Here's the link to his flickr homepage: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinknox
Sunday 28 January 2007
Chamonix photos
One of the boys in the chalet has been using his flickr account to post up pics of the various days riding. They are pretty good in fact.
Here's the link to his flickr homepage: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinknox
Here's the link to his flickr homepage: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinknox
Saturday 27 January 2007
Riding this past week
Soooo. After it dumped down about 30cm of new snow 4 days ago I've ridden pretty heavily during the day and worked in the afternoons and evenings. It's a pretty good combination and it looks like the computers that were sent over have arrived and need to be picked up meaning the work level can be stepped up another notch. The new business team sat down the other day and started working out the plan for the immediate future and it looks mint. We do compliment each other and there's some really good ideas bouncing around to problems that have arisen. It feels confident and good and to have the confidence in the other guys is a great thing and a huge support. Everything is moulding together nd I'd guess that in a weeks time there's going to be a busy office humming with business being done. Awesome.
Luckily I've managed to squeeze in a fair bit of riding the fresh snow that's fallen and met up with a load of really good lads and ladies who all coexist in our communal chalet very well It's centrally placed with easy access to the ski buses and the supermarket and the office. It's a beauiful old chalet and as chance would have it, I've already ridden with one of the guys who lives here as well - it's great to know someone here and we've hit it off nicely forming a solid friendship and riding relationship.
I'm stoked to have hit the ground running with the riding too. Already have started spinning, something that I nearly always have to work up to. It's become more natural and easier the older I've gotten and have started to lay down a few floated backside 180's and even squeezed out a little 360. We've built a rail to session in our driveway and even got a little kicker there as well. Heaven.
So yesterday went up to Le Tour at the top of the Chamonix valley and rode a load of the gullies and chutes there with a few of the boys. We cut some fresh tracks after climbing the Tete de Balme dropping into the face there before funneling down into the large chute below using the windlip to huck a few nice jumps off. One of the lads took his camera so I'll post up photos soon.
So it's all looking good. The guys I'm working with are very good. The guys I'm riding with are very good. The sun is shining and everything's looking smooth and positive for the future. The only blip has been one of the boys in the chalet I rode the Grands Montets mountain with on Tuesday had a bit of a sketch at Brevant and got choppered off one of the faces there after breaking 3 bones in his back hitting a rock band. Still they're only minor bones and he should be back up and running in a month or so. I hope he heals up well and it's a timely reminder not to piss about here, keep your senses and not make any silly decisions.
Sunday's a day of rest so tomorrow am going back up to Le Tour and going to shape a few kickers in the backcountry with some of the boys and session them. Pics to follow. Am missing a load of guys from the UK, I really wish they could be here and see all this and it would be great to see them all. I've talked to a few about coming out and lots seem very keen. I look forward to riding with them and catching up with them and hope they're all doing well. Take it easy guys, Narg sends love to you all.
x
Luckily I've managed to squeeze in a fair bit of riding the fresh snow that's fallen and met up with a load of really good lads and ladies who all coexist in our communal chalet very well It's centrally placed with easy access to the ski buses and the supermarket and the office. It's a beauiful old chalet and as chance would have it, I've already ridden with one of the guys who lives here as well - it's great to know someone here and we've hit it off nicely forming a solid friendship and riding relationship.
I'm stoked to have hit the ground running with the riding too. Already have started spinning, something that I nearly always have to work up to. It's become more natural and easier the older I've gotten and have started to lay down a few floated backside 180's and even squeezed out a little 360. We've built a rail to session in our driveway and even got a little kicker there as well. Heaven.
So yesterday went up to Le Tour at the top of the Chamonix valley and rode a load of the gullies and chutes there with a few of the boys. We cut some fresh tracks after climbing the Tete de Balme dropping into the face there before funneling down into the large chute below using the windlip to huck a few nice jumps off. One of the lads took his camera so I'll post up photos soon.
So it's all looking good. The guys I'm working with are very good. The guys I'm riding with are very good. The sun is shining and everything's looking smooth and positive for the future. The only blip has been one of the boys in the chalet I rode the Grands Montets mountain with on Tuesday had a bit of a sketch at Brevant and got choppered off one of the faces there after breaking 3 bones in his back hitting a rock band. Still they're only minor bones and he should be back up and running in a month or so. I hope he heals up well and it's a timely reminder not to piss about here, keep your senses and not make any silly decisions.
Sunday's a day of rest so tomorrow am going back up to Le Tour and going to shape a few kickers in the backcountry with some of the boys and session them. Pics to follow. Am missing a load of guys from the UK, I really wish they could be here and see all this and it would be great to see them all. I've talked to a few about coming out and lots seem very keen. I look forward to riding with them and catching up with them and hope they're all doing well. Take it easy guys, Narg sends love to you all.
x
Tuesday 23 January 2007
First few days in Cham
Everything seems to be coming together nicely. Am riding the Grands Montets today - one of the mountains in the valley. Low cloud cover so probably going to take a few hits getting up to full speed. Never mind, no pain no gain.
There's a reasonable amount of snow to contend with, but it really could do with a heavy dump. Luckily the taste of snow is in the air and the temperature's dropped. One of the great things about being here full time is being able to make a judgement call each morning whether or not to go up on the mountain. If it's really crap then there's always tomorrow. It doesn't really matter at the moment, so revved up about being here that Narg would ride in a whiteout blizzard.
There's a reasonable amount of snow to contend with, but it really could do with a heavy dump. Luckily the taste of snow is in the air and the temperature's dropped. One of the great things about being here full time is being able to make a judgement call each morning whether or not to go up on the mountain. If it's really crap then there's always tomorrow. It doesn't really matter at the moment, so revved up about being here that Narg would ride in a whiteout blizzard.
Monday 22 January 2007
Wahey!
Am here! In Chamonix! It's brilliant and have met loads of old friends. The offices are fanastic and the chalet's great - have even bumped into a guy I know living here. Will post up later when everything's settled down. Narg's got a teensy hangover.
Friday 19 January 2007
The next generation
While I was away, I regularly wanted to check my email, the internet and various news and blog feeds but without all the hassle of finding an internet cafe every time. I already use Opera Mini on my mobile phone as the default web browser and it's damn good. I upgraded to version 3 before I left which supports all the usual suspects such as HTML and (limited but solid) CSS as well as fast searching of google/wikipedia down to the browser's homepage and also some very funky support of RSS and default image compression to reduce page load times of web pages.
I'd highly recommend it as a piece of kit - sure it's not going to be as easy to use as a keyboard for writing lengthy emails, but it's pretty easy to use the inbuilt predictive text feature on your phone to put words down. Gmail looks great in it and feeds are nicely displayed, it's also pretty quick download times and the big benefit of course is that it's available on demand with any connection signal.
