Bealey's Christchurch

... pulling over to let them pass. However I was glad I made the effort and the journey back on the Monday morning was much easier apart from encountering a cow jam this time.

I spent the last 4 days in Christchurch and as the roads were all very flat I cycled most places. I got my bearings and found that the campsite was very near the van drop off point and airport – perfect, I could then relax about that as anyone who knows me will tell you I find that sort of stuff a bit ...

... s been a year and a half since we saw them but it felt like it was only last week. We had a great time in the pools, laughing and catching up, though I managed to lose half of my clothes in the excitement (which luckily were handed into reception)!

On Friday, Nick and Anna showed us more highlights of Christchurch and we went back to the museum to view an exhibition called 'Fred and Myrtle's Paur Shell House' - Kiwiana at ...

... afterwards, found a campsite there & settled down for the night. The next morning, we visited Baldwin Street, which is the steepest street in the world. Every year, during Dunedin's Festival, large numbers of athletes take part in social & competitive foot races to the top of the street & back. These races are called "The Baldwin Street Gutbuster".

I didn't think the van would make it up the hill, so we parked at the bottom & walked up instead. The ...

... know, it's a jail, you live in, its lovely, you've done wonderful things with it, but you're all still in denial!" So it's fairly different to the wildlife and climate back home but from what I can see Australia has to offer dramatic landscapes, unique wildlife and vibrant cities, which I am told make the creepy crawlies worthwhile and make Auz such a unique place to anywhere else in the world. Over the next 35 days we plan to travel from Melbourne on the south east coast, west along ...

... do I use these SIX pills for?" he asked. "They're SEX pills." she explained louder. "Ok, I now know there's SIX of them - but what do you do with them?". "SEX! SEX! They're for SEX! You Aussies are so funny! I worked over there for a while in a pub and the patrons continually asked me to say Fush 'n Chups!" she laughed. "Oh. Now I get it." brightly blushed Ol Dolly, with a grin on his face. "And what do they actually do for sex?". "They are full of caffeine and keep you awake." she ...

... morning flight from Wellington to Christchurch. Caroline's parents, Mike and Julia, graciously offered to host me that evening at their home in a suburb of Christchurch, so I landed at 9 a.m. and hit the ground running to check out the city. I took the bus from the airport to Central Cathedral, which is not only a landmark church, but a large city square of markets, galleries and a tourist hub. It was an easy start to the day! I signed up for a classic ...

... meal packs.  It's good not to get too set in one's ways. Merina and I are still ill but recovering.  The Tylenol #3's are doing their job. Day 11 - Franz Josef  Today we climbed on the Franz Joseph glacier -- see Devon's entry if you have not already done so.  Mark, needless to say, did not come with us.   "The cold" appears to be working its way through the bus... Day 12 - Franz Josef to Makarora Today was spent mostly driving.  Our guide book stated, "This will be one ...

EN: The flight to Christchurch went extremelly smooth all along, plus the in-flight entertainment system was the best we have ever seen... two thumbs up for Air New Zealand! Like Australia, New Zealand (NZ) has very strict bio-security checks on arrival which can be a bit annoying, but are definitelly needed. Since we would also have a campervan in NZ, we packed the stuff we bought for our camper van in Australia, plus some of the food we had left, in a box and ...

... live in the North Island, one of the two main islands. New Zealand Maori make up approximately 10% of the population, and Polynesian people approximately 4% of New Zealand's multi-cultural society. Chinese, Indian and Asian ethnic groups are increasing in population size within New Zealand. Time Zone New Zealand is exactly twelve hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. In summer, early October to late March, we enjoy an extra hour of daylight saving, to ...

... is gay for everyone. Except Jordan. Poor Jordan." (This is the part where I hope Chris doesn't get to this entry before I get home. It will reduce the probability of him setting fire to me when I least expect it. WHEN I LEAST EXPECT IT!) The problem of the satnav is solved, the nice folks at Scotties hooked me up. But all this dilly dallying about has meant there are a couple of things I wanted to do in Christchurch that I'm not going to have time for now ...