My journey continues in New Zealand

My journey through New Zealand really begins after picking up the hired car, off we set for Rotorua, stopping on the way to the Waitomo glo worm caves fascinating and very beautiful, especially the gondola boat ride through the caves where it is completely dark and silent and to see the thousands of glow worms shining brightly up above, no photography was allowed of any sort as not to disturb the fragile glow worms.

We then headed for our destination for the next two nights Rotorua arriving around 5pm to the beautiful lake view hotel. You could do almost anything on the lake, we plumped so a sedate pedalo (not very adventurous i know) but seeing the lake from a different perspective was really good. Walking along the lake front were at least 20 to 30 seagulls waiting to pounce on their next victim and i actually got dive bombed by a couple so i made a hasty retreat!! Well that was the exercise for the day!! Found a lovely little cafe bar and sat out for a well deserved S/Blanc (cloudy bay) whilst writing my journal. But we began to notice a strange smell emanating all around, rotten eggs, then the penny dropped ah! we were in the Thermal Wonderland of Rotorua!!


One of the many black swans on the lake.



This is a recreated Maori boat.
The carvings on it are so intricate.


Can you imagine seeing this in the water, Amazing




Our trip for the next day was to the,
Waiotapo Thermal wonderland. We spent so much more time here than planned, but you just could not go for an hour, we did the whole walk in the end ended up staying nearly three hours. Breathtaking scenes of our earths core and the bubbling noises of the earth moving with billowing smoke coming up every so often giving of that lovely rotten egg smell !!!

A Pied Stilt picking little things from the ground, how it survives in this place i don't know because the ground is hot in some places!


One of the many different coloured lakes that have formed in the area and it was really that colour

Different rock formations that have formed over thousands of years.

This was known as the Frying pan and Oyster pool, quite stunning.

Giving a swirling feature to the lake.

There is that smell again!!!

The steam was overpowering as i stood here , you had to just step back!

The edge of the Champagne pool

The Devils Home, aptly named i think.

One reason for going was the Geyser that erupts at
preciously 10.15.am every morning, hopefully that will continue,

if not there maybe something going wrong around the region!

The evening trip was to the Tamaki Maori village. Where an evenings entertainment awaited us.

All dressed in their native costumes, telling stories through music and dance.

This chap was amazing, his eyes were so wide and

as for his tongue WELL !!!!!! No photo i'm afraid but will

leave it to your imagination!!!

The entrance to the village where our chosen chief from our coach

was welcomed, we had been given written information beforehand

about what to expect and not what to do! Never laugh, imitate or smile

whilst the dance is being performed as it would be very disrespectful to

the Maori chief of the village. It was such a shame because the heavens opened

at this point, thunder and lightening too, so the dance was cut very short.

We were all then welcomed to the village where a Hangi feast had been set for us, traditional

meats that had been slow cooked in a oven in the ground covered by volcanic rocks

and cooked for 7 hours, never tasted lamb, pork or chicken like it, delicious.

You can see just how wet the ground was!

The grounds of the village.

As i said the journey really began here, the scenery gets more dramatic as we go further around but this was certainly a good opener. Miles and miles of green pastures hills, mountains are to come.

City of Sails / Auckland

The next part of the holiday begins.
I wrote a journal whilst away, i shan't bore you with loads but will drop a few snippets in along the way.
"Leaving San fransisco with my last views of the financial district and the Bay Bridge. Sad to leave the place i adore, but looking forward so much to the adventure ahead"
"Airports much the same the world over boring and tiring. Saturday 23rd Jan whole day lost in transit due to crossing the international date line"

A free room upgrade was given and this was the view!!
View of Auckland harbour and bridge



Auckland known as the city of sails, you can see why
with all those boats in the harbour.
Fact 1 in 5 own a boat and 1 in 3 have the use of
some sort of vessel.

City of Sails strikes again! How many ?

Took a harbour cruise this was a suspended

swimming pool at the Hilton hotel

View taken on the boat trip. The Sky Tower

dominating the skyline. It is 328 metres high

and the tallest man made structure in N/Z

It was the weekend so many people were out

on the water. Love the angle of the yacht.

Another view from the boat, love the building with the ring

on top of it.

The sky looks very overcast and it began to drizzle,

but i still managed to get sun burnt on my nose, chemist

next stop sun factor 70!!! very deceptive weather, no wonder

the lady on the boat said" free tea and coffee and sun cream"

did not think i needed it, how stupid.

