A name for our van
We have had quite a few entries into 'name the van competition' After great deliberation and discussions we have decided that the name will be..........(drum roll please).........Maisy. So Becky Marshall is our winner and gets the auspicious prize of....... a mention on our blog (wow that's a prize worth winning!!!).
Thanks for everyone who put on a comment. At least our van will have a name for the last few days of our rental!!
Bye for now, Linda & Penny
Monday, May 21, 2007
Church and Travel
It's been really interesting and also challenging re: travelling and trying to get to church. Sometimes we've just not been anywhere near one on a Sunday, or have booked onto a trip because that was the time and date it was available. Sometimes we tried to get to an evening service having arrived somewhere new, only to find that there was no evening service going on anywhere in the town.
On average, we've managed to get to church about once every two weeks, mainly in the morning, which isn't bad going given all the challenges to getting there! It been a real mixed bag. A couple of times we've felt very welcomed and have been able to worship God, but some of the time it's been a bit more difficult. One time I had to sit on my hands and zip my mouth up, because I was so riled by what the preacher was saying (he was very "health wealth & prosperity" meaning that he was promoting a Christianity whereby if only you were a good enough Christian then everything in life will go well, and if things are wrong then it's your fault...grrrrrr!!!). Another place we were excited to find that the 20s-30s group was leading the service, but it was sadly very stayed, conservative and reserved in every way, and nobody said hello or even tried to make conversation, before or after the service which was held in a small room where there was no excuse for not noticing visitors!
I was really moved when attending a lunchtime Taize style communion service in Christchurch Cathedral. It was simple, moving, we were all welcomed and it really was a special time of worshipping God and being held in the "communion" of sharing with others. Certainly, welcome (or lack of) really sets the tone for visitors, something I'm quite passionate about and this has definitely been highlighted by travelling.
I know that there are many factors concerning what contributes to a service, and that a lot of it is subjective and a matter of taste, but there have certainly been very differing degrees of experience, largely not helpful (sad to say) but thankfully also some opportunities to really draw close to God and his people.
As we've travelled, there have been some incredibly spiritual moments seeing God at work in His world, through creation in its many forms. A small part of my MA dissertation considered some aspects of those who find God in creation and the outdoors more than in churches, and gain spiritual energy and growth through those means rather than through collective worship. Therefore, it has been, and continues to be, interesting to find myself in a similar situation for a relatively long period of time, and noting the ways that I too continue to draw spiritual nurture from "the elements" and creation (as well as daily Bible study, personal prayer, and praying each week with Pen).
Anyway, this is now in danger of turning into some sort of thesis, but for those of you who know me well, you know that I have many questions about church services, accessibility to visitors, being relevant in the world and open to change/challenge etc so these travels have added food for though! Maybe I'm missing preparing sermons, so you lucky blogetts get my thoughts instead!?
By the way, it's been really interesting as we've travelled when we get to the inevitable "so what do you do " questions with people we meet. I've had a range of responses, all of them positive, some quite disbelieving, a few expletives, lots of apologies for swear words and blasphemies. Bar none, this has led onto some really interesting chats about spirituality, the role of a priest, being at the younger end of the scale, not "looking like one" etc etc. It's a real privilege after such encounters (sadly not normally whilst still with them) to be able to pray for these new friends, asking God to bless them and be at work in their lives. We can sow seeds, it's the Lord and his spirit at work that does the rest. Every time I have the "job" conversation I still expect someone somewhere to be really negative or suddenly stop talking to me, but there's definitely an interest and a hunger out there amongst many people who have no formal or regular links with church in any way. There are a lot of bridges to be built, one plank at a time!
Anyway, now signing off, and wondering what the next few weeks will bring.......exciting times ahead, as always. Apologies for those of you who're now asleep after my little sermonette!
Love n prayers, Linda xx
It's been really interesting and also challenging re: travelling and trying to get to church. Sometimes we've just not been anywhere near one on a Sunday, or have booked onto a trip because that was the time and date it was available. Sometimes we tried to get to an evening service having arrived somewhere new, only to find that there was no evening service going on anywhere in the town.
On average, we've managed to get to church about once every two weeks, mainly in the morning, which isn't bad going given all the challenges to getting there! It been a real mixed bag. A couple of times we've felt very welcomed and have been able to worship God, but some of the time it's been a bit more difficult. One time I had to sit on my hands and zip my mouth up, because I was so riled by what the preacher was saying (he was very "health wealth & prosperity" meaning that he was promoting a Christianity whereby if only you were a good enough Christian then everything in life will go well, and if things are wrong then it's your fault...grrrrrr!!!). Another place we were excited to find that the 20s-30s group was leading the service, but it was sadly very stayed, conservative and reserved in every way, and nobody said hello or even tried to make conversation, before or after the service which was held in a small room where there was no excuse for not noticing visitors!
I was really moved when attending a lunchtime Taize style communion service in Christchurch Cathedral. It was simple, moving, we were all welcomed and it really was a special time of worshipping God and being held in the "communion" of sharing with others. Certainly, welcome (or lack of) really sets the tone for visitors, something I'm quite passionate about and this has definitely been highlighted by travelling.
I know that there are many factors concerning what contributes to a service, and that a lot of it is subjective and a matter of taste, but there have certainly been very differing degrees of experience, largely not helpful (sad to say) but thankfully also some opportunities to really draw close to God and his people.