I never used to be a big fan of browsers for phones, but maybe there just needed to be that development time to get them up to speed. With the new Apple iPhone (with an implementation of the Safari web browser) and Opera Mini dominating market share currently it looks like there's a shift in the traditional browser wars occurring. In fact a brief search on Google shows that the first result for "Internet Explorer for mobile phones" comes back with the Microsoft Mobile Explorer (MME) a product that was launched some 8 years ago in 1999 and no longer supported. It reminds me of IE where Microsoft always said that they weren't going to update the browser after IE6 and only security concerns really forced them into launching IE7 some years later, but this seems to be a total step away for them from a large browser market.
Maybe they're concentrating on their other areas of business such as their suite of operating systems, or their MS Office products but it seems strange to have the world's biggest software company ignore an entire section of the market almost identical to one they fought so hard to acquire in the 90's. I can understand it from a implementation point of view - IE interacts so much with the underlying operating system (e.g. ActiveX and the JScript engine) that it would be very, very difficult to get a standalone version of IE running. In fact the only one that springs to mind is IE5 for the Mac, a product that stopped being supported many moons ago. So maybe they just don't want the hassle and bad PR?
But it does show a few things that have changed over the years. Consumers are getting more technically savvy by having minimal problems adjusting to the products of the different browser vendors and the various implementations of those browsers. Microsoft is having its software base attacked from many angles with Firefox (side note: it's not going to be long before a mobile phone version of Firefox is released I'm sure) taking chunks of IE's browser market share, IBM's Lotus Notes making a comeback as well as OpenOffice and Google Docs and Spreadsheets taking share from Microsoft Office. Of course Unix and various flavours of Linux are holding their own against the Microsoft Server family, but also more recently Linux distributions such as ubuntu are eating into the desktop OS market - especially in the emerging markets of the developing world.
Microsoft still has an enormous user base and have for years been "under attack" commercially speaking, from smaller software vendors but it does seem that they've been losing the battle recently. There's a movement in progress towards a diverse software base from different vendors governed only by rules of connectivity (protocols) rather than just the one vendor pushing data around its own suite of applications. I like this idea that the rules are being mixed up - Google using the Internet for spreadsheets, there's online file storage in the form of Flickr and free/open source software such as OpenOffice and Opera Mini are competing as equals against proprietary software.
I truly believe that there's lots of business oppertunity out there as this shift takes place. "Web 2.0" (for want of a better description) has shown us data collation and display to be a valid software tool in itself and that self-growing online environments can spawn exponentially, linking to each other and having shared users and user accounts (look no further than blogger.com using Google accounts to login with). For me this is the true Internet - a proper interactive environment where you have access to any and all information you require, as well as the software to propogate this information - software that is free and easy to use.
With the slow release of end users from Microsoft's business model it gives us all more technical savvy from using a more diverse software base, as well as oppertunity to try and use software for free or very limited cost (OpenOffice, Flickr, ubuntu, blogger.com, etc) using this growing technical knowledge effectively and really pushing software creators to develop what we want and demand.
So that's all pretty chirpy really, everything's cool and funky. But here's the kicker - the software that needs to challenge Microsoft and the global market must be really top notch. The software must be efficient from the outset both in planning and the implementation of that planning. If one thing that has been shown time after time, as in the case with Microsoft's Internet Explorer, a badly conceived and implemented piece of software turns inflexible very, very quickly and this bad planning will come back and bite you in the ass - hard. Of course with IE, Microsoft were pushing a brand new market but because they had not been flexible initially IE7 still had implementation problems that were around since the very first versions. This can be shown by trying to install 2 versions of IE on the same machine without using any extra software. IE has ultimately been shown up to be hugely inflexible and technically very backward in core areas!
So I'm looking forward this year to building efficient, flexible software. Something that's going to challenge and push forward not regress and look backwards. This year sets the foundations for future standards. The aim is to build software that supports users with accesibility issues, it will support modern browsers, it will look to easily support future browsers and be clear and concise and efficient and really, really easy to use. It's time to build the next generation of the Internet and I'm damn proud to be a part of it.
I'd highly recommend it as a piece of kit - sure it's not going to be as easy to use as a keyboard for writing lengthy emails, but it's pretty easy to use the inbuilt predictive text feature on your phone to put words down. Gmail looks great in it and feeds are nicely displayed, it's also pretty quick download times and the big benefit of course is that it's available on demand with any connection signal.
I never used to be a big fan of browsers for phones, but maybe there just needed to be that development time to get them up to speed. With the new Apple iPhone (with an implementation of the Safari web browser) and Opera Mini dominating market share currently it looks like there's a shift in the traditional browser wars occurring. In fact a brief search on Google shows that the first result for "Internet Explorer for mobile phones" comes back with the Microsoft Mobile Explorer (MME) a product that was launched some 8 years ago in 1999 and no longer supported. It reminds me of IE where Microsoft always said that they weren't going to update the browser after IE6 and only security concerns really forced them into launching IE7 some years later, but this seems to be a total step away for them from a large browser market.
Maybe they're concentrating on their other areas of business such as their suite of operating systems, or their MS Office products but it seems strange to have the world's biggest software company ignore an entire section of the market almost identical to one they fought so hard to acquire in the 90's. I can understand it from a implementation point of view - IE interacts so much with the underlying operating system (e.g. ActiveX and the JScript engine) that it would be very, very difficult to get a standalone version of IE running. In fact the only one that springs to mind is IE5 for the Mac, a product that stopped being supported many moons ago. So maybe they just don't want the hassle and bad PR?
But it does show a few things that have changed over the years. Consumers are getting more technically savvy by having minimal problems adjusting to the products of the different browser vendors and the various implementations of those browsers. Microsoft is having its software base attacked from many angles with Firefox (side note: it's not going to be long before a mobile phone version of Firefox is released I'm sure) taking chunks of IE's browser market share, IBM's Lotus Notes making a comeback as well as OpenOffice and Google Docs and Spreadsheets taking share from Microsoft Office. Of course Unix and various flavours of Linux are holding their own against the Microsoft Server family, but also more recently Linux distributions such as ubuntu are eating into the desktop OS market - especially in the emerging markets of the developing world.
Microsoft still has an enormous user base and have for years been "under attack" commercially speaking, from smaller software vendors but it does seem that they've been losing the battle recently. There's a movement in progress towards a diverse software base from different vendors governed only by rules of connectivity (protocols) rather than just the one vendor pushing data around its own suite of applications. I like this idea that the rules are being mixed up - Google using the Internet for spreadsheets, there's online file storage in the form of Flickr and free/open source software such as OpenOffice and Opera Mini are competing as equals against proprietary software.
