Thursday, 26 February 2009
Note to Mum
I've not stopped I've just been busy and lacked internet access at times. After golf tomorrow we're heading to Queenstown and probably stopping overnight somewhere on the way, which means that there'll probably be nothing for a few days.
Ye Olde English Pub
Yep, that's where we went in Christchurch last night, and blow me down if they didn't serve London Pride. Well, turns out they didn't. The badge looked right but the brown liquid tasted almost, but not entirely, completely unlike London Pride.
Other than that it's been a pretty quiet couple of days. Bit of bad golf, bit of seal-spotting, few penguins at the Antarctic centre, and India vs NZ at 20/20 which was a cracking game. Fun to do but not to read about so I'll leave it there.
Lads Weekend this weekend so it's Super 14 rugby tonight then a round of hungover golf tomorrow.
Monday, 23 February 2009
And he's back!
Cripes it's been a while since I've been near the internet. Last time I posted it was raining a lot, and it's cleared up once or twice since then. Long enough for us to get in a bit of crazy golf, a bit of slightly less crazy golf, and play the world's hardest pitch'n'putt.
We drove from Nelson to Nelson Lakes and managed a small walk there, then the next day it was all the way over the alps to Hanmer Springs in rainy and cloudy conditions. the scenery was spectacular though, with cloud filled valleys and a road that wound its way along the side of the mountains with the ridges spread out ahead of you getting ever fainter as they disappeared into the distance and the cloud/rain until the furthest ones were mere ghosts. As you drove round the ridges then each in turn would become darker and slowly take shape until soon enough you were driving round it and it was rendered in full colour and detail, and there was a new set of gray mis-shapen lumps in the distance that in their own time would be revealed as you drove round them too. It was a bit like playing a driving game on your PC with an under-powered graphics card.
Hanmer Springs was a chance to spend a day doing very little and just relax, which seems to be the point of the place. The thermal springs were pleasant enough, though a bit surreal when you're sitting in a 41 degree pool and it's throwing down with rain.
That's where we were this morning and we're now in Akaroa looking to see some sort of marine wildlife. Ideally it would have been penguins but they stopped that tour a few days ago apparently. Such is life. Still, tehre's seals and dolphins up for grabs so all is not lost. This place was set up by the French and looks a bit N'Awleansish to me.
Plan is to do the tour of the bay tomorrow, then look for a golf course and head to Christchurch.
We drove from Nelson to Nelson Lakes and managed a small walk there, then the next day it was all the way over the alps to Hanmer Springs in rainy and cloudy conditions. the scenery was spectacular though, with cloud filled valleys and a road that wound its way along the side of the mountains with the ridges spread out ahead of you getting ever fainter as they disappeared into the distance and the cloud/rain until the furthest ones were mere ghosts. As you drove round the ridges then each in turn would become darker and slowly take shape until soon enough you were driving round it and it was rendered in full colour and detail, and there was a new set of gray mis-shapen lumps in the distance that in their own time would be revealed as you drove round them too. It was a bit like playing a driving game on your PC with an under-powered graphics card.
Hanmer Springs was a chance to spend a day doing very little and just relax, which seems to be the point of the place. The thermal springs were pleasant enough, though a bit surreal when you're sitting in a 41 degree pool and it's throwing down with rain.
That's where we were this morning and we're now in Akaroa looking to see some sort of marine wildlife. Ideally it would have been penguins but they stopped that tour a few days ago apparently. Such is life. Still, tehre's seals and dolphins up for grabs so all is not lost. This place was set up by the French and looks a bit N'Awleansish to me.
Plan is to do the tour of the bay tomorrow, then look for a golf course and head to Christchurch.
Thursday, 19 February 2009
General Update...
Blimey can it rain over here! 6 hours of torrential downpour, three hours of which were spent driving from Picton to Nelson, where we're holedd up for the moment.
Wellington was great. The place itself is nothing special but the Basin Reserve cricket ground is as good a place to watch cricket in as one could ask for. Grass bank, late evening sun, cold beer. Marvellous stuff. Welly lost in the final over but that wasn't a problem for me. Many beers then followed with Rich's mates and a good night out was had by all. I'll confess to not feeling too clever yesterday though.
to which end, the entire day was spent lounging around watching Boosh then getting a ferry to the South Island. Stayed in a hostel last night that was full of Other People. Not sure I'm cut out for this backpacking malarkey. Still, we're in a motel tonight so it's a relative luxury. I think the bottom line is that I'm not going to be impressed by any place where you have to provide your own towel. It's just Not Right.
Tonight's going to be watching Super 14 rugby then heading to Abel Tasman National Park. Hopefully Tropical Storm Bruce will have left us alone by then...
Wellington was great. The place itself is nothing special but the Basin Reserve cricket ground is as good a place to watch cricket in as one could ask for. Grass bank, late evening sun, cold beer. Marvellous stuff. Welly lost in the final over but that wasn't a problem for me. Many beers then followed with Rich's mates and a good night out was had by all. I'll confess to not feeling too clever yesterday though.
to which end, the entire day was spent lounging around watching Boosh then getting a ferry to the South Island. Stayed in a hostel last night that was full of Other People. Not sure I'm cut out for this backpacking malarkey. Still, we're in a motel tonight so it's a relative luxury. I think the bottom line is that I'm not going to be impressed by any place where you have to provide your own towel. It's just Not Right.
Tonight's going to be watching Super 14 rugby then heading to Abel Tasman National Park. Hopefully Tropical Storm Bruce will have left us alone by then...
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
Quote of the night
"You don't seem like a pedantic, irritating git"
Obviously I had to put him straight.
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