As we've travelled, there have been some incredibly spiritual moments seeing God at work in His world, through creation in its many forms. A small part of my MA dissertation considered some aspects of those who find God in creation and the outdoors more than in churches, and gain spiritual energy and growth through those means rather than through collective worship. Therefore, it has been, and continues to be, interesting to find myself in a similar situation for a relatively long period of time, and noting the ways that I too continue to draw spiritual nurture from "the elements" and creation (as well as daily Bible study, personal prayer, and praying each week with Pen).
Anyway, this is now in danger of turning into some sort of thesis, but for those of you who know me well, you know that I have many questions about church services, accessibility to visitors, being relevant in the world and open to change/challenge etc so these travels have added food for though! Maybe I'm missing preparing sermons, so you lucky blogetts get my thoughts instead!?
By the way, it's been really interesting as we've travelled when we get to the inevitable "so what do you do " questions with people we meet. I've had a range of responses, all of them positive, some quite disbelieving, a few expletives, lots of apologies for swear words and blasphemies. Bar none, this has led onto some really interesting chats about spirituality, the role of a priest, being at the younger end of the scale, not "looking like one" etc etc. It's a real privilege after such encounters (sadly not normally whilst still with them) to be able to pray for these new friends, asking God to bless them and be at work in their lives. We can sow seeds, it's the Lord and his spirit at work that does the rest. Every time I have the "job" conversation I still expect someone somewhere to be really negative or suddenly stop talking to me, but there's definitely an interest and a hunger out there amongst many people who have no formal or regular links with church in any way. There are a lot of bridges to be built, one plank at a time!
Anyway, now signing off, and wondering what the next few weeks will bring.......exciting times ahead, as always. Apologies for those of you who're now asleep after my little sermonette!
Love n prayers, Linda xx
Hello from sunny Dunedin!
Here we are again in a place where internet doesn't cost an arm and a leg for 10 minutes - back in "civilisation". Been having a wonderful time on the rest of the west coast then down through the south coast and now heading back up the east coast.
Our travels continue to be breathtaking, it's just incredible to see the diversity of this island and the changes that take place very quickly as we travel. Where have we been since Queenstown..... let me see if I can remember! Well, before we left Q'town we went on a trip called "Shotover Jet" which was basically hurtling through canyons and gorges on the Shotover River at great speed in a jet boat. There were about 12 of us given protective macs (one size fits none!) and a life jacket, then we all got into this very fast, very innovative jet boat that only requires 4 inches of water to operate, and then we zoomed up and down the river. At different times, the "driver" did a 360 degree hand signal and spun us around a high speed, getting us very wet and very exhilarated! They had great attention to detail, as the bars that we held on to were heated. Just as well coz it was freezing when we got sprayed with icy gorge water and were travellign at such high speeds!! It was a fantastic trip and certainly got the adrenaline pumping - lots of squeals and shrieks and laughs.
From Q'town we travelled down to Manapouri and Te Anau, waiting for reasonable weather to travel out to Doubtful Sound. The first day we were booked onto the trip was the first day of the year that it had to be cancelled due to really strong winds! We waited til the next day and were able to go, but the conditions were rather overcast. We were taken over Lake Manapouri in a small boat, then visited a hydro-electrc power station which is situated a long way underground, with a fascinating history to its construction, ecological issues surrounding it etc etc. From there we were driven by small coach over to another boat and then began our journey around Doubtful Sound fiordlands and its various "arms". It was named Doubtful by Captain Cook as he was unsure he'd be able to navigate back out of it! Australia & New Zealand are steeped in Cook and everything to do with him - he's such an important part of their heritage. It's interesting coming from the other end of his journeys and then seeing so many places that he named (many of them with very morose names, like Mosquito Bay, Cape Tribulation, Doubtful Sound etc etc).
Anyway, despite the lack of visibility, the sounds were amazing, very dramatic and pretty. There were many lovely waterfalls and it was a very special place to be. We met some lovely people too, and had a great day - somewhere we both really wanted to see.
We were also very thankful that a couple of people recommended going to a tiny cinema in Te Anau to watch a film of the fiordlands, taken by a local helicopter pilot with two cinematographers from the Lord of the Rings. The helicopter pilot had built the cinema specially to screen it and it's the only place in the world that it's shown publicly! The seats were like armchairs and the film was absolutely incredible, beyond words....so good that we both bought the DVD afterwards.
From there we journeyed down to Invercargill, and onto Bluff, to get the ferry over to Stewart Island for the day. Normally the ferry tends to make people heave at it's such a rough crossing, but we managed to pick the calmest day they'd had in a long long time - result! Stewart Island is very remote, but just to make things even more interesting we then got a water taxi over to Ulva Island, a nature reserve where we were treated to lovely beaches and forest, wildlife in its natural habitat, free from European imports such as rats, bunnies, international flora and fauna etc. It was lovely and peaceful and the birds were so entertaining with their different calls, some of whom were very inquisitive and cheeky!
We then drove on to Curio Bay, part of the Catlins area on the south coast. The drive there was stunning, as sunset approached we had amazing blue skies with pink fluffy clouds, and the air was so still the reflections of the hills was so clear over the beaches, rivers etc...beautiful! We spent a night in Porpoise Bay, where Hectors Dolphins, penguins and others live. The site was very vary basic but the view and location really made up for it. We had hoped to be able to get to church yesterday, but realised we were in the back of beyond so it wouldn't happen!
