Blogs from Queenstown, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 9

Waking to a gorgeous sunny morning, New Zealand breakfast television obsessed by the All Blacks and a shower that Dean christened 'the tattoo remover', I was looking forward to exploring the town. We spent the day wandering around and the girls stalking some Brisbane you-tuber. It was a truly magnificent day weather-wise and the forecast looked good for the next few days. Queenstown offers lots of adventure activities and we decided that skiing would be the major one. However, we wanted the girls to try some other things too. Having experienced 'Escape Rooms' in KL and Melbourne, we thought we could try the one here. It certainly challenged us and if we hadn't been given lots of hints, we'd probably still be locked in the study with the revolver waiting for Colonel Mustard. Our second full ... read more

I'm back for another post and I must admit, I am a changed man since my last one. While I haven't figured out how to stop my ever-receding hairline from further depleting I have checked the box on my bucket list for bungy (bungee) jumping. Not only that, I bungy'd off the tallest bungy attraction in the whole of New Zealand and Australia. More on this further down - but first I must bring you up to speed on the things that happened since my last post including the aforementioned moment of dare develish glory. One of the other secondees Ryan (who happens to be one of the happiest and most energetic people on this planet) proposed every Wednesday that our group get together for Winesday. Winesday requires each attendee to bring a bottle of wine ... read more

I first want to thank you for the nomination for Blogger of the Week. What an honor! It really touched my heart, realizing other people enjoy reading my words, especially since they are very personal. This is a difficult spiritual journey and I appreciate you coming along with me. Thank you for your support and encouragement. It means the world! Soul's Landscape The moment when it clicks, when that one stone comes loose and the avalanche starts, but instead of crashing down and destroying everything in its path, it all falls into place and as the dust clears, sun shines down on a much different scene than before and it looks something like clarity. I have a certain knowing. Now I want sight. -Rumi, "What I See In Your Eyes" Time in the South Island can ... read more

Après deux jours sous la pluie, nous avons quitté Franz Josef... sous le soleil! Nous avons continué à descendre dans le sud pour se rapprocher des fjords. La traversée fût magnifique avec un paysage qui nous a rappelé des passages du Seigneur des anneaux (pour ceux qui ne le savent pas encore, les films ont été tournés en NZ! Incroyable non?!). Une succession d'immenses lacs coincés entre des montagnes majestueuses, dégarnies de végétation. La beauté du paysage nous a tenu en haleine tout le trajet, nous faisant presque oublier de vérifier le niveau de l'essence. La densité de population est tellement faible que nous n'avons pas eu de réseau téléphonique sur 250 km ni de pompe essence... (ne parlons même pas du prix lorsqu'on en a trouvé une!) Queenstown est une charmante ville nous rappelant beaucoup ... read more

Hi readers, cub reporter here again for a half time report. Amazingly we are already six months into our tour and I cannot believe how quickly it has gone. Of course we have missed family and friends but modern communication methods like Skype , FaceTime ,facebook etc have made us feel like we have been able to be with you and to be able to share our excitement and experiences with you. Whilst every new day seems to offer us yet another high we have talked about what we see as our most memorable events. Once we began the process the list seemed endless, a reflection on how fantastic a journey this has been and continues to be. So in an attempt to condense the list we have broken it down into the three countries we ... read more