http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/SteveCownie/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from SteveCownie en-us Sat, 02 Jan 2010 09:01:32 +0000 Sat, 02 Jan 2010 09:01:32 +0000 So i've now been in New Zealand for 3 weeks just about and in the last 2 i've seen a whole lot of the south island. As I said before I was meeting up with my parents in Blenheim on the 11th which all went as planned just about... the flight was cancelled due to heavy fog and ice on the runway but eventually after a long wait in the airport it was rescheduled. So where to start really... I gues http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Kaikoura/blog-383903.html So I arrived in Queenstown on Monday afternoon and after a pretty scary hourlong interrogation by customs I was on my way. It appears I chose a pretty good time to arrive 3 days of perfect weather in the middle of a fairly average patch of cloud and rain. Had a very nice taxi driver who told me all about different things to do in Queenstown and where to find various amenities I'd need along the http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Queenstown/blog-379796.html So my last shift was technically before I left for Melbourne but I got confused so this entry is afterwards. Not a lot to say just thought I'd stick up some photo's of the bar and my crew for anyone that wanted to see. In the end I had 2 leaving drinks parties greedy one before I left for Melbourne with everyone from work and one the night before I left Sydney altogether with work general http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/Sydney-Harbour/blog-379790.html So seeing Pat's blog has spurred me to stop being so lazy and whack some updates on this thing for a change. I'm now in New Zealand but I'll work back from the last few weeks in Sydney and Melbourne and then get to the present in a couple of entries' time.I spent just under 2 weeks in Melbourne staying with an aussie mountainboarder who I'd toured with last summer around Europe. He's got a nice li http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Victoria/Melbourne/Richmond/blog-379786.html OK so happy new year's to everyone back at home thought I'd whack up some of the photos I took from NYE over here. Didn't take any photos of the main fireworks display at midnight decided I'd rather actually enjoy watching it The fireworks photos are from the family fireworks at 9pm... still probably the most impressive fireworks I'd ever seen so it's not all badInto my last month or so in Syd http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/Balmain/blog-361628.html Okay so finally found the time to stick some pictures of the apartment up. It isn't big nor particularly amazing in any way but it's a room and a half that we can live in and leave stuff lying around in without them being stolen so thats good enough.Also have seen the ChristmasNew Years rota at work so I know when I'm working and when I'm off... got Christmas Eve and Christmas day off which is http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/Ultimo/blog-353171.html Okay not much to report here... still working alot which is good over the next couple of weeks I'll find out which days in the christmasnew years period I have to work. I've got my fingers crossed that I'll get New Years Eve off but I'm not too hopeful. We shall seeJust thought I should stick a rough itinerary up on here seeing as how there seems to be alot of people who are trying to plan whe http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/Ultimo/blog-351093.html So... nearly 2 months now the last 4 or 5 weeks have completely flown by. Got myself well set up in Sydney now which is reassuring still looking for the right apartment to move into which is a major stress but now I'm earning good money and have a good group of mates its all going pretty smoothly.And yep for anyone that didn't know I got the job at the Intercontinental Sydney. Thats going real http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/Newtown/blog-345324.html Ello ello so this is just a little update from Sydney.Arrived last Wednesday so just about had my first week and so far it's been really good. The hostel is a great laugh cheap and cheerful but full of wicked people... starting to get a nice friend base which is good ended up sitting either reading a book in my room The Kite Runner if anyones interested and its bloody fantastic for the firs http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/Newtown/blog-329303.html Hmm first try at this So yeah just got into Sydney today and found some sweetass internet cafe where I upload my photos onto the computer... haven't taken tooo many so far but got some nice ones I think.I think Hong Kong is definitely the kind of place that would be 20x better if you had a couple other people to walk around with... its real hot and humid and I found it a bit too easy to run out http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Hong-Kong-Island/blog-326921.html