The next morning we went dolphin & penguin spotting -they must have gone out for the day as we didn't see any :-( actually, it was very windy and that had made them move away from their usual spot. Up the road was an amazing beach, full of fossilised trees from the Jurassic period - incredible to see. As we arrived there we saw a sign for a church service literally next door to the beach, but it was half an hour in by then, so we decided it was too late to go in :-(
Driving on from there, we were praying hard that we wouldn't run out of diesel before we reached the nearest petrol station (they're few and far between in the middle of nowhere!). Thankfully we got there in time (Praise God!) and were also treated to a walk on a beautiful beach in sunny blue conditions (except for the biting sand flies - the only blight on this otherwise perfect island!). We spent some time there, praying and praising God (our own little impromptu service) and then journeyed on.
Next stop was a lovely waterfall, where we bumped into one of the guys we'd met on the Doubtful Sound trip! After a coffee & chat with him it was onto Dunedin, where we stayed last night at a lovely site by the river, just a little out of the city centre.
We only have 5 nights left with our van (thanks for your suggestions for a name) and it's been great having the freedom of moving around so easily. We'll really miss having it, and it's going to be hard leaving New Zealand - there's so much to see and do and I'd love to come back here again soon.
Will try to get some more photos on Flickr soon - but as we've been in this internet cafe 2 hours already it's time to hit the road and get on to our next location....... "we're on the road again, Shrek & Donkey on another whirlwind adventure......"!
Til next time,
Linda (& Penny too) xx
Here we are again in a place where internet doesn't cost an arm and a leg for 10 minutes - back in "civilisation". Been having a wonderful time on the rest of the west coast then down through the south coast and now heading back up the east coast.
Our travels continue to be breathtaking, it's just incredible to see the diversity of this island and the changes that take place very quickly as we travel. Where have we been since Queenstown..... let me see if I can remember! Well, before we left Q'town we went on a trip called "Shotover Jet" which was basically hurtling through canyons and gorges on the Shotover River at great speed in a jet boat. There were about 12 of us given protective macs (one size fits none!) and a life jacket, then we all got into this very fast, very innovative jet boat that only requires 4 inches of water to operate, and then we zoomed up and down the river. At different times, the "driver" did a 360 degree hand signal and spun us around a high speed, getting us very wet and very exhilarated! They had great attention to detail, as the bars that we held on to were heated. Just as well coz it was freezing when we got sprayed with icy gorge water and were travellign at such high speeds!! It was a fantastic trip and certainly got the adrenaline pumping - lots of squeals and shrieks and laughs.
From Q'town we travelled down to Manapouri and Te Anau, waiting for reasonable weather to travel out to Doubtful Sound. The first day we were booked onto the trip was the first day of the year that it had to be cancelled due to really strong winds! We waited til the next day and were able to go, but the conditions were rather overcast. We were taken over Lake Manapouri in a small boat, then visited a hydro-electrc power station which is situated a long way underground, with a fascinating history to its construction, ecological issues surrounding it etc etc. From there we were driven by small coach over to another boat and then began our journey around Doubtful Sound fiordlands and its various "arms". It was named Doubtful by Captain Cook as he was unsure he'd be able to navigate back out of it! Australia & New Zealand are steeped in Cook and everything to do with him - he's such an important part of their heritage. It's interesting coming from the other end of his journeys and then seeing so many places that he named (many of them with very morose names, like Mosquito Bay, Cape Tribulation, Doubtful Sound etc etc).
Anyway, despite the lack of visibility, the sounds were amazing, very dramatic and pretty. There were many lovely waterfalls and it was a very special place to be. We met some lovely people too, and had a great day - somewhere we both really wanted to see.
We were also very thankful that a couple of people recommended going to a tiny cinema in Te Anau to watch a film of the fiordlands, taken by a local helicopter pilot with two cinematographers from the Lord of the Rings. The helicopter pilot had built the cinema specially to screen it and it's the only place in the world that it's shown publicly! The seats were like armchairs and the film was absolutely incredible, beyond words....so good that we both bought the DVD afterwards.
From there we journeyed down to Invercargill, and onto Bluff, to get the ferry over to Stewart Island for the day. Normally the ferry tends to make people heave at it's such a rough crossing, but we managed to pick the calmest day they'd had in a long long time - result! Stewart Island is very remote, but just to make things even more interesting we then got a water taxi over to Ulva Island, a nature reserve where we were treated to lovely beaches and forest, wildlife in its natural habitat, free from European imports such as rats, bunnies, international flora and fauna etc. It was lovely and peaceful and the birds were so entertaining with their different calls, some of whom were very inquisitive and cheeky!
We then drove on to Curio Bay, part of the Catlins area on the south coast. The drive there was stunning, as sunset approached we had amazing blue skies with pink fluffy clouds, and the air was so still the reflections of the hills was so clear over the beaches, rivers etc...beautiful! We spent a night in Porpoise Bay, where Hectors Dolphins, penguins and others live. The site was very vary basic but the view and location really made up for it. We had hoped to be able to get to church yesterday, but realised we were in the back of beyond so it wouldn't happen!
The next morning we went dolphin & penguin spotting -they must have gone out for the day as we didn't see any :-( actually, it was very windy and that had made them move away from their usual spot. Up the road was an amazing beach, full of fossilised trees from the Jurassic period - incredible to see. As we arrived there we saw a sign for a church service literally next door to the beach, but it was half an hour in by then, so we decided it was too late to go in :-(
Driving on from there, we were praying hard that we wouldn't run out of diesel before we reached the nearest petrol station (they're few and far between in the middle of nowhere!). Thankfully we got there in time (Praise God!) and were also treated to a walk on a beautiful beach in sunny blue conditions (except for the biting sand flies - the only blight on this otherwise perfect island!). We spent some time there, praying and praising God (our own little impromptu service) and then journeyed on.