I truly believe that there's lots of business oppertunity out there as this shift takes place. "Web 2.0" (for want of a better description) has shown us data collation and display to be a valid software tool in itself and that self-growing online environments can spawn exponentially, linking to each other and having shared users and user accounts (look no further than blogger.com using Google accounts to login with). For me this is the true Internet - a proper interactive environment where you have access to any and all information you require, as well as the software to propogate this information - software that is free and easy to use.
With the slow release of end users from Microsoft's business model it gives us all more technical savvy from using a more diverse software base, as well as oppertunity to try and use software for free or very limited cost (OpenOffice, Flickr, ubuntu, blogger.com, etc) using this growing technical knowledge effectively and really pushing software creators to develop what we want and demand.
So that's all pretty chirpy really, everything's cool and funky. But here's the kicker - the software that needs to challenge Microsoft and the global market must be really top notch. The software must be efficient from the outset both in planning and the implementation of that planning. If one thing that has been shown time after time, as in the case with Microsoft's Internet Explorer, a badly conceived and implemented piece of software turns inflexible very, very quickly and this bad planning will come back and bite you in the ass - hard. Of course with IE, Microsoft were pushing a brand new market but because they had not been flexible initially IE7 still had implementation problems that were around since the very first versions. This can be shown by trying to install 2 versions of IE on the same machine without using any extra software. IE has ultimately been shown up to be hugely inflexible and technically very backward in core areas!
So I'm looking forward this year to building efficient, flexible software. Something that's going to challenge and push forward not regress and look backwards. This year sets the foundations for future standards. The aim is to build software that supports users with accesibility issues, it will support modern browsers, it will look to easily support future browsers and be clear and concise and efficient and really, really easy to use. It's time to build the next generation of the Internet and I'm damn proud to be a part of it.
Thursday 18 January 2007
Weight loss
Just saw meself in the mirror.
Have always been able to lose weight quickly but am pretty surprised by how much your body changes after a month of hard exercise in the form of swimming, surfing and hiking around. The six pack is starting to make a serious effort to show itself and am starting to streamline out. In fact, I'd hazard a guess that I'm going to be more physically big than at any other time in The Life of Narg.
I always used to be very fit until I badly broke my ankle some years ago and have always wanted to be able to get back to having that body. Unfortunately it looks like someone has stolen that body permanently and replaced it with this rather abused one. It's going to be fun seeing what is left after this snow season with good diet and lots of exercise though. Either that route to get fit or it's going to be a trip to Thailand to one of those really sketchy liposuction clinics you always hear about - you know the really unhygenic ones where people get really screwed up with disease and pestilence for that true weight loss experience baby. Surgery + dysentry + flesh-eating virus = sexy time.
Have always been able to lose weight quickly but am pretty surprised by how much your body changes after a month of hard exercise in the form of swimming, surfing and hiking around. The six pack is starting to make a serious effort to show itself and am starting to streamline out. In fact, I'd hazard a guess that I'm going to be more physically big than at any other time in The Life of Narg.
I always used to be very fit until I badly broke my ankle some years ago and have always wanted to be able to get back to having that body. Unfortunately it looks like someone has stolen that body permanently and replaced it with this rather abused one. It's going to be fun seeing what is left after this snow season with good diet and lots of exercise though. Either that route to get fit or it's going to be a trip to Thailand to one of those really sketchy liposuction clinics you always hear about - you know the really unhygenic ones where people get really screwed up with disease and pestilence for that true weight loss experience baby. Surgery + dysentry + flesh-eating virus = sexy time.
Day = Night, Night = Day
It's a bugger is jetlag. Thought I'd cracked it when I fell deep asleep at 10pm yesterday night. Woke up and thought it was around 6-7am but oh no, now it's 2.17am and I'm bouncing off the frigging walls wiiiiide awake.
It's not all bad however, there's sport on Channel 5 (ice hockey) there's ginger beer in the fridge and frankly I've got loads to do getting ready to move. Pretty sweet.
According to the all knowing Wikipedia jet lag has a maximum effect of 12 hours and the rough equation for recovery is that you get a time zone back each day. Narg started out GMT +14 hours in New Zealand then got back 2 hours in Singapore (GMT +8) to get roughly the maximum 12 hour jetlag possible. Toolbar.
Of course there was virtually no suffering from jetlag flying out to New Zealand (GMT +14) and only a very minor amount going to Singapore (GMT +8). So why is it so totally screwed now? Not sure, only to say that on all the flights that I feel asleep on immediately on boarding the subsequent jetlag was exponentially more than those which I stayed awake playing Super Mario. Saving grace is that I claw an hour back heading out to France (GMT +1) while all this body clock synchro is happening.
Whilst digging around for info on jetlag, came across the widely-held opinion that symptoms of jetlag extend to various levels of insomnia and irrationality, nausea and dehydration and general irritability. Sweet - this sounds just like drinking. Maybe the trick to recover is to go get a beer in. Time to pop a cold one baby!
It's not all bad however, there's sport on Channel 5 (ice hockey) there's ginger beer in the fridge and frankly I've got loads to do getting ready to move. Pretty sweet.
According to the all knowing Wikipedia jet lag has a maximum effect of 12 hours and the rough equation for recovery is that you get a time zone back each day. Narg started out GMT +14 hours in New Zealand then got back 2 hours in Singapore (GMT +8) to get roughly the maximum 12 hour jetlag possible. Toolbar.
Of course there was virtually no suffering from jetlag flying out to New Zealand (GMT +14) and only a very minor amount going to Singapore (GMT +8). So why is it so totally screwed now? Not sure, only to say that on all the flights that I feel asleep on immediately on boarding the subsequent jetlag was exponentially more than those which I stayed awake playing Super Mario. Saving grace is that I claw an hour back heading out to France (GMT +1) while all this body clock synchro is happening.
Whilst digging around for info on jetlag, came across the widely-held opinion that symptoms of jetlag extend to various levels of insomnia and irrationality, nausea and dehydration and general irritability. Sweet - this sounds just like drinking. Maybe the trick to recover is to go get a beer in. Time to pop a cold one baby!
Wednesday 17 January 2007
Singapore Fling
Clipped into Singapore from Auckland after sleeping almost the entire flight. Arrived at the airport to 25°C heat at 6am set to rise throughout the day. And rise it did. Hot, hot, hot. Humid, humid, humid. Tis rainy season and boy does it show. Beautiful place is SIngapore and staying in this amazing 5-star hotel called the Grand Hyatt. It's pretty special and Narg has his own executive suite - nice.
