Blogs from Banks Peninsula, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 3

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Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Banks Peninsula March 16th 2008

La peninsule de Banks est une melange de 2 volcans eteints il y a quelques millions d'annees. Le resultat est un paysage etonnant de beaute, avec des collines vertes, une mer bleue turquoise et des moutons plus ou moins blancs (ca depend)! Lyttelton est une jolie petite ville ou le 1er volcan s'est eteint. La le decor (car on dirait un decor de film) est super joli. Akaroa, au niveau du 2e volcan, est tres joli aussi. Au debut, Akaroa etait principalement un camp ou les francais dans les annees 1840 venaient se reposer avant d'aller pecher/chasser la baleine dans le coin. Puis petit a petit, plus de francais y sont venus et apres avoir fait des echanges et un marche avec les Maoris locaux ont meme voulu y etablir une colonie francaise (le reste de ... read more
Lyttelton
L'oncle et la tante de Patrick  - Patrick's uncle and aunt
Lyttelton

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Banks Peninsula March 14th 2008

I arrived in Christchurch, New Zealand and it all seems too easy! People speaking English, I know what to order at a restaurant, how to get around...it no longer feels like traveling, more of a holiday. But I welcome it! Christchurch is the largest city on the south island of NZ. I took a couple of days here to settle in, get some city culture, running in the park, strolling through the botanical gardens, visitng the art gallery, making friends while drinking delicious chardonnay and eating the famous green lipped mussels at happy hour at an outside cafe, while listening to a 2 man band play on the street, then off to a theatre show, and after to meet the fore-mentioned friends and hit a jazz club, amongst others. This is a charming city with friendly ... read more
Here's a chess board!!
Rose Garden in the center of the botanical gardens
In Hagley Park

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Banks Peninsula December 18th 2007

hi leute! laaaange habt ihr nun auf meinen neuen eintrag warten muessen, ich will euch endlich mal wieder mit infos beruhigen, dass es mir soweit gut geht. wie bereits oft genug gesagt, ich bin in der pampa, habe deshalb keinen gscheiten internetzugang. dazu kommt, dass ich recht viel arbeite (schon wieder), damit ich fuer schlafen und essen nichts zahlen muss. zuerst ein gruss aus meinem ersten backpacker in christchurch, dort habe ich promt beim herumspielen an (nein nicht mir) meiner kamea alle flugfotos und von meiner ersten bekanntschaft usw. geloescht... naja, hab ja doch genug von der stadt gemacht... die guten fotos von chch schaut ihr euch am besten im netz bei profifotografen an, von mir kriegt ihr das hier: aber jetzt ernsthaft. nach den paar tagen in christchurch und einem durch mein verschulden verpassten ersten ... read more
rubbish
again
shoes

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Banks Peninsula October 25th 2007

Sarah, Louise, Ewa and I spent the morning soaking up the rays in the garden before Marty and Joe (Jacko had left for Oz) came over with Joe's cousin, Chris, whom he was staying with and who had offered to take us out for the day to do some walking. We all piled into Chris', thankfully large, car and headed out of Christchurch. We stopped first at the beach and had fish and chips by the sea, which was lovely, and then drove up off to the hills just outside Christchurch for a walk around some of the abandoned buildings built in WW2 when the kiwi's thought the Japanese might try to attack. It was really good fun, going through tunnels and into underground buildings, and sitting ontop of buildings surveying the stunning views. We spent ... read more

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Banks Peninsula September 3rd 2007

2007年9月3日 Kaituna Valley 今天, 我們終於安頓了工作的事宜, 把多天的擔憂一掃而空。昨晚, 我又失眠了, 或者工作還未安頓下來, 所以沒有睡太多。今天一早, 我們吃過早餐後, 便乘坐French Connection往Kaituna Valley, 但我們還未能夠聯絡僱主阿John, 真的有點兒擔心。 大約一小時的車程, 我們終於到達了Kaituna Valley, 第一個感覺還是不錯, 四周十分荒蕪, 有點兒蒼茫。我們沿著指示牌一直往Kaituna Valley前進, 可惜走了很久還是沒有房子和人, 最後我們遠處看到一户人家, 經過婆婆的指引, 我們又繼續往前走, 前路好像沒有盡頭似的, 加上寒風吹襲, 我們真的不能猜想還有多久的路。 突然, 一輛汽車駛過, 義務乘載我們往阿John 的工作地方。這是我們第一次坐順風車, 感覺鄉村的人們真的比較熱情和富有人情味。終於我們到達了果園, 可惜阿John 不在, 我們惟有等他回來。時間一分一秒地過去, 而阿John 還未回來, 我此時心急如焚, 因為不想再返回Christchurch 再等待, 只希望今天可以安頓好工作的事宜。 一個農場的人指示我們往前繼續走, 到阿John 居住的地方看一看。 我們惟有再往前走一點, 到達了他屋前的路口。我們坐在馬路一旁, 靜心地等待他的回來, 我們等了又等, 不知過了多久才等到了阿John 的回來。我上前跟他自我介紹, 幸好他對我有印象, 反而他對Andy就完全沒有印象, 但我仍是堅持我們是一起在網上應徵, 故他最後都接受我們兩個人。不過, 我們又要繼續等待阿John吃完午餐後才安頓我們。 後來, 阿John 駕車接送我們往住宿的地方, 原來只是我們進入Kaituna Valley附近的一間房子。另一個叫Axel 的男仔介紹我們住的地方, 又介紹了房子的設施, 然後他跟阿John 往果園繼續工作。我和Andy 就安頓行裝, 然後出去附近走一走。 今天我們發現沒有車子是十分不便, 因為Christchurch ... read more
Living room, Bridge house
Dining room, Bridge house
Kitchen, Bridge house