Next stop was a lovely waterfall, where we bumped into one of the guys we'd met on the Doubtful Sound trip! After a coffee & chat with him it was onto Dunedin, where we stayed last night at a lovely site by the river, just a little out of the city centre.
We only have 5 nights left with our van (thanks for your suggestions for a name) and it's been great having the freedom of moving around so easily. We'll really miss having it, and it's going to be hard leaving New Zealand - there's so much to see and do and I'd love to come back here again soon.
Will try to get some more photos on Flickr soon - but as we've been in this internet cafe 2 hours already it's time to hit the road and get on to our next location....... "we're on the road again, Shrek & Donkey on another whirlwind adventure......"!
Til next time,
Linda (& Penny too) xx
Sunday, May 13, 2007
We need your help.
We've had our motor home/campervan for quite a while now and we still haven't managed to give her/him/it a name. We haven't put a picture on flickr yet, but it's basically just a big white tin can type thingy. The registration is AHW689 and it's a Mercedes.
We need some inspiration, so would be VERY GRATEFUL if you blog readers could help us out. Please leave your comments and suggest a name for our home.....answers on a postcard to......
go on, enter our supa dupa competition and you could win.......erm.....a mention in one of our Blogs! What more incentive could you need. Go on, make our day and make us laugh..... and give us a name for our tin can (no rude ones please!).
Thanks friends,
Linda & Pen xx
We've had our motor home/campervan for quite a while now and we still haven't managed to give her/him/it a name. We haven't put a picture on flickr yet, but it's basically just a big white tin can type thingy. The registration is AHW689 and it's a Mercedes.
We need some inspiration, so would be VERY GRATEFUL if you blog readers could help us out. Please leave your comments and suggest a name for our home.....answers on a postcard to......
go on, enter our supa dupa competition and you could win.......erm.....a mention in one of our Blogs! What more incentive could you need. Go on, make our day and make us laugh..... and give us a name for our tin can (no rude ones please!).
Thanks friends,
Linda & Pen xx
Hi all,
as Pen said in her post, I was off y'day on a heli-hike! What's that? I hear you cry? Well, it basically entailed getting a helicopter flight (my first ever - FANTASTIC) up into the middle of the Franz Josef Glacier, a place that otherwise only experienced mountaineers would get to, and slip sliding around on a hike for a couple of hours wearing something like crampons on rented boots.
It was an amazing experience. The helicopter ride took us for a scenic flight over the glacier, swooping, turning and generally giving us an unforgettable view of pinnacles, crevasses, different ice formations etc and at times making it look as though we were about to crash into the mountain side before swiftly turning! I couldn't get over how instant take-off is, and how swiftly we were able to move and manoeuvre. I've wanted to ride in a helicopter for as long as I can remember, and I've finally got there.....and not only that, but I also got to experience the glacier.
It was awesome to walk through the ice fields led by our experienced guide, slide into caves and scrabble out the other side (my knees have the cuts and bruises to prove it!) and generally walk on a landscape that's constantly on the move, altho' you're not actually physically aware that it is. The weather could not have been better (after a torrential horrid day the day before) so I was treated to a crystal clear blue sky, blazing sunshine, 100% visibility and warm enough to wear shorts.... it doesn't get better than! Another major highlight to add into the bag... and still 10 weeks to go!
Although it's early winter here in NZ, our weather here on S Island has been incredible. We've had a couple of cloudy-ish days and a bit of rain, but generally the conditions have been amazing. Our journey from Franz Josef today to Queenstown was breathtaking, as we passed aqua blue rivers reflecting the snow capped mountains in perfect stillness, a beautiful green gorge (of LOTR fame) gushing and roaring down the rocks, vineyards and rolling barren hills and all sorts in between. The landscape and scenery of the west coast into the southern area is so varied and changeable, hard to describe the diversity and beauty....and we've not even hit the fjord land of Milton & Doubtful Sounds yet.
As you might have gathered, I'm absolutely loving being in the south island, and sooo thankful that we have our motor home for flexibility and independence.... and now I have my purple hot water bottle I'm a very happy camper!
As we arrived in Queenstown as it was getting dark, we're looking forward to seeing how it looks tomorrow - impressions so far are that it's a great place. We had a fish and chip supper at a cafe run by an English Peter Kay look-alike (with the same comedic timing) so we're feeling very British and "at home". We'll let you know more soon. Being back in the land of internet cafes and phones we should manage to get some more photos and blog entries on fairly soon - we really have been staying in some quite remote places this last week.
Anyway, that's it for this entry, more to follow soon.
Linda xx
as Pen said in her post, I was off y'day on a heli-hike! What's that? I hear you cry? Well, it basically entailed getting a helicopter flight (my first ever - FANTASTIC) up into the middle of the Franz Josef Glacier, a place that otherwise only experienced mountaineers would get to, and slip sliding around on a hike for a couple of hours wearing something like crampons on rented boots.