Singapore is very cool, only staying here for a couple of days before heading back to the UK then onwards to Chamonix. It's pretty cheap - got lunch with mum for $3, about £1. The city teems with business deals being forged and hums with financial intent. Lots of westerners too. There's an endless supply of prositutes here, something I never really expected. Apparently they satiate the sex-trade demand for the westerners. Narg Snr gave out tips and techniques on how to watch out for ladyboys - now THAT'S the kind of father-son advice that should be listened to, understood and then never forgotten. There are more than just loads of chinese working girls too - lots of Russian and Eastern Bloc ladies of negitable virtue floating around. It all makes one feel kind of uncomfortable going out on the beers. Mrs Narg Snr gave a small speech on STD's and lots of jokes - the family Narg is never short of conversation when dealing with personal content. Gotta love having parents who really are open and funny. Rocking baby.
So pretty much had a mooch around topping up the tan by the pool, adventuring around the city and going out for fantastic dinners in wine cellars, drinking and doing some brief clubbing. Hoping to get rid of some jetlag too.
Bumped into one of the boys I used to work with in Changi Airport on the way home (how random!!) and so stopped for a quick chat. I'm sure we both looked absolutely knackered after flying half-way round the world! Nice to have it happen though. So got on the plane and slept most of the way back to Manchester.
Nothing much of note happening now. Am sitting back at home feeling perpetually jetlagged and sleeping during the day and bouncing around awake at night. Hopefully all the jetlag will be gone in a few days. Spoke to Chris from Listingslab who's going to pick us up from Geneva Airport on Saturday (cheers mate!) ready to start the next chapter in The Life of Narg. Can't believe how excited and relaxed it feels to move and start a new life. As well as snowboarding of course!
Just got to get all this damn washing done now.
Singapore is very cool, only staying here for a couple of days before heading back to the UK then onwards to Chamonix. It's pretty cheap - got lunch with mum for $3, about £1. The city teems with business deals being forged and hums with financial intent. Lots of westerners too. There's an endless supply of prositutes here, something I never really expected. Apparently they satiate the sex-trade demand for the westerners. Narg Snr gave out tips and techniques on how to watch out for ladyboys - now THAT'S the kind of father-son advice that should be listened to, understood and then never forgotten. There are more than just loads of chinese working girls too - lots of Russian and Eastern Bloc ladies of negitable virtue floating around. It all makes one feel kind of uncomfortable going out on the beers. Mrs Narg Snr gave a small speech on STD's and lots of jokes - the family Narg is never short of conversation when dealing with personal content. Gotta love having parents who really are open and funny. Rocking baby.
So pretty much had a mooch around topping up the tan by the pool, adventuring around the city and going out for fantastic dinners in wine cellars, drinking and doing some brief clubbing. Hoping to get rid of some jetlag too.
Bumped into one of the boys I used to work with in Changi Airport on the way home (how random!!) and so stopped for a quick chat. I'm sure we both looked absolutely knackered after flying half-way round the world! Nice to have it happen though. So got on the plane and slept most of the way back to Manchester.
Nothing much of note happening now. Am sitting back at home feeling perpetually jetlagged and sleeping during the day and bouncing around awake at night. Hopefully all the jetlag will be gone in a few days. Spoke to Chris from Listingslab who's going to pick us up from Geneva Airport on Saturday (cheers mate!) ready to start the next chapter in The Life of Narg. Can't believe how excited and relaxed it feels to move and start a new life. As well as snowboarding of course!
Just got to get all this damn washing done now.
Tuesday 16 January 2007
Leaving Whitianga
Genuinely absolutely gutted to be leaving Whitianga to head off on the next stage of the adventure. Meeting Silvi the German girl was really cool - it was nice to have someone to spend time with after the energetics of the previous few weeks. I really feel that out of everywhere in New Zealand that I've been to, Whitianga was by far the place I'd like to live. Walking with Kizumi to the beaches, talking and hiking across the cliffs was so beautifully therapeutic I doubt I'll ever be able to put into words how much those two and the friends I met, have impacted the life of Narg for the better.
Narg has been stuck in love limbo ruefully thinking about the ex for too long, to meet two amazing people in such a short space of time really did clean out the last vestiges of regret and provide a happy finality to that chapter in life.
Of course, there's other bits to the place. Never really got over the whole shark thing. I mean, you read about them in the paper - people getting munched and stuff - and all the local fishing tackle shops sell these fucking massive hooks that look like they could double as anchors for boats. Narg's arse still makes noises like a dolphin thinking about the number of times there could have been a whacking great big carnivorous fish within poking distance whilst waiting for waves. Very sketchy and in fact my rusty sheriff's badge just puckered briefly writing this.
Anyways, jumped on the Magic Bus to voyage back up to Auckland for a bit of posh lunch on the docks surrounded by the America's Cup boats. They are mad - just sitting still they hum with speed and lethal elegance.
America's Cup yachts
It's time to meet up with Mr and Mrs Narg Snr to fly together to Singapore. I'm only going to stay for a few days, they're going to be there for a while on business. Really looking forward to it. Got the hankering for chinese food.
Narg has been stuck in love limbo ruefully thinking about the ex for too long, to meet two amazing people in such a short space of time really did clean out the last vestiges of regret and provide a happy finality to that chapter in life.
Of course, there's other bits to the place. Never really got over the whole shark thing. I mean, you read about them in the paper - people getting munched and stuff - and all the local fishing tackle shops sell these fucking massive hooks that look like they could double as anchors for boats. Narg's arse still makes noises like a dolphin thinking about the number of times there could have been a whacking great big carnivorous fish within poking distance whilst waiting for waves. Very sketchy and in fact my rusty sheriff's badge just puckered briefly writing this.
Anyways, jumped on the Magic Bus to voyage back up to Auckland for a bit of posh lunch on the docks surrounded by the America's Cup boats. They are mad - just sitting still they hum with speed and lethal elegance.
America's Cup yachts
It's time to meet up with Mr and Mrs Narg Snr to fly together to Singapore. I'm only going to stay for a few days, they're going to be there for a while on business. Really looking forward to it. Got the hankering for chinese food.
Thursday 11 January 2007
Lonely Bay
Have been in Whitianga for a wee while, with people flitting in and out of the place travelling their way around New Zealand and often the world. The German girl (after making Narg a few meals - result!) has continued her travelling. She was cool too - got on well.
There's a great beach about 100 yards away from where I'm staying. Clams sink into the sand just accessible at low tide, huge green-lipped mussels can be gotten to with a snorkel and crayfish (if you're lucky enough) can be grabbed from rock pools and with a bit of free diving. The other day, 4 of us went out and collected seafood for dinner. Just amazingly delicious clams in simple white wine and cream sauce with a bit of parsley. Entire meal for 10 people cost around 8 quid - you could easily multiply that number by 20 or 30 to get to London prices. Just incredible.
