Blogs from New Zealand, Oceania - page 2432

We get up and are not as sore as we thought we would be. We store our luggage by 9:30 am and go for our last adventures in Arthur’s Pass. First we go to the store that also sells muffins and pastries, and have breakfast. We leave there and walk down a short path to another waterfall in the city center. We also look at another very steep path up the mountain but decide we should stay clean for the trip to Christchurch. We go back to DOC center and read more information there to kill time. Finally it is time for our last meal at the Wobbly Kea. As we are eating our lunch we learn that the French guys are still in town but the owner says unfortunately the entertainment is already scheduled for ... read more

The aqua-taxi has just dropped us off on a completely deserted beach, the hour-long journey along the coast took us past a pod of gorgeous Dusky Dolphins, includeing a wee bab only half a meter long jumping and flipping over the waves. I even saw my first Blue Penguin tobogganing slowly across the water! We've only got a 4 hour hike to do today, so we can take it slow, which is lucky, since our packs weigh so much! We just have to time it right, since there's a rather large tidal crossing to circumnavigate and although we have a 4 hour window, I dont fancy missing it and having to wade through, holding my 10 tonne pack above my head. 9:00pm The tramp around the coast was less challenging than we'd imagined, although the tidal ... read more

Organic Farming and WWOOFING Orgnic food is something very important to me. I see the need for the support of naturally grown food and naturally fed/housed meat and poultry. Farming with the use of genetically enhanced food products, toxic chemical sprays and pesticides, and harmful eradiation is becoming a massive worldwide problem (this is especically true for the United States) Deadly diseases such as heart disease and Cancer (which is becoming a huge epidemic) are rampant, and are linked to toxins, harmful synthetics and injected hormones and chemicals which are found in our food supply (including fruit, vegatables, meat, fish etc). By supporting the Organic food producers, not only are we protecting ourself from eating pure checmicals, but we are protecting the environment from harsh toxins, and we are ensuring that the food we humans eat, ... read more

It's been a little while since I've updated my journal!! I'm currently sitting in a cybercafe (they don't call them internet cafe's here) in Hong Kong.... but more on that later. Here's the quick round up of my last few months in Wellington!! I've been doing quite well on the cultural front lately. Helen and I went to see the Buena Vista Social Club, a group of 80 plus Cuban musicians and singers that played in Havana in the 1940's and 50's. I'd seen them 8 years ago when I was living in Cambridge, and whilst there were a few less of them this time (the singer Ibrahim Ferrer and the amazing Ruben Gonzalez and Compay Segundo have all died since I saw them last), the show was excellent. This time the show was based around ... read more

Since my last post I have travelled over to the South Island of New Zealand, and have made my way almost all the way down the west coast (a change in bus company was prompted by the old company wanting me to get up a full 3 hours earlier than the new one). I stopped off for a few days in a town called Nelson, which I told was always sunny. False advertising. But at least it has (almost completely) stopped raining now! Last week the main event was a two day trip in Abel Tasman National Park, a huge area of forest (and I do mean huge, the forests here put our paltry woods in the UK to shame; to those who enjoy a good forest stroll, let me say that I am really being ... read more