It was an amazing experience. The helicopter ride took us for a scenic flight over the glacier, swooping, turning and generally giving us an unforgettable view of pinnacles, crevasses, different ice formations etc and at times making it look as though we were about to crash into the mountain side before swiftly turning! I couldn't get over how instant take-off is, and how swiftly we were able to move and manoeuvre. I've wanted to ride in a helicopter for as long as I can remember, and I've finally got there.....and not only that, but I also got to experience the glacier.
It was awesome to walk through the ice fields led by our experienced guide, slide into caves and scrabble out the other side (my knees have the cuts and bruises to prove it!) and generally walk on a landscape that's constantly on the move, altho' you're not actually physically aware that it is. The weather could not have been better (after a torrential horrid day the day before) so I was treated to a crystal clear blue sky, blazing sunshine, 100% visibility and warm enough to wear shorts.... it doesn't get better than! Another major highlight to add into the bag... and still 10 weeks to go!
Although it's early winter here in NZ, our weather here on S Island has been incredible. We've had a couple of cloudy-ish days and a bit of rain, but generally the conditions have been amazing. Our journey from Franz Josef today to Queenstown was breathtaking, as we passed aqua blue rivers reflecting the snow capped mountains in perfect stillness, a beautiful green gorge (of LOTR fame) gushing and roaring down the rocks, vineyards and rolling barren hills and all sorts in between. The landscape and scenery of the west coast into the southern area is so varied and changeable, hard to describe the diversity and beauty....and we've not even hit the fjord land of Milton & Doubtful Sounds yet.
As you might have gathered, I'm absolutely loving being in the south island, and sooo thankful that we have our motor home for flexibility and independence.... and now I have my purple hot water bottle I'm a very happy camper!
As we arrived in Queenstown as it was getting dark, we're looking forward to seeing how it looks tomorrow - impressions so far are that it's a great place. We had a fish and chip supper at a cafe run by an English Peter Kay look-alike (with the same comedic timing) so we're feeling very British and "at home". We'll let you know more soon. Being back in the land of internet cafes and phones we should manage to get some more photos and blog entries on fairly soon - we really have been staying in some quite remote places this last week.
Anyway, that's it for this entry, more to follow soon.
Linda xx
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Dear Blog readers
Hello from Franz Josef. This is just a quickie to say that there are now some more photo's on flickr, some from the end of our time in Oz and then the rest are of the beginning of our time of NZ.
We have had a good 3 days here, just relaxing a bit and watching the rain!! When it hasn't been raining (which hasn't been too bad really!) we have walked by the 2 glaciers in the area-the other one being Fox Glacier. Walking in the dry river bed below the glacier entails scrabbling over rocks, jumping over gushing streams and gasping at lovely waterfall (which after the rain have been plentiful!). It is a beautiful place, with amazing majestic snow capped mountains and lots of rain forest type scenery-big ferns and loads of trees. Its lovely. Today, Linda is off doing a Heli hike on Franz Josef and will fill you all in soon on her expedition.
That's all for now
Love Penny
Hello from Franz Josef. This is just a quickie to say that there are now some more photo's on flickr, some from the end of our time in Oz and then the rest are of the beginning of our time of NZ.
We have had a good 3 days here, just relaxing a bit and watching the rain!! When it hasn't been raining (which hasn't been too bad really!) we have walked by the 2 glaciers in the area-the other one being Fox Glacier. Walking in the dry river bed below the glacier entails scrabbling over rocks, jumping over gushing streams and gasping at lovely waterfall (which after the rain have been plentiful!). It is a beautiful place, with amazing majestic snow capped mountains and lots of rain forest type scenery-big ferns and loads of trees. Its lovely. Today, Linda is off doing a Heli hike on Franz Josef and will fill you all in soon on her expedition.
That's all for now
Love Penny
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Hi folks,
a quick update from Kiwi land. Sorry it's been a few days but we've been largely out of e.mail/phone contact.....that's our excuse and we're sticking to it!
Whale watching in Kaikoura happened early in the morning (a struggle to get up at 6am!), and we were treated to sightings of two sperm whales and some very acrobatic Hector's dolphins (indigenous to NZ and the smallest of their species). They were like Zebedee, jumping out of the water vertically and then back down the way they came, as if on springs......very cute & entertaining.
We the headed north up to Blenheim, staying two nights at the camping ground that rates high in our new competition for "the land that time forgot" - very kitch, 70s style and somewhat ramshackle...... but hey, at least they had power and shower (even if you did have to trade a new 20cent piece for an ancient one in order to operate the 6 minute shower!!).
Blenheim is a major centre for wineries, but we arrived too late in the day on Saturday to join a tour. Being really conscientious good Christians we did the only possible thing - forwent our trip to church in favour of a winery and wine tasting tour!!! We haven't been struck by lightning yet, so maybe God has a sense of humour. Well, Jesus did turn water into wine, so it's obviously important stuff.
We sniffed, swilled and swallowed (no, we didn't spit!) and now we know all there is to know about wine (NOT!). We had a great guide (all to ourselves as nobody else was mad enough to rock up for a 10am tour) and she helped to increase our knowledge a little bit at least.
From there we headed up to Abel Tasman Nat'l Park, the smallest NP in NZ and at the northern end of south island. It really was the back of beyond, the end of the road (literally), no street lights, only one shop, pub closed for winter etc etc... The next day I (linda) got a water taxi (FAB speed boat ride) and went up into the park for a "tramp" as they call it here. The walk was about 12k of up & down forest tracks, including walks along beaches, watching fur seals playing in shallow turquoise waters :-) , being eaten alive by sandflies :-( and generally having a good old route march past waterfalls, over a big rope bridge etc etc. Pen was feeling icky, so stayed behind and rested :-( but is fine now - hurrah!