It's nice staying in one place for a bit, especially after running around New Zealand from funzone to funzone for the past few weeks. It's been great to basically wake up, check the tide times, check the surf conditions up and down the coast by talking to a few people staying here and random people in the street. I've managed to squeeze in riding slightly better than every other day and the Narg skill level is definitely improving. It's a pretty solid swell here every day, nothing massively spectacular but nothing too tiny either. Every 7th wave jacks up pretty nice and caught of one of these waves perfectly yesterday, popped onto the board and had the best ride of the holiday so far =)
There's a beautiful japanese girl who works here who I've spoken to a few times. Yesterday we caught the ferry across to the other side of the bay and did a hike for about an hour or so past Shakespeare's Cliff:
Shakespeare's Cliff
To Lonely Bay, a beautiful beach only accessible by foot:
Lonely Bay
There was only 4 people there, myself and Kizumi and on the other end of the beach another couple. The waves were crashing in with about 3' swells and it was just amazing. We stayed there for about 3 hours surfing and chatting and chilling out, then walked back a different way through the bush to the ferry. Had to cross a couple of shallow streams along the way so carried Kizumi over as she wasn't wearing flip-flops. Very romantic. Even plucked up the courage to ask her out for dinner. So we got changed out of board shorts and flip flops and Narg slipped on a shirt and had a fantastic night. Umi rocks - funny, pretty, slightly weird - perfect! Even did a little kissin' after the meal. We walked back home by the small marina with the sailboats - very romantic! I'm gonna be sad to leave to walk away from Umi and Whitianga. She's very cool and it's an amazing place.
There's a great beach about 100 yards away from where I'm staying. Clams sink into the sand just accessible at low tide, huge green-lipped mussels can be gotten to with a snorkel and crayfish (if you're lucky enough) can be grabbed from rock pools and with a bit of free diving. The other day, 4 of us went out and collected seafood for dinner. Just amazingly delicious clams in simple white wine and cream sauce with a bit of parsley. Entire meal for 10 people cost around 8 quid - you could easily multiply that number by 20 or 30 to get to London prices. Just incredible.
It's nice staying in one place for a bit, especially after running around New Zealand from funzone to funzone for the past few weeks. It's been great to basically wake up, check the tide times, check the surf conditions up and down the coast by talking to a few people staying here and random people in the street. I've managed to squeeze in riding slightly better than every other day and the Narg skill level is definitely improving. It's a pretty solid swell here every day, nothing massively spectacular but nothing too tiny either. Every 7th wave jacks up pretty nice and caught of one of these waves perfectly yesterday, popped onto the board and had the best ride of the holiday so far =)
There's a beautiful japanese girl who works here who I've spoken to a few times. Yesterday we caught the ferry across to the other side of the bay and did a hike for about an hour or so past Shakespeare's Cliff:
Shakespeare's Cliff
To Lonely Bay, a beautiful beach only accessible by foot:
Lonely Bay
There was only 4 people there, myself and Kizumi and on the other end of the beach another couple. The waves were crashing in with about 3' swells and it was just amazing. We stayed there for about 3 hours surfing and chatting and chilling out, then walked back a different way through the bush to the ferry. Had to cross a couple of shallow streams along the way so carried Kizumi over as she wasn't wearing flip-flops. Very romantic. Even plucked up the courage to ask her out for dinner. So we got changed out of board shorts and flip flops and Narg slipped on a shirt and had a fantastic night. Umi rocks - funny, pretty, slightly weird - perfect! Even did a little kissin' after the meal. We walked back home by the small marina with the sailboats - very romantic! I'm gonna be sad to leave to walk away from Umi and Whitianga. She's very cool and it's an amazing place.
Tuesday 9 January 2007
Pool practice
Yo people! Staying in Whitianga on the Coromandel Peninsula the at the moment and it's absolutely chocking it down. And I mean lots and lots of really heavy, hard rain. In fact the whole place inland is subtropical and looks like a bit of a rainforest. We're on the coast though, and this place looks the spitting image of the town in "Jaws". Real 1950's beach houses. It's tiny - one main drag with shops and lots of beaches. There's a little ferry to jump from rock to rock, too. It's a pretty cool place (apart from feeling a bit nervy going out into the water!) with some fantastic beach breaks in the bays up and down the coast within striking distance. Had a fantastic time getting here:
They had some sort of pool comp on at the place I was staying in Auckland (just there for a night) so entered into it, won it (thanks Kuntesh for all that practice!!) won a bar tab for the evening - WAHEY! and promptly managed to get seriously pissed and pull two girls. Awesome. Found out later that they were in the same dorm room as each other - hehehehe. Somehow managed to get on the bus to Whitianga at 7am the next morning after a couple of hours sleep - ably assisted by Nerofen and Red Bull in equal quantities. So awesome, arrived here via Cathederal Cove which was incredible. Going to Hot Water Beach tomorrow to get funky in geothermally heated rock pools that you can get to at low tide. Wicked =)
So tomorrow is a bit of bum warming followed by a spot of fishing from the rocks. Met this rather nice German girl here who went for a wander on the beach with earlier. She's making Narg dinner tonight. Pasta on the menu so have even splashed out on a bottle of red - bless.
I better go wash me hands.
They had some sort of pool comp on at the place I was staying in Auckland (just there for a night) so entered into it, won it (thanks Kuntesh for all that practice!!) won a bar tab for the evening - WAHEY! and promptly managed to get seriously pissed and pull two girls. Awesome. Found out later that they were in the same dorm room as each other - hehehehe. Somehow managed to get on the bus to Whitianga at 7am the next morning after a couple of hours sleep - ably assisted by Nerofen and Red Bull in equal quantities. So awesome, arrived here via Cathederal Cove which was incredible. Going to Hot Water Beach tomorrow to get funky in geothermally heated rock pools that you can get to at low tide. Wicked =)
So tomorrow is a bit of bum warming followed by a spot of fishing from the rocks. Met this rather nice German girl here who went for a wander on the beach with earlier. She's making Narg dinner tonight. Pasta on the menu so have even splashed out on a bottle of red - bless.
I better go wash me hands.
Saturday 6 January 2007
Narg the Adventurer
So the peoples and peoplettes of the trip, both family and friends, decided before we came out that the last week be laid aside to spend as they wish. Some smaller groups and couples return back to previous places, others to see old friends living here, some are pondering the small oceanic jump to Fiji and others are choosing island hopping. Narg has decided to get back to his adventuristic roots by finding somewhere hot, beachy and rainforesty in order to while away the days surfing, reading books, and getting on the smokey treats.
After much deliberation and furrowing of brow, the flight back to north island has been booked as well as a place on the Magic Bus around the Coromandel Peninsula. I'm actually looking forward to spending a bit of quiet time by surfing and reading - just taking time to gather the thoughts before the move. Feeling big love for the future, people!
So mooching around Queenstown this morning, going to take a gondola up the mountain next to the town and watch people bungy from a platform built on the top. Who knows, I might even be persuaded to join in!
