzzleworld...where I spent about an hour trying to get out of the maze..later attempted some of the many puzzles..as did a group of primary school teachers on holidays from Ireland...one of them from Caherdavin..yet more proof of what a small world it is...and the myriads of Irish people traveling.

26/07/05 Tuesday(Day 241)

Abondoned all plans of visiting Milford sounds due to the bad weather and made a beeline back to Christchurch.

27/07/05 Wednesda (Day 242)

A day of administration...it has to be done...unfortunately.

UNFORTUNATELY AT THIS JUNCTURE THINGS GET A BIT HAZY....AS SOME DUDE IN BOLIVIA SWIPED MY DIARY (He´s entire haul consisted of one scruffy jacket, one scarf, one cherished Ozzie hat, one pair of gloves, two biros , a half roll of tiolet paper , half a chocolate bar, and one diary maintained meticulously with endless amounts of love and attention for a grand total of 11 months...oh and a maglite with two spare batteries.) How did the ingenious fiend manage to outwit me??...stay tuned for the south american chapter....more on that later.

So what happened next....well I could trawl through hundreds of photos viewing electronic date tags but that would just be torture so lets see how good the old memory is....

Next stop was definitely Lake Taupo....I remember it vividly....after all it was the first and only time I´ve jumped from a plane at 12,000ft....


(One of many lakes spotted on the way to Lake Taupo)


(Coming in to land)


(Glad to be back on terra firma)

The view on the way down was pretty breathtaking.

After Lake taupo I headed for Rotorua where the novelty of the geysers held my attention for a day or so but after that the rotten egg smell of the sulphur was enough to put me on a bus heading for Waitomo.


(A traditional maori welcome to Rotorua)


(Geysers, Rotorua)

What does Waitomo have to recommend itself?....well some caves I believe which are inhabited by glowworms? Spectacular I´m sure but I´d seen enough caves at that stage so I just did a few walks around the area....its landscape is remarkably similar to the irish countryside.


(Posing yet again....in Waitomo this time)

Finally I managed to reach Auckland where a DJ friend of mine from Dublin generously gave me lodgings in her crib for the duration of my stay....thats DJ ¨KB¨ to all you mere mortals....big up...respect.


(Skytower, Auckland)

So what the hell did I do while here...well I´d been informed before I got here that the place was pretty dead regarding nightlife...but DJ ¨KB¨ true to form referring to herself and her two amigas as ¨charles angels¨ has managed to pump some new life into the Auckland late night party scene.


(Charles Angels get ready to hit the town....Charle who is taking the photos has had a bit too much to drink)

I also somehow managed to get to the Aquarium in Auckland which I thought was better that that in Sydney....if only for all the cute little penguins there. I also did a walk from one side of the city to the other.


(Me being an idiot)

On the day before departure DJ ¨KB¨ and her two side kicks took me inline roller blading....bad idea...less that ten minutes into it I fell and landed right on the old Cocyx...bloody painful and not just for one day...or two.

So overall how was New Zealand....personally my favourite was the South Island...the scenery was spectacular....I´m sorry I didn´t have more time to spend there...It´s a great country to go trekking in...unfortunately I never managed to organise myself for any of the multi-day treks. Would I go back...yes. I found it more interesting than Oz....however after three months or so in south america at this stage I´m beginning to realise that a very different culture and language make a huge difference to the traveling experience,....both australia and new zealand are English speaking and the culture is very western....particularly in australia where they appear to be trying to emulate the states. When I was there I felt something was missing..but couldn´t quite put my finger on it. So my favourite place so far...three months ago I simply wouldn´t have been able to say...but now I have no doubts...Its got to be the Salar de Uyuni and its surrounds in Bolivia. Bolivia is a country which is even more scenic than New Zealand and the landscape is so varied also. Needless to say its a somewhat different culture also with spanish being the spoken language. In fact south america overall has been a great experience...anyone planning holidays at the moment should definitely have a look at going there. Unfortunately however you´ll have to wait awhile for the update on the place...great place.

Good-day from Downunder

25/05/05 Wednesday - 26/05/05 Thursday (Day 180-181)

Moved out to Freemantle, a suburb of Perth.