After our two nights there we started to head down the West coast where the coastline becomes dramatically different - more rugged and windswept, bigger waves, bit more like the North Sea really, but different!!?!
We picked up our first hitchhiker y'day - how exciting! He was a young German guy, and it was quite funny having an extra person strapped in all the way at the back of the van whilst we were all the way up at the front. We almost felt like tour guides looking after our little passenger, but it was a good experience. Hitchhiking's really common in NZ and very safe, don't worry Linda's Mum & Pen's Dad!!
We stayed last night at another "Land that Time forgot" site right by the sea, with the waves almost lapping at our wheels. Lovely but blumming cold during the night.....Linda's just bought a hot water bottle!
We've had absolutely amazing weather since picking up the van - blue skies, sun, calm conditions etc..... it's been fantastic to see the mountain ranges with little tufty clouds swirling around the peaks, some with snow, all vast and large and majestic. We've seen lots of birds of prey, watched seals sunning themselves on the rocks, enjoyed amazing sunsets, beaches and generally having a wonderful time exploring the south island under our steam.
We're now in Greymouth catching up on chores, spending hours on the internet trying to sort our lives out and restocking the fridge. We love having our van, it was a great move on our part. We'd have gone mad spending another 3 1/2 weeks with "Stray"!
Once we leave here, we're heading down to Franz Josef Glacier region, where we'll probably stay 2 or 3 nights. Watch this space to see what we get up to...... but we do hope it'll include a glass of wine whilst we recline in the heated spa at our campsite with the glacial mountains in the background.........hard life, but someone's got to do it!
Anyway, this was going to be a short entry, but leaving it for several days means there's lots to say.
Till next time, blog dudes,
love from Penny & Linda xx
a quick update from Kiwi land. Sorry it's been a few days but we've been largely out of e.mail/phone contact.....that's our excuse and we're sticking to it!
Whale watching in Kaikoura happened early in the morning (a struggle to get up at 6am!), and we were treated to sightings of two sperm whales and some very acrobatic Hector's dolphins (indigenous to NZ and the smallest of their species). They were like Zebedee, jumping out of the water vertically and then back down the way they came, as if on springs......very cute & entertaining.
We the headed north up to Blenheim, staying two nights at the camping ground that rates high in our new competition for "the land that time forgot" - very kitch, 70s style and somewhat ramshackle...... but hey, at least they had power and shower (even if you did have to trade a new 20cent piece for an ancient one in order to operate the 6 minute shower!!).
Blenheim is a major centre for wineries, but we arrived too late in the day on Saturday to join a tour. Being really conscientious good Christians we did the only possible thing - forwent our trip to church in favour of a winery and wine tasting tour!!! We haven't been struck by lightning yet, so maybe God has a sense of humour. Well, Jesus did turn water into wine, so it's obviously important stuff.
We sniffed, swilled and swallowed (no, we didn't spit!) and now we know all there is to know about wine (NOT!). We had a great guide (all to ourselves as nobody else was mad enough to rock up for a 10am tour) and she helped to increase our knowledge a little bit at least.
From there we headed up to Abel Tasman Nat'l Park, the smallest NP in NZ and at the northern end of south island. It really was the back of beyond, the end of the road (literally), no street lights, only one shop, pub closed for winter etc etc... The next day I (linda) got a water taxi (FAB speed boat ride) and went up into the park for a "tramp" as they call it here. The walk was about 12k of up & down forest tracks, including walks along beaches, watching fur seals playing in shallow turquoise waters :-) , being eaten alive by sandflies :-( and generally having a good old route march past waterfalls, over a big rope bridge etc etc. Pen was feeling icky, so stayed behind and rested :-( but is fine now - hurrah!
After our two nights there we started to head down the West coast where the coastline becomes dramatically different - more rugged and windswept, bigger waves, bit more like the North Sea really, but different!!?!
We picked up our first hitchhiker y'day - how exciting! He was a young German guy, and it was quite funny having an extra person strapped in all the way at the back of the van whilst we were all the way up at the front. We almost felt like tour guides looking after our little passenger, but it was a good experience. Hitchhiking's really common in NZ and very safe, don't worry Linda's Mum & Pen's Dad!!
We stayed last night at another "Land that Time forgot" site right by the sea, with the waves almost lapping at our wheels. Lovely but blumming cold during the night.....Linda's just bought a hot water bottle!
We've had absolutely amazing weather since picking up the van - blue skies, sun, calm conditions etc..... it's been fantastic to see the mountain ranges with little tufty clouds swirling around the peaks, some with snow, all vast and large and majestic. We've seen lots of birds of prey, watched seals sunning themselves on the rocks, enjoyed amazing sunsets, beaches and generally having a wonderful time exploring the south island under our steam.
We're now in Greymouth catching up on chores, spending hours on the internet trying to sort our lives out and restocking the fridge. We love having our van, it was a great move on our part. We'd have gone mad spending another 3 1/2 weeks with "Stray"!
Once we leave here, we're heading down to Franz Josef Glacier region, where we'll probably stay 2 or 3 nights. Watch this space to see what we get up to...... but we do hope it'll include a glass of wine whilst we recline in the heated spa at our campsite with the glacial mountains in the background.........hard life, but someone's got to do it!