Queenstown urban bungy!
After much deliberation and furrowing of brow, the flight back to north island has been booked as well as a place on the Magic Bus around the Coromandel Peninsula. I'm actually looking forward to spending a bit of quiet time by surfing and reading - just taking time to gather the thoughts before the move. Feeling big love for the future, people!
So mooching around Queenstown this morning, going to take a gondola up the mountain next to the town and watch people bungy from a platform built on the top. Who knows, I might even be persuaded to join in!
Queenstown urban bungy!
Life changing in Milford Sound
Oh ... my ... god ...
Milford Sound is one of the top 5 places on earth to blow your mind. Have just come back from an overnight cruise around the sound and it was completely and utterly insanely beautiful and breathtaking. Essentially it's a fiord where the mountains drop right down into the sea. So imagine a mountain 1692 meters high, with a sheer cliff face that drops down into the sea continuing a further 600 meters down. Just incredible. Then throw in waterfalls cascading down the mountains all around and the fact there are sheer cliffs either side and you start to imagine the place.
Ship next to a waterfall in Milford Sound
Moss clings to the rocks feeding off the mountain springwater cascading down the shining volcanic rocky faces. The endless waterfalls cascade down like the hair of a beautiful girl flowing in the wind, bright flowers intersperse every shade of green that seems to dapple each spare piece of inhabitable rock ledge available. Towering high above, snow peaked mountains strain their heads upward above the mist into the brooding clouds as if fighting for the precious sunlight. The water is the deepest green, sinking down into unimaginable depths below.
The sea entrance to Milford Sound
The wind tosses and curls the tops of the waves as if beckoning the casual observer into the deep. Dolphins cruise alongside the boat, surfing its wake and tilting to one side to make eye contact with those on board before throwing themselves into the air in a variety of spins, splashes and somersaults and diving down to hunt for the shoals of fish that lurk and dart under the hull. Seals call from ancient black rocks thrown up by volcanoes 120 million years ago, honking their greeting and diving into the water with graceful abandon. Birds fly between the cliffs getting doused with the white mist of the waterfalls, crying out to each other in their search for a place to perch. All around on the less severe cliffs, a forest of trees consumes the mountains like a dense leafy fleece wrapping it's way around and providing habitat and cover to the wildlife as well as the cleanest, sweetest air to those who breathe it.
Waterfall in the sound
I took the option of taking a kayak around the cliffs and rocky bays, poking the nose of the canoe into the caves that yawn their black mouths to the sea. You can't land around the sound, it's a conservation area, but it's so amazing you don't really want to. I spent a few hours paddling around the shoreline and rock faces, then saw a disturbance in the water and went over to find a ball of bait fish being hunted by two seals, the small fish leaping from the surface to escape the silky black mammals.
It looked too good to resist - it was time to go for a swim. The cool water stung at first and then mellowed into a pleasant, bouyant clean feeling with the water not as salty due to the endless stream of fresh water cascading down. Of course I fucking shit myself later when the nature matey decided to tell us all that several species of sharks (including great whites and hammerheads) use the sound to clean themselves in because the fresh water from the mountains helps them remove parasites. Bastard. Was pleased that all of us on this part of the trip decided to swim though, very rewarding and kudos to the family Narg braving the monsters of the deep. In fact, aside from one young american lad, we were the only ones in the water!
We stayed on and had huge dinner on the boat, had a few drinks and then settled into our lovely cabins to sleep with the sounds of inquisitive seals poking their noses against the port holes. An early start saw breakfast followed by more touring of the fiord, each scenery, each waterfall as breathtaking as the last, including the boat coming to within a meter of the side of the rock and staying underneath a waterfall 3 times as high as the Niagra Falls! Really spectacular.
I can't emphasise enough how much I'd recommed visiting this ancient, majestic place. The cliffs, waterfalls, trees, flowers and animals will totally blow you away but having the chance to kayak and swim amongst the dolphins and seals will make it unforgettable.
Just majestic
Milford Sound is one of the top 5 places on earth to blow your mind. Have just come back from an overnight cruise around the sound and it was completely and utterly insanely beautiful and breathtaking. Essentially it's a fiord where the mountains drop right down into the sea. So imagine a mountain 1692 meters high, with a sheer cliff face that drops down into the sea continuing a further 600 meters down. Just incredible. Then throw in waterfalls cascading down the mountains all around and the fact there are sheer cliffs either side and you start to imagine the place.
Ship next to a waterfall in Milford Sound
Moss clings to the rocks feeding off the mountain springwater cascading down the shining volcanic rocky faces. The endless waterfalls cascade down like the hair of a beautiful girl flowing in the wind, bright flowers intersperse every shade of green that seems to dapple each spare piece of inhabitable rock ledge available. Towering high above, snow peaked mountains strain their heads upward above the mist into the brooding clouds as if fighting for the precious sunlight. The water is the deepest green, sinking down into unimaginable depths below.
The sea entrance to Milford Sound
The wind tosses and curls the tops of the waves as if beckoning the casual observer into the deep. Dolphins cruise alongside the boat, surfing its wake and tilting to one side to make eye contact with those on board before throwing themselves into the air in a variety of spins, splashes and somersaults and diving down to hunt for the shoals of fish that lurk and dart under the hull. Seals call from ancient black rocks thrown up by volcanoes 120 million years ago, honking their greeting and diving into the water with graceful abandon. Birds fly between the cliffs getting doused with the white mist of the waterfalls, crying out to each other in their search for a place to perch. All around on the less severe cliffs, a forest of trees consumes the mountains like a dense leafy fleece wrapping it's way around and providing habitat and cover to the wildlife as well as the cleanest, sweetest air to those who breathe it.
Waterfall in the sound
I took the option of taking a kayak around the cliffs and rocky bays, poking the nose of the canoe into the caves that yawn their black mouths to the sea. You can't land around the sound, it's a conservation area, but it's so amazing you don't really want to. I spent a few hours paddling around the shoreline and rock faces, then saw a disturbance in the water and went over to find a ball of bait fish being hunted by two seals, the small fish leaping from the surface to escape the silky black mammals.
It looked too good to resist - it was time to go for a swim. The cool water stung at first and then mellowed into a pleasant, bouyant clean feeling with the water not as salty due to the endless stream of fresh water cascading down. Of course I fucking shit myself later when the nature matey decided to tell us all that several species of sharks (including great whites and hammerheads) use the sound to clean themselves in because the fresh water from the mountains helps them remove parasites. Bastard. Was pleased that all of us on this part of the trip decided to swim though, very rewarding and kudos to the family Narg braving the monsters of the deep. In fact, aside from one young american lad, we were the only ones in the water!