(Ship moored of the beach at Freemantle)

27/05/05 Friday (Day 182)

In exchange for acting as guinea pigs me and some other backpackers get a tour of the tunnels beneath Freemantle prison. Afterwards I strolled around Freo Market and paid a visit to the motor museum.


(Ferrari 250 GT/L, Freemantle Motor Museum)


(Rolls Royce, Silver Ghost)

Freematnle is a nice little place with a good deal more character than Perth.

28/05/05 Saturday (Day 183)


(Boats moored just off Rottnest Island)

An easy day spent on Rottnest Island (originally christened rats nest by the Dutch who discovered it in the 1600´s after the "Quokkas", the marsupials native to the Island).


(Quokka, Rottnest Island)

29/05/05 Sunday (Day 184)

Another relaxing day this time spent at Cottisloe beach finishing off "Vietnam the 10,000 days War".

30/05/05 Monday (Day 185)

Visited the Freemantle Maritime Museum (which included a tour of a real Ozzie Sub) before heading back to Perth.


(Torpedo Tubes of Submarine, Freemantle)

31/05/05 Tuesday (185)

North to Cervantes and a gander at the Pinnacles


(The Pinnacles, Cervantes, Western Australia)


(Striking yet another pose at the pinnacles)

01/06/05 Wednesday (Day 186)

Further north to Kalbarri National Park

02/06/05 Thursday (Day 187)

Trek through Kalbarri National park before canoeing down the nearby gorges.


(Natures Window, Kalbarri National Park, Western Australia)

03/06/05 Friday (Day 188)

Sick....

04/06/05 Saturday (Day 189)

Off back to Perth

05/06/05 Sunday (Day 190)

Flew into Ayrs Rock airport from Perth and join my tour group for the next three days. This was to proof to be the highlight of my time in Australia...due in no small part to the great bunch of people in my group.


(Ayrs Rock by day)


(Ayrs Rock, later in the evening)

06/06/05 Monday (Day 191)

Up early and off to the Olgas


(The Olgas)


(....me at the Olgas)


(The Olgas yet again)


(Around the campfire in the red centre)

07/06/05 Tuesday (Day 192)


(Mount Connor as seen on the way to Kings Canyon)

Kings Canyon and a novelty ride on a camel before making our way back to Alice Springs, followed by a great night out later that night at Melanka´s disco......oh the reckless abandon of it all.


(Yours truly at Kings Canyon)


(me again...)


(Kings Canyon)

08/06/05 Wednesday (Day 193)

I spent the day wandering around with Anna an English girl from our group. It was bloody baking hot so we decided against walking to the airschool although if we hadn´t been hungover from the night before we might just have given it a shot. So instead we head off to visit the botanical gardens. To be honest I was surprised they actually had one here in Alice Springs. The phrase "botanical gardens" conjures up images of romantic strolls through leafy walkways surrounded by colourful flowers with the sounds of birds chirping in the background. No such natural wonders in Alice Springs, I´m afraid. Instead we are greeted with a sign announcing our arrival at the botanical garden "arid zone"....well I´m being extremely euphemistic in describing it as a bit of a disappointment....ah well in fairness I suppose we weren´t expecting it to be that spectacular anyway.

09/06/05 Thursday (Day 194)

Said goodbye to all and headed off to Cairns....


(Cairns so-called beach....more of a swamp really)

10/06/05 Friday (Day 195)

Off up to Kuranda a little town in the Jungle/rainforrest above Cairns where I had some glorious food. Later went out in the notorious Woolshed of Cairns fame....something similar to Copper face jacks back home in Dublin....great craic.


(Train to Kuranda)

11/06/05 Saturday (Day 196)

Spent the day soaking up some rays at the lagoon and headed to the woolshed later I believe.

12/06/05 Sunday (Day 197)

Not much happening.....but I did book a tour to Cape Tribulation for the following day.

13/06/05 Monday (Day 198)

Sampled the delights of the exotic fruit farm, Cape Tribulation.

14/06/05 Tuesday (Day 199)

Strolled around Cape Tribulation for the day.


