Christchurch Cathedral update
Updated 2 August 2012:Â If you're looking for more recent updates and detailed information on the Christchurch Cathedral, please visit the cathedral website which will give you links to engineering...
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From Darwin to Broome
We arrived in Australia on June 17 and discovered very quickly that this is a country you have to take seriously. Within 24 hours we learned of three ways in which you can be seriously injured or...
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Australia 2012 pt 2
It's a blog about a trip to Australia -Â cue the requisite shot of a sulfur-crested cockatoo. And the requisite photo of the wallaby in our campsite (they're awfully cute - you'll see more photos of...
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Australia part 3, the birds
The north-west corner of Australia is infinitely interesting. We'd been looking forward to this trip for two years and as we read about it in preparation for our holiday the more it intrigued us. Much...
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Australia part 4, wildlife
Moving on now from the birds to some of the other wildlife we saw while in Australia. Some we simply couldn't get cameras out fast enough for, or the animals made a quick exit into the bush within...
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Australia part 5
These photos are from the Katherine Gorge, which is gradually being returned to it's original name, Nitmiluk. A trip up the gorge involves three boats at threedifferent levels along the gorge. Winter...
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Australia part 6
The wildlife continued to feature largely in our trip to Australia's NW corner. The termites were everywhere we went and the diversity of their mounds was fascinating. Some huge, some small, some...
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The Transitional Cathedral
 The Transitional Cathedral (aka the Cardboard Cathedral) will include these 63 cm diameter tubes. They will support a 'plastic' roof and are going to be reinforced by wooden beams. The tubes are...
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A Trip to China
One of the many things I'm loving about being on this side of the world is that some of the world is a lot closer to visit. Well, at least until you read a map. I took a 12 hour flight from Auckland...
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A day at Kaikoura, NZ
Two Wandering Albatross off the coast at KaikouraA Cape PetrelWalking along the coastal track south from KaikouraShore line rock formations at KaikouraAlong the Kaikoura Coastal TrackMoonrise (and a...
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A trip to China part 2
Our trip to China included a visit to the Great Wall near Mutianyu. A chair lift up the hill and the option to chose between that or a toboggan ride on the way down. Those of us under 60 were allowed...
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China Part 3, Terracotta Army
Part of my trip to China included a trip to Xi'an with Em and family, a two hour flight west of Beijing. Xi'an is the city where the Terracotta Warriors began to be unearthed in 1974. It was a...
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Post-Easter at Tekapo
I just came home from a couple of days in Tekapo after Easter. We walked up to the Mt John Observatory, past the Tekapo outdoor ice rink (winter) and the hotsprings (year round!) and got to see a...
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Signs, labels and translations. China part 4
An endless source of entertainment were the signs, labels and various translations into English. I must admit that I was surprised by how much signage was in English, and of course it was very helpful...
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April Scenery
We've had a very scenic month of April while having visitors from Canada. These are some of the highlights of our journeys.Kaikoura is one of our favourite spots. The seal colony, beach walk, cliff...
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Australia trip 2013. Week 1, visiting Gold Coast
One week of sand, surf and (some) sun.Gold Coast, Queensland on a hazy day.Same stretch of beach on a clearer day. The yellow hut on stilts is the life guard station.However, the life guard is not...
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Australia 2013 Week 2 visiting the rainforest
Mature Strangler Fig Tree.Week two of our trip to Australia was spent in the sub-tropical rain forests of the nearby mountains. The time was spent exploring the walking trails of both Tamborine...
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A Feast For The Eyes. Market Day.
I love a visit to the market, any market, for the riot of colours and textures and fascinating items available. Some known and many unknown. I think if I lived near this market in Melbourne, I'd be...
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A Walk Down Collins Street
The photos for this next bit of the blog were taken with a couple of friends in mind who enjoy strolling the streets and exploring the buildings and older architectural styles when visiting a new city....
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Beach combing
Crested Terns on Woolamai beach on Phillip IslandTo be clear, this is not a meadow looking at a grey hill-side. This is looking down a steep grassy hillside at the flat rock strewn beach at the bottom...
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Exploring a bit of New Zealand with family over Christmas
Our travels took us from Castle Hill through to Cape Foulwind on the South Island, in Maori: Te Wai Pounamu. We passed through Arthur's Pass, the Otira Valley, Greymouth, Barrytown, Punakaiki and Cape...
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Tramping in March
It's been a while since I last posted some photos and with the change of season it seemed like a good time to get the camera out and take a walk. That plus it was a gorgeous early autumn day here on...
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Oddities of Travel
I find the fun part of holidays is finding the strange, peculiar, whimsical oddities along the way. Here are a few that caught my attention last month. This Dwarf is of course from Auckland airport and...
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Monday is frequently my day off and this week in July I took a visitor from the Czech Republic, (who is here in NZ playing for the Canterbury women's hockey team) up to Castle Hill and Arthur's Pass....
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A Monday hike up to Castle Hill
I've posted photos from Castle Hill before, but this trip included a walk up the hill on the left side of the Castle Hill rocks and still within the Castle Hill Basin. It was a lovely sunny winter day...
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