We stayed on and had huge dinner on the boat, had a few drinks and then settled into our lovely cabins to sleep with the sounds of inquisitive seals poking their noses against the port holes. An early start saw breakfast followed by more touring of the fiord, each scenery, each waterfall as breathtaking as the last, including the boat coming to within a meter of the side of the rock and staying underneath a waterfall 3 times as high as the Niagra Falls! Really spectacular.
I can't emphasise enough how much I'd recommed visiting this ancient, majestic place. The cliffs, waterfalls, trees, flowers and animals will totally blow you away but having the chance to kayak and swim amongst the dolphins and seals will make it unforgettable.
Just majestic
Wanaka and Queenstown
Backdated 2nd - 4th Jan
Made the return dash over the Crown Range road from Wanaka to Queenstown after going out for dinner and doing some general relaxing. Took the day off in Queenstown to soak up some sun, eat ice cream, get on the smokey treats and generally just chill out with the imminent cruise around Milford Sound coming up.
If Wanaka was the quiet energy - beautiful and serene, then Queenstown is it's rock n roll big brother. Nearly twice the size but stretched out over the eastern edge by the bend in Lake Wakatipu. It's again amazingly hot here and there's relatively a lot of people. It's weird, I mean Queenstown has a population of 10k or so but stretched out over an area the size of Central London - everyone has their own space. It's just total poles apart from cramped London with everyone literally jostling each other for space. The lake and the mountain range called The Remarkables dominate the view. And it's so beautiful. During the journey you could see these great gouges from the rocky peaks, like a giant dragon had slashed a talon into the living rock and ripped it out with vicious force. Cleared spaces in the forest and higher on the rocky plain showed where landslides and rockfalls had tumbled down during an earthquake, they looked like teeth marks from some astral monster biting into the giant ridges streaching skywards. By the same token, there's this beauty in the ruggedness that draws you and dares you to reach the summit of those peaks and look down, like you've conquered this land.
Queenstown by Lake Wakatipu
Needed to loosen up the other night so I went in a sauna with ass, pubic topiary and piercing on display, bowed my head and shuffled towards an elevated seating position. When I glanced at the thermometer it read 40°C (we were just heating the beggar up). I remembered the last time it was 40°C indoors - the frigging central line on the tube this summer! Admittedly, I ALWAYS wanted to do a tube run nude. Oh! The freedom! Imagine the space you'd get around you in rush hour =) Awesome. Anyways, I digress. Yeah so I kind of closed my eyes and made myself think about all the guys back in the city, wished each one a happy new year in my mind and hoped they all were well and cheerful. Weird then to find a couple had posted comments on the blog! Cheers Duffman and Welsh Chris! The ESP connection obviously still works - and I hope that you guys, and the others, are still chirpy =)
And if it makes you feel any comfier, then realise that I was wishing you all well when i was NAKED. Yeah, how does THAT make you feel? Hehehe.
Made the return dash over the Crown Range road from Wanaka to Queenstown after going out for dinner and doing some general relaxing. Took the day off in Queenstown to soak up some sun, eat ice cream, get on the smokey treats and generally just chill out with the imminent cruise around Milford Sound coming up.
If Wanaka was the quiet energy - beautiful and serene, then Queenstown is it's rock n roll big brother. Nearly twice the size but stretched out over the eastern edge by the bend in Lake Wakatipu. It's again amazingly hot here and there's relatively a lot of people. It's weird, I mean Queenstown has a population of 10k or so but stretched out over an area the size of Central London - everyone has their own space. It's just total poles apart from cramped London with everyone literally jostling each other for space. The lake and the mountain range called The Remarkables dominate the view. And it's so beautiful. During the journey you could see these great gouges from the rocky peaks, like a giant dragon had slashed a talon into the living rock and ripped it out with vicious force. Cleared spaces in the forest and higher on the rocky plain showed where landslides and rockfalls had tumbled down during an earthquake, they looked like teeth marks from some astral monster biting into the giant ridges streaching skywards. By the same token, there's this beauty in the ruggedness that draws you and dares you to reach the summit of those peaks and look down, like you've conquered this land.
Queenstown by Lake Wakatipu
Needed to loosen up the other night so I went in a sauna with ass, pubic topiary and piercing on display, bowed my head and shuffled towards an elevated seating position. When I glanced at the thermometer it read 40°C (we were just heating the beggar up). I remembered the last time it was 40°C indoors - the frigging central line on the tube this summer! Admittedly, I ALWAYS wanted to do a tube run nude. Oh! The freedom! Imagine the space you'd get around you in rush hour =) Awesome. Anyways, I digress. Yeah so I kind of closed my eyes and made myself think about all the guys back in the city, wished each one a happy new year in my mind and hoped they all were well and cheerful. Weird then to find a couple had posted comments on the blog! Cheers Duffman and Welsh Chris! The ESP connection obviously still works - and I hope that you guys, and the others, are still chirpy =)
And if it makes you feel any comfier, then realise that I was wishing you all well when i was NAKED. Yeah, how does THAT make you feel? Hehehe.
Tuesday 2 January 2007
From Waihi to Wanaka
In the continuing New Zealand adventure, yesterday has got to be one of the most incredible days that's ever happened to Narg. The long and short of it was I need to get from Waihi beach on the north island:
To Wanaka in the south island:
The plan was to drive to a place called Rotarua in the middle of the north island from Waihi Beach to grab a quick flight to Christchurch (south island) then change to a smaller plane to fly to Queenstown and drive to Wanaka. Simple eh?
I've been waking up around 7am here but yesterday I awoke at around 6.30am at Waihi to the sound of the swell thundering into the break a mere 30 feet from the beach house. Jumped out of bed faster then a flea having it's ass dipped in vinegar and promptly grabbed board, dove into the water and surfed a good while. A quick outside shower then sliding down a fresh fruit breakfast and jumping into the car to the airport rapdily followed. Rotarua is beautiful - this big volcanic crater containing the lake with the smell of sulphur and hotsprings everywhere. Real "Planet Earth" stuff. Taking off from the tiny airport there and looking down on the lake was incredible. The lush vegetation and thousands of these huge ferns called ponga trees making it feel like you were lifting out of a tropical rainforest.
Ponga tree fern.
My board shorts were still wet jumping onto the plane and I still hadn't sorted out any footwear - tis very liberating travelling in bare feet =) A brief touchdown in Christchurch then onto Queenstown in the smallest passenger plane I've flown on. Narg struck gold in the seating arrangments too. Ended up sitting next to this gorgeous half maori girl with the most beautiful dark skin and brown eyes. She was hugely chatty and we spent the entire flight laughing away and working out on the map the names of the majestic snowy peaks slicing their heads through the clouds. We even saw Aoraki (it's the Maori name for Mount Cook - the highest mountain in NZ - its name literally translates as "Cloud Piercer") very cool.