(Crocodile spotted on the Daintree river)


(Me in the Daintree)


(View from a look-out point above the Daintree)

15/06/05 Wednesday (Day 200)

Arrived in Port Douglas a very nice place but probably the most expensive place I´ve been to in Oz.

16/06/05 Thursday (Day 201)


(Raising the sails on the Shaolin)

Went out on the great barrier reef with the crew of the "Shaolin" a restored chinese junk boat. Its a fairly amazing sight unfortunately my photos don´t do it justice.


(A Section of the coral reef)


(One of the Ozzie guys who did most of my underwater photography)


(...and his friend)


(Pulling back into Port Douglas)

17/06/05 Friday (Day 202)

Cairns again....

18/06/05 Saturday (Day 203)

Got me one of those hop-on-hop-off bus tickets all the way to Melbourne.

19/06/05 Sunday (Day 204)

Hit Townsville but didn´t stay there long as a friend from home texted me to let me know himself and the girlfriend Jennifer were on the way to Hervey Bay to do the Frazer Island tour.

20/06/05 Monday - 22/06/05 Wednesday (Days 205-207)

These few days were taken up with our tour of Fraser Island.


(Old Shipwreck, Fraser Island)


(Niall and Jennifer, Fraser Island)


(Lone Dingo, Fraser Island)

23/06/05 Thursday - 24/06/05 Friday (Days 208-209)

Two fairly unremarkable days spent in Brisbane.


(Bird posing, Brisbane)

25/06/05 Saturday (Day 210)

Day trip to Movieworld, Surfers Paradise. The Police Academy show was pretty good but the rest of it was fairly tacky...I thought.

26/06/05 Sunday (Day 211)

Its raining extremely heavily in Byron bay so I had to abandon my hopes of a walk to the lighthouse.

27/06/05 Monday (Day 212)

Off to Port Macquarie.

28/06/05 Tuesday (Day 213)

Raining heavily here also went for a walk anyway and grapped a Guinness in the local Irish bar.

29/06/05 Wednesday - 13/07/05 Wednesday (Day 214-228)

The entire of this time was spent in or around Sydney.


(The Sydney Opera house by night)

The first few days I spent seeing some of the main sights like Sydney harbour, darling harbour, the opera house and the botanical gardens to name a few etc.


(Two Cockatoos pose for the camera, botanical gardens, Sydney)


(A duck glides gracefully by, botanical gardens, Sydney)


(Bats in the trees, Botanical gardens, Sydney)

Finally my sister arrived from Ireland suffering from a severe case of Jetlag. So I left her rest for awhile and updated the old blog. Eventually Mags arose predictably enough with shopping on her mind.


(My Sister Mags rocks into Sydney airport)


(Sydney Harbour)


(Mags on the Sydney Harbour Bridge)

While Mags was about we tended to eat out more...although in fairness I didn´t need much persuasion in that regard. My own personal favourite being Thai Power in Kings Cross. Cheap and absolutely fabulous.

Somewhere along the line we met up with the brothers Kenihan from home...remarkable hosts. Brian led us to probably the best pub in Sydney "The Old Fitzroy" a pub with a nice cosy atmosphere....like a nice quite local back home.


(The Limerick/Sydney mafia having a late night Shindig at an undisclosed location somewhere in Sydney)

After a night in Chez Kenihans myself and Mags headed up to the blue mountains, just outside Sydney. Its a very scenic place and I enjoyed it much more than many of the much hyped places on the east coast. They have a really nice hostel there too with a reading room that smells exactly like my granny´s house all the way back home in Tipperary.


(Big Fish swimming in the Sydney Harbour Aquarium)

After two days trekking around the blue mountains we headed back to Sydney where Brian took us top-roping for the evening....and was good enough to drive me to the airport the following morning on his way to work.


(The three sisters in the Blue Mountains, outside sydney)


(From this close up you can see just how big the three sisters are by comparing them to the people crossing the bridge)

So there you have it a full report from an upside down world where gravity works miracles.....stay tuned for an account of my travels in New Zealand where I was privileged to encounter some of the most scenic landscapes of my travels so far.