Blogs from Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 22

I woke at 2am having dreamt that I had slept through the start of the race and then settled back down until 03:45 when I woke before the alarm went off. I set about getting kitted up and cooking my Flahavans porridge. The tension amongst the competitors was tangible and each competitor was left alone to carry out their pre race routine. At 04:45 Niamh was up and ready to head to the transition at Aikens and we had a final run through of the transition requirements and approximate times that I would hope to be at them. As Niamh exited the racecourse turning right I headed left on the 5km cycle warm-up to where we positioned the bikes and shoes. They were positioned numerically and all kit was left there with the exception of the ... read more

A relatively early start, and we're off to do the school run for Will and Jack. I've missed the school run - most people would ask why, but I love going to the playground for a natter, and love the mutual wave thing they've got going just so that the teacher knows you're picking up the right child. Yes, it's backfired on occasion, when I've ended up with three kids - one godchild, one brother and a nephew - but at least I did know them all.... After that, Mimi, her Mum Thea, and I headed off for a cycle ride around Christchurch, thanks to Mary, her next door neighbour, and the loan of a couple of mountain bikes. I've found a new love of cycling since I've been away - setting myself up nicely for ... read more

Efter en god nats søvn stod de morgenfriske op (læs Mor) og tog sammen med Marianne og Jørgen (en kollega af Pappas med mand, som vi fulgtes med herud – og skal mødes med forskellige steder herude) ud for at se verdens største hotel Marina Sands. Det var en kæmpe oplevelse, hvor både højdeskræk og mulighederne indenfor arkitektur blev udfordret gevaldigt. Morten og jeg sov til middag, da vi ikke havde sovet igennem hele natten. Vi vågnede faktisk på samme tid om natten, hvor vores kroppe bare sagde, at vi skulle stå op. Klokken var så kun 04.00, så vi forsøgte at blive liggende i senge og lade som om det var nat. Mest af alt havde vi lyst til at gå ned i hotellets fitnesscenter og brænde energi af og derefter bestille roomservice, da vi ... read more

Going to have to be careful what I write in future..........had an e-mail from the Greymouth Tourist Board asking why I thought "Greymouth is a bit of a dump" (did I really write that?). Weather overnight was horrendous but it was starting to brighten up as we left Greymouth at 08.30. We headed out via Brunner Lake which was very impressive. We then stopped off at the Otira Gorge - unfortunately the first viewing point that we went to didn't have a great view of the gorge! And at the second one,the car was attacked by some playful keas - I'm glad that they prefer metal and plastic to human flesh!!! From there we went on to Arthurs's Pass which involved (some more) steep and windy roads: did a short walk up to the Kiwi version ... read more

J'ai fais beaucoup de chemin ces derniers jours ! J'ai passé quelques temps à Wellington, assez pour voir que c'est pas mal plus beau et vibrant qu'Auckland. Faut dire que la météo est pas mal meilleur qu'Auckland. Mais je suis déjà rendu dans l'ile du sud, plus précisément à Christchurch. Près de 200 personnes y sont décédés dans un tremblement de terre en février dernier. Une autre secousse s'est produite juste avant Noel. Ca fait dure.. Presque tout le centre ville est fermé. Beaucoup d'édifice sont condamné à la démolition. Les gros hotels sont tous fermé. Je suis dans un dortoir du YMCA.. Mais c'est juste pour une nuit. Demain je prend un train à travers les montagnes pour me rendre à Greymouth.... read more