Steve of the North

Hey guys, finally managed to drag myself into the internet cafe, even though i may have to leave early to watch the cricket, as unbelievable as it may sound, the pommies have made it through to the penultimate tri series fixture, with a game in hand, i'm really not sure how much more of this i can take. Anyway, you will no doubt recall, i left you last time with promises of Christmas adventures, of which we had a few. This was no doubt connected to the arrival of two friends Cheri and Louisa from Manchester, well actually Lou comes from Shaw, but i'm sure she wont mind been tarred with the mancunian brush, as we are similarly unconsciously obsessed with all things northern, John Shuttleworth included. I picked Lou and Cheri from the airport on ... read more

Hey Guys Well, I know ive been neglecting the blog, but its all been rather hectic since my last tales were bestowed upon those unfortunate enough to be able to access the internet. I think I had come back from Queenstown the last time I wrote, as a young man (well, relatively speaking), with a head full of dreams but with pockets full of holes i had been invigorated by the south island scenery, this was soon knocked out of me after a couple of weeks back in Auckland (or after several beer soaked leaving dos - I cant quite remember which came first), but I was soon to find myself in the thick of it once more. Two weekends after my Queenstown Adventure, it was the New Zealand Leg of the WRC (World Rally Championship ... read more

Well, I can almost let the photos do the talking in this entry, but i know how much you enjoy my monthly words of wisdom, so i'll let you in on the latest round of adventures. So as a present to myself, I organised to go down to Queenstown for the weekend after my half marathon run. I’d managed to book some flights in August for just $150 return, which when you consider its nearly 2 hours flying time is a pretty good deal, as the photos show too, as i’d got a window seat the views on the way down were pretty spectacular. I’ve said it before, but its great flying away for the weekend, especially as travel in New Zealand’s ‘geopolitically stable’ environment is still pretty laid back, with not a latex glove nor ... read more

Well, it sure has been an eventful couple of weeks.. I managed to finally free myself from the grips of Auckland and get down to the Coromandel a couple of weeks back, the idea was to take a break and catch up with some well-earned rest and relaxation, it seems however that those in charge had other plans. I ambled down to the Coromandel on Saturday morning, taking breakfast in Thames, it was a wonderful sunny day. I stopped for breakfast and then drove over the mountains and did a bit of giant kauri spotting on the way to the east coast, where I headed for Cathedral Cove. Cathedral Cove, you may have seen before, its appeared on a dozen arty greetings cards, which you can probably purchase at WHSmith. I’ve taken care to include photos ... read more

Well, I'll just start by saying that ive committed myself by buying a 6 month pass at the local climbing wall, and as a Yorkshireman, its now going to make it difficult (as a matter of principal) to leave Auckland before my pass has expired.. Its also going to make it difficult to leave the country after running up a considerable amount purchases on my westpac 'gold card', because of my rapidly growing collection of outdoor gear, the last purchase, a pair of sturdy boots, set me back almost as much as much as the cost of my mazda 626 (it did'nt actually cost that much), but bye eck', after a solid weekend with a full pack on my back hurling myself down snowy ravines, I can safely say that ive not even got a blister ... read more