Anyway, this was going to be a short entry, but leaving it for several days means there's lots to say.
Till next time, blog dudes,
love from Penny & Linda xx
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Hello one and all
Here are my long over due highs and lows from Australia.....
The great barrier reef was so fascinating. A real highlight was getting to grips with snorkeling. I had only done it a couple of times before and not felt very confident at it then. It was great to have the opportunity and the time to do so much snorkeling in such amazing surroundings with so much to see. Its a very relaxing way to see the marine life. Swimming with turtles was lovely, they have this way of making you feel so laid back and relaxed!! The giant clams were also awesome, I felt that they might swallow me up, they were so big!!! The day trip to Lizard Island and sailing in the Whitsundays were also such a treat and I hope will stay with me for a long, long time. Enough about that, I could go on for ages!!
Another highlight was seeing my family in Melbourne. Spending some time with my Auntie and Uncle was great. Camping with my cousins was such fun (even without showers for 3 days!). Sitting out under the night sky, staring at the stars was stunning, the sky seems so much bigger in Australia! We were so well looked after by my family and it was lovely to spend some time with them.
My only low is sight seeing fatigue!! Travelling is such a privilege but at times it is so tiring and like anything at times I feel I just need a small break! It became more heightened in Australia because we have seen so many amazing places and sights but at times its all a bit much!! However, I wouldn't change what I am doing and am really enjoying this opportunity to see the world. It really is an opportunity of a lifetime. Australia is an amazing country with lovely people and so much to see. We really only saw a fraction of the country and there is so much more to see....next time!!!
Well that's my highs and lows of Oz. Thanks for reading.
Love Penny xx
Here are my long over due highs and lows from Australia.....
The great barrier reef was so fascinating. A real highlight was getting to grips with snorkeling. I had only done it a couple of times before and not felt very confident at it then. It was great to have the opportunity and the time to do so much snorkeling in such amazing surroundings with so much to see. Its a very relaxing way to see the marine life. Swimming with turtles was lovely, they have this way of making you feel so laid back and relaxed!! The giant clams were also awesome, I felt that they might swallow me up, they were so big!!! The day trip to Lizard Island and sailing in the Whitsundays were also such a treat and I hope will stay with me for a long, long time. Enough about that, I could go on for ages!!
Another highlight was seeing my family in Melbourne. Spending some time with my Auntie and Uncle was great. Camping with my cousins was such fun (even without showers for 3 days!). Sitting out under the night sky, staring at the stars was stunning, the sky seems so much bigger in Australia! We were so well looked after by my family and it was lovely to spend some time with them.
My only low is sight seeing fatigue!! Travelling is such a privilege but at times it is so tiring and like anything at times I feel I just need a small break! It became more heightened in Australia because we have seen so many amazing places and sights but at times its all a bit much!! However, I wouldn't change what I am doing and am really enjoying this opportunity to see the world. It really is an opportunity of a lifetime. Australia is an amazing country with lovely people and so much to see. We really only saw a fraction of the country and there is so much more to see....next time!!!
Well that's my highs and lows of Oz. Thanks for reading.
Love Penny xx
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Hello blog readers
Sorry its been a while since we last put on a post. The last week has been jam packed as usual with lots of stuff!
We had a really nice time at Jeannette's. We were thoroughly spoilt by lovely home cooked meals and a relaxing time. Thank you so much to Jeannette, xx. Taupo was a nice town on lake Taupo (which is bigger than Singapore-wow!). We went out on the lake, it was supposed to be sailing but there was no wind so we just cruised to see some Mauri carvings and... relaxed. We also went for a walk along the river and paddled in a natural hot pool that fed into the river. The water was hot, just like sitting in a bath. There was an amazing water fall called Huka falls, the water is so blue and the rivers are very clean-lovely.
From Taupo we headed to Tonariro National Park, just for one night. Again amazing scenery, big volcanic mountains (Mount Doom & Mordor from LOTR), lovely waterfalls (Smeagals waterfall from LOTR) and big wide open spaces. We entered into the world of adventure sports and went buggy riding through the hills. It was great fun and very bumpy as we drove over big, uneven tracks. Its a hard life!!!
On Saturday we arrived in Windy Wellington. We said goodbye to our Stray bus here. It definitely improved as the days went on, at least the bus could get up the hills and the drivers were more organised!! It was a great way of meeting some lovely people but frustrating being beholden to their schedule. There is an amazing museum in Wellington called Te Papa where you can get lost for days, its huge and all for free! Its getting wetter as we head south and Wellington's weather was just like being back home. I'm glad we have stocked up on fleeces!!!
Yesterday we arrived in Christchurch which is like being back home, its just like a small University town. It has a lovely cathedral and seems quite pretty. We pick up our camper van tomorrow and then begin travelling under our own steam again.
Loving your work bloggers, great comments, keep it up!!
Bye for now, Penny and Linda
Sorry its been a while since we last put on a post. The last week has been jam packed as usual with lots of stuff!
We had a really nice time at Jeannette's. We were thoroughly spoilt by lovely home cooked meals and a relaxing time. Thank you so much to Jeannette, xx. Taupo was a nice town on lake Taupo (which is bigger than Singapore-wow!). We went out on the lake, it was supposed to be sailing but there was no wind so we just cruised to see some Mauri carvings and... relaxed. We also went for a walk along the river and paddled in a natural hot pool that fed into the river. The water was hot, just like sitting in a bath. There was an amazing water fall called Huka falls, the water is so blue and the rivers are very clean-lovely.