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Banks Peninsula August 10th 2007

A short but interesting day today. We started out at the Cathedral Square Starbucks to pick up a flat white, download some email and book some outings at the I-Site (Tourist Centre). There is an I-Site in most towns, even small towns like Reefton. There are a superb resource, with knowledge staff who can offer advice and even bookings for most of the major attractions (and even travel and accommodation). They are a key and well functioning part of the tourism strategy in New Zealand. After a bit of shopping in the morning, we headed back out to the coast to take a 2 hour cruise around Lyttelton Harbour. It was a perfect day for it - fine weather about 20 degrees and sunny. Lyttleton is the key port on the South Island. A number of ... read more

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Banks Peninsula August 9th 2007

We headed over the Hill (to Christchurch) in what now feels like a commuter drive (albeit a 3.15 hour commute). The kids had to go the orthodontist and we picked Marie up from the airport. She is over from Toronto for a 3 week stay in Kiwiland. We left the house late as usual which makes the drive over the mountain pass just a little more harrowing as we had to make up the lost time (Which is not to say at any time I put the lives of my children in at any risk). I picked up a flat white from the Broadway Tea Rooms on the way out of town. There must have been a price increase when I was in Toronto. It is now $4.30NZ for a large flat white. We arrived at ... read more

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Banks Peninsula April 22nd 2007

After the dramatic, unspoilt, Milford Sound region we continued the road trip from Queenstown heading South east across the South Island to the beautiful Catlins national park. The South is just so unpopulated, we only passed through tiny settlements with just a pie shop/ dairy and garage if you were lucky, in our 5 hour journey. I was served the most disgusting cup of tea with cappacino style froth on the top! in the most 1980's looking pie shop ever! Which is in fact very unusual compared to the normal high standards here. In fact the coffee here is the best ive ever had, its so good im totally addicted! We stayed by the beach in the Catlins, it felt almost like Wales combined with the best bits of Cornwall, strange given that we are ... read more
Sea lions
Akaroa
Crazy sea weed

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Banks Peninsula April 21st 2007

On the 21st we decided to go for an all day walk, to see the scenery of Banks Peninsula from a birds perspective. We climbed all the way to the summit of the rocky bluff 807m up (almost vertical the whole way!). Unfortunately, when we got to the top, the fog was so thick we couldn't see anything! It momentarily cleared, in order for us to see the Pacific Ocean and part of nearby Akaroa harbour. We also got lost in the forest nearby which was a complete disaster as there was no flat. It was all either steep up or steep down (steep up most of the way back!). The walk took 6 hours in total and having done the Santa Cruz trek and the Inca Trail, neither of us could understand why we were ... read more
Storm clouds over the Pacific Ocean
Banks Peninsula during a rare clear patch

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Banks Peninsula March 8th 2007

Hey allemaal! Ik zit inmiddels (weer) in Christchurch, de grootste stad van het zuidereiland. Een mooie 'engelse' stad met een grote cathedraal in het midden van het centrum, en in het weekend vooral veel te beleven op het plein, staat entertainers enz. Ook zijn er de botanical gardens, en het arts centre, voor de creatieve nz-landers! (Moet trouwens wel wat sneller zijn deze keer, want het internetcafe gaat bijna sluiten) Oke, vanaf kaikoura! Ik zat in drie hostels daar, maar 1 was wel echt super! De ' dolphin lodge' nog wel! Met uitzicht over zee, gezellige mensen, tuintje en een hottob! Daar ben ik dus maar wat lander gebleven! Wilde ook met dolfijnen zwemmen...en stond op de wachtlijst..iemand cancelde...en toen kon ik...een uur later al!!!!!!! Dus ik snel voorbereiden, nouja bikini aan, en jas, was nou ... read more




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