A different view of the Sky Tower at night.

Sky City has many bars, resaurants and a casino.

What a view eh? Loved it!

Tony on the other hand would not step on it, chicken!!!

Stunning view of Auckland from the tower.

Taken at dusk where the lights of the city were

just coming alive.

Sunlight on the city a welcome sight after the grey

overcast afternoon that we had.

Just had to be done, sitting people watching with

a glass of S/blanc and after a long wait a mango

brulee with a difference, delicious a piece of art on

a plate! The wait was well worth it.

Auckland a very clean and relaxed city, harbour based activities being the main attractions, great place to chill out after a long flight. There is much more to the city but only having a couple of days you can only do so much. But a most enjoyable stopover with lovely friendly people wherever we went.

My Holiday of a lifetime

Well i know it has been ages since i last blogged, but i have had a great reason why.
I have been on holiday to far distant shores for five weeks in total, a holiday of a lifetime. San Fransisco, New Zealand, Sydney and Singapore !!!.
Had a wonderful time, exhausting but worth every minute of the travelling.
As you can imagine there were many pictures taken 2500 in total, but we are slowly picking out our favourites.
I have decided to break them up into smaller parts or we will be here for another year looking through them.

Started off in San Fransisco on the 20th January 2010.
I love this place city so much, been fortunate to be there in summer and now winter, both having different aspects in the different seasons.
We left uk in the freezing snow covered land and arrived to a very large storm in America , it was pouring and the wind was howling, weather forecast for the three days we were there AWFULL ! Just togged up in the wets and off we went to explore.
Did a trip on a coach so we could get to see the famous bridge and Golden gate park.
Got thoroughly wind swept as you can see. Got back to the hotel where an open log fire was burning and a welcoming wine tasting was arranged, "ah i've arrived"
San Fran is such a diverse city wonderful shopping malls the sights obviously, but you also get the rough sides with many beggars and homeless people walking with their whole life in a shopping trolley, sad! But i still love it, riding on the cable cars from Powell to Market street down those famous hills! Great food, certainly great wine , we were like children in a sweet shop looking in the supermarkets stocked with our favourite Californian wines! Seeing the bridge and Alcatraz in the bay is magical to me whatever the weather.

The famous cable car there are now only three left in the city

View of Golden Gate park from the bandstand where it was dry

One of the many painted building in the city

My favourite photo , i was wet windswept but i didn't care
"I am in San Fransisco"

The weather was so bad, but it still has a magic about it!

Another wonderful view

Taken from the cable car

One of thos famous hills with the sheer drop down with a view of the bay

The many skyscrapers that adorn the city


New Zealand will come in the next post.
Hope my followers are still there?

A trip on the london eye

Well i am making a conscious effort to blog more i am afraid to say facebook and farmville have taken over the past weeks shameful !!.
Anyway these are a few photos taken on the London Eye a couple of weeks ago. It was a birthday treat for my eldest daughter who had never been before she really loved it, we made a day of it and went out to lunch afterwards to a restaurant in covent garden called Wahaccas, a former masterchef winners restaurant superb food mexican food all freshly cooked to order all washed down with a lovely margarita, delicious! We finished off the day by shopping and ended up at Gordon Ramsays wine bar to end our day. It was lovely to spend time with both my daughters at the same time, does not happen as often as we would like so it was very special for me to have that time with them.


View taken leading up to the eye


Loved the shape of this building down below us.
As can be seen it was quite misty.

Some of Londons great buildings

Got snap happy with Big Ben took so many.

One of the most iconic buildings of London

Another one !!!!

The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben from above

in the pod.

I just loved the angles and workings that could

be seen whilst in the pod on the eye itself

View from our pod onto the other, with a view of the

Thames in the background

From our pod the other one looked like it was

suspended in mid air

Quite a good view with the buildings down below.

Good job i am not scared of heights!

An empty pod shell

My favourite picture, to me it just captures everything

the eye is, an amazing piece of engineering

Just another angle from within the pod.

Planning to go on the Eye again at some point at night this time views would be wonderful.

Been a hectic couple of weeks seeing family and friends great to catch up with people who i had not seen for ages, crammed so much in one week, but loved every minute.

Sue our youngest daughter went home yesterday after spending a week with us, the house is so quiet today miss her already xxxx but we had a nice relaxing time together plenty of chats and hugs and laughs, so thankyou Sue .