We were struck dumb when the plane dropped between the mountains into the valley to land at Queenstown though. It really takes your breath away. These huge, craggy peaks misted at the top towering aggressively over the tiny plane banking it's way through the giant folds of land. The plane dropped down to land at the small airfield and there was a palpable sense of excitement in the air from all on board.
Queenstown airport with the lake in the background.
I said goodbye to my travelling companion then waited for a while in the middle of mountains until some of the rest of the group pitched up on a later flight. Blue skies, snowy peaks, hotter than satan's crotch - no problem guys, take your time! Arrive they did though and we jumped into the hire car and crossed the Crown Range Road to drop down into the spectacular Wanaka sitting by the side of the lake shown further above.
Crown Range road.
So we stayed over in our wooden chalet by the beach, drinking the local white wine that was grown in the vineyard owned by a friend of my brother-in-law before crashing out. Ended up sleeping with a blanket to fight off the unwanted advances of an inquisitive mosquito.
Today's a new day and a beautiful one. The mountains rise up on all sides encompassing and hugging and feeding this warm glacial lake, the sun is shining and the small town has a strong, quiet energy to it unlike anything I've ever felt. Glaciers fork their iced tongues down the side of sun baked rocky outcrops in the distance. Trees of every shape, colour and variety imaginable cling to the shores leaning their branches to the blue water as if using their delicate leaves as fishing lures. The people are warm and friendly and generous. There's a sense of peaceful vitality and I'm looking forward to spending the day relaxing and getting ready to continue travelling.
It will be a shame to have to leave this place.
To Wanaka in the south island:
The plan was to drive to a place called Rotarua in the middle of the north island from Waihi Beach to grab a quick flight to Christchurch (south island) then change to a smaller plane to fly to Queenstown and drive to Wanaka. Simple eh?
I've been waking up around 7am here but yesterday I awoke at around 6.30am at Waihi to the sound of the swell thundering into the break a mere 30 feet from the beach house. Jumped out of bed faster then a flea having it's ass dipped in vinegar and promptly grabbed board, dove into the water and surfed a good while. A quick outside shower then sliding down a fresh fruit breakfast and jumping into the car to the airport rapdily followed. Rotarua is beautiful - this big volcanic crater containing the lake with the smell of sulphur and hotsprings everywhere. Real "Planet Earth" stuff. Taking off from the tiny airport there and looking down on the lake was incredible. The lush vegetation and thousands of these huge ferns called ponga trees making it feel like you were lifting out of a tropical rainforest.
Ponga tree fern.
My board shorts were still wet jumping onto the plane and I still hadn't sorted out any footwear - tis very liberating travelling in bare feet =) A brief touchdown in Christchurch then onto Queenstown in the smallest passenger plane I've flown on. Narg struck gold in the seating arrangments too. Ended up sitting next to this gorgeous half maori girl with the most beautiful dark skin and brown eyes. She was hugely chatty and we spent the entire flight laughing away and working out on the map the names of the majestic snowy peaks slicing their heads through the clouds. We even saw Aoraki (it's the Maori name for Mount Cook - the highest mountain in NZ - its name literally translates as "Cloud Piercer") very cool.
We were struck dumb when the plane dropped between the mountains into the valley to land at Queenstown though. It really takes your breath away. These huge, craggy peaks misted at the top towering aggressively over the tiny plane banking it's way through the giant folds of land. The plane dropped down to land at the small airfield and there was a palpable sense of excitement in the air from all on board.
Queenstown airport with the lake in the background.
I said goodbye to my travelling companion then waited for a while in the middle of mountains until some of the rest of the group pitched up on a later flight. Blue skies, snowy peaks, hotter than satan's crotch - no problem guys, take your time! Arrive they did though and we jumped into the hire car and crossed the Crown Range Road to drop down into the spectacular Wanaka sitting by the side of the lake shown further above.
Crown Range road.
So we stayed over in our wooden chalet by the beach, drinking the local white wine that was grown in the vineyard owned by a friend of my brother-in-law before crashing out. Ended up sleeping with a blanket to fight off the unwanted advances of an inquisitive mosquito.
Today's a new day and a beautiful one. The mountains rise up on all sides encompassing and hugging and feeding this warm glacial lake, the sun is shining and the small town has a strong, quiet energy to it unlike anything I've ever felt. Glaciers fork their iced tongues down the side of sun baked rocky outcrops in the distance. Trees of every shape, colour and variety imaginable cling to the shores leaning their branches to the blue water as if using their delicate leaves as fishing lures. The people are warm and friendly and generous. There's a sense of peaceful vitality and I'm looking forward to spending the day relaxing and getting ready to continue travelling.
It will be a shame to have to leave this place.
Mount Maunagnui
Backdated to New Years day
What a party. Barbeque at Mount Maunganui to celebrate the New Year looking up at the volcano with the surf crashing into a beautiful beach break in the background. What a way to smile into the face of the future.
Unfortunately some of the English contingent managed to get lost on the way up to the house after getting progressively more "uplifted" by a combination of the seemingly endless supply of cold beer and smokey treats. Amusing as they recounted about getting a speeding ticket 10km into their first journey in NZ (so they actually were going no-where fast!). Apparently Kiwi policemen don't react well to being chatted up by a 6' 3" englishman trying to talk his way out of a fine. As a side note, if they're not gay, why wear the Village People outfit? Yeah, they have no sense of fucking humour either. Still it's great to see the boys and girls around the place as we've known each other for some 16 years or more and it would definately not be the same without them.
Woke up on Jan 1st and celebrated by going body surfing with one of the extended family at his local break at the Mount under a clear blue sky. Beautiful.
The Mount at the top of the pic is the extinct volcano bit, the beach down the side is the main beach with the break moving up and down with the tide.
What a party. Barbeque at Mount Maunganui to celebrate the New Year looking up at the volcano with the surf crashing into a beautiful beach break in the background. What a way to smile into the face of the future.
Unfortunately some of the English contingent managed to get lost on the way up to the house after getting progressively more "uplifted" by a combination of the seemingly endless supply of cold beer and smokey treats. Amusing as they recounted about getting a speeding ticket 10km into their first journey in NZ (so they actually were going no-where fast!). Apparently Kiwi policemen don't react well to being chatted up by a 6' 3" englishman trying to talk his way out of a fine. As a side note, if they're not gay, why wear the Village People outfit? Yeah, they have no sense of fucking humour either. Still it's great to see the boys and girls around the place as we've known each other for some 16 years or more and it would definately not be the same without them.
Woke up on Jan 1st and celebrated by going body surfing with one of the extended family at his local break at the Mount under a clear blue sky. Beautiful.
The Mount at the top of the pic is the extinct volcano bit, the beach down the side is the main beach with the break moving up and down with the tide.
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