From Taupo we headed to Tonariro National Park, just for one night. Again amazing scenery, big volcanic mountains (Mount Doom & Mordor from LOTR), lovely waterfalls (Smeagals waterfall from LOTR) and big wide open spaces. We entered into the world of adventure sports and went buggy riding through the hills. It was great fun and very bumpy as we drove over big, uneven tracks. Its a hard life!!!
On Saturday we arrived in Windy Wellington. We said goodbye to our Stray bus here. It definitely improved as the days went on, at least the bus could get up the hills and the drivers were more organised!! It was a great way of meeting some lovely people but frustrating being beholden to their schedule. There is an amazing museum in Wellington called Te Papa where you can get lost for days, its huge and all for free! Its getting wetter as we head south and Wellington's weather was just like being back home. I'm glad we have stocked up on fleeces!!!
Yesterday we arrived in Christchurch which is like being back home, its just like a small University town. It has a lovely cathedral and seems quite pretty. We pick up our camper van tomorrow and then begin travelling under our own steam again.
Loving your work bloggers, great comments, keep it up!!
Bye for now, Penny and Linda
Hi all,
I realised I'm well overdue for giving a highlights/low lights report on our time in Oz, so here goes:
Probably the lowest point was having a cough/cold yucky thing that started just as we arrived in Oz and then seemed to drag on for weeks and has only just now really gone - so that's about 6 weeks in total! Also, we had a lot of rain whilst we were up in Cairns, which put a dampener on some things, but hey, that's life. The other low was staying at Base Backpackers on Magnetic island, which was absolutely awful and guaranteed no sleep ;-( However, at least the second night there was lovely, but only because we paid a lot more money for a room at the other end of the site which was quiet, had just us in the room and was overlooking the sea.
My highlights were numerous! Snorkeling on the Barrier Reef in several locations was amazing (especially swimming with turtles). Also, our chartered plane ride to, and day at, Lizard Island was breathtaking and will never be forgotten. Sailing around the Whitsunday Islands on a tall ship, the Derwent Hunter was also incredible. Staying in a beautiful apartment in St Kilda, Melbourne was sheer luxury, and it was fun to meet lots of Penny's rellies, and great to spend Easter weekend camping with some of them in the outback, at lake Mungo National Park. THANK YOU ALL!
It was also great to stay with Gus & Jen in Sydney too, and to walk over the Harbour Bridge, see the Opera House, enjoyed a couple of ferry rides etc. The most awesome part for me was watching the giant stingray in the Aquarium, a most majestic and mysterious creature...... so hard to describe, really, in a way that does it justice, but I was totally mesmerised.
There were probably lots of other things that were amazing too, but these are the things that spring immediately to mind - not a bad list considering! I'd definitely recommend OZ to anyone, and we only got to see a tiny part of it - did you know that it's the side of Europe, or N. Am and a bit of Canada thrown in too? 4 1/2 weeks isn't log when you consider such vastness, so there's plenty of scope for going back and seeing more!
Well, I hope that gives a flavour of some highs and lows in Oz. Let me know your own thoughts, especially if you've been there yourself.
That's all for this post, but there may be one to follow from Pen and then probably a joint one on our travels in NZ so far........ watch this space.
bye for now, and love to you all,
Linda xx
I realised I'm well overdue for giving a highlights/low lights report on our time in Oz, so here goes:
Probably the lowest point was having a cough/cold yucky thing that started just as we arrived in Oz and then seemed to drag on for weeks and has only just now really gone - so that's about 6 weeks in total! Also, we had a lot of rain whilst we were up in Cairns, which put a dampener on some things, but hey, that's life. The other low was staying at Base Backpackers on Magnetic island, which was absolutely awful and guaranteed no sleep ;-( However, at least the second night there was lovely, but only because we paid a lot more money for a room at the other end of the site which was quiet, had just us in the room and was overlooking the sea.
My highlights were numerous! Snorkeling on the Barrier Reef in several locations was amazing (especially swimming with turtles). Also, our chartered plane ride to, and day at, Lizard Island was breathtaking and will never be forgotten. Sailing around the Whitsunday Islands on a tall ship, the Derwent Hunter was also incredible. Staying in a beautiful apartment in St Kilda, Melbourne was sheer luxury, and it was fun to meet lots of Penny's rellies, and great to spend Easter weekend camping with some of them in the outback, at lake Mungo National Park. THANK YOU ALL!
It was also great to stay with Gus & Jen in Sydney too, and to walk over the Harbour Bridge, see the Opera House, enjoyed a couple of ferry rides etc. The most awesome part for me was watching the giant stingray in the Aquarium, a most majestic and mysterious creature...... so hard to describe, really, in a way that does it justice, but I was totally mesmerised.
There were probably lots of other things that were amazing too, but these are the things that spring immediately to mind - not a bad list considering! I'd definitely recommend OZ to anyone, and we only got to see a tiny part of it - did you know that it's the side of Europe, or N. Am and a bit of Canada thrown in too? 4 1/2 weeks isn't log when you consider such vastness, so there's plenty of scope for going back and seeing more!
Well, I hope that gives a flavour of some highs and lows in Oz. Let me know your own thoughts, especially if you've been there yourself.
That's all for this post, but there may be one to follow from Pen and then probably a joint one on our travels in NZ so far........ watch this space.
bye for now, and love to you all,
Linda xx
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)